SunSun Canister for 20g - too much?

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A649475

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So I'm shopping for a canister filter and I'm seriously considering the SunSun canister filter from ebay for my 20g HIGH tank. The canister is rated at 264GPH. Although this number is far too optimistic, will there be too much flow in my tank?

Right now I have an AC70. Since I'm injecting DIY CO2, I have a sponge dampening (not blocking) the output flow. There is minimum surface agitation. I have the hagen ladder to diffuse the CO2 and on top of it, I have the Hagen Elite (small filter/powerhead) running attached to a small DIY reactor (used fish food container). As you can see, there is a lot of equipment in my tiny tank, which is why I'm considering going with a canister filter where I can just put the CO2 in the intake OR make an inline output reactor.

Thoughts? Thanks

Edit: From what I have seen in pictures, the canister looks enormous as well as the hoses. I never owned a canister filter before. Thoughts?

 
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TabisFish

TabisFish

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This is off topic. But can you get me a link to the ebay sunsuns? I cant seem to find them! thanks
 
A

A649475

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I'm not sure if I can post ebay links on the forum.

Ebay this though:

Code: 
AQUARIUM FISH TANK EXTERNAL CANISTER POWER FILTER 100 G
35.99+14.99 shipping = win price imo.

Edit: Forgot to state that the reason I'm considering this canister is the price, of course. Eheim 2213 goes for about $90, but I'm concerned about the low flow rate and CO2 distribution. The cascade ones are about $80, but heard a lot of bypass issues with them. The marineland c series go for $75 but people had a lot of issues with them (leaks/noise/breaking). And as for the other big brands, their lower end canister are around the 100 range (Fluval, rena, etc).
 
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XanAvaloni

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Sunsuns were going by the brand name "Perfect" for quite a while but recently I've been hearing another name, Gretch. Or sometimes they don't use any brand name at all, for instance here. All the same product. The seller most folks have dealt with on ebay goes by the name "kool_goods" althought the link above goes to somebody else. .
 
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A649475

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I just found this for the same price at ebay - $35.99 as well. On paper, they sound better than the SunSun/perfect and their design/concept are based on the Eheim Pro series (quality not being the same, clearly)



Specification:
4-Stage filtration (4-basket)
Dimensions: 10" x 7.5" x 17"
Voltage: 110-120V AC50/60Hz
Watt: 20 watt
Included two 5 feet green hose
Max Flow Rate: 320gph (adjustable)
Filter capacity: 7.9 Liters
Recommend Tank Size: 55-85 Gallon

Any comments on these?
 
hage0245

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I have that exact one (Sunsun HW-302 I believe) in my 55, along with an Aqua-Tech 55, a Penguin Bio-Wheel 200, and a small powerhead. My CO2 is diffused into the powerhead so I can't say too much about how the Sunsun will do with CO2, but I can say the filter is awesome.

"Too much flow" entirely depends on your stock. IMO, regardless of your stock, the 302 would be perfect for a 20. Just put the spraybar near the surface of your tank and angle it upwards a little as not to disturb the agitate the surface too much so you don't lose CO2.
 
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A649475

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hage0245 said:
I have that exact one (Sunsun HW-302 I believe) in my 55, along with an Aqua-Tech 55, a Penguin Bio-Wheel 200, and a small powerhead. My CO2 is diffused into the powerhead so I can't say too much about how the Sunsun will do with CO2, but I can say the filter is awesome.

"Too much flow" entirely depends on your stock. IMO, regardless of your stock, the 302 would be perfect for a 20. Just put the spraybar near the surface of your tank and angle it upwards a little as not to disturb the agitate the surface too much so you don't lose CO2.
Click to expand...
This is the kind of reply I was looking for. Thank you.

By the way, what do people use as their canister media? I really don't want to use floss. The main reason why I switched from a Whisper HOB filter to an AC one, was the fact that I did not have to replace the media/floss every week or two. I used the AC sponges in the Whispers for a while, but the ACs proved to be superior in every way. So, do people also stuff their canisters with AC sponges or something similar?
 
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tolawdjk

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In my sunsun, on the bottom tray, I have aquaclear like foam (found it uber cheap clearance at a craft store months ago) and then ontop of that, some of my ghetto pot scrubbers. For those I take your basic nylon mesh webbing you can find in the fabric store for $0.80 a yard, cut it into 6 inch strips, then cut those strips into 6 inch squares. Take a bit of fishing line and tie a stack of them together in the middle, then scrunch them up. They don't have to look good and I couldn't find store bought pot scrubbies at the time that didn't have a copper insert. Cram a dozen or so in the middle tray, and afew in the top tray with some filter floss ontop of that as polish.

Most I ever have to do is give the bottom layer a good flushing once every couple months if you see flow drop off. Has been working well for the last 6 months with no noise.
 
rainbowcharmer

rainbowcharmer

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I am running 3 of the SunSun/Perfect 302's. One on a 40 gallon, one on a 46 gallon,and one on my 75 along with an Eheim 2217.

The Sunsun is NOT as powerful as the Eheim, but it still does a very good job. I would not use it alone on anything over 50 gallons most likely though. I think the 20 gallon will be just fine with it.

I use ceramic rings (I wanna say Rena brand maybe??? Petsmart had them for $11/box) in the bottom basket of mine, scrubbies ($1 from dollar general) in the middle basket, and fine filter pads (came with the filter) in the top basket. I've had very good luck with all 3 filters so far. Started with 1 and was so pleased I bought 2 more a few months later. :)
 
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