What canister filter should I get

[1977]

I'm running 3 hob filters right now on my 125 but would like to switch to a canister in the near future. Do most of you have the heater in the canister? What are you using in the canisters? Any suggestions helpful, I've never even seen a canister work in person.

[poconogal]

Hi. I have a Rena XP 3 which I love. I have sponges, bio noodles, Purigen by Seachem and floss in it. Its on my 75 g tank and does a fabulous job. I think its rated for up to 150 g tank, not sure.

[Ed13]

Hi. I have a Rena XP 3 which I love. I have sponges, bio noodles, Purigen by Seachem and floss in it. Its on my 75 g tank and does a fabulous job. I think its rated for up to 150 g tank, not sure.

Same here BIG fAN OF XP3 over ANY other! I've seen two xp3 run up to 300g with great results

[poconogal]

I also have the Hydor Inline 300W heater which I love as well. Its unbelievably accurate with a temp variance of 0.2 (84.7 to 84.9) and best of all, there's no heater in the tank. At first I thought I'd need two of them installed, one on the output hose and one on the intake hose because my house temp is 65 for most of the day and at night when sleeping, but only one kept the tank temp steady the entire winter.

[svdfinally]

I use the fluvals for my tanks 75gal and up and magnum for my smaller tanks. I use foam and ceramic cylinders. I only use carbon if my water becomes discolored.

[pcsb23]

Well.... let me see, I have an XP3 and also have a number of others too, but in the main I have eheims. Some eheims have in built heaters, I have one and it works well, the hydor in line heaters are good for getting the heater out of the tank too. Unfortunately I don't share other peoples enthusiaqsm for the XP3's. Compared to the eheims they cost more, are less efficient and are noisy. My advice fwiw is to get an Eheim classic 2217. Simplicity of design and bullet proof build. The only reason I had to replace my last classic was because I dropped it and that was after some 22 years service. Just unbeatable imo.

[poconogal]

Well.... let me see, I have an XP3 and also have a number of others too, but in the main I have eheims. Some eheims have in built heaters, I have one and it works well, the hydor in line heaters are good for getting the heater out of the tank too. Unfortunately I don't share other peoples enthusiaqsm for the XP3's. Compared to the eheims they cost more, are less efficient and are noisy. My advice fwiw is to get an Eheim classic 2217. Simplicity of design and bullet proof build. The only reason I had to replace my last classic was because I dropped it and that was after some 22 years service. Just unbeatable imo.

Hi Paul - depending on which Eheim model one is looking to buy, Eheims in the USA can cost a whole lot more than an XP3. My XP3 cost $89.99. The Eheim 2028 (the equivalent of the XP3) at the time I bought my XP3 ranged from about $240-$260. The Classic Eheims, if my 2213 is any example, are not nearly as easy to clean, they don't have the media baskets, (I found the whole canister to be a pain to do anything with) they do not have the single quick disconnect valve that makes removing the hoses a snap, with no water being spilled at all, and mine was a pain in the *** to prime. I will say though that sometimes my XP3 can be a little noisy, usually after cleaning, but it does quiet down after a day or two, sometimes 3.

Only the long term will tell how well the XP3s stack up against Eheims as far as longevity, though. I know Eheim is reknowned for their motors that never die. The XP3 hasn't been out long enough to judge, though. And just in case, I have an Eheim 2028 all ready and waiting. (I'm actually planning on putting it on the 75 along with my XP3, one of these days... )

[pcsb23]

Only the long term will tell how well the XP3s stack up against Eheims as far as longevity, though. I know Eheim is reknowned for their motors that never die. The XP3 hasn't been out long enough to judge, though. And just in case, I have an Eheim 2028 all ready and waiting. (I'm actually planning on putting it on the 75 along with my XP3, one of these days...

Yep some of the eheims are expensive, the 2217 is around £65 in the UK whereas the XP3 is around £110+. As for longevity, well my XP3 has so far sprung a leak, had 2 failed seals and now the motor has died. Its not yet 4 years old Maybe mine was bad one, dunno, maybe I'm hard on them too, but.... the debate will rage on and thats for sure. What I will say is if you find a cannister that works for you, then stick with it. In the end they all do a job.

[Harriett]

Connie, I also own an Eheim 2213....I keep it safe and sound on the back porch after using it only once, for 6 months. It is THE most user unfriendly machine I've ever put water in and it is only my desperate emergency back up canister...in fact, I'd go out and buy a new anything before I set that sucker up ever again, for all the reasons you mentioned.

No one ever mentions the Cascade 1000 [for about the 75g sized tank]...I got one in an emergency [I wasn't kidding about the Eheim] and it is a great little canister. I like it as well as my Eheim Pro II and it was considerably less $...esp since my son got it wholesale for me! It's been running about a year and a half on a planted 75 angel tank, is virtually silent, has quick release valves, does a terrific job.
Harriett

[poconogal]

Connie, I also own an Eheim 2213....I keep it safe and sound on the back porch after using it only once, for 6 months. It is THE most user unfriendly machine I've ever put water in and it is only my desperate emergency back up canister...in fact, I'd go out and buy a new anything before I set that sucker up ever again, for all the reasons you mentioned.

No one ever mentions the Cascade 1000 [for about the 75g sized tank]...I got one in an emergency [I wasn't kidding about the Eheim] and it is a great little canister. I like it as well as my Eheim Pro II and it was considerably less $...esp since my son got it wholesale for me! It's been running about a year and a half on a planted 75 angel tank, is virtually silent, has quick release valves, does a terrific job.
Harriett

LOL, Harriett, I love that "safe and sound on the back porch." Mine is safe and sound in the basement, along with a little Fluval canister. It ranks right up there with my long departed, stomped on Vortex filter! Glad to hear you like your Pro II. That's the one I plan on setting up with the XP3, the 2028. I was looking at the Cascade canister and thought it looked pretty darn good. Never heard anything about it though. Good to know.

[Polar_Bear]

My vote is for 2 Eheim 2217's. My reasoning is that the 2217 is also an excellent CO2 reactor, the Rena XP3 is not. Whether or not you think now that you don't want CO2 Britt, I know down the road if you are successful at all with plants you will want CO2. With the 2217 all you need do is pump the CO2 into the intake of the filter and it will work like a charm. The XP3 will start to cavitate when you try this. I do find the Eheims to be a bit under-powered and certainly a PITA to maintain, but they run forever and are dead silent. Although I disagree with Paul that the XP3 is noisy, it does make some noise, the Eheim does not.

[pinkertd]

I'm running two HOB Emporer 280's on my 72 gallon planted discus tank and one on my 29 gallon planted angel tank. My water is always crystal clear and never have any ammonia or nitrites. Nitrates are always <10. When I read about so many discus keepers running canister filters I feel like I'm not running the correct filters for my fish. To me they seem easier to clean the the aquaclears I had years ago and they are quiet. The newer ones have an extra slot for additional bag of media of your choice. So I always wonder should I stick with the HOBs since I have great tank water or should I change? Each Emporer is rated at 280 GPH. Just looked up prices in Drs. F&S and the Rena XP3 is rated for up to 350 GPH and is $99.99. The Eheim Classic 2217 is rated at 264 GPH for $101.99 and the Eheim Pro II for up to 100 gallons (without heater) is rated at 250 GPH for $179.99. The inline heaters sound nice too but I use two 300W Visitherm Deluxe heaters, one at either end of the tank, so that each heater doesn't have to work so hard to keep the temp at 86 while my house is at 62 in the winter. And I replace them about every 15 months to ensure no failures. They are only $18.00. Advise for me too please?

[poconogal]

I'm running two HOB Emporer 280's on my 72 gallon planted discus tank and one on my 29 gallon planted angel tank. My water is always crystal clear and never have any ammonia or nitrites. Nitrates are always <10. When I read about so many discus keepers running canister filters I feel like I'm not running the correct filters for my fish. To me they seem easier to clean the the aquaclears I had years ago and they are quiet. The newer ones have an extra slot for additional bag of media of your choice. So I always wonder should I stick with the HOBs since I have great tank water or should I change? Each Emporer is rated at 280 GPH. Just looked up prices in Drs. F&S and the Rena XP3 is rated for up to 350 GPH and is $99.99. The Eheim Classic 2217 is rated at 264 GPH for $101.99 and the Eheim Pro II for up to 100 gallons (without heater) is rated at 250 GPH for $179.99. The inline heaters sound nice too but I use two 300W Visitherm Deluxe heaters, one at either end of the tank, so that each heater doesn't have to work so hard to keep the temp at 86 while my house is at 62 in the winter. And I replace them about every 15 months to ensure no failures. They are only $18.00. Advise for me too please?

Hi Debbi - you know the old adage "if it ain't broke, don't fix it?" Well, that about sums it up. If you're happy with what you have now, and your fish are happy, and your water is great, why change it? The only reason I switched to a canister, after using my 16 year old AC500 is because I got a bigger tank and needed the space that was taken up behind the tank by the AC500 (its a big filter). Old tank was 12" front to back, new one is 18". If it weren't for that, I'd have stayed with my HOB. Granted, the Hydor inline heater is great, I love it and love not having the heater in the tank (especially because of my Stendker female who loved to lay eggs on it, no matter where or which way I turned the heater) I don't think having the inline heater is worth mucking it all up, if you are HAPPY with your setup.

[poconogal]

My vote is for 2 Eheim 2217's. My reasoning is that the 2217 is also an excellent CO2 reactor, the Rena XP3 is not. Whether or not you think now that you don't want CO2 Britt, I know down the road if you are successful at all with plants you will want CO2. With the 2217 all you need do is pump the CO2 into the intake of the filter and it will work like a charm. The XP3 will start to cavitate when you try this. I do find the Eheims to be a bit under-powered and certainly a PITA to maintain, but they run forever and are dead silent. Although I disagree with Paul that the XP3 is noisy, it does make some noise, the Eheim does not.

While the 2217 makes an excellent CO2 reactor, I think that if something is a PITA to maintain, most people will eventually end up not doing the necessary maintenance as often as it should be done, but will instead put it off. For that reason, I think people should take into consideration ease of maintenance of any equipment bought. To me, the easier it is to maintain, the more likely it is that I will keep up with the needed maintenance. I don't think I'm alone in that!

[pinkertd]

Thanks for the advice Connie! I just want to do the absolute best for these discus to keep them healthy.