Canister Filter Mods

[Milliardo Peacecraft]

I was curious what mods all of you have done to your canister filters over the years if you have them.  So far the main 3 mods I've done is:  Removed the carbon, changed out the stock ceramic media for the Biohome Ultimate media, and then I replaced the filter pads with dual layer floss pads that I cut out of a larger roll of the media.  I find the dual layer media really keeps the water crystal clear, which I prefer.  I do have to replace it every month or 2 as it does catch quite a bit, but I figure that is about all the longer I probably should go before I service any filter to keep it from being a nitrate factory.

[Pepere]

I cut out pads from Co op polishing pad sheets.

instead of ceramic media I utilize nylon pot scrubbers.  I dont have definitive proof, but I suspect the ceramic media isnt all that effective at hosting beneficial bacteria….  I use polyfill to fill in around the pot scrubbers to mnimize flow going around the potscrubbers and encourage it going through them…

I use purigen instead of carbon.

i clean the canister filter on the first Saturday of every month…. The manufacturer recommends monthly service, so that is what I do…. 

[nabokovfan87]

Step 1 for me would almost always be to add better foams, dimpled foams.

[Milliardo Peacecraft]

On 9/3/2023 at 9:22 AM, nabokovfan87 said:

Step 1 for me would almost always be to add better foams, dimpled foams.

I've never tried dimpled foams, any suggestions?

[Pepere]

On 9/3/2023 at 10:22 AM, nabokovfan87 said:

Step 1 for me would almost always be to add better foams, dimpled foams.

The Fluval 207 came with the egg crate foam both for the internal prefilter foam and the first biofoam in the stack of containers…

[nabokovfan87]

On 9/3/2023 at 11:01 AM, Pepere said:

The Fluval 207 came with the egg crate foam both for the internal prefilter foam and the first biofoam in the stack of containers…

Previous versions didn't.  Pondguru has a video on them that's cool.  He admits too, not much you can really do with that one.  It comes pretty solid.

[nabokovfan87]

On 9/3/2023 at 9:13 AM, Milliardo Peacecraft said:

I've never tried dimpled foams, any suggestions?

They have them on amazon and stuff.  They are more popular in the EU than they are in the US.  They are normally labelled as "pond foams".  If I had to choose where to get some fancy foam there is a guy who gets poret foams from Germany and sells them in the US.  There's all kinds of options out there.

[Jeff_F]

I recently setup a canister filter and also use pot scrubbers.  It is still early so I don't know how effective they will be but the literature  says they are an excellent material for aerobic bacteria.  I looked at the biohome ultimate material and decided not to use it in my planted tank.  The claim is that Biohome ultimate is an excellent bio media to create anaerobic bacteria which will breakdown nitrates in the tank.  However, the plants need some level of nitrates as nutrients so why do I want to reduce them with the Biohome bio media?  If you don't have plants then it is probably a very good material to use.  So.....I'm just going with the pot scrubbers. 

[madmark285]

On 9/3/2023 at 10:14 AM, Pepere said:

 I use polyfill to fill in around the pot scrubbers to minimize flow going around the potscrubbers and encourage it going through them…

I think this is an overlooked factor for bio-media, water will take the path of least resistance ie: channeling. 

[madmark285]

 

On 9/3/2023 at 9:37 PM, Jeff_F said:

However, the plants need some level of nitrates as nutrients so why do I want to reduce them with the Biohome bio media?  If you don't have plants then it is probably a very good material to use.  So.....I'm just going with the pot scrubbers. 

In one of my brain dead moments, I decided to switch to SeaChem Matrix for my sump filters, bought 1 gallon of the stuff. Then Guppysnail passed along this link, Alternative Nitrate Reduction via Emergents. I regret the above purchase. Luckily I have enough room for a moving bed filter and in the sumps filter box, I am using pot scrubbers with a few handfuls of the Matrix. 

Even with no plants, a nitrate filter is not needed as weekly water changes solves the problem, this is not a saltwater reef system. 

[Pepere]

On 9/3/2023 at 9:37 PM, Jeff_F said:

The claim is that Biohome ultimate is an excellent bio media to create anaerobic bacteria which will breakdown nitrates in the tank. 

Claims are easy to make….and they do seem to increase sales….

[_Eric_]

Not really a lot to modify on most canisters.  They typically have decent sponges, etc.  

I’m not sure it really counts as “mods” but I add poly-fil, Purigen, and some more bio material (there is typically a lot more room in the bio compartment beyond what is provided).  

Getting the wavy foam can add more surface area for bio effect but I’m not sure it is worth replacing whatever sponge you have.  I’d just see if you have a decent ppi on your main mechanical filter section and then polish with some poly-fil or a fine filter pad.