Canister filter questions please help

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Nicko19

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hey guys
I have myself 2 aquaone 1100 canisters and Iā€™m putting them on my 4ft tank 300L
I have noodles on the base of the canister where the water hits first to break down detritus, then goes up through the first basket witch I have full of mechanical media, course medium and fine sponge with fine being floss after that I have my 2nd basket with 2L of seachem matrix and both my 1100s consist of this. Any helpful tips and expertise with these filters would be great and also will 2 of the 1100s be adequate for my 300L tank witch I plan on setting up for discus
Thanks!
 
Personally I would do the mechanical filtration first so that the bio media stays clean. I have actually gone a step further and use a simple sponge filter (the type usually powered by an air pump) as a pre-filter without the air pump attached. That way I can clean the sponges with every water change, or even more often if I choose. The filter media stays clean and I only clean that twice a year.
 
Thanks for your response seangee!
Currently I have the filters setup so the intake pipe in the aquarium is blank so no pre sponge filter in the tank, from there it passes through some noodles to break up the larger detritus before passing through my mechanical section to help stop from clogging up my course sponge. So my mechanical section consists of 3 layers of sponge, course, medium and fine (floss).
After my mechanical section the water then passes through 2L of seachem metrix crystal clear before returning back to the aquarium. Now I could also put a pre course sponge on the intake in the aquarium to minimize detritus flowing through my filtration system but Iā€™m not sure about the consequences of leaving detritus build up on my pre filter in the aquarium but it doesnā€™t sound like a bad idea at all!
 

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Now I could also put a pre course sponge on the intake in the aquarium to minimize detritus flowing through my filtration system but Iā€™m not sure about the consequences of leaving detritus build up on my pre filter in the aquarium but it doesnā€™t sound like a bad idea at all!
You don't want the detritus building up in your filter either - ideally you don't want it there at all. But inside the filter its hidden so easy to overlook cleaning the canister. Sorry I'm not following the logic of using the noodles to "break up the detritus". Organic waste won't break down completely, its the fishkeeper's job to remove it.

While cleaning canisters is easy it does take time and effort. Cleaning sponges inside the tank requires just a few seconds. Once your filter is established it is actually perfectly safe to rinse them under a tap. You can do this several times a week without making time to do so.
 
Thank you for your input seangee!
I have 2 aquaone nautilus 1100 and as a stock filtration system they come assembled back to front with the mechanical being last an biological being first and comes with no pre mechanical filter for the intake in aquarium itā€™s very strange I didnā€™t believe it was correct and I watched a YouTube video of a guy called pondguru assembling an ehime pro with noodles in the bottom cavity witch is very similar to my filter although it has 3 baskets not one...
My filter come stock from factory with bio balls filling the bottom cavity then the next part is basket 1 witch is noodles with a course pad then basket 2 is a medium pad then floss... it makes no sense and completely back to front...

Your advice about putting a pre course sponge filter on the intake in tank makes a lot more sense! Should I leave the bottom cavity empty for perhaps some chemical filtration ā€œcarbon bagsā€ then follow with a 3 layer mechanical basket made up of course medium an floss then basket 2 being my biological media before returning back to the aquarium?

If this isnā€™t the best setup please advise me what is the best order please!
 
I do not bother with chemical filtration (meaning any type of carbon and similar media that alters the water chemistry by either removing or adding something) because it can remove beneficial plant nutrients, it usually requires regular replacement (carbon once it has adsorbed stuff is no longer effective as such), and it should not be necessary (unless dealing with nitrates in the source water or similar). Mechanical (keeping the water clear by removing particulate matter) is all I aim for, plus biological (the nitrification aspect) though with live plants this is not encouraged.

My canisters (Eheim and Filstar) on the larger tanks I had were set up with the ceramic rings as the first media the water passes through (to remove larger debris that might otherwise clog the finer media) then the biological nuggets, then the fine white pad. For the past couple of years I just used the ceramic media in the first two as biological was not really needed with the plants.

With respect to the two filters and discus, I would only use one canister with the intake at one end and the return at the other. This creates a natural stream flow from one end to the other which fish find "normal." It means the shoaling fish (like discus) will tend to face into the current, so if it matters to you which way the fish in the tank "swim" consider this when placing the intake/return.

You also do not want fast currents with discus; they prefer very slow flowing streams and flooded forest, and having to battle a current 24/7 will wear them down.
 

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