Thinking of changing to a canister filter

[hdlorider93]

So far during my time in this hobby I've only used a marineland HOB filter. I currently have a 27 gallon tall cubed aquarium. I've noticed with black friday coming fast that some places are running canister filters for 50% off and i need some opinions. Should i even consider a canister on a smaller size aquarium? If so, any pros and cons? How often do they need cleaned and how often does the filter media need to be changed out? Pretty much any kind of info will be helpful, thanks


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[aseradyn]

FWIW, I switched from HOB filters to an Eheim Classic canister about a year ago. I'm setting up a new 29 gallon tank now, and ultimately decided to get a small canister for it.

For me, the primary selling points were that I can completely silence the filter if I need to - for example, watching a movie or something - and that it restarts flawlessly after a power outage (depressingly common in my neighborhood).

The big downside is that you have to have somewhere to stash it, which can be a problem if you're putting a small-ish aquarium on a regular piece of furniture. I believe the canisters typically need to stay below water level (the Eheim instructions specify this, at least), which may also prove problematic if you want to just set it behind the tank or something, depending on the relative height. But if you have a dedicated tank stand or are using some kind of cabinet you can run the hoses into, you're set.

Oh, and you have to make sure you get all the valves closed at maintenance time or you can end up with the intake siphoning water out of the tank and all over the floor... you'll never guess how I know Not a problem I ever had with a HOB.

I'm using Eheim Classic filters right now, and I have never replaced the media; it's all ceramic tubes and little balls and a couple of sponges, so I just clean it out when I'm doing a water change (every few months, when it occurs to me, but I'm probably supposed to do it more often than that...). It's probably paid for itself in all the proprietary filter cartridges I'm not buying.

Here's another recent thread on this topic that might be of interest: http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/canister-filters-whats-the-hype-342969.html

 

[Mebbid]

Canisters are nice, but not necessary by any means. They wont improve the health of your aquarium any, some people have a little clearer water with canisters but ive never noticed a difference personally.

Ultimately, i prefer hob filters over canisters due solely to the convenience factor and ease of cleaning. Beyond that it makes no difference to me.

A quality hob such as an aquaclear would be a huge upgrade to your marinelabd so that might be worth checking out.

 

[just_doitman]

I have a marineland HOB and love it mine is the penguin 150 and it comes with extra space for filter media and I use the Marineland Cartridge which has carbon and filter floss with a fine fluval filter floss in front to catch big things keep consistent bacteria it works great and the bio wheel does a great job of creating a good environment for aerobic bacteria which is harder to get in a tank but very beneficial.


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[Mebbid]

I have a marineland HOB and love it mine is the penguin 150 and it comes with extra space for filter media and I use the Marineland Cartridge which has carbon and filter floss with a fine fluval filter floss in front to catch big things keep consistent bacteria it works great and the bio wheel does a great job of creating a good environment for aerobic bacteria which is harder to get in a tank but very beneficial.


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Aerobic bacteria is the beneficial bacteria that converts ammonia into nitrate. Space for aerobic bacteria is entiful and easy to get in an aquarium. Anaerobic bacteria is the difficult one to get.

 

[ImACoolguy]

It's really a matter of personal preference.

The only real advantage I like about canisters is they are quiet. My Cascade is dead silent.

Flip side, HOB are much easier and quicker to clean.


Caleb

 

[peacelizard]

It's really a matter of personal preference.

The only real advantage I like about canisters is they are quiet. My Cascade is dead silent.

Flip side, HOB are much easier and quicker to clean.


Caleb

I've never owned a HoB filter, only canister, but even canisters as large as an FX6 (that's what I have) are fairly easy to maintain and not terribly time consuming. The most time is in the beginning: learning the in's and out's and setting up a schedule.

I think a bigger concern in the HoB vs. canister debate is cost, both initial and maintenence. Canisters tend to be a bit more expensive, both in terms of initial purchase and replacing media (as there generally tends to be more of it), but at the same time, as tank size gets bigger, while you'll most likely have to add more HoBs to keep up with filtration, you're more likely to be able to get away with one canister.

 

[katiekelsey]

I had HOB filters for both of my tanks. I switched to Fluval canister filters and I love them. They're very quiet and the tank water is crystal clear. I ordered mine online from Drs. Foster and Smith. I paid a lot less than if I bought them at a LFS.

 

[Coursair]

I have mostly HOBs for little tanks. I do have an Eheim Ecco for my Rimless 10g as I wanted a show tank and wanted very little IN the tank. I currently am running a Fluval 403 on my newly set up 55g.

The only drawback with canisters that bug me, is sometimes you get surface film. So if it bothers you, you can either run a HOB, an air stone or a skimmer.

Planted tanks that run injected CO2 usually opt for canisters so they don't off gas the CO2 too fast. But they may run an air stone on a timer when lights are out.




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