HOB's and Canisters oh my

For HOB I would have to say that AquaClear is the most manageable and allows for the most media configurations. They also have adjustable flow so you can get max flow or as little as 1/3 and everything in between. I also toss in a vote for HOT Magnums for the same reason. A hang on tank canister that can use multiple media but no flow control.

AC's for HOB type = A
(AC=Aquaclear) > http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3579+3610&pcatid=3610

Reasonable Price.
Uses a Sponge. (Clean and re-use for yrs). = Low maintenance cost.
Plenty of room for Bags of whatever.
Very Reliable.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Penguin BIO-Wheel Power Filter = F
(I'll never buy another one)
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3579+12320&pcatid=12320

I had the 200.
Was a PITA to even get the water to move. Fiddled with the intake for 20 mins to get it to sit just right, to get any suction.

These types have the water pass Under the Wheel, to rotate the wheel. Out of the 3 I've ever been around. All 3 failed at doing this very good. IE, kinda worked to no wheel movement at all.

Uses Filter Cartridges. (need to replace them) Cost $.

_ _ _ _

Marineland Emperor BIO-Wheel Powerfilter = D (Nice Idea, but pfffft)
(I'll never buy another one)
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3579+14448&pcatid=14448

Too much going on with these! = Alot of possible malfunction's.

Uses Cartridges. Need replaced = $.

And no I'm not a hater of Marineland. I like and use their Canister's. But, who knows? Maybe someday I'll get around to trying one of the other, higher priced brands, and be a Marineland hater in general. : P

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Canisters

H.O.T Magnum Pro System = B
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3579+3580+3598&pcatid=3598

This is the only one that I have experience with that might work for a small tank. Because of the flow reduction, using the Bio-Wheel. You wouldn't want this on anything smaller than a 30 with-out the bio-wheel.

Can will make the crystal clear water!
Not too bad for maintenance. Pretty much a breeze when you've done it a couple of times.

Reliable.

=======================================================

There's my experience. Hope it helps.

I'm sure you can look fwd to plenty of other feed back. ; )

I really havn't been happy with just about any HOB I've had. Canister filters OTOH I have. My C-160 has been great, got it like $50-$60 shipped, off of E-bay. Its been in operation for about 3 months now, performance is solid. I like the fact that even though it does only 160 GPH, its huge, more or less. Most media storage space than any filter I've seen so far (though my experience is somewhat limited)

HOB filter (anything except ACs) D. ACs get a B-

Mag 350 B-, nice filter, needs media space

C-160, A,

You can easily filter a 15 gallon tank with either a HOB or Canny filter. I prefer eheims over renas but thats simply my preference, both do a good job of filtering. I'll take an Aquaclear HOB over any other.

HOB:

Aquaclear generally considered the overall best in this class for reasons already stated. My only complaint with them is that they are touchy. Some of mine have gotten noisy compared to the Penguins I've owned. (Though I don't use the biowhels.)

The Whisper is a decent filter but are known to be less reliable than the Aquaclear or the Penguin. I did have one just simply die on me for no apparent reason after a little less than a year of use. This has not happened with AC or Penguin after many years. So I would say the claim is true in my experience.

My main complaint with HOB's is that they cause increased evaporation.

Canisters - Eheim is the overall most reliable of brands according to most reports. The Cascade and the Fluval are noted to be somewhat unreliable. Personally speaking the only canister I have had die on me is a Rena XP2. My Fluval 104 is going on four years uninterrupted service. Never owned a Cascade.

But altogether I am now happiest with Eheim Classics. I feel you get the most for your money with these filters. Simple design, no bypass, proven reliability, and the media almost never needs replacing. I used to go for all of the new high tech claptrap but then I started to understand the beauty of simple functionality. Think of it like a pair of blue jeans.