Saltwater Filtration Systems: Canister filters
© Winston Vaughan Schoenfeld
Canister filters are rather simple devices. They compose of a canister, to which aquarium water is pumped under high pressures. The canister contains a filter which provides the filtration of aquarium water. These units are generally separate from the aquarium. They provide either mechanical, chemical, or biological filtration, or a combination of the above. Typical flow rates for these filters range from about 100 to 900 gallons per hour. The filters in the canister are usually disposable. These filters are very similar in nature to the box filters which one may find on freshwater aquariums. The main difference is the pressure of the water which is drawn through the unit by a water pump. Most of these filters fall under one of two catagories: mechanical, or multimedia. Mechanical canister filters simply provide mechanical filtration. Multimedia canister filters provide mechanical, chemical, and/or biological filtration.
Canister filters have several down sides. They have the potential of becoming clogged. When this happens, water stops flowing through the unit. As a result, the filter then becomes a growth bed for algae, slime, and hydrogen sulfide from the anaerobic decay of organics caught in the filter media. Thus, canister filters must be checked regularly to ensure that they are not clogged.
Alone, canister filters would have a hard time providing adequate filtration for a saltwater aquarium. However, they are a great supplement for other filtration devices, such as wet/dry filters. I recommend that if used, they be accompanied by an additional filtration device.
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