Canister filters

[itafx]

I've been studying canister filters looking for the best value. Here's what I found so far. It's sorted by lowest to highest cost per gallon per hour flow. I wish I could post a spreadsheet, but it's not allowed. What factors am I missing that are important in a high quality canister filter?


Price Make Model Gph $/gph Watts
$78 Marineland Magnum 350 Dlx 350 0.22 ?
$90 Marineland Magnum 350 Pro 350 0.26 ?
$285 Fluvalxxxx FX5xxxxxxxxxxx 925 0.31 ?
$300 Fluvalxxxx FX5xxxxxxxxxxx 925 0.32 ?
$160 Marineland C-360xxxxxxxxx 330 0.48 ?
$95 Eheimxxxxx Ecco 2236xxxxx 185 0.51 5
$150 Reactionxx EFU 45xxxxxxxx 290 0.52 32
$135 Reactionxx EFU 35xxxxxxxx 250 0.54 27
$85 Eheimxxx Ecco 2234xxxxx 156 0.54 5
$120 Marineland C-220xxxxxxxxx 220 0.55 ?
$70 Eheimxxxxx Ecco 2232xxxxx 127 0.55 5
$147 Fluvalxxxx 305xxxxxxxxxxx 260 0.57 15
$200 Fluvalxxxx 405xxxxxxxxxxx 340 0.59 21
$96 Marineland C-160xxxxxxxxx 160 0.60 ?
$120 Reactionxx EFU-25xxxxxxxx 198 0.61 23
$113 Fluvalxxxx 205xxxxxxxxxxx 180 0.63 9
$94 Fluvalxxxx 105xxxxxxxxxxx 125 0.75 9
$370 Eheimxxxxx Pro III 2080xx 450 0.82 30
$230 Eheimxxxxx Pro II 2126xxx 250 0.92 25
$500 Eheimxxxxx Pro III 2180xx 450 1.11 30
$340 Eheimxxxxx Pro II 2128xxx 250 1.36 25

[NoSvOrAx]

Rena xp filters are better than fluvals and alot cheaper than eheim.

[Zagz]

It is all a matter of personal preference, you will get a lot of varying opinions here. The Eheim is a good filter but overpriced IMO. I have Rena XP filter and Fluvals and I find the fluvals do a better job of cleaning and the XP's are easier to clean.

What size tank are you looking to put it on?

[gheitman]

There are several factors to consider when buying a canister filter (i.e. size of tank, fish population, plants, local availability, etc.) Where are you located and can you tell us more about the tank you are going to use the filter with?

[saltybob]

rena works greak for my 125

[itafx]

Originally Posted by NoSvOrAx

Rena xp filters are better than fluvals and alot cheaper than eheim.

I rejected the Renas early on because I got a copy of the users manual from the manufacturers site and they have manual priming using a funnel (FilStar XP1-XP4). It seems like that would be a real pain.

Looking to put it on tanks anywhere from 20-72 gal. I want to be able to move it around.

From the pictures and descriptions, the Fluval FX5 seems to be by far the best around with electronic control, purge valves, clog free, etc.

"There are several factors to consider when buying a canister filter (i.e. size of tank, fish population, plants, local availability, etc.) Where are you located and can you tell us more about the tank you are going to use the filter with?"

I want to put it on planted tanks that also have fish. I do not usually use high fish density. For example, I have less than 36 inches of fish in my 72 gal community tank. I want to keep good flow and have crystal clear water. Oh, and I'm thinking that with a big powerful canister with lots of volume, I can go a lot longer between media changes and filter cleanings which would be really nice. Another reason I'm looking at canister filters is to reduce the extra paraphernalia in the tank

[travis74]

The filter stays primed unless you empty the intake hose, which you only need to when/if you clean the hose. And when priming your filling only the length of the hose. I have/had a few Renas and I love em.

[gheitman]

A canister filter with enough flow for a 72 gallon is going to be blowing up a storm in a 20 gallon unless you can adjust the output. Canister filters can let you go some time without maintenance if you have plants to help keep down nitrates and have low fish densities. I still clean my canister at the beginning of each month anyway. I also recommend you look at the Hydor ETH inline heater. I have one and it is great.

