Favorite Canister and HOB Filters!

[FishBoy185]

What do you think are the best Canister and HOB filters on the market today? how good of a job does it filter your tank?is it whisper quiet like most say they are? How many GPH does your Canister/HOB filter do? Just to name a few for HOB filters there is Aquaclear, Marineland Emperor, Tetra whisper, Top fin..etc. For canisters theres EHEIM (which is my favorite), Fluval, Cascade,...etc. So what are filters you like and what are some that you dislike?

Thanks

 

[bugeyefireguy]

Aqua clears are the bomb for hob filters. Emperors are a close second. I have both and they work wonderfully. AC's are better because you can improvise with different types of media to see what works best for your setup and they are crazy quiet.

 

[dmolavi]

If I didn't get 2 free Penguin 200s from Marineland, I would be using the AquaClears. But, the Penguins are great, very quiet, and keep my tank crystal clear. I've had them running for almost 2 years on the tank with no mechanical issues. I don't use the Marineland media, though. I have a 50 micron polishing pad, Purigen and Matrix in each.

 

[bugeyefireguy]

I agree, don't use the marineland cartridges. They are not the best. I use marineland filter foam the double layered stuff with some poly-fil and some bio max beads after that to give a little extra bio filtration. Works like a champ for my oscar tank. The poly fiber is basically a polisher which keeps the water ultra clear. I still like the ac design better but for the money the emperors and penguins like dmo mentioned are good choices. They are just louder then the ac's.

 

[cgthebeast]

I love the fuval c3 hob, it's amazing with 5 different stages of wet/dry filtration

 

[ArtesiaWells]

My vote for HOBs are the Aqueon QuietFlows and the Hagen AquaClears.

 

[Nellynel]

If I didn't get 2 free Penguin 200s from Marineland, I would be using the AquaClears. But, the Penguins are great, very quiet, and keep my tank crystal clear. I've had them running for almost 2 years on the tank with no mechanical issues. I don't use the Marineland media, though. I have a 50 micron polishing pad, Purigen and Matrix in each.

Yeah I'm on the HOB train. I've never used the canister because of the cost and space they take up. I think more people are starting to see HOBs are versatile too. I use two Topfin 30s. I use the cartridge but I don't use the carbon. I place a 100mL bag of purigen on the clean water side of the mesh and there is space on the dirty water side to put another media bag or two. I'm trying to decide what i might want to place in that space..

 

[pcdebb]

i've always used XP Rena for canisters with great success. I believe they are now API Filstar. for HOB i've always used Marineland biowheels

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

I love the fuval c3 hob, it's amazing with 5 different stages of wet/dry filtration

+1 on that!!!!

I like the C series better than my Aqua Clears. Innovative design I must say...I've been very impressed to say the least. AquaClear would be second best in terms of HOB's.

For canisters, the Fluval 106 and a 306 are in my arsenal and were chosen after TONS of RESEARCH. I'm happy with my purchases and would buy them again if needed. Fantastic canisters and really quiet. Easily customizable media compartments. Specs are all online.

 

[BBradbury]

Hello Fish...

Hagen AquaClear and Tetra Whisper are both good depending on the tank set up. Canisters are 3 to 4 times the price of these two and labor intensive to maintain. I don't think the canisters are 3 to 4 times better.

Just me though,

B

 

[Paul1792]

Looks like there is a consistency problem that is industry wide.

Had I realized this thread was here, I wouldn't have made this one about my noisy and annoying Fluval C3 which sounds more like a mini diesel engine than an aquarium filter:

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...ugh-best-quiet-filter-276431.html#post2631456

And it almost seems like it keeps getting louder

Interesting, the Tetra Advanced power filter 30-60 I bought in 2010 was almost totally silent .... until it died in July of this year (maybe because I never cleaned the impeller). I bought another one at walmart ...... vibrated like crazy ..... took it back and got another one ..... it had same defect so I got the Aqua-Tech which works fine .... the impeller noise is reasonable given the high water flow and is not annoying at all.

Also, two design flaws with Fluval:
1) You get that babbling brook sound of spashing water ...... maybe some people like the sound of the great outdoors, but I think it's ridiulous.
2) You have to break the seal to get to the impeller and it can leak. Penguin, Tetra, & Aqua-Tech impellers can be removed for easy cleaning as the entire motor is enclosed in the housing ..... thus no leaks.

