Media Chamber

[jcook54]

I've been running my Rena xP3 as a media chamber for a while. I've tired everything (new hoses, clamps, o-rings, gaskets, etc.) to get it to stop blowing micro bubbles into my display but it still does. It isn't all the time but once or twice every 5 minutes or so it'll blow a whole bunch at once and then stop. I'm wondering if I should get a new canister filter (Fluval 205) of a fluidized media chamber like MRC's FMC 415
http://www.myreefcreations.com/product_info.php?products_id=287">http://www.myreefcreations.com/product_info.php?products_id=287</a>

I want something that I can put media in (carbon, purigen, phos-zorb) and something that will help with "polishing" my water. I have no room to put another piece of hardware in my sump so it would have to be stand alone or fed by a powerhead in my sump. Any thoughts or other ideas are welcome(Tim?). I'm in no rush. The amount of microbubbles currently being blown into my display not only looks bad but my fish run for cover whenever they get blown in.

 

[echinatl]

I'm about to order this to do exactly the same thing you are doing:
Penn Plax Cascade Canister Filter 500

 

[jcook54]

Why'd you choose that one in particular? Just curious, I haven't looked at that one much. Maybe my canister filter leanings come from my days with densely stocked African cichlid tanks or something. For some reason it just feels so unnatural to be without some sort of filter in addition to my sump and refugium. My sump has the initial filter sock, an area for media (currently Poly filters) and another foam block but it's just strange to think that I could potentially go without something additional.

 

[echinatl]

My carbon bag kept floating around in my Biocube29 and i figured it couldn't be doing that great of a job since water wasn't being forced through it. I just wanted a way to force the water through the media. I also looked at this as a way to add about a gallon of water to the tank. I'm not going to use any filters since I just want this to force water through the carbon, purigen and stuff like that. I chose this one because the 500,700, and 1000 Pen Plax Cascade filters got really good reviews. It seems the larger ones have some problems though. It also fits in the space I need it to fit in, and it is cheap compared to the others.

 

[skriz]

MRC has a new FMC (non-standard model) that'll be sold at a discount. Keep a look out in the Odds and Ends thread.