Rena XP4 plus AC110 on my 75 gallon -- quick question

[Rynofasho]

I'm currently upgrading from an AC110 and an AC50 to the AC110 plus an XP4. I want to have to break into the canister is little as possible -- with that in mind, I was wondering how I should be filling the media baskets in there. I haven't received it yet so I'm not sure what all comes in there, but I was thinking about not even having a sponge in there at all and just using it purely for biological filtration and then having just sponges in the AC110 so when I clean the tank I am mostly just cleaning out the 110.

Long story short, for those who've done it before, how would you set up media in each filter so that I am doing less maintenance on the canister? FYI it is a lightly planted 75 with small community fish and not overstocked (sorry, haven't graduated to monsters just yet )

 

[1bigdovii]

I have 3 xp4 filters and even with the media in it and i have big fish i only have to open them like every couple of months, you may have to like every 6 months its easy to do. In mine i run the spounge pads that come with it on the bottom bio-balls in the next 2 trays then polishing pad on top. The polishing pad is what usually clogs up fastest so you could go without that and add.more bio.

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[Rynofasho]

Thanks for the reply. I think I'll just use the 30ppm foam on the bottom and do media in the rest and put all the polishing stuff in the 110. Will be my first experience with a canister!

 

[Rynofasho]

Lastly, my AC110 is on the left side of the tank, and I have a small Koralia powerhead in the front right portion.

Would it be better to locate the intake of the Rena on the left side with the AC110, or would it make more sense to put it on the right? I can't decide if it'd be better to have two intakes on one end to really suck up everything that gets blown down there, or have one on each side.

 

[1bigdovii]

Put the canister intake on the opposite end from the ac so you arw drawing for both ends of the tank.

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[thacarter546]

Its a great canister for a first experience. Just make sure you rock the hose connector a little when you reconnect the hoses before pulling on the lever.

My sponges were too clogged after three years, so now I am running 1st tray full of fluval prefilter rings, middle tray with marineland cut to fit bonded pad, then a layer of filter floss, third tray filled with the ten rena stars that come with, and half a kilo of fluval biomax. So far it has been running amazing!