Marineland Bio-Filter Hate It!!!

[gmh]

The marineland filter is always going to be louder than a canister or undergravel filter. You can always take the biowheels off and probably get some measure of relief while also losing some biofilter capacity.
A good quality canister filter will be much quieter than an hob, even the AC brand. A Rena XPL for example can be had for maybe $120 online and they are easy to set up and maintain.
I agree that Eheims are the absolute best and quietest canister out there if you can spend a little more.

 

[FreshyFresh]

Good point that I forgot to mention. It's one of the drawbacks of a "discount" filter. My CF400UV is, if I recall correctly, the SunSun HW303B, just rebranded, and with allegedly thicker plastic on intakes and returns.

Very true, but extra media is cheap and easy to source online for Sunsuns and the likes. I got a cpl extra of the thick coarse blue sponges for my Sunsun 302 from eBay for $5 shipped to the door. I run my Sunsun 302 with the coarse blue sponge on the bottom and middle trays, then have plastic scrubbies, bio balls and ceramic rings in the top. It filters great, but is not a high flow rate filter by any means.