My Marine aquarium run on canister filters!
Discussion
Good day to you, not sure if anyone will be interested in this but as opposed to your normal Marine tank with either a sump or an all in one filtration solution I am trying to do one from canister filters. I am by no means an expert on any of this so very open to ideas and there will definitely be issues along the way!
So a bit about me, I have had tropical tanks for years and got into Marine about a year ago.
I started with a TMC firstwave 48l tank which i managed to get to look like this.
True to form I wanted a bigger tank so treated myself to a Neptunian Pro m90. I loved setting this tank up and got it to look like this.
Then i moved house!
The new house (despite being exactly the same as the old house as in same development, same type of house, just a new view) didn’t suit the old tank as we wall mounted the tv and reduced all clutter meaning the old tank which come out 65cm from the wall was waaaaay too intrusive.
So what to do.
I tried living with a TMC nextwave 78l and moved my tangs and foxface on, but i just missed this type of fish too much.
So the long search began. I knew what I needed, a marine tank with sump at no more than 45cm depth (depth in tanks is back of tank to front of tank).
I searched for about 3 months finding nothing, considered a customer tank but at £2.5k for the tank, sump and cabinet no pipework and at least another £1.5k to get it working i just couldn’t justify it having just moved house, had lots of work done on the new house to bring up to similar spec as the old house and with my partner potentially losing her job.
In my search I kept finding tanks only to realise they were sumpless tropical tanks. Hello YouTube, a few videos on if this was even possible suggested that it can be, but that it may require higher levels of maintenance. Chatting with 3 local fish shops, one runs their main show tank from a canister the other suggested strongly against my idea but gave me ideas of how to do it.
So present day, I have bought a Aquael Opti 200 tank. This tank is only just over 40cm in depth so even after bringing it out from the wall a bit to aid in maintenance it passes the, let’s be honest here, wife test. The tank had an inbuilt light attachment rack and a lid. My hope is that by removing this light rack there will be enough space for the AI blade 30” the sit above the water but below the closed lid (I have 4 cats so need a top to the tank). Anyone who knows their Ai Blade’s also know they are very fast and loose on what they class as water resistant so it will be interesting to see how long it lasts!
I have bought a ceramic heater with built in guard as this will have to be hung in the tank.
I have 2 canister filters, 1 x Eheim Experience 150 that will be used for filter flosses and carbon and one Eheim 4+ 600 that will be used for a small piece of fine wool, Purigen and potentially other similar type items (very open to advice on this) and lots of bio media.
I have a Eheim 500 UV which I will be running in line but after the canister filter. I am as yet undecided which one but thinking maybe the smaller 150 as this i assume will be a slower flow through the UV?
I also have a Nero 3 wave maker. Hopefully i can get away with just the one but if i do need another i will look at one.
So thoughts? Am i an idiot for even trying this? Andone else with experience of this and is there anything else i badly need?
I will update this with the build which should start Tuesday.
So a bit about me, I have had tropical tanks for years and got into Marine about a year ago.
I started with a TMC firstwave 48l tank which i managed to get to look like this.
True to form I wanted a bigger tank so treated myself to a Neptunian Pro m90. I loved setting this tank up and got it to look like this.
Then i moved house!
The new house (despite being exactly the same as the old house as in same development, same type of house, just a new view) didn’t suit the old tank as we wall mounted the tv and reduced all clutter meaning the old tank which come out 65cm from the wall was waaaaay too intrusive.
So what to do.
I tried living with a TMC nextwave 78l and moved my tangs and foxface on, but i just missed this type of fish too much.
So the long search began. I knew what I needed, a marine tank with sump at no more than 45cm depth (depth in tanks is back of tank to front of tank).
I searched for about 3 months finding nothing, considered a customer tank but at £2.5k for the tank, sump and cabinet no pipework and at least another £1.5k to get it working i just couldn’t justify it having just moved house, had lots of work done on the new house to bring up to similar spec as the old house and with my partner potentially losing her job.
