Canister filter setup

[Kyle murfitt]

Any suggestions on canister filter setup? I've got. Magnaflow 360 and am using the stock bioballs. Carbon bags and foam pads.   Anyone have any secrets or is the stock stuff all ya need?

[Mmiller2001]

I wouldn't use the carbon and I would switch out the bio balls for as much Seachem Matrix I could shove in there.

[Mmiller2001]

If the filter has a compartment for carbon, I'd fill that with Matrix as well.

[Kyle murfitt]

On 8/1/2021 at 2:19 PM, Mmiller2001 said:

If the filter has a compartment for carbon, I'd fill that with Matrix as well.

So no carbon needed at all?

[Mmiller2001]

On 8/1/2021 at 1:20 PM, Kyle murfitt said:

So no carbon needed at all?

No. And if you want to clear up your water, Seachem Purigen is superior to carbon.

[DebSills]

you shouldn't need carbon unless you are trying to get something specific out of your water (ex. meds) - I have a fluval canister and usually have the sponge then fine filter pad and the other two trays are full of bio-media

[Kyle murfitt]

Thanks. Will I crash my cycle on the tank if I remove a bunch of stuff from the filter and replace with new media?

[Mmiller2001]

On 8/1/2021 at 1:31 PM, Kyle murfitt said:

Thanks. Will I crash my cycle on the tank if I remove a bunch of stuff from the filter and replace with new media?

Probably, do half then a few weeks do the remaining or next filter cleaning. The carbon can be removed any time.

[Kyle murfitt]

On 8/1/2021 at 2:27 PM, DebSills said:

you shouldn't need carbon unless you are trying to get something specific out of your water (ex. meds) - I have a fluval canister and usually have the sponge then fine filter pad and the other two trays are full of bio-media

 

On 8/1/2021 at 2:35 PM, Mmiller2001 said:

Probably, do half then a few weeks do the remaining or next filter cleaning. The carbon can be removed any time.

Appreciate the info 

[HH Morant]

I am gradually replacing the filter media in my Eheim canister filters. In stages, I am taking out the media that came with the filters and replacing it with 30 ppi poret foam. I have 2 Eheim 2217 canisters on a 120 gallon tank. I can see the water getting clearer after replacing about half the old media with the foam. I don't have any mechanical or chemical filtration in the canisters. 30 ppi foam is not considered mechanical filtration because the pores are too big. I also have one sponge filter which I don't clean very often.

Everybody has a favorite biological filter media. I was persuaded by aquariumscience.org, which has several articles on filtration. The author did some tests of several biological filter medias. Poret foam and pot scrubbers performed much better than any other media, and the non-foam commercial filter medias generally performed more poorly than aquarium gravel as a filter media.

Six weeks after putting the first poret foam into my filters (and removing the white mechanical filter pads), my water is cleaner and clearer. I highly recommend 30 ppi poret foam.

[AlgaeIsYum]

@HH Morant Thanks for sharing aquariumscience.org and what they found on filter media in the hobby. It's so hard these days to know exactly what the best product for anything is when so much advertising is incredibly biased. For my next tank I'll get some 30 ppi poret foam.

[Jungle Fan]

l don't use carbon in my canister filters because it absorbs all the liquid fertilizer, also I don't use the bio-balls they don't have nearly the same surface for beneficial bacteria to colonize as sintered glass like Siporax, or well rinsed lava rock. The majority of my  canister filter which is a Fluval 407, is filled with coarse and fine sponge and a tray of sintered glass; I also use an Eheim pre-filter with two stacks of sponges on the filter intake.  About once a month I run a polishing pad for a week in between water changes.

However the largest filtration unit in my tank is the substrate with a base layer of lava rock ,followed by a thin layer of Fluval Stratum, gravel, and a thicker layer of Amazon soft belly aqua soil, as well as my wood, rocks, and my plants.

Amost forgot to mention I'm also running an Eheim surface skimmer with sponge and filter wool to prevent any surface biofilm.

[eatyourpeas]

On 8/1/2021 at 1:25 PM, HH Morant said:

I don't have any mechanical or chemical filtration in the canisters. 30 ppi foam is not considered mechanical filtration because the pores are too big. I also have one sponge filter which I don't clean very often.

Totally agree! Your foam will become biological filtration and it will pretty much last forever. I am using them in canister filters as well as a vertical sump for my SW tank.

