Help with canister filter decision

S

Smoke to Fire

AC Members
Apr 5, 2008
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Fort Drum, NY
Hi all. I have a few questions I would like to ask actually. Currently I have a 55 gal tank that has been up and running for approx a year now with just a HOB Bio-Wheel Penguin 350, some air stones and thats about it. As for its stock, 11 Cardinal Tetras, 3 Silver Dollars (yeah no live plants sorry, they ate em all) 1 German Blue Ram, 1 Licorice Gourami, and 2 Ruby Red Pencilfish. I have been wanting to move up to a canister filter for a while but have absolutely no idea which one to pick.
So with that said, the two that I see posted about the most through various sites is AquaEl Unimax Pro 150/250 with UV and EHEIM Pro II 2026. Any suggestions as to which is better or more preferable? If not maybe another filter that works better?
The second question involves my current filter. After I finally decide which filter to buy and get it up and running for a while, should I completely remove my old filter or run both at the same time? The water is pretty clear from the front but has a slight tea color if looking through the sides of the tank after I added a piece of Mopani Wood last month, which I would like to clear up.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for your time.
 
I don't know much about canister filters, but activated carbon will help remove tannins. There's no such thing as too much filtration, so you might as well leave both filters running unless you want to move your old one to a different tank.
 
I have a Rena XP3 and a emp400 running on my 75g. I have a Trimac and one Midas in the tank and all is good so far. As far as what canister filter would be best.... all I hear about is Fluval , Rena and Eheim.
 
I would run both.

I prefer Mag 350s or even more, the new "C" series, as opposed to any other canisters.
 
The price, most often, and the reliability. I have several that are well over 20 yrs old and still chugging away.

Many folks tout quietness, but I feel most all are as quiet as one another. None of them have ever kept me or the fish awake.

I also don't like the priming feature required on most other brands that often doesn't work well. Many brands spout tons of media options, that are rarely used or needed.

The new "C" series, does have more media options than the older Mag 350 styles and is more in line with the looks of other brands.

At the days end, it will come down to you buying one and learning how to maintain it. WHat is easy for me to maintain may be difficult for others.

In any case, a canister gives you great filter capabilities and flexibility over a standard HOB that has limited surface area and usually clogs early and the water just bypasses any filtration.
 
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Yep................:)
 
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