Hey all, I want some more filtration on my tank, particularly mechanical. I have a rena XP3 thats currently overpowering my 40 gallon. Would a canister be okay on my tank?
Do the same nitrate issues that apply to trickle filters apply to canisters?

i believe so. if you remove all of the media related to biological filtration than i believe you can use it.

guys, canister filters are not meant to have air within the housing, if it is , there is far to much near the pick-up. you can use your filter, with all the bio-logical material intact. only kicker is you have to clean it on a regular basis, no exceptions.

i dont know what a rena xpsomething is, so i dont know whats overpowering. But your sweet on the canistr filter. Its old school thinking from our fresh water days that most will say not to use it. so drain tank water in a bucket & rinse the media often if you already have the filter. i wouldn't actively go out & buy one for the purpose though.

yes, your canister filter is fine if used for mechanical filtration.
just keep it cleaned up.. :)

Explosif, I use a Rena XP3 on my 180 for extra filtration with good results. I do clean it every single week no exceptions. That may be overkill but it works for me. Each tank is different so you will just have to see how dirty it is at different time intervals.

The Rena is a good design in that it is easy to clean with the quick disconnects. I use the extra basket for carbon which I place in a reusable mesh bag. If you use a micro filtration pad, you can save yourself some money by buying the Rite-Size bonded filter pads and cutting them to fit. I sheet yields about 6 pads so it is worth the little effort.