Last Hope

[Curious1]

I am about to give up on my new aquarium. I'm hoping for some solutions and/or advice before I take everything back. The tank is in my bedroom and I am a light sleeper. The original HOB filter that came with the tank made so much noise between the motor and cascading water that I couldn't sleep at night. I was told to get an Fluval internal filter which I did and it is very quiet and I have no problem sleeping with that. The problem is it doesn't seem to keep the water clear. I still have that filter running and will keep it running since it is so quiet but I don't think alone it is doing an adequate job. The water always had a hazy cast to it.

I went into my local fish store and they told me I needed a canister filter. They sold me a Marineland canister and it did clear up the water nicely. However, when I arrived home from work Tuesday it was not running. It appeared to have lost its prime. None of the clocks were flashing so I knew there hadn't been a power outage. It was supposed to be self priming but I pushed the prime button over and over and nothing happened. I can't have a filter that unreliable since I'll be going on vacation for two weeks so I took it back. They told me they would swap it for an Eheim canister but it wasn't self priming. When I got home I followed the instructions I was given at the store exactly to prime the pump. I was told to hold it over the tank and it would prime. When that failed after multiple attempts I attempted to suck the tube to try to get a prime and that didn't work either. I am taking that filter back as well. Can anyone recommend a good quality filter/pump which will keep my water clear, be silent, and easy to maintain? Thank you.

[neilanh]

Personally I'm a fan of the Rena canister filters.

[DragonFish71]

I don't remember the size of your tank, but try a fluval. I have them running on our big tanks and have had no problems at all. Good luck!

[mfdrookie516]

a fluval 205/305/405 (depending on the size of your tank) would be a very good solution to your problem. they are easy to prime, there is a little lever you pull up and push back down that after a few pumps will prime the filter and then youre all set... and you never have to prime it again as long as you leave the hoses in the tank and dont drop the water below the inlet (which you would have to do like a 90% water change to do so)... btw, i cannot hear my fluvals unless i literally put my ear down to the filter, then it barely makes any noise

[fishboy444]

Rena canisters are good.So are the bubblers from rena.

[Blueiz]

from me for fluvals and renas on quietness, ease of use, and keeping the water clear. Fluvals are very easy to prime, as someone has already mentioned. My Rena XP3 can be a bit difficult, but I probably say that only because I'm used to priming the fluval..lol.

[gzeiger]

I'm a fan of the Eheim, but the others mentioned here are all good. Did you fill the canister part with water first? I think the directions they give you have you prime it by repeatedly pouring water into the hose. That will work eventually, but it takes a terribly long time. If you fill the canister before you clamp the top on it will prime much more quickly. Give it another try before you take it back. I was really impressed with the design of the Eheims.

[newfound77951]

I have dealt with two Renas (XP2 and XP3) and I find them very easy to prime, quiet, and do a good job keeping the water clear. Knowing what size your tank is will help us a lot in suggesting a good filter for you. FWIW, I also have a 10g with an AquaClear Mini HOB filter and as long as the tank is kept full the filter is nearly silent. I hate the waterfall noise too.

[WhiteDevil]

Waterfall noise doesnt bother me at all, helps me sleep actually.


I use nothing but aquaclear HOB's and as long as the waterlevel is kept above the bottom of the waterfall there is absolutely NO noise. I cant hear anything from any of my tanks.

I cant comment on the canisters as I dont have any yet and have never had any, My father used to use magnum 350's and was always was cussing at them.

[Blueiz]

WhiteDevil, your father and I have something in common. I have one sitting unused because of the awful noises it makes. The magnet doesn't sit as it's supposed to in it's housing and has actually etched the magnet.. I have heard some good reviews from them and granted I used it for about 2 years on my 75 and it did a good job, but the noise, getting the o ring to seal after cleaning it, and retainer rings breaking on the hoses-- I wouldn't reccomend it.

[WhiteDevil]

He ended up plumbing it all with pvc but the reassembly was his arch enemy, I just called him and asked if he still had his old magnums and he started on a tangent about em again.