Do I Need the Filter?

My 55g tank's about 3 y/o now and no issues for the most part, but I'm wondering if there's a need for me to keep the Emperor 400 filter hanging off the back (I got rid of the biowheels way back in the beginning). I'd love to go with a sump, but there just isn't any room for one with the current stand and setup (I'll know better for the next tank!)

Between the Remora skimmer, 2 powerheads, live rock and sand, is the Emperor filter doing anything for me? If I do need something, is there any good option other than a sump that would fit in a small space below the tank, maybe a canister filter?

Thanks!

 

I had a similar set up as u do, i had a aquaclear filter for a while but eventually swaped it out for a eheim canister filter. I used mine more so for a water polisher and filter to run my media.

 

I would keep it on there just, in case you want or need to run some kinda of chemical at some point ( like carbon phosban ect.) a canister filter would be the same way. its just really a place to run chems. i know that with a canister you would have to stay ontop of it more often because they will build nitrates if not cleaned.

 

i dont have a canister filter on my tank. i think yours might be helping with your nitrate cycle a lil bit but you tank would survive with out it. i would probably use it as a reactor with activated carbon, rowaphos, chemipure or what have you.

 

On my 55 I had the Emperor 400 and Remora skimmer and definitely YES keep it on there, until you can get a sump or fuge of some sorts. Are you changing the filters pretty regularly? I found it's cheaper to use the empty cartridges that came with it, with carbon in them and then take quilt batting that you can get cheap at wal-mart to pull out a lot of other gunk. I like the quilt batting because it's not too expensive and you get a lot and it works!

 

Not trying to change the subject but how do you use an emperor 400 as a reactor. Just curious as I have one as well

 

put the grey filters on one side and the bag of chemi/rowa/etc.. on the other side and into the chanber and let it fill up and the water passes through the bag....

 

Thanks for all the quick responses! The consensus seems to be that I should keep the Emperor on the back, which makes sense when I think about how else that I would go about adding chemicals, etc for now without it.

Right now I'm doing fairly regular changes to the cartridges, but I've been buying the filter cartridges for it from Drs Foster Smith, which does get expensive. Didn't even occur to me to 'do it myself' with the empty cartridges with some carbon and quilt batting. That's good karma for saving me $$! ;D

 

NP!! Only took me 6 years to figure that one out and it was 1/2 a suggestion by Geek.... Get the king sized double thick batting....works great! you can either add it to the cartridge or do Like I did and cut out a big square of it and stuff it in front of the cartridge so the water hits it first.

 

I do the same thing, I used it this way with freshwater too---it's much more economical that way.