[Hoi Polloi]

Being six months into the hobby and spending a lot of time reading/videos. I am familiar with aquariumscience.org and it is without a few distractors. I question the authors anonymity despite his defense of ID theft as a reason to remain so. However, I cannot dismiss the information off hand.
I ended up looking at the sponge filters provided by the manufacturers and the porosity of the filter material. Some of these filters seemed to be in the range of 10-25 ppi. Although, one set of sponges were so large a truck could have driven through it (3 ppi?). 
I went with sponge filters in the 10-20 ppi range and aquarium safe pot scrubbers. I put a set of pot scrubbers in one tray and a set in a mini canister filter in the quarantine tank and the pot scrubbers have performed well. They are much cheaper too. I am always looking for the best bang for the buck. 
I went with the Eheim pre-filter (sorry Cory, even though I did purchase your brand), sponge filters 10-20 ppi range, pot scrubbers, no carbon, and the pinky floss filter as mechanical filtration. 
I just completed an evaluation and in my particular system, I and going to extend the maintenance of the canister filter by two months. Having the pre-filter on, the floss in the canister was still in good condition, so I'm going to extend the life of it. (I'm always evaluating and trying to find a good system) 

I also have a HOB primarily for mechanical filtration with some biological (Pot scrubber!).
Cheers!

[Mmiller2001]

On 8/1/2021 at 2:25 PM, HH Morant said:

I am gradually replacing the filter media in my Eheim canister filters. In stages, I am taking out the media that came with the filters and replacing it with 30 ppi poret foam. I have 2 Eheim 2217 canisters on a 120 gallon tank. I can see the water getting clearer after replacing about half the old media with the foam. I don't have any mechanical or chemical filtration in the canisters. 30 ppi foam is not considered mechanical filtration because the pores are too big. I also have one sponge filter which I don't clean very often.

Everybody has a favorite biological filter media. I was persuaded by aquariumscience.org, which has several articles on filtration. The author did some tests of several biological filter medias. Poret foam and pot scrubbers performed much better than any other media, and the non-foam commercial filter medias generally performed more poorly than aquarium gravel as a filter media.

Six weeks after putting the first poret foam into my filters (and removing the white mechanical filter pads), my water is cleaner and clearer. I highly recommend 30 ppi poret foam.

Please link the foam you use. I want to try this. Thank you.

Edited August 3, 2021 by Mmiller2001

[HH Morant]

The foam is sold by Swiss Tropicals. www.swisstropicals.com 

They sell it in various rectangle or square sizes and I cut it to fit my filter.

[HH Morant]

On 8/3/2021 at 12:13 AM, Mmiller2001 said:

Please link the foam you use. I want to try this. Thank you.

The foam is sold at www.swisstropicals.com

It comes in rectangular or square sheets (and various thicknesses) and I cut it to fit my filter.

[Fresh]

I have a Fluval 306 so I'm on the lava rocks train along with biomax (ceramic balls) and 3 different forms of foam pads. Bought the lava rocks at Home Depot 5lb bag

I always used carbon myself until I recently found out the truth about it so I won't be using it anymore. 

Edited August 3, 2021 by Fresh

[sudofish]

I have a fluval 407 that I fill the top 3 trays with biohome ultimate media. The bottom tray I use the foam filter pads that come with it.

[StevesFishTanks]

I have an fx5 and every tray is seachem matrix. I use the sponges they sell for the outer rings on every tray.

I have this filter plumbed with split intakes. I use sponge prefilters that are 9" at about 30ppi

[Matt_]

The biggest secret is that you do not need carbon for standard filtration as everyone above has pointed out, and that you can filter a normally stocked tank with only air and a sponge filter or two.  I used carbon in my canister filter for years in the 90s and did not realize that I never needed it until I got back into the hobby a couple of years ago.  I was so upset when I found out because I could have put that money to much better use (like getting real lighting that could grow plants).

I recommend that you get a coarse prefilter sponge, get rid of the carbon, keep the bio balls if they are working for you or go with lava rock if you want a change, and go with a 100% polyester water polisher.  I also recommend making filter maintenance as quick and easy as possible since it will just turn into a nitrate factory if you do not clean the mechanical filtration.

For example, I run a Fluval 406 on my overstocked, heavily planted 65 gal tank with the original sponges and media plus the following additional media:

• Pre-filter: Large Aquarium Coop Sponge Filter
• Water Polisher: 100% polyester quilt batting (Poly-Fil Fiber Fill) replaced every time I service the pump
• Remineralization: Half Bags of crushed coral
• Additional Media: Full Basket of Lava Rock in mesh bags