In my search I kept finding tanks only to realise they were sumpless tropical tanks. Hello YouTube, a few videos on if this was even possible suggested that it can be, but that it may require higher levels of maintenance. Chatting with 3 local fish shops, one runs their main show tank from a canister the other suggested strongly against my idea but gave me ideas of how to do it.
So present day, I have bought a Aquael Opti 200 tank. This tank is only just over 40cm in depth so even after bringing it out from the wall a bit to aid in maintenance it passes the, let’s be honest here, wife test. The tank had an inbuilt light attachment rack and a lid. My hope is that by removing this light rack there will be enough space for the AI blade 30” the sit above the water but below the closed lid (I have 4 cats so need a top to the tank). Anyone who knows their Ai Blade’s also know they are very fast and loose on what they class as water resistant so it will be interesting to see how long it lasts!
I have bought a ceramic heater with built in guard as this will have to be hung in the tank.
I have 2 canister filters, 1 x Eheim Experience 150 that will be used for filter flosses and carbon and one Eheim 4+ 600 that will be used for a small piece of fine wool, Purigen and potentially other similar type items (very open to advice on this) and lots of bio media.
I have a Eheim 500 UV which I will be running in line but after the canister filter. I am as yet undecided which one but thinking maybe the smaller 150 as this i assume will be a slower flow through the UV?
I also have a Nero 3 wave maker. Hopefully i can get away with just the one but if i do need another i will look at one.
So thoughts? Am i an idiot for even trying this? Andone else with experience of this and is there anything else i badly need?
I will update this with the build which should start Tuesday.
Interested as to why you say brave?
In my eyes, yes ok it will need more maintenance and cleaning than with a sump to remove the nitrates from the canisters but then that maintenance will be easier than vacuuming a sump so kind of swings and roundabouts. I don’t mind tinkering with a tank and weekly changes of floss for the small canister and top of large canister and a bi-monthly cleanup of the larger canister should suffice.
As in original post always happy to be told i am wrong.
Anyway if it all goes wrong i can have the most over filtered discus tank ever!
In my eyes, yes ok it will need more maintenance and cleaning than with a sump to remove the nitrates from the canisters but then that maintenance will be easier than vacuuming a sump so kind of swings and roundabouts. I don’t mind tinkering with a tank and weekly changes of floss for the small canister and top of large canister and a bi-monthly cleanup of the larger canister should suffice.
As in original post always happy to be told i am wrong.
Anyway if it all goes wrong i can have the most over filtered discus tank ever!
Got the tank this afternoon. It looks lovely but i do need to sort out the lighting situation somehow. I have a mate who took my od Regal Tang off of me when i downsized looking into 3d printing a bracket as whilst the metal supports seem to not get too warm the plastic lid is resting on the light and getting hot.
Plan is to remove the metal light cradle, which is a simple job, and then fit to AI Blade onto some form of bracket that won’t dunk over £300 worth of light into the tank!
All going well it will be enough above the water line to allow a good light spread and not break due to water ingress but be far enough away from the lid that it doesn’t melt it!
Plan is to remove the metal light cradle, which is a simple job, and then fit to AI Blade onto some form of bracket that won’t dunk over £300 worth of light into the tank!
All going well it will be enough above the water line to allow a good light spread and not break due to water ingress but be far enough away from the lid that it doesn’t melt it!
I sat brave , because I’ve seen how many reefers have had to deal with tank crashes amongst other issues, and that’s all using tried and tested methodology.
Not saying it won’t work, but salties require a different level of interest I think.
I wish you well and will follow with interest.
Not saying it won’t work, but salties require a different level of interest I think.
I wish you well and will follow with interest.
Thanks, I have had marine before and currently have two other tanks still that are marine. Whilst i do not proclaim in the slightest be an expert i am not a novice either, however this whole running from a canister is new and the tank has certainly shown some problems already with regards to the lighting situation.
I did think this morning “why am i going canister filters, when I could actually of got just a custom sump made” this would likely of been cheaper as well than the £3-400 i have put into the canister filters!
I did think this morning “why am i going canister filters, when I could actually of got just a custom sump made” this would likely of been cheaper as well than the £3-400 i have put into the canister filters!
