Power filter vs. Canister Filter

[tiffanyfink]

I'm thinking of buying a new filter within the next little while.
Pretty much I have a 55G freshwater tank with some messy eaters (albino tinfoil barbs, tiger barbs also with the nocturnal predators are the messiest) and the power filter doesn't seem to keep the water as clean as I would like. Ok, my 3 year old son and husband sneak them extra food when I'm at work:silly:. I do 25% water changes weekly. I check water parameters on a weekly basis. (nitrites and ammonia 0 and nitrates 15-20) There are a few plants in my tank a sword and something else.
So I would like to have some opinons on what would be best to keep the tank running at it's best.
I was thinking of a Floval 405 but I'd like another opinion. I've only really ever had power filters so I would be 'green' to anything else

[irishspy]

A Filstar XP3 (http://www.bigalsonline.com/StoreCatalog/ctl3684/cp17290/si1380030/cl1/aquarium_pharmaceuticals_rena_filstar_xp_3_caniste r_filter?&query=xp+3&queryType=0&offset=0) would be a good compliment to the power filter. :idea:

[Rbishop]

The new Marineland C Series 360....

[Bnoble]

The new Marineland C Series 360....

I have seen those rbishop..do u own one? just wondering how well they work!


I use a Cascade canister filter 1500. on my 75g..very clear water! no problems at all and its been running for a few yrs!

[Rbishop]

Have several, along with the 220....easy assembly and disassembly, large baskets, good flow. If they are as durable and reliable as my 20 yr old Mag 350s, they will continue to get my business, 100%.

[Bnoble]

sweet, how many yrs have they been going?

[tiffanyfink]

Are they self priming???? Or is it difficult to prime them?????

[Bnoble]

Cascades are very simple..just assemble,put in media,plug it in ,let it fill and press the prime button ONCE...thats all!

[Mgamer20o0]

i would go with a canister more media area.

[Rbishop]

Yes, all Marineland canisters are self priming.....the original 350s and the new C Series.

I have 6 Mag 350s that were purchased in 76-78 time frame.

[Cory Keeper]

canister, no contest. Even in smaller tanks its better.

[jaysen]

i find my eheim canisters to be over-rated and a pain to work with. my whisper 60 power filter does a very good job compared to the canisters.

[echoofformless]

Canisters do have a drawback - they can become nitrate factories if not maintained from time to time. This is great for a planted tank as it's free fertilizer. But in non-planted tanks it can cause issues for those who are too lazy to clean them out once in a while.

However they do filter a lot better than a HOB of comparable flow rate. And they offer you the capability of going extremely long periods of time without having to replace media. (If you ever replace media - I have only ever replaced the chemical media on the rare occasions that I need it. All of my sponges and substrates are completely original in every unit I run.) So the cost effective option over time is canister.

HOB are convenient and easy to use. Plus less expensive initially.

One thing though - the Marineland C series has been reported as having known leak issues as of late. And being as though this is based on only a small handful of reviews (it's a relatively new product) I would take heed of this as a warning. A product this new should not have a noticeable number of issues like that. For example if you have ever read reports of leaks from Eheim classics or Renas, those are appearing among hundreds of other reviews from several years that do not contain such complaints. But when you see many reports of leakage among only like thirty to forty reviews gleaned from just the last year, it indicates a real and recurring issue.


And it's too bad as when properly working, these are fast becoming known as a new standard of excellence in canister filters.