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Canister filters are used to clean aquarium water, & remove toxic chemicals & micro-organisms that are toxic to aquarium inhabitants.

Giantz 2400 Liter per hour can provide 4 levels of filtration to trap fish waste, leftover food, dust & debris present in the water. This canister filter is located outside of your aquarium so it is not taking up your aquarium space. It operates quietly & cleans water continuously. It is able to filter 500 liters of water at a high-rate of 2400 liters in one hour. A UV light sterilizer is fitted inside this filter which can remove microorganisms present in the water.

Giantz Canister Filter Features:

• The 2400 liter per hour efficient canister filter is located outside of the aquarium.
• UV sterilization is used to wipe out harmful microbe
• It works great for tanks that can hold up to 500 liters of water
• 3 stage filtering baskets make water crystal clear
• This filter is available with every accessory. It is very easy to setup this filter without needing any specialized tools.
• It uses a tight cap lock to stop water from leaking through the filter. Cap lock can help protect this filter against leaks during transportation & offers complete closure once the filter is filled with water.

How to setup a canister filter:

Read the full tutorial if you want to learn how to setup a canister filter. The model of this filter reads Giantz 2400 liter per hour canister filter.

Canister filter was preloaded with biological media but it was not enough to fill these big filter baskets. So, my advice is to purchase additional biological media. I only received a fine foam with the filter. Also activated carbon comes with the filter which can be used to provide chemical filtration.

After operating the filter for a couple of days, I noticed that aquarium water looked very clean & fish liked swimming against the filter current. UV light is an extra feature which helps in fighting against harmful microbes.

In this video you will learn how to unbox & setup a canister filter:

How to setup a canister filter

Step 1: Unboxing a Canister Filter:

In this tutorial I have unboxed & set up a canister filter. Giantz Canister Filter has a model number: AQ-UVF-HW2400L

Dimensions:

My canister filter has the following dimensions:

• Height: 48.5 cm
• Width: 29 cm
• Depth: 29 cm

What is inside the box:

Inside the box you can find a canister filter, intake / outlet, 2 hoses for drawing water from the aquarium and pushing water back to the aquarium, and UV light for cleaning microbes.  

Canister filter can filter 2400 Liter of Water Per Hour

Have a look at specifications of canister filter:

• Power: 55 Watt
• Inlet: 19 mm
• Outlet: 25 mm

Canister Filter Features:

Eliminate Harmful Microbe, and Bonus Filter Media

Step 2: Open a Canister Filter:

Unlock canister filter & remove the lid. Then take out all the baskets. Make sure you gently open the filter to avoid damaging any component. Filter baskets can be filled with mechanical, chemical & biological filtration media. I am using coarse, medium & fine foams for mechanical filtration. Inside the canister filter, I only found fine foam, chemical filter media, and some bio media which are not enough to fill up all baskets. To address this problem, I am using bio media from my cycled aquariums.

Step 3: Installation of Inlet / Outlet Pipes:

Additional Fittings for increasing the length. It will be easy to setup these long inlet / outlet pipes by looking at the above picture. Inlet pipe is used for suction of water from aquariums. It has small holes for drawing water only because fish can’t pass through these holes. Filtered water is returned back to the aquarium & it flows through the holes in the spray bar.

Suitability:

Giantz canister filter is able to efficiently clean aquariums holding up to 500 liters of water.

Step 4: Canister Filter Components:

• 4 Baskets
• 4 Mechanical Filtration Media (Fine Foams)
• 2 Bio Media
• 1 Chemical Media 

My canister filter only contains fine foam, chemical media, & 2 types of bio media which are not enough. I have added coarse & medium foams that I have purchased from the market. I haven’t used chemical filtration media. I have used multiple types of bio media & about ninety percent of the bio media are taken from cycled tanks.

