good filter?

Depends on what you want it to do. I've found that Magnums in general aren't a great "all the time" filter. But if you want something to polish the water once in a while, they're great. JMO, Good Luck!
 
At that price, an excellent canister filter like the Rena Filstar xP-3 is one way to go. Like above, what are you needing in a filter.

For "polishing" water, the powerful Vortex XL can't be beat - in my opinion, and from using it... :)
 
Marineland filters are generally regarded pretty highly, in terms of quality and reliability. The 350 is an OK filter, but it's pretty much limited to mechanical and/or chemical filtration. It has a relatively small media chamber (compared to other canisters), which limits the space for biomedia. Adding biowheels to the 350 would make it pretty good in all respects, I'd think.

Jim
 
so u guys dont think its a good filter? I think for the gph and price its a good deal. IM getting the 2 bio-wheels with it for the bio filtration, u can also hook it up to clean the bottom. All the other canister filters ive seen are expensive and dont pump as many gallons. I was going to get a power head also that has a sponge or some type of mechanical filtration to go with it.
 
With the biowheels, it's not a bad choice. I have several HOT Magnums that have the gravel-vacuuming feature, but I've never used it. I can't see picking up all that gunk only to deposit it in the filter, which will then have to be cleaned. Not a time-saver, in my book.

Lots of people have Mags and like them fine. If you get a prefilter sponge (e.g., the FilterMax III), you can keep the canister interior cleaner, reducing maintenance.

Have fun!

Jim
 
Hi Catlid,

I have the same system you are considering. The Magnum Pro has some great features, however, running this filter can be very costly. Filter sleeves, carbon, micron filters etc.... I stopped using the filter because of the expense involved and because I found it extremely difficult to get the lid off to service the canister. :)
 
does is still do a good job keeping the tank clean? Well i would think all canister filters would be expensive to maintains since they all have a lot of media in them. What is a good power head that actualy filters the water to, so i can have good water flow yet get the water filtered as well since i heard 350 gph is a little low for a 55g.
 
For a 55 gallon, an AquaClear 500 would do the trick. Infact, these are relatively cheap filters for the quality you get and mine have been running for years. I have AC filter sizes ranging from Mini-500 so I have all their models and IME these filters are extreamly relyable. I do agree with the above posters who say it depends on what you plan to have in the tank. Certain filters are better for certain fish/species.
 
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