new to hobby filter conversion?

[dabandit]

Get one of those overflows where the tank doesnt need to be drilled and run a sump. I used to run a conversion full of live rock,carbon and phosphate media it worked as well if not better than my phosbans but it needs to be cleaned every week. Dont fear the sump a properlly designed system cant possiblly fail,worse case scenario you might burn out a pump.

[Trigger Happy]

The canister is about the same size as a 5G bucket I think it's the biggest ehime makes. Eventually I was going to add a gravity fed refugium, with the canister pumping from the tank to the refugium then back to the main. I'm just wondering what would be the best thing too put in the large canister Carbon and nothing?

[dabandit]

why do i bother

[Trigger Happy]

Sorry Dabandit, I'm not planning on that much maintenance. I thought you you were thinking I had a smaller canister. I've seen O.C.D.'s tank and he has ran this type of set up for 8 years, His tank is crazy. He runs like 500lbs of life rock. But all he said in the canister was nitrate reducing media. I'm just wondering would live rock be better? or something else? I don't know his maintenance schedule. But really isn't the sump a place for equipment and the skimmer does all the work. So with enough live rock would the canister be better empty? Confused

[fkshiu]

Your only feasible choice for using the Eheim canister on a reef tank would be to fill it with live rock rubble and/or chemical filtration media of some sort like carbon or GFO.

Personally, I think having a big expensive Eheim canister to do these tasks is a big waste. With enough live rock in the tank, any in the filter would add very little filtration capacity. Further, a reef is all about flow and canister filters don't do a very good job of that compared to even inexpensive propellor driven powerheads like Hydor Korallias. Lastly, a $40 Phosban media reactor would get more out of chemical media than having sit in a bag in a canister filter.

I'd sell the Eheim and invest that money some proper reef equipment.

[superduperwesman]

I say sump

[dabandit]

Not that much maintainance LMAO if your worried about rinsing a filter once a week then maybe reef keeping isnt your bag,hell I clean and dump my skimmer twice a week.

[o.c.d.]

Hi Trigger Happy I got your message. So let me straighten this out The filter works as the pump from the main to the fuge,then gravity fed back to the main with all little critters intact this helps provide food for the main tank.As for what I put in the canister that varies.Still looking for the best media, I did have de nitrate from seachem. you can run it empty.As for cleaning I crack the canister about every 2 or 3 months. If my nitrate starts to raise that is the first thing I clean. and I also clean my skimmer twice a week min. I also do 20% waterchange once a week. My carbon is ran through a reactor same with phosban reactor as well. I'm not saying this is the best method, just work for me.