what is the advantage of a canister filter?

[bobc4d]

I have a 36g bow front tank and I've seen people talking about canister filters. I have a HOB filter now, what is the advatage of the canister filter? any disadvantages?

 

[blert]

Pros:
Quieter.
Can hide in cabinet so no ugly HOB stuck to the back of your tank.
More volume for media.
Can plumb stuff inline (heater, reactor, UV) to get that out of the tank too.
More effective.

Cons:
Not much.

 

[bobc4d]

a couple of other questions, do these things leak and how do you plumb them into your tank?

 

[mohican]

They can leak so u have to be careful when it comes to the o rings, but I would guess most are pretty good. I've never had a problem. Plumbing is easy, intake tube connects to in take hose and return has its separate line. The tubes just kind of lay on the outside back of tank. They're pretty easy.

 

[jcolon]

I have a 36g bow front tank and I've seen people talking about canister filters. I have a HOB filter now, what is the advatage of the canister filter? any disadvantages?

+1 with blert, plus you can either submerge the output nozzle to act like a power head, or keep it at the surface for agitation. Keep the o-ring and hose clamps in good shape and leaks should be virtually non-existent.

To hide the hoses, just add a background to your tank.

 

[Freakgecko91]

Maintainence can be a pain. Mine has sprayed water 3 times on the 3-4 months it's been in use, and it doesn't produce enough surface agitation, so I added an additional HOB, but overall it has great filtration and allows for a much larger colony of beneficial bacteria (BB)

 

[bobc4d]

thanks all, my tank is in the living room which is carpeted (for now), so I'll have to weigh all the options to see if I want to make the switch.

again, thanks for the input.

 

[blert]

Just a note... AquaClears can overflow, I have seen it happen (possibly their one and only design flaw). It takes a lot of neglect for the filter media to get clogged enough for it to happen but it is a possibility. Just thought you should know.

The chances of a canister leaking are actually fairly low if they are assembled correctly and all the tubing is snug. A simple precaution is to put it inside of a deep pan and keep an eye on it at times (like after maintenance).

 

[Freakgecko91]

The chances of a canister leaking are actually fairly low if they are assembled correctly and all the tubing is snug. A simple precaution is to put it inside of a deep pan and keep an eye on it at times (like after maintenance).

I completely agree! I wrap mine in a towel just in case

 

[bobc4d]

Thank you for the additional information. I do have a large pan I could put the canister filter in.