What to put in a canister filter

[Eti]

Hey guys,

a couple of questions about a canister filter:

I am going to start a new discus tank after all of my fish bc of a cross contamination...:(
That discouraged me but I have had time to think about it and I want to do things right from now on.

I have a fluval canister 405 for my 75G and I would like to know if you would agree with the medias I would like to put in:

-Ceramic rings
-Phozorb (phosphate remover to prevent algae)
-Is peatmoss necessary? I am going to live in NYC and I do not know the hardness of the water

Would that be enough?

Also, if I put a pre-filter on the tube intake, how often will I need to open the canister filter to clean it (if I do about 50% wc a week)
Thank you!

Eti

[lipadj46]

You don't need the phoszorb or the peat. Just put some course sponge or pot scrubbies on the bottom and some matrix or ceramic rings on top. Maybe a bag of purigen on the very top. A prefilter is a must. I used to clean mine every 2 weeks.

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[Eti]

You don't need the phoszorb or the peat. Just put some course sponge or pot scrubbies on the bottom and some matrix or ceramic rings on top. Maybe a bag of purigen on the very top. A prefilter is a must. I used to clean mine every 2 weeks.

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Thanks for your answer!
You use to clean you open your canister filter every two weeks or just the pre-filter?
Thank you!

[lipadj46]

Every 2 weeks the prefilter every day. Honestly it needed to be cleaned weekly as it started producing nitrates pretty badly. That is why i tossed it and went with other easier to clean filters. Aquaclears are good filters for easy cleaning.

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[Eti]

Every 2 weeks the prefilter every day. Honestly it needed to be cleaned weekly as it started producing nitrates pretty badly. That is why i tossed it and went with other easier to clean filters. Aquaclears are good filters for easy cleaning.

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Wow, 2 weeks looks to be a pain... Do you know what model should I get for a 75G one? Also do I only need one?
Thanks a lot!

[lipadj46]

Some go longer with canisters depends on numerous factors. I would get an ac110. Maybe put a sponge filter in the other corner. Depends what aesthetics you are going for.

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[Gene]

I run an ac110 and rena xp4. Both prefiters get rinsed daily. The ac110 gets a weekly-ish cleaning. I have the intake wrapped in filter floss. The canister has a fine car wash sponge for prefiter. Nice and thick. It only gets cracked open MAYBE once a month to wipe out the slime. Never anything in there so it's just filled with media. No nitrate problems for me.

[Trier20]

I have the small bio balls and coarse sponges in mine. Rigged a pre filter out of a sponge filter that I rinse when I do WCs. I run uv filter to help with algae.

[vendetta]

I only use a sponge as prefilter, ceramic rings, some Azo water softener and activated carbon... I read some people say carbon is not neccesary... but I use it and I have good quality water.

I think bio balls are not the best for canister filters.

;)

[Ryan]

A canister seems like it'd get nasty really fast. I've noticed that my discus tanks' filters are usually way dirtier than my other cichlid tanks. This is from a combination of what I feed (higher protein, meaty foods as opposed to primarily pellets in cichlid tanks) and probably from the slime coat that discus produce. My AC110 seems to slime up pretty quickly. I find myself pulling the sponges from my AC110 and cleaning them at least twice a week, and that's with a fine-pore prefilter sponge on it. So I'd avoid the canister thing, at least during the grow-out stage when you're feeding more frequently. It may work out alright with adult discus.

I always grow out discus in 55 gallon tanks with one AC110 and two large sponge filters. The easy access to the sponges and the AquaClear make maintenance a lot easier.

[Eti]

Aw man, so should I get rid of my canister...? I bought it only 5 months ago for a saltwater tank (that I don't have anymore) thinking I could use it for my discus tank... Thanks

[Ryan]

You can use it for a discus tank, I just have a feeling you're going to get tired of cleaning it. I use them on most of my cichlid tanks but they're a pain to constantly shut off, drain, clean, etc. If you do use it, make sure you use a really good prefilter to keep as much uneaten food out of there as possible. Rinse your prefilter daily with water changes.

Canisters are great if you keep them clean. The problem is that uneaten food and waste will break down in the canisters and basically start pumping nitrates out into your tank. A lot of cichlid people who have water quality issues despite frequent, large water changes usually end up tracing the problem back to dirty canisters. Some people only break them down every few months to clean them. By that time they're probably doing more harm than good to your water quality. If you can stay on top of the maintenance and you don't mind breaking the canister down weekly or every other week, they are good filters.

I just like the sponges and the AquaClears because they're much easier to do maintenance on.

[a volar]

Aw man, so should I get rid of my canister...? I bought it only 5 months ago for a saltwater tank (that I don't have anymore) thinking I could use it for my discus tank... Thanks

You can use your canister filter just clean it frecuently and use a fine pore prefilter.

[hillbillyamber]

First off are you growing out? Are you having substrate? Maybe do a Aquaclear 110 as your polishing type and do the canister. I have a bb 55 gallon grow out tank I have 3 sponges and on aquaclear 500. I do 50% or more changes everyday. I feed heavy. If you are purchasing adults you may not be feeding as often. The more filtration the better. I would use a Aquaclear with the canister. It may help with less cleaning. I may be wrong there are people on here much smarter than I!

[Madaboutdiscus]

Every 2 weeks the prefilter every day. Honestly it needed to be cleaned weekly as it started producing nitrates pretty badly. That is why i tossed it and went with other easier to clean filters. Aquaclears are good filters for easy cleaning.

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I love my Aquaclear its a close to a canister as you can get. Great product.

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[blueandgold]

Is it OK to put kaldnes K1 media in a canister

[Gene]

Pretty much any media can be used as a submerged type in a canister but it won't be as effective as it was originally intended. K1 is best as fluidized bed with lots of air.