Looking at Amazon reviews ....... the only thing consistent about the reviews is that they're all inconsistent and overall quality of all brands seems to be going down.

Interesting to read the Amazon review(s) about recent deteriorating quality in Penguins:

http://www.amazon.com/review/R1RAIICPM2NRG/ref=cm_cr_pr_viewpnt#R1RAIICPM2NRG

I am thinking ..... OK ...... so who has bought an HOB unit in the past six months and is happy with both their noise and filtration levels?

 

[ArtesiaWells]

Well, I just returned from a week vacation and my Aqueon QuietFlow 55 and AquaClear 110 HOBs were absolutely flawless in keeping the water clean and the cycle stable, as my fish were fine when we returned; before we left, I did some maintenance on both by cleaning them out pretty well, dunking all associated media parts in removed tank water, etc., and nothing was "off" upon our return home...

I still cast my ballot for Aqueon and (Hagen) AquaClear...

 

[Coryluv]

For HOBs I vote for the Aquaclears. I have two. For the canisters I vote for the Fluval 06 series. I have a 206. I'm happy with all of them.

 

[Sillyfishies]

I hate every HOB filter I've ever owned. Everyone single one shoots bubbles into my tank. I'm looking at a canister now.

 

[ArtesiaWells]

I hate every HOB filter I've ever owned. Everyone single one shoots bubbles into my tank. I'm looking at a canister now.

Well, the nature of HOB design is to return a waterfall-like flow back into the tank with filtered water -- if the top off level is high enough, these "bubbles" don't present an "issue"...though I will agree that keeping these levels topped off at a good point is beyond challenging, trying to get them to flow water back in at a good and "not too turbulent" pace...

 

[Sillyfishies]

Well, the nature of HOB design is to return a waterfall-like flow back into the tank with filtered water -- if the top off level is high enough, these "bubbles" don't present an "issue"...though I will agree that keeping these levels topped off at a good point is beyond challenging, trying to get them to flow water back in at a good and "not too turbulent" pace...

I've raised the water and lowered the water. Never could get it right...

 

[ArtesiaWells]

I've raised the water and lowered the water. Never could get it right...

Some consider it an art form...

 

[dmolavi]

I think that part of the bubble issue is the biowheel (or similar gimmick), which causes more "splash" when it rotates, and thus introduces bubbles. On all of mine, I have removed the biowheels and only have bubbles if the water drops below the return.

 

[ArtesiaWells]

I think that part of the bubble issue is the biowheel (or similar gimmick), which causes more "splash" when it rotates, and thus introduces bubbles. On all of mine, I have removed the biowheels and only have bubbles if the water drops below the return.

Indeed, dmo...the biowheel equipped filters (i.e. Marineland) do this, as do the Aqueons from their "patented bio grid diffuser" that is a plastic bar which sits at the water return, essentially oxygenating the return water further before it hits the tank...some Aqueon enthusiasts call this a "supercharger" for the water or the ultimate water polisher when using these HOBs, but the bar can be removed for a "smoother" flow. I leave my diffuser bar in on my Aqueon QuietFlow 55...

 

[octanejunkie]

I only have small filters, Azoo Mignon 60 and 150, otherwise called Palm filters; 60 and 150 refer to LPH (liters per hour) and output flow is adjustable. I keep the water level high in my tanks high to reduce the waterfall noise and the mfgr suggested water level is even higher!

The Azoo filters are SUPER quiet unless something is wrong. The motor easily removes from the housing and the impeller just pulls right out to clean. The 60 comes with a nice prefilter intake sponge.

I have these setup with BioMax 20 media bags, I removed a few ceramics from the bags to get them to fit in the chamber, and topped off with AQ BioFoam30 blocks cut to size.

I'm planning a 23G tank and am looking at a canister so I can hide it, I like the price of the Marineland C-160 or was looking at the Fluval C2 HOB or the Hagen AQ30 - but I really don't want an HOB on this tank...

Off topic: Does anyone make a drop-in 3 chamber system like reef tanks have built in or it it reasonable to try and make one?