Ok not too much of an update so far as it still isn’t wet, ut the heater is in
Looking at the size of the canister filters box this thing is serious! And don’t forget this is only 1 of 2 filters as waiting for the second to be delivered.
Starting to think i may run the electrics onto the rhs as this will hopefully give me some space on the lhs for general living room things such as xbox controllers etc as this side will have the shelf.
Already thinking i may add a macro algae reactor, but I will see how it gets on without as about £3-400 new.
Looking at the size of the canister filters box this thing is serious! And don’t forget this is only 1 of 2 filters as waiting for the second to be delivered.
Starting to think i may run the electrics onto the rhs as this will hopefully give me some space on the lhs for general living room things such as xbox controllers etc as this side will have the shelf.
Already thinking i may add a macro algae reactor, but I will see how it gets on without as about £3-400 new.
We have (a small amount of) water in the tank!
Probably about 70l in it at the moment and going to geab another 100l today from local fish shop. Hoping that the small filter arrives today so i can get water movement and just put filter floss in it to soak up some of the scum.
Has anyone any experience with these glass intakes, or a recommendation for a surface skimmer?
Probably about 70l in it at the moment and going to geab another 100l today from local fish shop. Hoping that the small filter arrives today so i can get water movement and just put filter floss in it to soak up some of the scum.
Has anyone any experience with these glass intakes, or a recommendation for a surface skimmer?
Nearly full now! It will go over a bit when i put my rock in but it will also drop when i connect the cannister filters so want to leave it at this level for now and see where it sits.
The cat is a fan of the light!
Edited by Sheetmaself on Wednesday 22 July 15:17
Edited by Sheetmaself on Wednesday 22 July 15:17
External filters (kind of) installed.
They fit next to each other and there should be space for the UV as well. But the pipework isn’t long enough so ordered from Amazon for tomorrow.
Wondering about getting the glass inlet and outlets but as I need 2 of each it’s £70ish. Does anyone have theses and do you recommend?
As i can’t get a canister connected i have my Nero 3 just moving the water to create a churn for the heater. It will also be a good test as to whether or not one Nero 3 is enough to create a good flow or if i need to get another.
Sheetmaself said:
I plan on a mixture of Seachem Matrix which is live rock, and purigen in the larger canister filter. I assumed (happy to be told I am wrong) that as the Seachem is basically live rock chippings as i understand it and therefore a huge surfavr area that it would be ok?
I am not aware of those products. I will only say that I am a big fan of sticking to what tends to be known to work.... To me that's simply live rock, and plenty of it (well not so much that you cannot get nice flow)... But I hope you are right.Thanks, this is what i plan on using https://charterhouse-aquatics.com/products/seachem...
I have it in my tmc first wave78 as it is small enough to allow good flow through it but also has a crazy amoubt of surface area.
I have it in my tmc first wave78 as it is small enough to allow good flow through it but also has a crazy amoubt of surface area.
Large canister set up. Was initially running just floss tk clear the water but clear now so i have put live rock and the seachem filter stones in. I kept the weird black plastic coils (mech pro) that came with the filter. Not sold on them with being plastic so took one trays worth out but left a tray in.
Seeded a tray with media from my 48ltr tank that i have now s
t down and will be using as quaruntine. It had a 12 blade so I was thinking i could either sell it or stick it into this tank.
When your £1400 in why try and sell something hey so the 12 blade is running as a supplemental light!
A few hardy corals in and my dhead boxer shrimp for now. I may add a fish or two if i can catch them in my other tank.
Oh and a bottle of Dr Tims added as well so no carbon in the filter as yet.
Seeded a tray with media from my 48ltr tank that i have now s
t down and will be using as quaruntine. It had a 12 blade so I was thinking i could either sell it or stick it into this tank. When your £1400 in why try and sell something hey so the 12 blade is running as a supplemental light!
A few hardy corals in and my d
head boxer shrimp for now. I may add a fish or two if i can catch them in my other tank. Oh and a bottle of Dr Tims added as well so no carbon in the filter as yet.
Gassing Station | All Creatures Great & Small | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff