Poll: If you have switched from power filter to canister...

[alicialav]

...Has your tank (life/morale/fish/anything) improved? Just curious!

[sudsmaker141]

I switched from 2 Emperor over the tank filters to 2 Magnum 350 canister filters for my 125 gallon freshwater over a year ago. With the old filters I could never keep my PH in the normal range. It was always low even though I was doing a 30% water change every 2 weeks. The improvement with the canister filters was immediate as my PH is always normal now. This was especially critical since I had 2 freshwater stingrays in the tank.
If you are interested don't miss out on the deals at FOSTER & SMITH Aquarium Supplies at drsfostersmith.com. They have the Magnum 350 for half the price of a fish store. I deal with them on a regular basis and have been for over 10 years. Good luck.

[RTR]

Yup, but it was ~30 years ago. ;)

Life and fish tanks got much quieter, and a bit cleaner/clearer.

[750t]

My only dislike of cannisters is cleaning the hoses in the winter.

[Blinky]

Made the switch from HOBs to a canister on my 65g when I went planted. I prefer the canister (FilStar XP2), probably partly because it's more suitable for the type of tank I have. I find it's easier to maintain, quieter, has more room for media and keeps the tank cleaner. It also allows me to place the intake/outflow where they're least visible, which is a nice bonus in a display tank. Possibly most importantly, it doesn't flush the CO2 back out of the water, which keeps my plants happy :)
I think the key is determining your needs and preferences - there's a filter for everyone. When you find the one that fits, it makes everything easier :D

[alicialav]

what's this about CO2 getting flushed out of the water? this is of potential concern, since I'm on the verge of a major planted tank project. please, tell me more... :)

[Cruise Control]

I think what Blinky means is that with a HOB it creates surface agitation, which gasses off C02 from the water. With a canister, you get no surface agitation.

[Blinky]

Yep, that's exactly what Blinky means ;)
Canisters are great for planted tanks - you can place the spray bar beneath the water surface and have good circulation in the tank without surface agitation (and loss of CO2).
HOBs can be used with CO2, they're just not ideal. Less CO2 will be flushed out of the water if you make the water surface is as high as possible and place a sponge over the outflow (learned this little trick from Len, great idea) to reduce surface agitation.

[alicialav]

Jinkies! I am learning so much here-- thanks, Aquaria Central! :dance

[Swimfins]

I'm a newbie with a eheim 2215 canister filter. I set it up New Year's Eve, and haven't cleaned it yet. Regular water changes of course. Ummm when do I clean the thing??? Water is so nice, I don't feel I have to. :confused:

[Fresh04]

I went to a Magnum 350 when I got my 36 gal a couple of years ago. I like it, it is a bit of more hassle to clean (you have to close the valves, remove canister, open up and clean... as opposed to removing the cartridge from the HOB. At that time I had fake plants, and had to clean the tubing. However, since turning to live plants, I have not had this problem. I'm not sure what it is, but the less maintenance, the better!!! I still run a brush through, but it's nowhere near as bad.
As far as low surface agitation, everyone is right. I adjust the outlet, and there is little/no surface agitation.
Filters, like most aquarium equipment, have different types that have strong points for certain setups. My fish love the live plants, and the canister filter prevents the CO2 from coming out of the water via surface agitation!

HTH! :)

[alicialav]

What are folks using to get the O2 into the water then, without surface agitation? I suppose if it's heavily planted, that would supply enough for the fish...?

[Raskolnikov]

What are folks using to get the O2 into the water then, without surface agitation? I suppose if it's heavily planted, that would supply enough for the fish...?

I have the two spray bars on my XP3's angled towards the surface and they provide more surface agitation than any of my HOBs. I was actually pleasantly suprised that I didn't have to buy powerheads for the new tank to keep the surface heavily agitated.

[got_nailed]

Are we going to compare apples to oranges? I’ll go with the apple.

[Maj0rFiSh]

So how much better are Externals compared to internals?

Im getting a eheim 2233 or a cascade 700, does anyone have any opinomns on these?

I really need some help deciding.

[alicialav]

I have the two spray bars on my XP3's angled towards the surface and they provide more surface agitation than any of my HOBs. I was actually pleasantly suprised that I did have to buy powerheads for the new tank to keep the surface heavily agitated.

What I meant was, in instances where surface agitation is not desirable, how are people satisfying themselves that the water is receiving sufficient oxygenation... :rolleyes:

[RTR]

When your plants are pearling, you can rest assured that the the O2 level of the water is not just sufficient or even saturated, but supersaturated - neither of those last two conditions are likely results from surface distrubance, in fact such will guarantee that while you may have sufficient O2, it is neither saturated nor supersaturated.

External canisters hold more media, but may be harder to access for cleaning. I use them for completely different purposes in any case - fit the tool to the job.