My mom doesnt want me to get a canister filter because she thinks it will leak evrywr
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jcolon
Aquarium Advice Addict
Any filter will leak everywhere without proper maintenance / care. You can explain that quality canister filters are a completely closed systems so you never actually see the water flow through it. Speaking for Fluvals ... as long as the seals / O-ring is in good shape you wont see any leaks.
Mine's been running 24/7 for since Feb and the only time water gets on the floor is when I spill some during PWC / tank maintenance. Before that it belonged to my brother in law and he ran it for about 1 year before he stopped up keeping the tank (the last of the stock had already died) and let it sit for over two years unused with the old water in it. Despite all that .. it runs strong with no leaks.
Mine's been running 24/7 for since Feb and the only time water gets on the floor is when I spill some during PWC / tank maintenance. Before that it belonged to my brother in law and he ran it for about 1 year before he stopped up keeping the tank (the last of the stock had already died) and let it sit for over two years unused with the old water in it. Despite all that .. it runs strong with no leaks.
jcolon
Aquarium Advice Addict
I suppose the issue isn't it's capacity ... but is it a quality filter that will not leak because it's an inexpensive lower end brand?
I don't know anything about the cf series of canisters, the info I read online sounds ok, hopefully someone who has one can comment.
I don't know anything about the cf series of canisters, the info I read online sounds ok, hopefully someone who has one can comment.
WendiDell
Aquarium Advice Addict
Your right about canister filters, they're great. I have 3 canister filters, one I bought 7 years ago and it's never leaked. The other 2 are newer and I bought them because because I liked the first one so much.
I use Marineland Magnum H.O.T. 250 pro, they aren't nearly as expensive as the Fluval filter's but they work well, never leak and are very low maintenance. I only have to rinse them out every 4-6 months. I need to replace the impeller on 2 of them but, it was only $8.99 for the part and it's soooo easy to take apart and put together. It still works with the bent impeller, it's just a nuisance to deal with. So I can still use the filter while I wait for the part to be delivered.
Amazon has the best price on the filters and the parts for it. It works with or without charcoal.
Amazon.com: Marineland PC0250HSB H.O.T. Magnum 250, up to 50-Gallon, 250GPH: Pet Supplies
The only time it ever leaked was when I was really tired and forgot to put the lid on before I turned it on. It was kind of like a blender with the lid off.
One thing I forgot to mention is that the Magnum filter is a HOB canister, no hoses, so not any more likely to leak than any other HOB filter.
I use Marineland Magnum H.O.T. 250 pro, they aren't nearly as expensive as the Fluval filter's but they work well, never leak and are very low maintenance. I only have to rinse them out every 4-6 months. I need to replace the impeller on 2 of them but, it was only $8.99 for the part and it's soooo easy to take apart and put together. It still works with the bent impeller, it's just a nuisance to deal with. So I can still use the filter while I wait for the part to be delivered.
Amazon has the best price on the filters and the parts for it. It works with or without charcoal.
Amazon.com: Marineland PC0250HSB H.O.T. Magnum 250, up to 50-Gallon, 250GPH: Pet Supplies
The only time it ever leaked was when I was really tired and forgot to put the lid on before I turned it on. It was kind of like a blender with the lid off.
One thing I forgot to mention is that the Magnum filter is a HOB canister, no hoses, so not any more likely to leak than any other HOB filter.
LyndaB
Aquarium Advice Addict
You might want to ask your mother why she believes the canisters will leak. Mine doesn't.
A good selling point on the filters is how quiet they are and the high quality filtration you get. I find my tank requires less water changes and maintenance with the canister.
DF-200 Canister Filter - 216 gph
I would check this filter out; compact, quiet and powerful. The CF Series is a god choice as well.
I would check this filter out; compact, quiet and powerful. The CF Series is a god choice as well.
glassbird
Aquarium Advice Freak
- Joined
- Jan 23, 2009
- Messages
- 449
Your mom has a right to be concerned, even if it is unlikely that a cannister will leak. Water leaks can be disasterous to a house. But really, any part of a tank can leak...maybe you shouldn't mention that to your mother.
Here is something that will give her some piece of mind. It is what I did to give myself some assurance that no leaks have developed around my cannister filter...
First, I put my new cannister filter into the largest and deepest Rubbermaid tub that I could find that would fit inside my stand. That way any leak would be safely contained, at least for a while. But even the biggest tub that Rubbermaid makes will not hold 75 gallons. So I added a "moisture alarm", and put the sensor into the bottom of the tub and the speaker outside the stand. If you are not familiar with moisture alarms, they are small electronic devices sold in any good hardware store (I bought mine in HomeDepot for about 10 bucks). They are mostly used around hot water heaters, or washing machines.
Find the type that has the sensor on a little wire so that the sensor can be inside your stand and the battery/speaker part outside the stand, for best sound. If any moisture hits the sensor pad, the speaker will produce a loud alarm and you will be warned that a leak has developed.
The only drawback to this is that someone needs to be home to hear the alarm AND must know how to turn off your filter and stop the flow of water into it. Otherwise, your tank may drain (even if someone unplugs it) and kill your fish. I showed my roommate how to do all that, so I am pretty much safe.
Here is something that will give her some piece of mind. It is what I did to give myself some assurance that no leaks have developed around my cannister filter...
First, I put my new cannister filter into the largest and deepest Rubbermaid tub that I could find that would fit inside my stand. That way any leak would be safely contained, at least for a while. But even the biggest tub that Rubbermaid makes will not hold 75 gallons. So I added a "moisture alarm", and put the sensor into the bottom of the tub and the speaker outside the stand. If you are not familiar with moisture alarms, they are small electronic devices sold in any good hardware store (I bought mine in HomeDepot for about 10 bucks). They are mostly used around hot water heaters, or washing machines.
Find the type that has the sensor on a little wire so that the sensor can be inside your stand and the battery/speaker part outside the stand, for best sound. If any moisture hits the sensor pad, the speaker will produce a loud alarm and you will be warned that a leak has developed.
The only drawback to this is that someone needs to be home to hear the alarm AND must know how to turn off your filter and stop the flow of water into it. Otherwise, your tank may drain (even if someone unplugs it) and kill your fish. I showed my roommate how to do all that, so I am pretty much safe.
ocean
Aquarium Advice FINatic
I'm a mom and can understand her concern. 
if you have any LFS that use canisters it might ease your mom's mind if she can see one in use and talk the the LFS about it.
if you have any LFS that use canisters it might ease your mom's mind if she can see one in use and talk the the LFS about it.Similar threads
