Canister filters

[degbowl]

I'm thinking of setting up a new tank and I want to go with a canister filter. I use aquaclear filters on all my other tanks. My concern with a canister filter is maintenance. I am thinking of either a fluval or a Filstar. I live in a second floor apt and don't want any water accidents. I want to be able to disconnect the hoses from the filter and remove filter to clean filter. I want to have the hoses stay in the tank and not drain tank or lose it's siphon. I think the fluval has that feature. I would be open to any suggestions for a canister filter. Thanks for reading my long question!

[rich311k]

The renas the xp series are a good choice. The hoses detach easily without losing siphon and you can take the filter to the sink for cleaning. I love mine. Also has a lot of room for media.

[neilanh]

I second the rena's. Very good filters, and do exactly what you need. THey have a quick disconnect feature that works very well.

[severum mama]

I agree, I love my Rena (and my Fluval, and my Cascade 1000 canisters) but I don't want to lead you into thinking that a canister filter equals less maintenance. It doesn't. But, with the Fluval, the Rena, or the Cascade (or an Eheim, if you can afford it!) the filtration is nearly silent, and the maintenance is easy. My Fluval, Rena, and Cascade weren't exactly a breeze as far as initial setup, but once you set these filters up and you understand how they work (and I am NOT mechanically inclined!) you will love any of them. Any of these choices allow you to easily disconnect the hoses and clean the filter in the sink (please clean the media in a bucket of tank water, to preserve your bacteria population) with little effort. The choice is yours- you'll surely be satisfied, whatever you choose.

[Lonewolfblue]

XP's all the way. I really like my XP2 and 2 XP3's. Will soon be getting the XP4 for my 75G. Maintenance is easy, I have not had any problems with leaks during maintenance, and the priming is very simple. I have it down to under 5 minutes to do full maintenance on my XP3's.

[Blazeherd2306]

Originally Posted by severum mama

I agree, I love my Rena (and my Fluval, and my Cascade 1000 canisters) but I don't want to lead you into thinking that a canister filter equals less maintenance. It doesn't. But, with the Fluval, the Rena, or the Cascade (or an Eheim, if you can afford it!) the filtration is nearly silent, and the maintenance is easy. My Fluval, Rena, and Cascade weren't exactly a breeze as far as initial setup, but once you set these filters up and you understand how they work (and I am NOT mechanically inclined!) you will love any of them. Any of these choices allow you to easily disconnect the hoses and clean the filter in the sink (please clean the media in a bucket of tank water, to preserve your bacteria population) with little effort. The choice is yours- you'll surely be satisfied, whatever you choose.

Out of those three, which one do you like the best? Which one is easier as far as maintenance goes?

[theotheragentm]

I like the Renas. They're simple. You unplug the filter, take it to a sink area, pop the top off, and pull out media baskets if necessary. No screwing necessary. It's clamp based.

[Fishyfanatic]

I have 4 Cascade Canisters and honestly, they are simple to maintain. I did filter maintance on my 55 gal last night in about 15 minute and that inclues disconnect/connect time. Once you get used to your filter it goes faster.

[flip_lx]

you've mentioned the most popular in your post and the rest have shown as well. Pretty much any canister worth its salt will have the quick disconnect, my fluval 204 has it and at worse you'll get a few drips and unless you tip the canister when cleaning thats it

[ezy33]

I have a Fluval 403 thats about 18 years old and a second thats 10. In that time I have replaced the quick disconnects and the impeller on the older. As the hoses are hard and some times leak a little after cleaning, I keep them in 5 GAL buckets and check for leaks for a few days after cleaning or moving. The buckets also catch the few drips that come from disconnecting the hoses. Also once in a while if the O ring is not seated properly the 403 will leak, I hope the newer units are better.

Being from the old school when I setup the tank I made a under gravel filter and used the filter to pull water from the UGF. I later added a second Fluval 403 and a manifold that allows me to back flush the UGF. Also it helps to restart the siphon should I lose it.

Two years ago I pulled them for a wet/dry, after one year the canisters are back in place.

I know that Fluval uses a metric hose (a little harder to find) and their valves tend to leak after several years, they are quiet and have a long life.