The Best Canister Filter??

[matty150]

im considering buying a canister filter, which do you recommend and why, ive never used one but ive seen fluvals and eheims????

[Rometiklan]

In my experience, I prefer Eheims, and then Fluvals. While I have never tried them, I have also heard very good things about the Filstars. Magnum 350 is also considered adequate, but they do not provide very much biological filtration unless you use it in conjunction with a bio-wheel.

Eheim and Fluvals provide huge media chambers which you can fill with the media of your choice, so you can custimize the filtration to meet the demands of your tank. The repuation of both companies are top-notch, and you can't go wrong with either one. Eheims are a bit more costly, but it is much more solid, reliable, and durable. Fluvals are not as expensive, but solid nonetheless. Fluvals come with free media to help get you started right away, and they have a 3 year warranty.

[famman]

Eheim, it's a little more money but you'll never be sorry.

good luck
:)

[matty150]

i looked up eheims on big als and they are alot more expensive than fluvals, why such a large price discrepency??? the fluval 404 goes for about 85 and most of the eheims go for well over 100.

[SayersWeb]

About a year ago I replaced my two aging Fluval 403s with new Via-Aqua 750s. They are flexible, easy to maintain and inexpensive. I'm very happy with them.

Sayer

[Dahlia]

I strongly recommend the filstars. I have a Rena Filstar xp3 and I like both the convenient baskets (3 of them) to separate media and the even more convenient disconnect valve for the tank. You can easily unhook them and carry them to your sink or other location to clean. They also start back up easily after cleaning. It takes me mere minutes to clean my filter... I just pop it off, remove only the basket I need (I have other baskets with biological filtration that I leave alone), clean it, replace it, and reconnect it.

[Cearbhaill]

I'm using both an Eheim 2026 Pro II and a 2028 Pro II and they were two of the smartest purchases I ever made. The things are totally silent, function perfectly, and disconnecting them to clean takes about a half a second. Wonderful design and performance.

[Kagh't]

eheims are more expensive because they are considerably better than fluvals. they are definatly the superior canister (not to sound like a sales rep).

[125gJoe]

Rena Filstar xP series are (in my opinion), the best value, ease of cleaning, extremely quiet, great at filtering and no priming problems.. I have 2 and if needed would get another - without hesitation... :)

[JSchmidt]

Eheim. Superior engineering. leading to reliability and longevity.

No other choice for me, when buying canisters.

Jim

[hatton3]

I have both a Eheim 2222 and a Fluval 304. I prefer the Eheim. Never had any trouble out of either of them, though.

[anonapersona]

Originally posted by SayersWeb
About a year ago I replaced my two aging Fluval 403s .... [snip]
Sayer

I don't think I've ever heard anyone say they replaced an aging Eheim! Shafts, impellers, yes, but not the whole thing.

I've hard of 10 year old and 30 year old Eheims.

That extra few bucks is insignificant on an annual basis, if you can afford it.

I own 1 Fluval 303, plus one not in use with broken canister (both gotten used with a used tank), and several eheims also arrived with used tanks (Pro, Pro2 and Ecco small and medium -- relatively new, 2213 -- very old)

When I bought a new canister filter, I got an Eheim Pro2 thermofilter.

If I was needing another filter, and money was an object, I think I'd get a Eheim 2215 over a similar sized Fluval or Filstar.

[DIYMatt]

I have owned two "classic" Eheim's, own a Fluval, Magnums, and three Filstars. I would not buy a Fluval ever again, it is IME not very well made, not flexible as far as media configuration, and has the worst tubing. The Magnum is good for cleanup when you need paritculate filtration or more water circulation. I have never used the bio wheels because my tanks are planted and the bio-wheel isn't the best thing for plant tanks. The Eheim Pro series seems awesome. But, it is very expensive to buy originally and all the Ehiem accesories are very expensive. But, other than expense they look perfect, but I have never owned one. I have heard some bad things about Viaqua's from people who sell them, but once again I never seen one in action.

That leaves the Eheim Classic and Rena filstars. these seem like tow popular options because they are in a comfortable price range. Here is a copy of an earlier post I made on this because I have owned both, sorry its long:

I think I might be of help here. I have had two "classic Eheim's", and I currently own a Rena XP1 and XP3. I found nothing from a quality standpoint between the canister/ motor assembies that makes the Ehiem superior. In fact, the Eheim canister slipped out of my fingers from less than 6" above the sink and it cracked, thats why I say "had" an Eheim, and sold the other which I never really used. Also, a friend of mine was looking at a used Eheim in a LFS and he broke a latch on it, I don't know how either, he is a big Eheim guy. From a features and layout perspective the Filstars are more comparable to the Eheim Pro than the classic anyways. The Filstar does have adjustable output, but I don't use it. But here is my long take on the comparison:

Things I liked about my Eheim:
1. Quiet
2. One piece inputs/outputs
3. You always know you will be able to find parts for it, Eheim reputation.
4. Media, their media seems to be superior to others I have seen, but it doesn't come with the canister, so its kind of a mute point.

