A canister filter can be used to house activated carbon

This is not a recommendation for canister filters over other filtration methods.

The low budget aquarist should, if finances allow, obtain two canister filters, though this is not absolutely necessary - canister filters are reliable as stated. Freshwater aquarists were the first to make use of them and they still do. However, for a smallish aquarium where water changes are not a problem and the bio-load is not particularly heavy, the canister filter remains a viable biological support possibility.

A canister filter can be used to house activated carbon, or filter pads or wool, to assist in keeping the seawater pollutant clear and dirt free. The aquarist should, of course, cost the options very carefully, and use live rock where possible. Following the filter material, and last in line, should come the biological media.

Up to a point that is correct.

Ah, I hear the question coming up! But canister filters are just nitrate factories aren t they? Nitrate in excess is one thing the marine aquarium doesn t need. The compartments inside should contain coarse and fine filter material (the coarse before the fine).Article Source: 1ArticleWorld. Well, no it isn t. There isn t any need for a sump, another cost reduction. There are occasions though where the use of a canister filter is, what shall we say - convenient. Another example of filtration is the DSB (deep sand bed) where natural methods provide support. This rock can support the reef aquarium wonderfully, provided it is of sufficient quality and in sufficient quantity, and its capabilities are not abused by the aquarist. Live rock, for example, will hopefully complete the full nitrogen cycle, breaking down the nitrate into gas that is released from the aquarium.The canister filter has been in use for decades. Some aquarists have put chunks (around " to 1? square) of live rock in the canister and report that the life within the canister is quite surprising - tube worms, tiny shrimps etc. Another filtration system will produce the same amount of nitrate as the canister with the same amount of ammonia to start with. Sulphur denitrators are the best option (in my opinion). This is easily obtainable and not too pricey. Then along came the marine aquarium and the canister filter was employed to support those to.

Live rock is very expensive, and there is little point in deciding to filter with it if sufficient quantity is not obtained. Live rock is probably the number one filtration method in use nowadays, in reef aquariums anyway. Canister filters have been around for so long that they are now very dependable and failures are rare.

However, is the canister filter finished as far as a prime biological support function is concerned? No, it isn t, is the answer (in my view). The aquarist using a canister can consider completing the nitrogen cycle by other means. With two canisters, this can be achieved by cleaning one at two weeks, the other at four weeks, the first at six weeks etc. Aquarists strive to make their reef aquariums dependant on natural filtration as far as possible. Check out their Aquarists Online website if you are interested in learn more about the saltwater aquarium hobby. It goes without saying that the canister filters should have the correct capacity for the aquarium size they are to support. It is my opinion that live rock, coupled with a DSB in a sump, is a very good filtration option. But the production of nitrate is not exclusive to the canister, it is produced by any biological filtration system. It is the nitrogen cycle, the natural breakdown of toxics. The biological media is not cleaned, just the coarse and fine filter materials.


Author’s Resource Box

Peter Cunningham and John Cunningham between them have been keeping saltwater aquariums for over 35 years. If denitrators are to be considered then, coupled with the cost of non-live decorative rock, and the canister filter(s), plus the bio media, the cost is rising. Larger aquariums seem better with live rock even though the overall cost is high. There is a difference however. It is not the number one recommended marine biological filtration method nowadays, and rightly so. The canister filter is having oxygenated water pumped through it, which means that the nitrogen cycle can only progress as far as the production of nitrate.

Now things have become more complicated again. The option for a canister filter seems only sensible when a smallish aquarium is obtained (for example, seawater changes are more manageable and less costly). Decorate with low cost rockwork and filter with a canister filter. Routine seawater changes are recommended for all aquariums. Sintered glass media is good, but there are others. So the aquarist who finds the cost of live rock prohibitive is still able to consider a marine aquarium.

Aquarium filtration techniques have progressed considerably in the last decade or so.

So what of the canister filter? With all these modern techniques perhaps the need for a canister filter is gone. A canister filter is a nitrate factory.

I can nearly feel the hackles rising on some marine aquarists! But lets consider it further. A denitrator will remove nitrate efficiently, so that is an option.

The canister filter is cleaned at least every four weeks, or as experience dictates. Where a canister filter is in use (for biological purposes) the seawater change must be completed as it is one of the methods for reducing nitrate. There are other decorative and marine suitable rocks that have no filtration capability, but are available at a far lower price. The https://www.zj-junyue.com/product/threaded-rod-din975976/ coarse fine filter material must be kept free flowing and the biological media protected from dirt. The use of ’live’ rock is the major example. One acts as a back up for the other