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flatty

Aquarium Advice Regular
Joined
Jan 6, 2014
Messages
77
Location
Central Florida
I have a 36g bow front using the Aqueon HOB filter that came with it. I was thinking of getting a canister filter instead especially after this noisy HOB just randomly stopped pumping water one day and had to be taken apart before it restarted.

I have it narrowed down to two that are close to my price range.

An Eheim 2215 or a Cascade 1000 (Pen Plax)
The cascade is a little cheaper and people seem to like it well enough (on amazon).

Also have heard of problems with canisters if the power goes out ...priming, flooding, etc. The power in my neighborhood goes out frequently but usually only a few seconds at a time.

Whats the best option?
 
any good canister should not leak if the power goes off and as long as the filter is lower than the top of the tank you should not lose prime as long as the tubing does not leak air
 
It would be worth it in the long run, even if it took you a little longer to save up for it. Filtration is something I'd never skimp on, and bigger is better.
 
If you're looking at saving some money on a canister, another option is on drfosterandsmith.com. They have the marineland c series canisters on sale, I just ordered my c-360 for $118.

Also they have 100% satisfaction guarantee do If you change your mind you just pay shipping.
 
HOB and Canister Filtration

Hello flat...

A good hang on the back filter will do roughly the same job as the canister at a third the cost. Hagen AquaClear likely has the best HOB product. The HOBs will be much easier to maintain too.

A Hagen HOB for a good sized tank, say 50 gallons will cost roughly $38.00 plus a little shipping. Add to this filter, a good water change routine and you'll have a healthy tank. The same sized canister will cost $120.00.

I'd give the HOB another chance.

B
 
Keep in mind that both HoBs and canisters require some level of maintenance. The impeller in your HoB probably stopped working because it got clogged. The same thing can happen to a canister filter.

If you're still wanting a canister and want to stay in budget, then those SunSun brand filters on EBay and Amazon are fine. Or go with the Cascade that you were looking at. All things being equal and assuming there are no defects, most canisters are pretty equal.


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I know. I feel I do pretty good maintenance and when i looked at the hob i saw nothing wrong in fact i just took me unclipping the motor and it instantly turned on. I this hob is quite noisy though so that is another mark against it.
 
flatty,
I would recommend, if you want a canister filter, to get a SunSun canister filter off of eBay. I ordered the SunSUn H304A for my 27 gallon cube fish tank, and it keeps it cleaner than heck. Of course, the filter is rated for nearly 200 gallons any my tank is only 27, but I would definitely use it on any tank up to around 75 gallons. I have had mine for around 8 months so far, and love it! The best part about it is it is ABSOLUTELY SILENT. I mean, quite literally, it is silent. I put my ear on the door of the cabinet it is housed in and I can't tell if it's on or not. It is really that quiet.
The HW304A is the version without a 9W UV bulb built in, I figured that it wouldn't do much good with ~528gph running through it. But, if you do want it with the UV built in the model is HW304B, and is still only $88.74 on eBay! Here's a link to the HW304B on ebay I can't seem to find my model, the HW304A version, on eBay anywhere at the moment, but you can turn off the UV on the HW304B version if you so choose. The reason I would turn it off is because the plastic inside the filter is NOT UV resistant, so the bulk would break down the plastic over time.
One thing is, this filter is HUGE and has a TON of room for media. It's 11" L X 11" W X 17" H!! Make sure your stand has space for it. If not, look for a Sunsun HW 303A or 303B, a smaller version.
If you have any questions please feel free to ask.
I hope this helps,
-1998golfer
 
I have both the sunsun and cascade 1000 running on my 55gallon. The sunsun is quieter than the cascade but the noise level is still negligible when the cabinet is shut.

I had my choices narrowed down like you but also had the API filstar canister filters as another contender. It was a tough choice but I got the cascade mostly because of the amazon reviews and because I googled "best canister filters" and the cascade did show up on a lot of the lists. It was actually number 1 on one of the lists.

I know fluval and eheim are the "gold standards" for canister filters on these forums but any reputable brand can perform just as well for a fraction of the price. Just be sure to do the routine maintenance and any of these filters should last you years and years

Losing power to the canister filters shouldn't be a problem. I turn off my filters for 10 mins when I'm feeding my fishes flakes so the flakes don't end up breaking apart into a million tiny pieces.


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