HOB or canister?

[Fishyfanatic]

Most (if not all) canisters will have that feature (not losing the prime). Don't buy one that doesn't. It is an excellent idea to research it first (as you are doing) do you don't end up wasting money in the long run.

I think canisters may last you a bit longer in regards to the life of the unit. Don't quote me on that though. I would say they would both last you several years. There are members that have used the same Eheims for 10 + years.

[p3purr]

There are some HOB's out there that last quite a while. I have a Emperor 280 that's still going strong after 9 years and a friend hat an AquaClear that last about 10 years. I'm not really good about keeping mine clean and she was much worse than me at 'proper' upkeep. I'm not sure about other HOB's so they may have been an exception to the rule.

As a general rule the more it costs the better when it comes to filters. I've bought a few used/barely used filters through a club I belong to at very good prices. I got a AquaClear 500 (now called 110) for $20 but it turned ot it's way to big for my needs so it's up for sale. I've seen good deals on other forums and occasionaly Craigslist.

[AquaClearFan]

I stick with AquaClear filters, easy to maintain, dependable, and more than do the job for a cheaper price. Don't get me wrong, canisters are excellent filters, can't argue with that, but i get the same water quality with my AquaClears at a cheaper price and they are not as much of a headache to clean.

[JohnPaul]

I've never used canisters, only AquaClear HoB's, but I have a question for all the canister folks out there: do you ever have issues with water aeration? I ask because it seems to me one of the nice benefits of an HoB is that the filter outflow also churns up the water some, which helps oxygen transport. Since a canister doesn't do this, is it "necessary" to use an airstone to oxygenate the water? Or is that simply a non issue?

[rkilling1]

Originally Posted by JohnPaul

I've never used canisters, only AquaClear HoB's, but I have a question for all the canister folks out there: do you ever have issues with water aeration? I ask because it seems to me one of the nice benefits of an HoB is that the filter outflow also churns up the water some, which helps oxygen transport. Since a canister doesn't do this, is it "necessary" to use an airstone to oxygenate the water? Or is that simply a non issue?

It all depends on how you want it to operate. If you want surface movement, you can set it to give you more surface movement then any HOB can. If you don't want the surface movement, you can set it up not to give you any.

Unlike a HOB, you can set up the output any way you want.

[Fishyfanatic]

I don't find the canisters a headache to maintain. Quite the opposite in fact. It depends on what you get used to. Every situation and tank is different. Ie: I wouldn't put a canister on my 10 gal but I would never put a hob on my 55.

[AquaClearFan]

On my 55 that i had years ago I used two Aquaclear 300 power filters and an under gravel power filter with 2 402 powerheads I had excellent results this way.