Canister Filters

[Blackheart]

So I've never really had one of these before.... But I'm honestly really curious as to how they work...? How do they filter the tank exactly?

[Hardstuff]

They draw water up the intake pipe into the canister which usually contain different chambers for media / chemical/ biological filtration. They are the best filters I have experienced. As long as the flow is greater than rated for your tank they will help keep algae down & a healthy aquarium for fish & plants. They blow away HOB filters.
You have many options on how to run them regarding media & flow output / spray bars or directional subsurface discharge which is excellent for planted tanks. Meaning you have almost unlimited ways to deliver the flow back into the tank.
You can even run multi canisters which I believe in for superior filtration. Some people even run heaters & CO2 through them as well.
They are more expensive , but you get what you pay for.
They are even good on small tanks if you can find a micro canister such as the zoo meds for nanos.

[Blackheart]

Would they be ideal for a Shrimp only tank?

[huhu89151734]

IMO they do not do good for a shrimp tank. The point of people use canister filter on planted tank is because the canister is sealed and the water does not exposed to the air to have oxygen exchange, this well trap the co2 you injected into the tank. For a shrimp tank, especially if you want to have a big community of shrimp, you want that kind of osygen exchange to maximize the most o2 in the tank for shrimp to breath. That is why most of people use sponge filter on their smaller tank. For a larger sized tank, I recommend use a over the tank filter or wet/dry.

[aznartist34]

Originally Posted by huhu89151734

IMO they do not do good for a shrimp tank. The point of people use canister filter on planted tank is because the canister is sealed and the water does not exposed to the air to have oxygen exchange, this well trap the co2 you injected into the tank. For a shrimp tank, especially if you want to have a big community of shrimp, you want that kind of osygen exchange to maximize the most o2 in the tank for shrimp to breath. That is why most of people use sponge filter on their smaller tank. For a larger sized tank, I recommend use a over the tank filter or wet/dry.

Canister filters are great for shrimp tanks because they can hold a lot more biological media than most other filters. Sponge filters are great for shrimp tanks because the sponge has a big area for the good bacteria to grow on and baby shrimp don't get sucked up through the sponge. For a canister to provide ample oxygen exchange, just adjust the outflow of the filter to cause a lot of surface aggitation.

This is how a canister filter works:

[teatimecrumpet]

I haven't had any issues with adult ghost shrimp and my canister filter (Aquatop cf500) with the intake uncovered. But have since covered the intake with some nylon over the intake no shrimplets yet and my ghosties were berried but a bunch have dropped them and I don't know if they got trapped on top of the nylon or not.

I think shrimp are fine with canister filters.

But if you are doing only shrimp and plants are a distant second then I think sponges are the way to go. Just because you want to rule out the chance of losing any shrimp or babies to the higher intake rate.

But if you are looking to have a tank with equal importance irt shrimp/plants/fish then you'd probably do ok with a canister.

[exv152]

Not to mention, canisters are quieter, hidden from view, and can push hundreds of gallons of water through a large volume of media, better than any other filter with the exception of sumps and trickle filters. Also, the filter intake can be covered with a mess or spong to ensure no baby shrimp get caught up in the suction.

[talontsiawd]

They are fine for shrimp but you would want to cover the intake with a sponge. Fluval makes some that fit smaller intakes, some just remove the intake strainer, the plastic piece at the bottom and put a big sponge on. A Zoo Med 501 filter works well for this. The point of the sponge is to keep the filter from sucking up the baby shrimp when they breed. You would do this with any other type of filter that has an exposed intake.

Many use sponge filters and UGF for shrimp as well, especially if their main goal is breeding shrimp, not just adding some to an existing tank. They may be better choices for you, depending on your goals.