- Location
- new jersey
Is a canister filter good for a reef setup why and why not

Simple answer , yes IF CLEANED ONCE A WEEK OR MORE !!!
if you cannot clean it at the very least once a week then you will have terrible nitrate and phosphate problems because naturally canister filters are detritus collectors thats how they work and keep your tank clean , for freshwater or fish only tanks not a big deal for reefs not very good
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Reefs
canister is not suited to remove Nitrate, there for it is not suitable for a "reef" corals and inverts are sensitive to nitrate.
the question is why not use a skimmer?
I disagree with your reasoning but agree that a skimmer is better , both do simmilar tasks , mechanical filtration , however protien skimmers are just more efficient and easily kept clean which makes them well suited for reefs where as canisters are a pain in @$$ to clean and everyone gets lazy and will forget to clean the canister making them a "nitrate factory" though a skimmer which is not maintained and allowed to overflow back into the sump technically is a nitrate factory as well because it put all the dissolved organic compounds right back into the tank
how long does it takes to clean the skimmer collection cup?
how long does it takes to clean a canister filter ?????
:scratchch cmon!!
