Over the back or canister filter?

[Jan Cavalieri]

Due to brown, green and all other colors of algae my AquaClear filters are constantly clogging (roughly every 2-4 hours and it gets noisy) Would investing in an external canister make a difference? Would it work better, make less noise, have to be cleaned less often than daily, help with the algae problem?

They are pricey and I haven't even figured out how they work. What is everybody's opinion? (oh and I know that I'll need to keep my old filters in play long enough for the new filters to get the good bacteria)

 

[Wills]

Wow that sounds like a lot of algae - do you know what’s causing it? Too much light? Dirty substrate?

A more powerful filter will probably cope better. I’d go for an external but I’d deal with your algae issues first. If you put all your filter media in the new one you don’t need to keep the old one running. It’s how I’ve done filter upgrades in the past.

 

[utahfish]

I prefer HOB filter, they are easier to clean,I've had a canister filter and it was ok more expensive then a HOB and it broke,I've had HOB filters last for decades. Having said that changing filters isn't going to effect algae much. Algae is always from an imbalance if nutrients and light. Too much light not enough nutrients too many nutrients not enough light.
Some things that can increase algae are outside lights from rooms or windows. I put a towel over the front of my tank after the lights go out to keep all light even from tv off it. I also only have my lights on for about 8 hours. Plants don't need continuous light to grow algae does
Excess nutrients can come from feeding, I feed a mimimal amount once every 2 days . If one is feeding twice a day move to once if one is feeding once a day go to every other day. keep up on water changes to dillute excess nutrients build up that cause algae.
Lastly increase water throughout tank increasing oxygen levels, algae thrive in low oxygen levels. Adding an extra HOB filter on opposite side of One HOB filter can create more circulation and oxygen.
Good luck!

 

[Jamesthecat]

+1 to previous post, algae growth will be done to one of the issues mentioned. Work through them and you’ll see a change.

I always use external filters. Internals look out of place and take up space and i like a clean look of the cabinet and tank.

I have a eheim classic 600 (1000 LPH) it’s a beast and handles my 5ft Cichlid tank by itself.

Plenty of space for loads of media layers and if you need to say add carbon or a specific media you can pop it in and reprime.

External Benefits are you can clean or adjust without affecting the tank.

Benefits over a HOB are I believe that the hob are usually for smaller aquariums where canisters are for larger or high load tanks

Ive always had big externals and never had any problems, priming is easy when youve done it a few times,

personally I Like the huge flow rate and the ability to quickly open it up and Chuck in some specialist media

 

[Jan Cavalieri]

So can anybody explain how canister filters work? Are they at least easier to work on than HOB filters?

I believe my algae is due to a combination of too much light and overfeeding and the laziest algae-eating fish in the world. I feed once a day - late at night because I tend to be a really bad night owl. So lights go on the tanks at about noon then off about 2 am. Overhead lights go off and on during the day. Two of my tanks are in my study which get the most light but have the least problem with algae growth. My other two tanks (both acrylic) are in their own room along with my plant collection and the kittle litterbox (in a closet) - so the lights are generally off during the day in there unless I'm working on the tanks or watering plants or cleaning up after the cat. One in particular gets the sick soupy brown algae to the extreme - the odor is terrible and the filter clogs every few hours - it's either plants and algae stuck in the tube of the HOB or the sponge media in the HOB being completely saturated with brown slime so no water can get through. Often it's both problems. I'm sick of dismantling the thing which is why I thought perhaps a canister filer would be less likely to suffer from clogs and easier to maintain, as well as keep the water cleaner, I don't mind the green algae to some extent - it's somewhat pretty but I rarely see my plecos and other algae eating fish actually eating the algae. I bought Algae fix by API but then read the amazon reviews which basically say the dosing is all wrong and will kill your fish. I did mix some in a bucket with the fish's decorative items and the algae just disintigrated - amazing and I had a bucket of brown/black water. I rinsed all the decorative objects really well before putting them in the tank but that stuff went though LAYERS of slime in minutes

 

[Jamesthecat]

Canister filter is basically a big cylinder with a pump at the bottom .

the pump sucks water from the tank via an intake tube and pushes it up the filter through mechanical media (foam/wool) them biological layer such as bio balls then if you need it a chemical layer like acti acted carbon.

