Canister Confusion.

[JamesMJ2]

I am having a hard time decideing which canister filter would be the best bang for my buck. I am setting up a 46 gallon tank, will be planted and have a pretty heavy Bio-load. I am torn between the Magnum 350 and the Via Aqua 230. I already have an extablished Emperor 280,which I will use in conjuction with a canister on the new tank. I like the Magnum for the flow rate and the Micron filter for water polishing. I am afraid though that it lacks a good way to use various media in it. The Via Aqua has media baskets for various types of media, and it's dirt cheap for a can. What to do... what to do...

[TankGirl]

I would go with the Rena Filstar XP2 for your setup. Very good price performer (at least in Big Al's world).

[JamesMJ2]

Wowo. That is a nice looking filter. The XP1 & 2 are definitly in my price range. I like the no bypass filtration. At DrsFosterSmith the XP3 was $109. I guess even with the internet you have to shop around.

[justDIY]

If you're buying new, get the real deal, get an Eheim

Eheim 2217 - $109 from bigalsonline.com

even though it says for "up to 159 gallons" don't worry about it being too strong, it just means you'll be able to go longer between media changes and cleanings

for what it's worth, I don't have an eheim, but will get one next time I have to buy a canister. I'm currently using a fluval 404 on my 29g planted.

I go about a month between media changes, and about 3 months between filter cleanings.

[saaebn]

Hello- I just bought the rena filstar xp2. I had been looking for the fluval but everywhere I went they were so expensive. I got the xp2 for about 90 dollars and thought about getting the xp3 which was 120 but the LFS talked me out of it saying it was overkill. They have been really helpful and so I trust them. It is a place that only sells fish. I was worried about it, but it was easy to put together, had several ways to place the in and out pipes, runs fairly quiet, and seems easy to clean. I can also put several different types of filter media inside. I will say that the color of my water once I went to a canister filter was so clear that everyone kept commenting on how nice it looked. So it was worth the money spent. I do know that you can find filters online so much cheaper but my hubby hates shopping online so I stay away from it. Good luck picking one out and be sure to tell which one you went with.

[JamesMJ2]

Thanks for the info everyone, It's a toss up between the xP1 and xP2. Probably going to get the xP1 since it's cheaper, and money is tight at the moment. Going to place the order monday morning, so I will post back then with the definites.