Canister filter questions/critiques requested

[munsterrr]

First and foremost. I missed this site. Been out of the aquatic hobby for a few years and decided to come back on a whim with a good deal on a used 55 gallon setup I found online for $150us.

The filtration that came with this deal was a:
Marineland Penguin 200b HOB(older model, mine doesnt have the clear top)
http://www.marineland.com/sites/marineland/products/Detail.aspx?id=3390

Marineland HOB canister(older model it seems)
http://www.marineland.com/sites/marineland/products/Detail.aspx?id=3465

Cascade 1000
http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/prod/237752/i/7/product.web

Now to me it seems like overkill but then again I believe that there is no such thing as "water that is too clean" My question though is...In a canister filter. I can pretty much throw what ever media in there I want as long as I cover bio, mechanical, prefilter, and carbon(?). From top to bottom I have a body scrubbers(loufas), polyfiber(cotton), the OEM carbon filter, and a sponge at the bottom.


Please do not hesitate to add opinions, ideas, or "WTF are you doings" lol.

 

[Inglorious]

Skip the carbon unless there is a specific reason for using it. I always set my cans up just using a prefilter for mech and the
rest is all bio
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[lp85253]

that should be plenty of filtration, you can experiment with media. with 3 filters on a55 there should be plenty of bio filtration .carbon is not needed but some use it. I would go heavy on sponge material in at least 2 of the filters for good mechanical filtering

 

[munsterrr]

Thank you both for the quick responses. I never knew that carbon was frowned upon by some. Reading into it has shown me why. I guess I will keep some around just in case i have an emergency to deal with.

I will problably turn one of the HOB filters off. Dont know if it will be the bio wheel or the other one though.

 

[Inglorious]

I wouldn't say that carbon is looked down upon, it does serve certain purposes, but unless you are using it for a specific issue than it is space better utilized with other media.

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[Chizzle]

I wouldn't say that carbon is looked down upon, it does serve certain purposes, but unless you are using it for a specific issue than it is space better utilized with other media.

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Prolonged carbon exposure causes HITH in cichlids. I wouldnt use it unless it was to quickly remove medication from the water. Even when removing meds id rather just do a few wcs

 

[anarekist]

i think that's because carbon removes along with the bad stuff such as ammonia, it also absorbs trace elements that you're fish need like all of these guys http://theaquariumwiki.com/Trace_elements

 

[munsterrr]

Thanks alot everyone. Learned quite a bit about carbon filtration. Time to fill the rest of this canister with Bio filtration then.

 

[aclockworkorange]

Prolonged carbon exposure causes HITH in cichlids. I wouldnt use it unless it was to quickly remove medication from the water. Even when removing meds id rather just do a few wcs

I've never read any conclusive studies that found that to be true... Any links to something peer reviewed?


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