Going the Canister Filter route...have questions...

[Gordinho80]

I have decided to go with a canister filter for my 55gal FW...

I have an aqua clear 500 right now and have lost many fish to its strong intake tube and have been told by many to go with a canister filter...so i am...

i am looking at the Fluval 304, rated for a 70 gal with 260gph...should be enough, right? the 404 is $20 more and is rated for 100gal with 340gph...am i better off with the 404?

also, i currently have no fish in there and will be setting up a community tank...i am going to have sand substrate and possibly add natural plants in the future...

my other question is this...what media should i use in the baskets for optimun filtration in a community tank that will most likely have natural plants?

thanks in advance...
Mario

 

[gheitman]

With so little difference in price I would suggest going with the 404. As far as media goes you should put a greater emphasis on biological and mechanical filtration when you have live plants. Avoid chemical filtration using carbon because that can remove the plant nutrients from the water.

 

[Scuba_dude]

Hey Mario,

The Fluval are not exactly getting a good press on this forum. If your budget allows it, I would recommend to go with the Rena XP filter or even better you can go with the absoluted quiet/reliable Eheim 2026 Pro II. (I own this one and this it is by far the smartest aquarium purchase I ever made).

 

[QTOFFER]

I also own an Eheim 2026 Pro II and absolutely love it - especially its easy self priming feature. I've seen the Rena XP in operation and am impressed with its performance also - you need to prime this filter manually.

Have you tried attaching a sponge to the intake of your Aquaclear? That should prevent even fry from getting sucked into it.

 

[TankGirl]

If you are getting a canister and want the Fluval, get the 404 (very popular for 55gal tanks) and if you are getting the Rena get the XP3. Do not pay a lot of attention to the flow rating - they are rated with the canister empty, so it does not mean a whole lot. I have the XP3 on my 55 and it is a wonderful filter. If you can afford it, though, definitely get yourself an Eheim. It will last you a very long time.

Healthy fish should not have any trouble keeping out of an AC500 filter intake, though, so unless we are talking about fry the filter might not be the problem at all.

 

[Gordinho80]

thanks all for the replies...i am gonna try a sponge on the filter intake first for a bit...if i decide to still go with the canister, i will be going with the Eheim 2026 Pro II...

thanks again...
Mario

 

[Menagerie]

The Fluval are not exactly getting a good press on this forum.

I like my Fluvals

Definitely try the sponge over the intake tube. Also check and see if the AC has a valve that allows you to reduce the flow.

 

[Wizzard~Of~Ozz]

I like my Fluval too, I think press is typically bad, if someone had a bad experience they tend to be far more vocal then the ones that have had good experience.

Oh, and the skimmer attachment for fluval is a very nice thing to keep the top of the water nice and clear (mine on a 304 will skim the entire surface clear in about 2 minutes on a 75Gal)

 

[Drake]

You can get those filters at www.bigalsonline.com for a lot cheaper plus shipping and handling. But I recommend that you use a H.O.T Magnum 250 gph or a Magnum 350 gph. There is not much price difference, except that one is a hang on the back canister filter and the larger one is a canister filter that uses pipes and sits underneath the tank.

 

[penpitt]

I also have a 404 and love it. I would have gotten an Eheim but even online they are twice as expensive as the fluvals.

 

[TomK2]

Another Fluval 404 lover here. I have two on a 55gal tropical, just ordered another for a 55 gal goldfish tank. Never had an Eheim, but the Eheim bio-substrate has been highly recommended to me.

 

[apotocki]

Well.....its me again - the mixed up filter guy from previous posts.

I have decided on going with a canister filter for my 65 or 70g tank which will be purchased this week-end.

My choices are narrowed down between the Fluval 404 or the Rena XP3. Both are pretty much the same gph and price. Anyone have an opinion (or facts) regarding these two? (I have heard that there may be a by-pass concern/issue with the Fluval and that the Rena is VERY EASY to maintain but could be noisier?)

Thanks in advance!
Alan

 

[TankGirl]

I don't think my XP3 is "noisy" like I have read in reviews of it, but I don't know of any filter that will be as quiet as an Eheim. Any canister is going to be quieter than a HOB, IMO, if only for the ability to eliminate splashing noise. My XP is not as noisy as an air pump.

 

[Gordinho80]

picked up a sponge prefilter, gonna see if this help in preventing my fish loss...

thanks...
Mario

 

[apotocki]

TankGirl - What size 'tank' do you have the XP3 on?
Also - I understand there are 6 media 'baskets', what do you put in all yours?
I can understand the pads/foam and ceramic rings for bio....but what is put in the remaining baskets? (carbon for one?)and maybe load up two for bio? I think that still leaves a bit of space.

Alan

 

[TankGirl]

My XP3 is on my 55gal. There are actually three media baskets. The bottom basket contains coarse sponges stacked together, actually two very coarse and two very slightly finer, but still reusable. The middle basket contains ceramic noodles in mine, as well as a mesh media bag of crushed coral to boost my KH (heavily planted CO2 injected high-light tank - most folks don't require this) and the third basket contains floss.

Each basket has a divider, which you could use to divide each basket up for a total of six compartments, but who needs that many different types of media? Carbon is not necessary, and it is no longer effective after about 5-7 days, so I don't use it. If you have room, I'd add more biomedia, like bio-balls, or Eheim ehfisubstrat.

 

[KaiserFish]

I own a Fluval 404 and an Eheim Pro II, and to be honest... aside from the Eheim definitely being quieter, I've so far been quite impressed with the reliability from the fluval.

Note: the 404 is under a closed cabinet, so I don't hear it anyways. I'd also change out the ribbed tubing for a solid tube.

 

[Menagerie]

In all my canisters, there is only ceramic media in the baskets. The Fluvals have sponges standing up on the side of the baskets.

 

[KaiserFish]

But thats its design... the water is supposed to travel down the bottom (due to new water from the tank pushing the water just entering the chamber down the column. And then supposedly work itself back up on the filtration side of the baskets. Works fairly well, but with the sponges open at the top of the canister, a percentage of the water obviously doesnt pass the media and just does a quick in and out.

I fixed this somewhat by attaching a piece of plastic to the top of the sponge holder so that the water cant bypass the sponges (as much, since its not a perfect fit).