NEW w/ POLL canister vs. wet/dry

[DIESELMACK]

I havent read through completely but figured I would add some to this thread...below is my filtration for the 450gallon tank....the mere area and holding capability of my 125gal sump filter cannot be matched by canisters....or you would need to invest mega $$ on canisters to match the capacity......it also offers versatility in the amount of bio,mechanical,and misc items such as peat...multiple heaters,ect,ect... I have enough bio to fill approx 8-9 canister filters to the brim...and thats just bio media.....so for my personal applications with big tanks I run strictly big sump systems. I do have approx 6 tanks(below 100gal) that I use canisters on ehiem,fluval,and magnums that work great....I am a buff for over filtration due to housing predators that put out mass bioload...so I will normally run the biggest canisters on any tank ranging from 40-100gal...all my tanks above 100gal are wet/dry sump systems personal pref with over 30yrs of keeping.
*** this is a diagram of the system for the 450...I recently removed one UV sterilizer to use on another tank but still have one 36watter in this system.

 

[DeLgAdO]

I havent read through completely but figured I would add some to this thread...below is my filtration for the 450gallon tank....the mere area and holding capability of my 125gal sump filter cannot be matched by canisters....or you would need to invest mega $$ on canisters to match the capacity......it also offers versatility in the amount of bio,mechanical,and misc items such as peat...multiple heaters,ect,ect... I have enough bio to fill approx 8-9 canister filters to the brim...and thats just bio media.....so for my personal applications with big tanks I run strictly big sump systems. I do have approx 6 tanks(below 100gal) that I use canisters on ehiem,fluval,and magnums that work great....I am a buff for over filtration due to housing predators that put out mass bioload...so I will normally run the biggest canisters on any tank ranging from 40-100gal...all my tanks above 100gal are wet/dry sump systems personal pref with over 30yrs of keeping.
*** this is a diagram of the system for the 450...I recently removed one UV sterilizer to use on another tank but still have one 36watter in this system.

what kinda of bio media are we talkin here? bioballs?

 

[Steve_89]

I am currently running a W/D on my 600.

So far so good.

It was cheap, it holds much more media than a cannister, I get good flowrates and I can hide my heaters in there away from my monsters.

Basically everything that has already been said.

For me it all came down to cost...there was no way in the world I was going to handover the money for the amount of cannisters I would have needed to filter my tank.

I am however purchasing a large cannister soon to get rid of debris from the floor of the tank.

 

[Hasi]

W/D for the reasons stated by rallysman and DM, basically i cant see how a canister filter can support the bio-load of a monster tank, one that might be heavily stocked with preds that eat like crazy.

A fx5 or the top eheims are suitable for a 180g packed monster tank at most, anything bigger and you would need 2 of either or more whereas a 3ft sump can easily hold a 180g or higher.

A simple weekly gravel vac during water change can pick up debris on a tank with a sump, though i must admit it is hard getting to places within the sump to collect debris and also evaporation can be a pain too

Just my opinion but i'm no expert

 

[fishdance]

What about a wet/dry AND canister in one unit then? I found one in my store which has water auto-top up, a protein skimmer, self priming pumps and an overflow can surface skim if you wish. Its suitable for saltwater too. I havent used one yet but I found more details online. Its called Rapids Pro. Has anyone tried these?

Some links below (but not an endorsement from me)


http://www.tomaquarium.com/press/proseriescd/english/index.html - short flash intro

http://www.mgmtech.net/resources/userguides/proseries/filter/proseries-filter-english.pdf[SIZE=-1]- Specs
[/SIZE]

 

[BlackTopKing]

I agree with with much that has been said. And it dose rise points on both sides.
Canisters are compact and great with space needs and IMHE up to about 200gals a strong canister could do it/ but NOT very well with Preds in a 150-200g with out the aid of another Canister or at least a 500 topend HOB filter

Wet/Dry Sumps are great for 200+ tanks but thats only because of the size. to run a 75g-125g W/D Sump you get massive Bio area and media room along with Heaters ect,ect.

but the agruement between a canister and a W/D is irrealvent and un-fair.

My 180g has seen 2 different filtration set up and I am currently in a DIY set up for a third ideal.

But this is why-A high powered canister rated for a 200g would be at 450-600gph and will hold 6.6-7.5 gallons. Translated that to a W/D and it would be useless.... even a 10g W/DSump wouldnt do anything for a 200g tanks and it would be a major emergance waiting to happen once the power went out and you had 50-60g on the floor.
A W/D for a 200 is like 55-75g with big pumps-why compair it to a canister that will filter the same water almost as well but with only 7g. Not Fair.

And I like most like to Overfliter- you wouldnt even do it. So if you got a 150+ you should get a W/D if not get 2 canisters and a HOB but once you hit a 220-250g....NO CANISTERS

Thats just my .02

 

[BlackTopKing]

Fishdance:

Those are ok and i would think for something Like a 75g or less Reef it may prove to be very convinate but the price is an over kill-you may be buying things that you dont need and wont benifit. a Skimmer is a need for a Reef but not reall with a FW tank even heavly planted a Ref would out perform a skimmer on a FW tank-just in price alone.
But even with SW tanks the price for that unit vers a Sump Ref combo that you could do with little to no DIY work- it wouldnt really be worth it IMO.

on my Reef i just used an old tank and add the baffles and drilled it for bulkheads and such-I spent like nuthing.

 

[elevatethis]

I've never used a w/d, started off with HOBs like whisper and AC, and last year purchased an Eheim 2217 for my 75gal.

I can't say I've had a single problem with the Eheim in terms of water quality, clarity, etc. I think overall it filters the water better than the HOBs, obviously.

However, when I see very large tanks using w/d's, japanese style sump filtration, and huge Bakki towers in large koi ponds, it makes me think that while canisters may serve small tanks well, the gas exchange that w/d filters provide for large volumes of water or high bio-loads is key.

For large tanks (200+), I'm more or less convinced that w/d is the way to go in terms of efficiency, $$$, and ease of maintenance.

 

[Mr Pleco]

This is a great thread. I have also wondered which set-up was most
beneficial for the fish. I have also considered going from the XP3's which I love to
the much larger and more powerful FX5 or Eheim Pro 3. The debate is still
very much a toss up.

Not to derail this thread, like you I love the XP 3's, I have 7. But since the price on the FX5's have dropped I'm upgrading all tanks. Which I decided FX5 over a w/d upgrade, I prefer the convienance of a canister. (note largest tank is 180G)

No experience with Eheims, still too pricey for me..

 

[rallysman]

Which I decided FX5 over a w/d upgrade, I prefer the convienance of a canister. (note largest tank is 180G)

Other than size, what is the convenience?