Polar Aurora canister filter

[Sun.singh1991]

Just bought a Polar Aurora Canister filter for my 29 gallon to replace my Aquaclear 50. You guys think it’s a good upgrade? I’m going to be filling it with Seachem Matrix. I was originally going to buy a Aquaclear 70 but this canister filter is about the same price. 

Edited May 9, 2021 by Sun.singh1991

[Wingman12r]

Looks like a rebranded Sun-Sun. Ive had mine up and running for 4-5 years with no issues.

Upgrade depends on what your filtration goals are. AC 50 or 70 is a lot of filtration for a 29G, the canister even moreso. 

Your post history indicates that you've been having issues with nitrates, a canister won't solve that. Adding a plant like Pothos will.

[Sun.singh1991]

49 minutes ago, Wingman12r said:

Looks like a rebranded Sun-Sun. Ive had mine up and running for 4-5 years with no issues.

Upgrade depends on what your filtration goals are. AC 50 or 70 is a lot of filtration for a 29G, the canister even moreso. 

Your post history indicates that you've been having issues with nitrates, a canister won't solve that. Adding a plant like Pothos will.

So my hope is that I would fill up the canister with biological media. Apparently Seachem matrix has the potential to house anaerobic bacteria that can break down nitrates. 

[tonyjuliano]

3 hours ago, Sun.singh1991 said:

So my hope is that I would fill up the canister with biological media. Apparently Seachem matrix has the potential to house anaerobic bacteria that can break down nitrates. 

Don’t get your hopes up.  I’m a user of the matrix product, and I like it a lot, but I’ve never found any filter media that is effective in nitrate elimination.

Wisteria, frogbit, moneywart and - as mentioned, pothos - are all great consumers of nitrates.

Plants are the answer!

[Sun.singh1991]

28 minutes ago, tonyjuliano said:

Don’t get your hopes up.  I’m a user of the matrix product, and I like it a lot, but I’ve never found any filter media that is effective in nitrate elimination.

Wisteria, frogbit, moneywart and - as mentioned, pothos - are all great consumers of nitrates.

Plants are the answer!

Yeah, I’ve done a lot of research today and you guys are correct. Going to cancel the order for the filter.

[Dr.rex]

6 hours ago, Sun.singh1991 said:

Yeah, I’ve done a lot of research today and you guys are correct. Going to cancel the order for the filter.

I have a similar canister on my 55g, and I absolutely love it but my setup runs 4 different trays with, bio balls, ceramic media, aragonite in filter bags, then empty space, (in order from bottom to top) cuz I cannibalized 1 tray to make a breeding box not thinking, but I run hornwort, frog bit, water lettuce, duck weed, and even with that canister my hornwort grows like f****** mad and it's one of my major filtering components in my system with my other actually being hair algae, those two put together probably do twice the work of that canister if not 4x but I like the canisters because they provide the stability to be able to remove large amounts of plants every time, because when I remove hornwort (I think of it as a self-growing sponge you take out) I think the bio load shifts to the canister and then as it regrows the load is took off of it slowly in a repeating cycle of my weekly maintenance

[DShelton]

20 hours ago, Sun.singh1991 said:

So my hope is that I would fill up the canister with biological media. Apparently Seachem matrix has the potential to house anaerobic bacteria that can break down nitrates. 

Any surface that can grow aerobic bacteria can also grow anaerobic bacteria. It is not the media, but the conditions that dictate what grows on the media.