I keep mine in one of those dishwashing tubs just in case. I haven't had to clean it yet, only had it for about a month, month and a half. I did crack it open just to take a look at my fine filter pad (800 micron) to make sure it wasn't getting too dirty. I have a Marineland C360, which I got used. I love it! It creates really nice water flow throughout my whole 75g tank, and I even took out my powerhead because it just wasn't needed. I do have an additional HOB for just in case something happens, and this also holds the media for my spare filter for the QT tank.
For goldfish or other equally messy fish, I'd use a couple layers of mechanical media like sponges or filterfloss and then a couple layers of bio media. I really see no use in using chemical media in your canister but rather add it as needed to a HOB. The amount of changing that is required for chemical media, IMHO, would make it unrealistic to use in a canister since you'd have to crack it open and change out the media or refresh it all the time. Just too much fussing. That's another reason why I have the second filter running, in case I need to use carbon for some reason.
For goldfish or other equally messy fish, I'd use a couple layers of mechanical media like sponges or filterfloss and then a couple layers of bio media. I really see no use in using chemical media in your canister but rather add it as needed to a HOB. The amount of changing that is required for chemical media, IMHO, would make it unrealistic to use in a canister since you'd have to crack it open and change out the media or refresh it all the time. Just too much fussing. That's another reason why I have the second filter running, in case I need to use carbon for some reason.
