I want to add some additional mechanical filtration to my reef tank set up and I have a Via Aqua 750 cannister filter. There is debris collecting in the sump/skimmer and baffle area of my sump/fuge setup and it is difficult to siphon out because of the physical height of the sump placement.
The sump flow is: sump, bubble baffles, refugium, return area...
Scenario one: Install the filter with the input and output in the display tank with only some coarse sponge pads (then occaisionally just stir up the debris in the sump). This will raise the amount of total water turnover in the display, however I do not want to remove the pod population I have going on there.
Scenario two: Install the filter (again with just the pads) with the output in the sump/skimmer side of my sump/fuge setup and the input in the return side of the sump/fuge. This will filter the water before the return and send some of it back to the skimmer side but it will not add to the total turnover, I don't think...
Scenario three: Put the output in the sump/skimmer side and the input in the bubble baffle area, before the fuge section. (doesn't seem very efficient but it will solve the debris problem)
Scenario four: Don't use the filter except for when cleaning off the liverock and general substrate maintenace. *
Of course I can always temporarily add a carbon bag or any other media to the filter at any given time. (By the way for the price, $65, this cannister looks like its gonna' be a good unit) *
Any thoughts out there in lovely 3reef land? I would like the benefit of the additional filtration. The skimmer is doing its job but IMHO foam refraction is a little different than straight up mechanical filtration.
Drew