[itafx]

Originally Posted by travis74

The filter stays primed unless you empty the intake hose, which you only need to when/if you clean the hose. And when priming your filling only the length of the hose

But don't you have to prime every time you change the filter? Also, if the electricity goes off, do you have to prime it again?

" blowing up a storm in a 20 gallon unless you can adjust the output"

I heard of someone who pointed the output at the wall of the aquarium to control the currents and liked the results.

"I also recommend you look at the Hydor ETH inline heater."

That sounds interesting. Will it work with SW? I had been eying canisters with integrated heaters too. I like the idea of reducing clutter.

[plecoperson]

You only have to prime the Rena with the funnel if air gets into the line. When you do maintenance on the filter it has a shutoff lever, which disconnects the hoses (still full of water). You disconnect, clean the filter, then reconnect the valve w/hoses attached.

Leave the filter empty (don't fill with water); this re-starts the siphon and yer off to the races!

[gheitman]

You don't have to prime the Filstar when the power goes off or change the filter. I own a Filstar xP1 myself and the only time you have to prime again is if air gets into the intake. I had the power go out for three hours yesterday and the filter started back up without any problems.

You can reduce the currents by directing them against an obstruction such as rocks, the wall, etc. If you were doing a planted freshwater tank it would be more of a problem if you had too much water current.

The Hydor ETH isn't specifically for freshwater or saltwater. I use it myself on a planted freshwater tank.

[roka64]

I like the fluvials. I just bought the FX5 for $200.00 shipped. I was at PetSmart for a few hours one day, taking apart their filters to see how they were built. I did notice that the fluvials x05 were redesigned and it made it waaay easier to open than the x04s....

[Zagz]

The FX5 is an excellent filter but not for a 20 gal! I have been running it for over 2 years now. Maintenance is a breeze. I would work well on 75 gals and over.

[itafx]

Has anyone ever tried using a powerful canister filter to service more than one tank by splitting up the hoses feed and return from multiple tanks. I know if you got disease, it would spread quickly like at the LFS, but I've had all clean healthy tanks for a long and I'm careful about QTing anything new.

[roka64]

Originally Posted by itafx

Has anyone ever tried using a powerful canister filter to service more than one tank by splitting up the hoses feed and return from multiple tanks. I know if you got disease, it would spread quickly like at the LFS, but I've had all clean healthy tanks for a long and I'm careful about QTing anything new.

I wouldn't risk it, you never know what can happen. If one of the tanks crash you may be in big trouble.

[itafx]

[/quote]I wouldn't risk it, you never know what can happen. If one of the tanks crash you may be in big trouble.[/quote]

By crash do you mean getting a disease? It seems like if you want to try any production breeding, you need a cost effective and efficient way to do filtration. As I said, there would be a risk of spreading disease if one tank gets it, but if one is careful it seems that it could work. I'm thinking of putting a canister output on one end of a row of 10 gallon tanks and the intake on the other end. Then I could have a tube connecting each tank with the next one in line and in this way filter all the tanks with one big canister filter.

[roka64]

Yeah, I meant disease or any other thing that could happen to a tank. Say you have an ammonia spike, it will hit all of them. I would also think there would be a lot of flow in the 1st tank and less in the last. You would also have to have the 1st tank higher than the 2nd and the third lower than the second, in order to create a siphon. Unless you have a different way of getting the water from one tank to another (I think it could look kinda neat).

[itafx]

I've been thinking about this for a while. I think if I have big tubes from one tank to the next, the levels will be the same in all tanks and it will work fine. Think the flow rate in each tank will also be the same because it's a closed circuit. However, the turbulence in the first tank should be much higher than in the other tanks because it will be coming out of a much smaller orafice being the output of the canister filter. I'm looking at Rena filters with a 5/8 input and output. I think the tubes going between the tanks would need to be one inch or maybe even more. I think it will be a trial and error DIY type process.

[roka64]

Make sure you don't let any of them get clogged....I'd love to see some pics, if you decide to try it.

[itafx]

Yeah, That'd be tragic if they got clogged. I have an idea for tanks getting too low (which would mean one or more were getting ready to overflow. If I put a hole in the intake tube a certain amount below the surface, it will suck air instead of water if it gets that low, thus protecting me from a big mess of overflowing tanks.