Which Canister Filter Is Best ?

echoofformless - it is not a good idea to rate products you have never used or done some longer term comparison tests on.

I know folks who have had Eheims running for 20 or more years on tanks- how long have you had yours?

A would also note your site for rating canisters: There are 5 reviews for the marinelends all by folks who have had them for a grand total of 1-3 months, The Eheim Pro II has 69 raters many of whom have had them for years.
 
There are 5 reviews for the marinelends all by folks who have had them for a grand total of 1-3 months
Click to expand...

to be fair they havent been out long. its a new filter.......

echoofformless
for someone who always pushes it doesnt matter what filter you get you sure are pushing the new Marineland C series.....
 
In my opinion even the Ecco seems to be built pretty well I own one and have recently bought a mag 350 to use along with it and Id have to say the Ecco is better built.

The Ecco definatly primes easier.
 
I have several Mag 350s that are over 20 yrs old...hard to beat that durability.
 
wow, thats amazing rb. I heard magnums were good filters, but daaaaang. 20 years is great for something that runs 24/7.
 
echoofformless said:
Anyway,
As long as the filter runs, holds media, doesn't leak and is easy to use I see no reason to spend any more money just for a name. Of course we're all entitled to opinions and mine is that Eheim is largely a name that gives some people a certain sense of "ah I have an EHEIM!" It just seems very Comic Book Guy to me. And many people will shell out the unnecessary cash for these just because they're said to be "the best." Yes they might offer certain features, but are they needed features? I just want my filter to do a good job, be easy to maintain, and reliable.
Click to expand...

I personally dont go by brands, else I wouldnt own 4 different brands of filters. I dont feel like some kind of super human because I own an Eheim. I often recommend Rena. Needed features? Its completely up to the user to decide what features he/she needs and wants. How may people on earth really need an automatic transmission or cruise control in there vehicle? Very few, But people still want them and shell out over a thousand bucks at least for those two features alone. You cant tell people they dont need a feature thats not your place.

echoofformless said:
That is why I am rooting for these Marinelands to catch on; it just may force Eheim to bring their prices a little lower in order to be more competitive. (Have you ever noticed how ridiculously overpriced their media can be? Ehfimech for example - come on it's the same crap that you can buy under the Fluval name for less than half of that price.)
Click to expand...

Ehfimech is pretty cheap... I bought it for use in other filters as well. bigals 6.99 for a liter or 29.99 for 5 liters. Most of there other media is reasonable as well. The only expensive stuff I think is worth the money too... the stuff that came in Pro2 (I forget what its called -the cocoa puff stuff) since its designed perfectly round for optimal flow, no compaction, yet high surface area. But unlike Rena which only came with mechanical pads, my Pro2 came with all the media, ceramic, bio, and coarse and fine pads.

I dont believe there are any issues with competition, Eheim has plenty of competition. I bet if you poll every filter owner in the world Eheim would be well under 10%. Even on the forums, with more dedicated and experienced users I doubt it would be over 25%. Personally I only own 1 Eheim canister while I do several other brands. Not everyone is blindly buying Eheims... in fact there higher cost has for sure reduced there sales, as people all the time asking for filter advice say Eheims are out of there budget.
 
Philgo said:
Very little price difference in the UK between Eheim and Rena, so it's Eheim all the way for me. Never tried a Rena but from what I've read they are a tad noisier than Eheim.
Click to expand...
The point is the current exchange rate. As the dollar is incredibly weak at the moment, imports from the euro zone are naturally more expensive than stuff built in the dollar zone. The company gets nothing from the alleged overcharging.

That said, I don't have much experience with canister filters. I have a PennPlax one, and that one is crappy. I bought two Eheim classics in a sale, and I really like them. No idea how they compare to Rena, Fluval or Marineland filters. I guess the price advantage of the Marineland filters only kicks in for the larger models. In my case, the Eheim was cheaper.
 
for the money you are about to put out then why not fluvals fx5? 900gph plus you have a three tray bucket that you can load how you wish. add a emperor 400 and you should have what you need. petsmart ad online is 39.99 take it into store you save 40.00. go onto ebay fx5 are 189 free shipping ! good luck hope this helps you out!
 
rbishop said:
That is a pretty loaded question! :grinyes:

I don't think you can just eliminate them out on the criteria you listed, since it involves personal preference.

What I would consider ease of maintanance may be someone elses nightmare. In general, the canister filters out there are pretty much the same with capabilities though most have capabilities you do not even need.

I do not prefer either of the two filters you listed. I have basically all Mags, and am amazed that you consider them mechanical/chemical only. I have several that are just mechanical/biolgical.

If I had to pick from your choices, I would go with the XP.
Click to expand...



RB, what media are you using in your mags for bio filtration. I have 2 that I want to use as my primary filtration on my 120 that I'm going planted?

Thanks,
[\[\ark
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom