Remove my canister?

[Birds Fan]

I think my Eheim 2226 canister is leading to an increase in my nitrates. I'm considering removing the media and filters and using it only for flow.

I currently have a 45g, with 55lbs of LR, a 4"dsb along with 2 perc clowns, a six-line wrasse, domino damsel, royal gramma and a blue damsel and a number of corals. I change around 20% every 2 weeks and recently tested my RO unit and came up with 0 trates. I also amy careful not to overfeed.

Current params: Am=0, NI=0, NA 15

If removal of the media should be done, what is the optimal amount of LR I need to reduce my nitrates below 15? I don't have room for a sump or refugium.


Thanks

 

[ReeferNets]

There are many varying answers to your question, everyone has a opinion so let me give you mine.

Completely ditch the canister no matter what detrius and matter will get stuck inside the canister with rock or media in it. Its a nitrate factory.

If you need to increase flow you can look into some power heads or a hang on the back refugium as well. Removing the Canister maybe help reduce nitrates and increased flow can help to blow dead stuff around so it doesnt settle.

Someone else will chime in with more info for ya.

 

[mikem]

I would use it for your carbone.

 

[JRWOHLER]

I saw one Nano thread where the person wired a light into the canister and then filled it with cheato and rubble. That requires some serious imagination.

 

[Birds Fan]

I currrently have 2 Koralia #2 powerheads, 1 on each side. Do you think I have enough LR?

 

[blange3]

So how often do you clean the canister? What kind of media you have?

I'm with Mike, I would run carbon in it.

The reason why canisters are called nitrate factories in a derogatory manner is they process detritus that can otherwise be removed by a skimmer. Do you have a skimmer, I didn't see one mentioned.

If the organics are not exported by a skimmer or other means, they will become nitrates. Producing nitrates from ammonia/nitrites is a good thing! It's the job of your canister and your sand and your live rock.

If you don't have a skimmer, and you remove the media from the canister you will have less surface area for bacteria, but detritus may still settle in the canister, so nitrates probably will go up some.

If you remove the canister and you don't have a skimmer, nitrates will still probably go up as again you have reduced the surface area available for beneficial bacteria.

So if you don't have a skimmer, stick with the canister and make sure you flush it when you do the water change. Also change some of the carbon.

If you do have a great skimmer, then you may see some improvement by removing the canister if you have enough flow to keep the detritus in suspension until the skimmer removes it. I don't think two korallia #2's will do that for you. And now you have lost the capacity of carbon to bind other organics and to polish the water.

If you don't have a skimmer, the best thing you can do to drop the nitrates is get a hang on back skimmer. Next best is a hang on back fuge with a light and grow and harvest macro algae. I grow macro algae in my tanks as well. More rock will help, hard to say how much more is needed.

Also, some will say 4" of sand is not deep enough to function as a deep sandbed to reduce nitrates. I'm not sure I agree as I run 0 in my 55 and the bed is about 4".

Of course the easiest thing is to increase frequency of the water changes. And by the way, 15 ain't that bad with the bioload you have in the tank.

Hope this helps!

 

[Birds Fan]

I failed to mention that I am running a Tunze 9002 skimmer. Wouldn't carbon also become a nitrate factor by trapping detritus?