Help....sump vs. canister??

[STONEDFISH]

I'm trying to get the pieces together for either a 180 or a 210. I've never had to filter something that big. What works better for that size, sump or canister? Is one cheaper? I've never seen a canister bigger than 125 at my LFS, can I just buy 2? what about powerheads? are they a must?
STNDFSH

 

[MilitantPotato]

I vote a wet/dry.

Ehiem and fluval make canisters rated for that size (or bigger.) But the cost gets pretty high. Look to spend 300+ for the less expensive FX5 after media costs.

Powerheads are always good. Although I havn't used them I don't think you'll hear anyone not recommend Tunze powerheads. They're a little expensive but use a fraction of the energy compared to other powerheads at the flowrate it puts out.

 

[StiffMeister]

get a sump if the tank has overflow. way cheaper and can hold way more media.

 

[rallysman]

I'll vote for sump as well.

Less expensive
Very efficient
Easy to maintain (easier than a canister, I dont care what anyone else says)
Easy to make yourself
You can hide stuff in them (heaters, extra biomedia to keep seeded to start other tanks)
Increased water volume for added stability
Easy to maintain

 

[STONEDFISH]

So if i get the 210, how big will the sump tank need to be?
STNDFSH!

 

[rallysman]

you just need to make sure that you have enough capacity to hold the water that continues to flow when power is cut.

Industry standard is 2.2 gallons of bioballs per 100 gallons of tank, so I would go with 10-15 gallons of scrubbies for bio media. (I know, the math doesnt work, but it's overkill......we keep fish that are overkill)


A 55 gallon tank would work wonderfully, but you could probably get away with something slightly smaller.

 

[brettrotchell]

sump is always the best but canister filter are much easier to set up and mantain but wet/dry sump is the best ..

 

[gomezladdams]

Sump hands down easier more room for biomedia,more filtration options,more water volume,easier to maintain
Check the diy forum theres lots of great ideas on building a sump cheap

 

[rallysman]

sump is always the best but canister filter are much easier to set up and mantain but wet/dry sump is the best ..

A canister is not easier to maintain than a wet/dry. To clean a wet/dry, you remove the prefilter, clean it or get a new one, and put it back on.

You can do it all while it's running.

 

[HarleyK]

Howdy,

You will need more than one canister as you can read HERE

There is no real difference in filtration between canisters and w/d other than personal preference as you can read HERE

Easy to maintain (easier than a canister, I dont care what anyone else says)

This following quote of yours might be the reason why you do not know better :

I've never had good luck with a canister. I've never tried an eheim

Another comment to above advice:

get a sump if the tank has overflow

Which means you only filter water from the top of the tank ... all the poop will remain on the bottom. Canisters, on the other hand, easily remove detritus, especially if bottom flow is supported by a powerhead, if your filter has multiple intakes (Eheim 2080) or if you have multiple canisters.

Indeed, it costs more, but I would go with two Eheims. The surface for biofiltration easily meets or exceeds sump dimensions if you use modern media.

HarleyK