I have about 6 layers in mine , various grades of foam and wool etc.

the water comes out the top via another tube and into the tank through a spray bar.

 

[Jan Cavalieri]

My aquariums are 6 gallon, 2- 29 gallons and 1 - 50 gallon. It's the 29 gallons I have the most problems with. None are over stocked

 

[Jan Cavalieri]

Do you have to use a spraybar? My Dojos would be in heaven but my Gourami not happy campers about getting sprayed - they like peaceful water.

 

[Fishiemang]

If you're clogging a HOB that fast, a canister ain't gonna save you. You need to.figure out algae control. Grab a rubber lip pleco or 2 from the pet store. They should be always on the case.

Canister filters are ok. I have an FX4 on my 75 gallon. I have found that the stock media it comes with does an ok job, but, it will bypass some water very soon after a.cleaning, and.you will see it in the tank. If you use the super fine pads, they clog up in a week and restrict flow. So I have added one of my spare Penguin 200's to the back of the tank.just to pull out particles. So far this has been the ticket for keeping that water crystal clear now. Doesn't really solve your problem, my ramblings, but maybe....I dunno.

Canister filters work by pulling water under the tank into a canister, then passing the water along a path thru various mechanical and biological media...even chemical if ya want...and then sends it back to the tank. When the filter media gets clogged up, they have a bypass feature built in. I have found that this is an on on thing....as some water will always bypass...hence the particles still in the water. Depending on how you care for the tank, feeding and whatnot, canisters can go a month or more without a cleaning. Once you find that balance, as long as the media isn't clogged, I have seen some folks go years without disassembly. Some here disagree with that, and that is fine, but, it's possible.

There are other filter options as well. You can construct your own with bio balls and the whole shebang if ya want. A filter that can be somewhat maint free. Depends on what you want.to accomplish.

 

[AbbeysDad]

As mentioned, problems need to be solved at the root cause. Any filter would be attempting to compensate externally.
So very simply, since algae is the result of excess nutrients and light, you need to reduce either or both - then your Aquaclear filter will work just fine.
Oh and most canister filters rely on a siphoning effect to draw water from the aquarium and a pump pumps it back to the tank (which is why the canister filter must be below the tank). In most cases, the water from the tank goes down to the bottom of the canister and then is filtered up through media and back to the tank.

 

[Fishiemang]

Am I the only person on the planet that has lights on 14 hours a day? Haha

I don't have algae overgrowth. When the temp goes up, it grows like crazy, but, at 78/79 degrees, it's minimal. I have plecos that take care of what does grow without issue.

It's just odd to me that people only have their lights on like 7 hours a day. The sun shines longer than that in tropical climates, so, in trying to recreate that environment, you kinda need to replicate the lighting as well as temp and whatever else.....

 

[Jamesthecat]

I have them on for 12.. never had algae tbh

 

[AbbeysDad]

Am I the only person on the planet that has lights on 14 hours a day? Haha

Lighting is duration as well as intensity. I have many 18" florescent lights on 12 hours a day, but they barely produce enough light for the floating plants... and there's never an algae issue.

 

[eatyourpeas]

It seems like you need to look at excess nutrients. How often do you do water changes? A filter can only do so much, and if your tank is not heavily planted you end up with nothing absorbing the nitrates. Floating plants, hornworth or pothos will happily absorb excess nitrogen. As other have said, light, food, and clean water might need to be looked at before relying on the filter to do all the work.

A canister filter will give you a little more time between filter cleanings, but you still need to keep up with water changes...

 

[seangee]

You mention overfeeding several times. Just stop doing it. Its cruel. My HOBs only get rinsed once a week and don't ever get clogged

Putting a canister in will only make the water quality worse if you continue to overfeed.