Canister Filter Suggestions?

I'm fixing to start a project with a 29 gallon tank. I want it to be for one mantis shrimp and just some live rock and coral and stuff. Nothing really crazy. What kind of filter should I get? And something reasonably priced, preferably under 100.

 

best advice is don't get a canister imho.

 

What do you suggest? I was just reading up on sumps and refugiams or whatever. What's the difference between them and the canister. Sumps are better right? I wouldn't know how to build one though.

 

and what goes in them.

 

Could u explain how i can filter my 29 gallon without a canister filter? I'd have to use a sump or refugium right? Could somebody explain these two to me? Are they an alternate route for a filter or what? And how to they work if so?

 

I am on the side of no canister filter too. These have to be constantly cleaned, otherwise they can cause nitrate problems.

A sump is nothing more than a separate tank plumbed in for your equipment. A skimmer and so forth can go in here. I do not use one of these and my skimmer is HOB (hang on back).

A refugium is yet another tank (though it can be incorporated into a sump) that has macro algae's that absorb nitrates to grow and sometimes a DSB (deep sand bed). You can research DSB and other words I used here on 3reef for more info on them.

I don't have a refugium either, but my next tank will definitely have one.

I filter my water primarily via 2lb per gallon worth of Live Rock and a quality HOB skimmer. It's all I need and is exceptionally easy to maintain.

Hope this helps. Good luck.

EDIT: another benefit of a sump and/or refugium is that they increase your over all water volume. More volume, the more stable. If you have a 29gallon tank and a 10 gallon sump (for example) you now have a 39 gallon system.

Though to have a 10 gallon sump, you need like a 20 gallon tank as you don't fill these up all the way

 

So with a sump i won't need a filter? Could u tell me more of how it works? i was told you don't need a skimmer if you don't have lots of live rock. I was told it wouldn't be a problem. So a pump pulls water from the tank into the sump. What happens from there? Could u explain the process. I'm sry all the questions. I'm just really pumped about learning about this.

 

anybody?

 

Let me try to clarify things a bit - there are different types of filtration - 1) Mechanical filtration (physically filtering out debris - can be done with a sponge, filter floss, etc). 2) Biological fliltration - having helpful bacteria that convert ammonia into nitrite, and then others that convert nitrite to nitrates - this is the most important filtration of all, because it is the ammonia and nitrites that are most likely to kill your livestock. 3) Chemical filtration (carbon or some other type of chemical filtration to absorb harmful chemicals) - not absolutely necessary, but many find it helpful.

Having said all this, liverock or live sand is probably the best form of BIOLOGICAL filtration, because it has a large surface area and lots of beneficial bacteria. Whereas a protein skimmer is really a specialized form of mechanical filtration, as it removes particles and small molecules from the water. It also oxygenates the water, which is helpful. So liverock and a protein skimmer really form 2 different, complimentary types of filtration, both of which are highly desirable for any marine tank. So, bottom line, I would HIGHLY recommend a skimmer and some rock for your tank. You don't need to buy live rock - you can buy dead, base rock and after a few months beneficial bacteria will colonize it on its own. THis is much cheaper than buying live rock from a store.

Now you asked about a sump. The sump really does a few things. 1) It is a place to hide all the machinery you don't necessarily want to show, such as a skimmer, heater, etc. 2) The flow to and from the sump help oxygenate the water. 3) It adds extra water volume to your system to help stabilize parameters such as temperature, salinity, etc, and enable you to keep more livestock in your tank. A sump is not a filter on its own. Rather, you can add filter floss to it for mechanical filtration, or you can place other filters in it, or add a wet-dry filter component to it. But on its own it is not a filter, it just performs the functions I mentioned above.

Having said all this, do you NEED a sump? No. Would it be helpful? Yes.

Compare this to a canister filter, which is GREAT for fresh water systems, but not so much for marine. This is because it quickly gets gunked up with bacteria and sludge which convert your ammonia to nitrates. In a fresh water system you do water changes often enough to get rid of your nitrates by the water changes. But in a saltwater system you do not do water changes as often, and nitrates build up, which can be harmful to your livestock. So if you use a canister filter, you will find that you constantly have to clean it and change the filter media, and you will have a tough time controling your nitrates.

IMO, if you chose not to use a sump, I would still get a HOB skimmer and some rock (base rock, if you want, which will become live rock). This in and of itself will likely be enough filtration for your system.

Hope that helps,

Jeremy

 

Jeremy said it all, nice post! One thing to add.....whoever told you that you don't need a skimmer because you don't have a lot of live rock is a donkey. That would be more of a reason to have a skimmer. The more live rock the better. A skimmer is not necessary but extremely useful.

Main difference between a skimmer and a canister is that the canister sucks all of the gunk to a centralized location (canister filter chambers) and the water continues to pass through all of the gunk, therefore its not actually removing the gunk, its just sweeping it into a pile, not literally.

A skimmer one the other hand is driven by air bubbles. A tornado of airbubbles in the skimmer push all of the crap in the water up and into the collection cup, therefore actually removing the nitrates and waste very efficiently. You empty the nasty cup once a week. No cleaning. A canister will need to be cleaned every few days to prevent nitrates from building up. mot something most reefers want to do.