What I didn't like was the following:
1. No integrated shutoff on the tubing, makes cleaning a lot more of an issue. Yes, priming is an issue because you almost have to empty the tubing to clean the filter.
2. All the media is just dumped loose in the canister. So, if you want to clean the media or change something, it is a chore.
3. The tube that comes out of the bottom of the canister makes it a little awkward in tight spaces, I know, the Rena's have a larger footprint to start off with.
4. Proprietary tubing that almost requires you buy Eheim accessories($$)

Filstars:
Likes:
1. Integrated shutoff/disconnect, I unplug, flip the lever and grab the canister, run water over the media in the baskets, put it back, flip the lever and it refills, plug it in and done.
2. Filter Media Baskets: Media is in seperate media baskets that lift out of the canister easily. This makes cleaning, media changing, etc very easy. Also, you can use any brand media, I do.
3. Quiet as Eheim IMO.
4. Easy impeller maintenance
5. Standard size tubing, I use generic surface skimmers with mine and they work great and fit.
6. Many different input/output options come standard saving cost at startup, but see below.

Dislikes:
1. Input/output options are just press fit togther in many peices. My filters becoming fountains are a big worry for me. I ended up siliconing the first two pieces that go over the side of the tank to make sure. Never actually had a problem, but just to be safe.
2. plastic on in/outs fade, my XP1 is over three years old and the top side of the spary bar is a little faded, probably from the 350 watts MH that was baring down it

Obviously, my vote is for the Filstars. I know Eheims have a great reputation and you can't really go wrong with one. But, the added features and ease of maintenance at less overall cost make all the difference to me. Also, it seems like a lot of the people who prefer the Eheims, have never owned a Filstar. For years, I could see that it was the only option.

Disclaimer: None of this is to be taken as hard facts or insults, it is just my humble opinion from my experience.

[125gJoe]

Originally posted by anonapersona
I don't think I've ever heard anyone say they replaced an aging Eheim! Shafts, impellers, yes, but not the whole thing.... ... .. .
That's exactly what I was just thinking about concerning Filstars..
What else could wear out but the impeller, or shaft?

On the Fluvals, just getting rid of the corrugated tubing would improve that filter.

[redrf900]

I recently purchased an eheim 2217...Cleaned up my 55 gal SOOOOOO nicely, that I bought a 2213 for my 29 gal ( big goldfish). The water NEVER looked so good, and the fish seem to like it.
THEY RULE!!!!!! SO WELL MADE, it's not even funny....IMHO
Jimmy G

[matty150]

wow thanks for the great info matt, i really appreciate it. one more question though, is the media for the filstars cleanable like the sponges in the aquaclear power filters? the reason being, i like the idea of not having to replace media. having the ability to continuously clean the media makes a huge difference in upkeep costs.

and thanks to everyone else for the great info!!!

[Dahlia]

Yes, the media is cleanable. I've never replaced the media in my filstar in the 3 years that I've had it. It's easy to clean too, you can use mostly biological filtration such as ceramic rings, and then use the two sponges that come with the filter for mechanical filtration. The baskets let you remove just the media you want to deal with. I just squeeze out the sponges and set it back up. Takes 5 minutes, tops.

[matty150]

thats sweet, i think ive made up my mind then, i saw the ceramic rings on big als along with the different types of sponges, which types of media do you recommend and in which order?

[NJ Devils Fan]

I just got my filstar last month and I am very happy with it. They come with 2 foam 30 pieces, 2 foam 20 pieces, a micro filtration piece, and carbon. I ordered from Big Al's and they sent me a bonus pack that had a free thing of ceramic rings.

[Dahlia]

I think they must come with more media now than they used to, or I have a bad memory (I do have a bad memory...). I think my filstar just came with two sponges. But media being a one-time expense, it wasn't a big deal to me.

Any ceramic rings, stars, etc. are the biological media I'd recommend. You can use any brand, so go with whatever is cheapest. I think the ceramics are better than rubber stars and the like. People vary in how they decide to put it in, but the usual order is mechanical filtration first (sponges) then chemical (I think, but I skipped this one), then biological.

[ziskus]

Eheim! Simply the best. Never had a peoblem with my Eheims, silent and reliable. You get what you pay for.

[travelinman1969]

I have 2 fluval 404's on my 150 and never had any problems, however, the eheims do rule if you can afford them. I have been down the road on how to set the canisters up. I had a forum here about a month ago on this. I consulted some people who have been in the hobby a long time. They have told me, mechanical first, being your foam blocks, biological, ceramic rings and whatever, then chemical, carbon or zeolite. I used to have the chemical and bio the other way and I think the tank has been easier to maintain this past month since I changed.

[Karlsbad]

Largest Eheim pro II has a fairly low flow rate, 277 gph, or 198 gph, its hard to tell from the info on their website:

Pump output (US GPH) 277
Filter circulation GPH 198 GPH

[RTR]

Karlsbad - filter ouput as a standard measure from almost all manufacturers is the number Eheim reports as "pump output" (this is zero head, no media, frequently pump only without even the canister or any tubing attached). Eheim's "Filter Circulation" is the assembled system, so more real-world, but I'd bet on still zero head and minimum tubing.

[Mr. Bill]

Though I'm a newbie here, perhaps I can shed some light on the subject, by simply posting a link to a question I just posted last week on the subject. The people here were very helpful.

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=152325#post152325

Bill in San Diego :cool: