info on canister filter?

[look@thefish]

Okays im just wondering if someone can tell me which would be a good filter for a spare 4 foot tank i have laying around. (so i can put discus in this)

Currently i use undergravel and hang on filter's for the 3 foot and 4 foot that i have set up at the moment.

Im wondering i see alot of people talk about canister filters, or have them. WHAT is the difference between canisters and and the 2 types i have?

Are they easy to set up and come with good instructions? and how big would i be looking at for a 4foot?

[G-1000]

Hi Mate,

As far as filters go:

Undergravel Filter (UGF) - Operates on the principle that water is forced through the gravel/substrate at the bottom of the tank. This usually occurs via two towers at the rear corners of the tank, hooked up to an air supply (i.e to force water up the tubes via current and hence, drag more water through the gravel).

UGF's are decent in terms of effectiveness, however, they must be cleaned regularly via suction vac to remove trapped debris etc. Additionally, there is also the fact that only about half the gravel should be cleaned at a time, so that nitrifying bacteria is not removed from the gravel.

Hang On Filters - Have an advantage in that, they allow debris to be removed from the tank easier than UGF's since the filter is readily accessible. Unfortuneatly due to their design, the hang on filter is unable to offer significant surface area for bacteria to colonise. This means that a hang on filter can take longer to remove ammonia and nitrite from a tank.

Hang Filters may be ok for your tank, depending on the bio-load of the water (i.e how heavily stocked it is)

Canisters - Have their unit external to the tank. There is an in tube and an out tube to the unit. This type of filtration has an abundant surface area and allows for the greatest amount of bacteria out of the three types. So obviously, it will provide the cleanest tank.

The filter media inside the unit can be changed quite easily, and also, heaters and U.V sterilisers can be easily hooked up to the canister's tubes. So there is also a fair bit of versatility.

Canisters are easy to set up, no worries there and I am sure all the brands come with good instructions.

As far as cost etc - you would be looking at getting around a 800-1000 lph filter for a 4 foot as a rough guide. Depending on the brand, this could cost anywhere between 100-400 dollars.

I have heard that fluval is a very good filter (Eheim is too obviously) and I would have to say my inclination is toward Fluval since I cant see the price of an Eheim being justified in comparison.

However, other people on this forum will be able to tell you which brand of filter etc they feel is best.


Perhaps there should be a poll conducted ?

G

[axelfaz]

hi mate i use this canister on my tanks and it does a good job u just have to order somemore filter media for it .
http://www.aquariumproducts.com.au/prod786.htm
if u have any question ben at aoa is preety good and helpful
hope that helps

cameron

ps G-1000 thanks for the good read

[look@thefish]

well my tanks isnt very over stocked (4 fish in total, 2 in 3 foot 2 in 4 foot)But i do plant on getting more in the future..

When u say a heater and steraliser can be fitted to the cainster, is this any ordainry heater? Or a special type?

Steralisers? Any benifits from having one?

[axelfaz]

hi mate this is the type of heater they are talking about
http://www.aquariumproducts.com.au/prod1026.htm
it attachs to your water return hose.