Step 5: UV Light:

UV light uses 9-Watt Power for eliminating harmful microbes. UV light is one of the top features of a canister filter because it can kill germs present in the water. I did not use UV light after a couple of days but still my tank is clean. If your aquarium water is dirty & your fish are stressed then it is suggested to use UV light feature.

Step 6: Inlet / Outlet Hose:

Connect a hose to the inlet connector for drawing water from the aquarium & another hose to the outlet connector for returning water back to the aquarium. Water will pass through foams & cycled media as well as UV light will kill germs before water returns back to the aquarium.

Step 7: First and Second Filter Baskets:

First Filter Basket consists of mechanical filtration media.

Use coarse, medium and fine foams in the first basket of the canister filter instead of just fine foam that comes with the filter. Mechanical filtration media can remove solid particles such as fish waste, debris and dirt. Water will pass through coarse, medium and fine foams. Coarse foam can stop big particles while small particles can escape through the coarse foam and are trapped in medium foam. Minute particles can even escape the medium foam but they are trapped in fine foam. Make sure water hits coarse foam first then it passes through the medium and fine foams for best cleaning.

Fine foam and Aqua One Premium Ceramic Media are used in the second filter basket. Aqua One Premium Sub is a very porous biological filtration media & most of the filters use it. It can offer the best environment for growing heaps of good bacteria because it is porous & large colonies of beneficial bacteria grow on its surface.

Step 8: Third Filter Basket:

Third filter basket holds Bio Bakki Balls & Ceramic Rings.

Bio Bakki Balls can efficiently lower the level of ammonia & nitrates in aquarium water. Bakki balls have neutral pH & this is the reason they are best for all types of water. Many aquarists use them in canister & SUMP filters.

Ceramic Rings:

Ceramic Rings can offer the best bio filtration media that your tank needs. It helps protect your aquarium from toxic chemicals. They look like white beads.

Top Up:

I have added Seachem Matrix bio media at the top of bio bakki balls & ceramic rings. Seachem Matrix bio media is extremely porous & offers the best biological filtration for wiping out toxic chemicals.

Plastic biological media just offers external surface area, while Matrix offers both internal & external surfaces for removal of nitrogenous waste. The inner surface of Matrix is known as macropores which hold nitrifying & denitrifying bacteria. This lets Matrix wipe out nitrates, as well as ammonia & nitrites from aquarium water at the same time.

Step 9: Fourth Filter Basket:

I am using fine foam and ceramic rings (which came with the filter) in the fourth filter basket.

Fine foam will even collect delicate particles & will only allow water to pass through it.

Ceramic rings will provide biological filtration.

Top Up:

I have added bio bakki balls at the top of fine foam & ceramic rings for lowering levels of ammonia & nitrates.

Step 10: UV Light:

After adding all baskets, it is time to add UV light. Gently add UV sterilizer & lock the canister filter. Attach inlet / outlet to the canister filter. 

Your canister filter is ready for operation.

Step 11: Installation:

Inlet and outlet connectors.

Connect the inlet hose to the inlet pipe. You can extend the length of the inlet pipe which helps you efficiently draw water from the aquarium. Canister filters have the advantage that they don’t suck fish and there is no water loss. 

Connect the outlet hose to the spray bar which lets water flow back into the aquarium.

Dirty water passes through mechanical filtration media which consists of coarse, medium and fine foams. Dirt, debris and fish waste are trapped while water containing dissolved chemicals passes through the biological media. Bio media breaks down toxic ammonia into nitrites and further into nitrates. Ammonia is highly toxic, nitrites are less toxic than ammonia, and nitrates are less toxic than nitrites. Clean water then flows back to the aquarium.

Conclusion:

Fish are enjoying the water currents. The tank is pretty much clean & the canister filter is very fast & efficient in cleaning as compared to my previous filters. It is filled with different types of media for effective cleaning of waste. UV light is doing its job well & I am pretty happy with the canister filter. I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial. Please feel free to ask any question and provide your feedback in the comments section below.

Thank you.