canister filters

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emilator

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hello. i have a 75 gallon aquarium with goldfish. i am considering a canister filter because goldfish are filthy creatures. since i have no experience with them i am seeking advice. what are the pros vs cons of having a canister filter and what are the best brands.


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Tank Filtration

hello. i have a 75 gallon aquarium with goldfish. i am considering a canister filter because goldfish are filthy creatures. since i have no experience with them i am seeking advice. what are the pros vs cons of having a canister filter and what are the best brands.


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Hello em...

Canister filters are pricier and harder to maintain than say, a filter like a Hagen that hangs on the back. I don't think the canister does that much more than the others to warrant the added cost.

The real issue is keeping the tank water free of dissolved fish waste, so the fish stays healthy. There's not a filter out there that keeps the tank water clean. It just takes in toxic tank water and returns the same water a bit less toxic.

I'd say get a Hagen AC with a gph (gallon per hour) rating of 300 or better and run it along with changing half or more of the tank water every week.

Water is cheap. High end filters typically aren't. Save your money.

B
 
I have a Cascade 1000 canister on my 75g tank. Personally it's much quieter than any HOB I've seen. They also allow for plenty of customization like Purigen, Bio media, Extra pads etc... HOB just doesn't have as much room. As far as filtration capacity they are pretty much the same. So you can pay more for more customization and a quieter system or just stick with HOB it's all a matter of opinion.


Caleb

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hello. i have a 75 gallon aquarium with goldfish. i am considering a canister filter because goldfish are filthy creatures. since i have no experience with them i am seeking advice. what are the pros vs cons of having a canister filter and what are the best brands.


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I can only quote the filters i use. Fluval and ehiem. Both exceptional filters. If you're new I'd recommend Fluval but you will pay a bit more for an equivalent gph ehiem model. around 4 x the volume of your tank is accepted as the minimum by most. So you would be looking at a 300 gallon per hour.

Since its a goldfish I would go a bit extra on the water changes to compliment the filtration system. The filter will collect waste in the sponges that stays in the system so they need to be rinsed regularly. If you want value for money (who doesn't) then the ehiem classic range are good but they are fiddly to set up and harder to maintain than the Fluval. The Fluval holds less media but is better ergonomically.

Others may chime in with more brands hopefully.

As for the pros and cons of having a canister in general.

Pros. Less stuff in the tank. Lots more room for media. Can be very quiet. Excellent turn over

Cons. More chance of leaks. Harder to maintain. Bulky. Cost.

I'll always use canisters over hang on backs or run a hang on back with a canister in conjunction with weekly water changes.


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thanks. i currently have two fluvel HOB filters and i do a water change every week. i am just looking into making my fish that much healthier. i dont mind spending the money if my tank will benefit


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thanks. i currently have two fluvel HOB filters and i do a water change every week. i am just looking into making my fish that much healthier. i dont mind spending the money if my tank will benefit


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If your looking at keepin the fish as healthy as can be, a canister will not compensate for what can be done with WC's AND gravel vacs. Fresh water along with removing any undissolved wastes is where it's at. You could increase the number of WC's per week and have better results than if you kept on the same schedule and changed or added more filtration.


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i am not looking to spend more time doing water changes. doing so seems to stress the more skittish fish. i cant imagine stressing them out more often can be good for them either.


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The canister vs. HOB debate continues. I love canisters over HOBs, but as some have said, nothing trumps water changes. Get what works for you.

Canisters hold a ton of media and are quiet, but expensive.

HOBs take up too much space behind the aquarium for me.

My personal opinion is that having the inlet and outlet so close to each other, as with an HOB, is a bit inefficient. The inlet is sucking up clean water that just came out of the filter. A canister allows more freedom in configuration to get around that, especially for larger aquariums. I have no solid evidence to support this claim, but that's what my intuition tells me.
 
thanks! lots of good ideas and info to toss around and make a good decision. more ideas are always welcome ?


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Another plus 1 on cannister. Just switched myself.
Not sure where the "more work" for maintaining a cannister comes from. Took me all of 10 minutes to tear it down and flush out the sponges. I switched from a aqueon 75. It was quiet by my cascade 1000 is more quiet. My opinion though.
I like that the cascade has an option for a water return wand that spreads the return water across the width of the tank.
My brother has a couple 55g that hold hid koi this winter are using cannister and they make it a week before needing cleaned. I don't know how many koi are in each tank though. His large hob's were cleaned multiple times a week to keep up.
Plus makes the tank more sleek and natural with less hardware on the tank.

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I started with a whisper, that was about as quiet as a lawnmower. I then had an aqueon hob and an under gravel with a powerhead. That setup was nice but still did not clean the water as i wanted. I bought a Sunsun canister and am amazed at how clean and clear my water is. My wife has even complimented on how nice and clear it is. I have the return spray bar angled so most surface detritus goes to the corner of the intake. I have a ten with miracle grow soil, natural gravel and white sand cap. Plants are doing good, cories have doubled their numbers, (10) and neons (5) are happy.
 
I would throw an FX6 on there

How many goldies? I run an FX6 and a AC 110 on my 150g
 
four goldies.

two are long finned comets. a red cap oranda. and a bubble eye.


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