pros and cons of canister and HOB filters?

[son2fu]

i'm curious to know the differences and advantages of each

 

[Esra]

I use canister filters.
Love them, silent, changable media and nothing except two hoses in the tank.

Very quiet too.

I have a Fluval 404 and a Aqua One CF1000 and recommend either.

The HOB ones are i think for smaller tanks.

 

[justrelax]

There are hob for larger tanks also. They are less expensive but a little noisier and more visible than canisters.

 

[Zagz]

HOB's are great for smaller tanks, but for larger tanks I prefer cannisters. Quieter, easier to use, less obstructive view wise.

 

[son2fu]

thanks

 

[Lonewolfblue]

I agree, canisters are great for larger tanks. HOB's does have the advantage of easier maintenance though, removing the filter pad and replacing, as well as removing the impeller for cleaning. At least if's very easy on the Emperors. But they are a bit loud, but I like the sound of moving water. My 55G is next to my bed in my master bedroom, and it has 2 Emperor 400's on it. Very soothing sound at night, and with the moonlights on, can watch my fish and eel til I fall asleep, lol.

 

[teamgs]

My Aquaclear 70 HOB's are very quiet, as long as the water level is right up to the output of the filter. I can hardly hear them with the whine of the fan on my Current-USA Satellite lighting fixture!

Gary

 

[QTOFFER]

I currently use both types of filters. Personally, I use a cannister for any tank 29 gal and over. I think they're overkill for smaller tanks.

Cannister
Pros: Whisper quiet, powerful, very efficient, very versatile (multiple media baskets), uses inexpensive media, require less maintenance, can be placed under tank out of view
Cons: Expensive, more complex to set up, less convenient to maintain

HOB
Pros: cheap, easy setup, easy maintenance
Cons: Can be noisy, generally less versatile (except for AquaClear HOBs), filter cartridges can be pricey, require more frequent maintenance

 

[BrianNY]

I use almost every kind of filter you can think of (except UGFs).

The planted and show tanks have cannisters because of the size and unobtrusive appearance. The only drawback is in cleaning them. Opening them up is a real pain.

I use HOBs on tanks that need more mechanical filtration. The reason is they are the easiest to clean.

My breeding tanks all have sponge filters. Sponges have so much surface area that they do the best job in biofiltering.

I use simple box filters when I need chemical filtering (such as peat to reduce pH). Again because they are the easiest to work with.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

I agree with the pp except that I don't have issues opening and maintaining the canisters. It depends on which unit you use. Some of them, like Fluvals, are harder to open and do not have a carry handle so it makes it even more difficult.

 

[An t-iasg]

I agree with everything said - even the part about canisters being overkill for a tank less than 29 gallons I do have a canister on a 10 gallon tank because I love this type of filtration. It is "overkill" in terms of the price; I paid about $80 for mine. I could have gotten an HOB filter for my 10 gallon for $15 or less. The cheaper HOB would have done an excellent job of filtration, but I prefer the canister. The first few days it was hooked up, I kept touching the side to make sure I felt a slight vibration, because I sure couldn't hear anything! It is a bit hard to open up. It takes me a few tries. I'm glad to hear others think they are hard to open too. I thought I was a weakling!

 

[QTOFFER]

Fluvals are a pain to open. I'm also glad I'm not the only one who thinks this too. I've started using the dull end of a kitchen knife to lift the top off. It works OK, but I dread damaging the rubber gasket. This is definitely something for the engineering folks at Fluval to work on!

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Fluvals are a pain to open. I'm also glad I'm not the only one who thinks this too. I've started using the dull end of a kitchen knife to lift the top off.

Part of the reason why I love the Cascades. They open very easily and only take about 10 minutes for the initial setup. I've heard stories of the Eheim initial setup and it almost scared me away. lol

 

[Esra]

That's funny, my FLuval is very easy to use.
I just stop the water flow with the lever, disconnect the tubes with the second lever and take the canister away. opens really easy and cleans just as well.

All up take me about 5 mins to do a complete maintenance from stopping to starting again.

 

[Zagz]

Fluvals are a pain to open. I'm also glad I'm not the only one who thinks this too. I've started using the dull end of a kitchen knife to lift the top off. It works OK, but I dread damaging the rubber gasket. This is definitely something for the engineering folks at Fluval to work on!

I agree, fortunately the FX5 is far easier to open, they need to implement that technology on all their cannisters IMO. Otherwise I love my fluvals.