# can i run a canister filter on my salt water tank?



## statenfish

I would like to use an old 48 bow front for a small reef setup..i have a few eheim 2217 filters in storage.. can i use one of them on a salt water tank? any help would be greatly appreciated


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## bearwithfish

can you?short answer it yes... _SHOULD YOU_ ? no LOL it is doable and many have done it but with limited success and much more maintenance on the hobbyists part.. there are a few articles that i recommend reading on this and they will help a lot
http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/saltwater-articles/understanding-sumps-15930/
http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/...-filtration-101-how-differs-freshwater-31955/
i would start with these


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## Mike

We started our saltwater aquarium with a Fluval 504 canister filter, statenfish. We could have saved ourselves a good deal of trouble by starting off with a wet/dry which we eventually switched to, and apparently even more by starting off with live rock and a sump. 

From my experience, by making whatever additional investment is required for a proper setup, you'll probably save money in the long run by having to spend less money on aquarium salt for large water changes, replacing livestock, etc.

If you can afford the extra expense then I would strongly encourage you to.


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## onefish2fish

i agree, except i suggest a used tank as a sump over a wet/dry filter. the wet/dry could work if you remove the bio balls but the DIY sump with the used tank is usually cheaper and more effective in the sense you can build it to fit your needs. i want to say they're 46 gallon bowfronts, which i had one with a 40 breeder sump at one point. that size sump is alittle large, but i knew i was upgrading to a larger display soon when i built it. it also allowed me to almost double my systems tank volume. at that time i ran an in sump ASM mini G skimmer.
a quality skimmer in your sump would be the best method. read online reviews on skimmers as some are NOT worth your time and esp. not your money.


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## BlueHalo

mechanical filtration of any kind is a potential problem, the operator is ALWAYS at fault lol, canister filters IMO have 2 uses, as a cleanup devise or as a carbon filter, either way 3 to 4 days without a cleaning and you are shifting your bio filtration away from your LR, if you use a sump sock and change it every 3 or 4 days you will eliminate much of the detritus that you would be trapping in a canister anyway


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## Mike

BlueHalo, by "sump sock" do you mean a mesh bag similar to the type resins are often sold in that will allow water to pass through them but not detritus? I had tried slipping a mesh bag over one end of my pre-filter's U tube to catch detritus in the past, but that did not work because it was too fine a mesh and did not allow water to pass through it fast enough, resulting in backup. Your mentioning a "sump sock" has given me the idea to try slipping a mesh bag over the piece of pvc that returns water to my wet/dry to catch larger detritus.


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## BlueHalo

Administrator said:


> BlueHalo, by "sump sock" do you mean a mesh bag similar to the type resins are often sold in that will allow water to pass through them but not detritus? I had tried slipping a mesh bag over one end of my pre-filter's U tube to catch detritus in the past, but that did not work because it was too fine a mesh and did not allow water to pass through it fast enough, resulting in backup. Your mentioning a "sump sock" has given me the idea to try slipping a mesh bag over the piece of pvc that returns water to my wet/dry to catch larger detritus.


sorry I should have clarified that, they are generally a cotton material around 100 microns,like this I use them in fresh and marine, throw them in the washing machine with a little bleach, they last for years


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## onefish2fish

thats what they look like in the bag lol, but you would want to place it over ( rather under ) the inlet to your sump. preferably up out of water so the water runs through it but be sure to keep it clean. a filter sock that hasnt been cleaned can be just as bad as any other filter with media or filter floss in it.

and i agree 100% with bluehalo, any mechanical filtration is a problem, or looking for problems. the only mechanical things you need are a skimmer. optional mechanical things can be a carbon/phosban reactor and/or a UV sterilizer. any bioball, filter media, filter floss, and so forth is trouble. basically anything that catches debris and allows them the chance to break down is problems to sum it up.


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## onefish2fish

and for the record i run my tank without a filter sock. i just find it one more thing i have to keep clean. my skimmer, live rock, sand, careful feedings and plenty of flow do the work for me, as i have a 0 ppm nitrate reading.


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