View Full Version : looking for canisters
johnnyxxl
07-13-2004, 7:36 AM
I am about to give up on my friend selling me his 55 gallon tank and am buying one from a store new made by perfecto its the one with the black silicone ? never seen that before and was pricing the other parts was thinking of buying a canister filter this time and was looking at the magnums by marineland. I am reading mixed reviews online and not sure where to look for good comparisions with all my searches and good details as I have never used this sort of filter and whats involved.
Rocketman
07-13-2004, 12:14 PM
I personally don't like Magnums as the only filter on a tank. The best canisters are certainly Eheim and Fluval. But for a 55G (and I would recomend an All-Glass tank, not a perfecto) you don't really need one. I have one of my 60G, but I could get by just as well with 2 Whispers. The reason I have a canister is because the tank is in my room and I don't want that noise, and because it's my 6th tank and canisters are less mainentence than other filters.
LongTime
07-13-2004, 1:40 PM
You are going to get mixed reviews here as well. :( I think most will agree that Eheims are pricey but the best. After that, its all up for grabs. Case in point: this is only the second response to your post and I'm not to thrilled about Fluvals. I have an Eheim and just ordered a FilStar.
The June 2004 issue of FAMA compared a Magnum, Fluval, FilStar and Eheim. They gave them individual ratings in a lot of different categories, plus an overall rating.
After 2 years of use the author ranked as follows: Fluval, Eheim, FilStar and Magnum.
It is a good article, but, like all reviews, take it for what it is worth. :)
johnnyxxl
07-14-2004, 5:04 PM
I just looked at the filstar and liked the looks and the reviews I have seen. I was wondering though what is in the box the discriptions on the sites like big als are kind of lacking.
http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/product.xml?product_id=22035;category_id=1711;pcid 1=2885;pcid2=
LongTime
07-14-2004, 9:16 PM
Check out the manufacturers site. There you can see copies of the manual, FAQ and other stuff.
johnnyxxl
07-15-2004, 8:31 AM
I have actually emailed Rena about the Filstar and they sent me a reply and I have looked at the schmatics to see whats in the listing.
LongTime
07-15-2004, 12:46 PM
Have you been here?
http://www.aquariumpharm.com/filterfaqs.html
Lol, DO NOT USE A MAGNUM 350 IF YOU HATE NOISEY FILTERS!!!
I had one, and it was the noisiest, rickityiest (?) piece of junk I've ever seen. It was noisey from day 1. The motor quit working after a 6 month vacation in my closet, right when I needed a backup.
They actually are good **filters***, especially the micron-cartridge and option of using it as a diatom filter. If I had a fish room where a clackety filter wasn't a big deal, I WOULD buy another one to use as a water polisher. NOT EVER as a continuous filter.