Is this a worthwhile use for a canister filter?

[MultipleTankSyndrome]

I heard about someone who found a free canister filter being given away in front of a house. In the event that this happens to me (or at a Salvation Army, etc), I was wondering if using said canister filter solely for its spraybars (no media to prevent it becoming a hard to clean NO3 factory) to oxygenate spots at the water surface my pumps can miss is worthwhile. Anyone ever done this?

Another way to put it is: Do the spraybars of a canister filter do a good enough job by themselves to justify the electrical bill of one?

 

[wednesday13]

Run it with bio media only i.e. bio balls or ceramic media… if ur going to use it as a glorified power head u may as well use it to ur benifit. I run 4 canisters on a 650gal… all of which have majority ceramic and bio balls. There great for water movement like ur thinking. I use sponges also and i honestly only clean the sponges once every 1-2 yrs. There not nitrate factories at all. Same premis as a sponge filter, u can run them for yrs without cleaning. Im on auto drip systems and my nitrates are never over 3-5ppm even after 2 yrs no cleaning. Same premis if u were changing 200% water volume once a week manually.

 

[celebrist]

I definitely have live bio from dead cans in my sump

 

[Backfromthedead]

Run it with bio media only i.e. bio balls or ceramic media… if ur going to use it as a glorified power head u may as well use it to ur benifit. I run 4 canisters on a 650gal… all of which have majority ceramic and bio balls. There great for water movement like ur thinking. I use sponges also and i honestly only clean the sponges once every 1-2 yrs. There not nitrate factories at all. Same premis as a sponge filter, u can run them for yrs without cleaning. Im on auto drip systems and my nitrates are never over 3-5ppm even after 2 yrs no cleaning. Same premis if u were changing 200% water volume once a week manually.

Lol I think the auto drips has a lot to do with your can success ?

 

[wednesday13]

Lol I think the auto drips has a lot to do with your can success ?

Agreed… theres not much in them to actually get dirty tho. 90% bio, 10% mech… i still hate the once every 1-2 yr cleaning of the fx5 sponges ??… Im not sure i even do it that often lol…

 

[Backfromthedead]

Agreed… theres not much in them to actually get dirty tho. 90% bio, 10% mech… i still hate the once every 1-2 yr cleaning of the fx5 sponges ??… Im not sure i even do it that often lol…

Lol I've had wheels turning since you enlightened me. Give me some time and I'll catch up...every time I have to laboriously scrub my filter socks I get more and more tempted lol.

 

[jjohnwm]

Agreed… theres not much in them to actually get dirty tho. 90% bio, 10% mech… i still hate the once every 1-2 yr cleaning of the fx5 sponges ??… Im not sure i even do it that often lol…

That's the problem with the dang things...canisters in general, I mean. They are such a PITA to clean that nobody does it as often as it really should be done...so that crap just accumulates inside for however many months or years WHOA and bacteria has its way with all of it.

I'm not sure if there is an actual official definition of "nitrate factory"...but I'm pretty sure that this would fit if there were. You are sweeping dirt under the rug...and doing it for so long that the pile is starting to become a tripping hazard!

Yep, your massive water change regimen makes your tanks work beautifully...but that's in spite of your skunky canisters, not because of them.

Canisters suck.

A venturi tube attached to a powerhead (most of them seem to offer this option) results in an outstanding aerator/agitator, at least as good as a canister...without subjecting you to the potential problems of the canister, i.e. potential leaks at O-rings, unnecessary hoses flopping around, etc. Any impeller requires periodic cleaning/maintenance; every time you do so you risk causing a leak with a canister. Plus, compare the flow rate in gph of a canister with that of a powerhead of the same wattage; they're not even close.

I'm a big fan of reduce/re-use/recycle as well. If somebody gave me a canister, I'd probably figure out some use for it...not sure what it would be...oh, I know: I'd give it to somebody else!

 

[wednesday13]

That's the problem with the dang things...canisters in general, I mean. They are such a PITA to clean that nobody does it as often as it really should be done...so that crap just accumulates inside for however many months or years WHOA and bacteria has its way with all of it.

I'm not sure if there is an actual official definition of "nitrate factory"...but I'm pretty sure that this would fit if there were. You are sweeping dirt under the rug...and doing it for so long that the pile is starting to become a tripping hazard!

Yep, your massive water change regimen makes your tanks work beautifully...but that's in spite of your skunky canisters, not because of them.

Canisters suck.

A venturi tube attached to a powerhead (most of them seem to offer this option) results in an outstanding aerator/agitator, at least as good as a canister...without subjecting you to the potential problems of the canister, i.e. potential leaks at O-rings, unnecessary hoses flopping around, etc. Any impeller requires periodic cleaning/maintenance; every time you do so you risk causing a leak with a canister. Plus, compare the flow rate in gph of a canister with that of a powerhead of the same wattage; they're not even close.

I'm a big fan of reduce/re-use/recycle as well. If somebody gave me a canister, I'd probably figure out some use for it...not sure what it would be...oh, I know: I'd give it to somebody else!

gotta b dirty to be clean… theres a fine line i agree tho