Canister Filter...BIO BALL or no? Best stuff to put in your Canister filter????

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light1angela

Member
Right now I have a FLUVAL 305 and a SUNSUN RW-303B. Both are canister filters and one has a UV light in it. Now I am well a where of how canisters are nitrate factories but I do not have the means of getting a sump pump right now so I need to work with what I've got.

Okay, I know I need to clean the filter about every three days or so to maintain low nitrates. Got it. :) What I don't got is what exactly to put in there that isn't wasting my money or are just "fillers" the company wants you to buy.

I currently have carbon (1 unit full-about 3 small bags), Nitrite sponge (1 full unit full) 4 sponges, and Seachem purigen.

Didn't get other filter operating yet. Want to know best thing to add to it. Do I put the little tube things or Bio balls in it? Are they a waste of space or actually good things? Any other suggestions as to what's best to put in them? feedback from canister filter users on what they use? Non users any input?

Thanks
 
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DaveK

Well-Known Member
When you use a canister filter on a reef, it should be set up a bit differently from how you would on a FW system.

In a reef, most of the biological filtration gets done by your live rock that is in the main display tank. Therefore, you should not use any bio media at all in the canister filter. This includes bioballs, LR rubble, and media such as Eheim Substrat Pro.

You should use a mechanical media, and as you know clean it often. Since you'll be doing a lot more maintenance on the canister on a reef system, I highly recommend double isolation valves, if they are not already built into your canister.

You may also use a chemical media, such as carbon. Other media such as GFO may also be used. All chemical media is optional, and use only what you need. There is no need to really put a lot in, since you'll have the filter open often enough.

That's about all there is to it.

I notice that one of your canisters has UV on it. I would consider this optional in a SW reef. Since it's inline with the rest of the canister filter, it's function is limited, and it may kill stuff you actually want in the water column. The one good thing it can do is clean up green water due to algae in the water.
 
sasquatch

sasquatch

Brunt of all Jokes~
PREMIUM
go to any upholstery shop and ask for polyester fiber filler, its white and thick and kind of rough, cheap like cabbage, cleans up very well,cuts with scissors and is exactly what they use in all those really expensive little resupply kits you buy.
Purigen is really good stuff, buy it in the net bags and get twice as many as you need, after three days recharge it with bleach and dechlorinator,the extra set is for use while recharging, you can do this many times. One of the canisters I would keep off the system, use the polyester fiber in it and run it for one day when you do your tank cleaning and blowing off the rocks, next day remove it, clean it and have it ready to go next cleaning day, a reef tank is about keeping water and exportation of surplus nutrient
 
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