Do canister filters need undergravel filters?
I just got a 40 gallon tank from my brother, and my old tank was 20 gallons with a 15 gallon filter (it was only half filled for my turtle, and it was still poop). And I decided I need the best, so a canister filter.so my question is... How will they the work in the tank, and do I need anything else other than carbon for it?
answer: A canister filter - is a filter all by itself, it doesn't need an under ground filter.
How it will work in your tank specifically will depend on the filter that you get - sorry I can't be more helpful than that. Generally, they work by pumping water out of the tank into a separate pressurized container which will filter the water and then pump the water back into the tank via a spill way or a spray bar. pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com
Canister filters are three stage filters, biological, chemical and mechanical. This means that you will need more than just carbon for your filter. There will be a mechanical filter - usually a sponge or mesh cloth of some sort, the carbon (chemical) and the biomax part (which could be ceramic tiles) that create a living place for the bacteria that do the biological filtering of the water. Again exactly what you will need and how often each part needs to be changed will vary depending on what you buy - generally though the carbon gets changed once a month.
I would Talk to the people you are buying your filter from and ask lots of questions and if the sales person doesn't seem to know the answers don't buy it until you talk to someone who does.
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