Canister Filter or??

[Koresample]

I have a canister filter (Fluval 205) in addition to a seaclone 100 (i know now), plus a powerhead. total GPH is about 750 after head loss. My tank is 41 gallons and i have 49 lbs live rock and 60 lbs sand. Once things get established do i need the fluval or can i just run powerheads and wavemakers? I don't have the room for a sump in my stand and having it sit in my living room is not an option. Suggestions? If i keep the Fluval, what suggestions for media (knowing i need to do regular water changes/media cleaning each month)?

[Koresample]

Sorry, to clarify, i have 60 lbs of live aragonite, not 'sand' (freshwater flashback):biggrin:

[Rbacchiega]

if you can guarantee that you can keep up with filter maintenance then the added water movement can only help...but you'd need to do maintenance like every week.

[BlueAbyss]

if you can guarantee that you can keep up with filter maintenance then the added water movement can only help...but you'd need to do maintenance like every week.

+1. If you plan on using this filter, run it empty. Or with some carbon or chemical media, nothing else... it will simply turn into a nitrate factory.

[Treebeard]

I have a Eheim 2026 on my 46 gallon tank (dsb). Are you saying I should have no medias or filters in it? I also had an old Seaclone on the tank but finally turfed the pos because it was not producing a darn thing. I am in the market for a real hang on skimmer now.

+1. If you plan on using this filter, run it empty. Or with some carbon or chemical media, nothing else... it will simply turn into a nitrate factory.

[mike31154]

Yes, it's best/easiest to run it empty if you wish to continue using it. Your live rock will be the filter media once established. On my current setup I don't have a sump either and am running a Rena XP3 canister (with XP2 motor for reduced flow). The only thing I have in there other than empty media baskets, is a media bag with carbon. I've been a little delinquent in cleaning it from time to time and when I do there's a fair amount of mulm in there. Something else I've done is wrap paper around the container to block light and encourage growth of low light filtering critters. The inside has become quite encrusted with the small white fan worms found in the nooks and crannies of live rock.

You might find that the display tank will have more suspended particles than you'd like to see, but you could use a small powerhead with filter attachment to polish the water. Easier to clean.

[Koresample]

ok, so just use it as an (expensive) powerhead. I dont have an RO/DI unit so i use the phosphate/Silicate removal stuff (change that once per month is my planned schedule). Should i also get rid of the sponge filters from it as well?

[xtreme]

I would strongly recommend getting a RO/DI unit. Pretty much a necessity in any reef tank.

[BlueAbyss]

ok, so just use it as an (expensive) powerhead. I dont have an RO/DI unit so i use the phosphate/Silicate removal stuff (change that once per month is my planned schedule). Should i also get rid of the sponge filters from it as well?

Yes indeed, most certainly remove sponges or anything that could possible catch debris. And do clean knead the bags that your chemical media is in, if it is in bags, daily to remove any sediment that may have gotten caught in it.