Marineland c220 canister, experiences?

[tekonus]

I'm thinking about switching from my AC50 HOBs to a canister filter for my 33g long tank (48"x12"x13"). As far as filtration goes, the Aquaclears do fine, I'm just not a big fan on the way the water seems to come out of the AC50's and seems to go straight down. In my relatively shallow tank, it seems to disrupt a lot of my sand... and I kinda just don't like it. I feel like the canister option might be better all around for a planted tank like mine.

Has anyone used this specific filter in a planted tank? What do you use for media? How often do you have to clean it out? Any experience would be helpful to help me make the decision whether or not to drop the $120 on it.

 

[Paintballer99]

I got a 160 on my 20 and think its a great filter. It really does it's job. Because I heard carbon is bad for planted tanks, I put sponges in the first tray, Bio balls in the second, and rings in the third. I dont have fish yet, so I'm not too sure about the cleaning yet. If you get it, expect a lot of air to rush out the diffuser sometimes this should go on for about a week or two. Thats what happend to me, but it went away. All in all, I thought it was worth it.

 

[Hwom]

I also have a 160. Its on my 90 G with a rena xp3 (which by the way is awesome). I got it cheap when a store went out of business. I love it. It is very quiet and much easier to use than a fluval i had. i have filter pads in the first tray and bio rings in the other two. My plants are looking good and as for cleaning its a breeze.

 

[FISHSHROD]

I just got a 220 about a week ago , set it up on my 30 long. It will be planted with low light low tech plants (i think) . I like how quiet it is and the way it 's put together .I have sand on the bottom of the tank and it doesn't stir it up , which is a good thing. I got mine on ebay , shipped for $99.99. I used the media that came with it except for the carbon. I put seeded ceramic cylinders in that chamber . I'm stoked with it so far

 

[rocker92]

a good way for getting the air out of the canister is to rock it back and forth while it is on, this gets most if not all the air out, if you arnt sure all the air is out you can press the priming button a time or too, i have a C360 on a 72 gal tank and love it!!!

good luck

 

[tekonus]

Thanks guys. You've all been a great help. Would you say the sound the canister produces is louder, quieter, or equal to the noise an average HOB makes? (Can you tell I've only ever had HOBs? lol) Also, for those that have the 220, what are the approximate dimensions of it? I've gotta find a nice spot for it, as my tank sits on a dresser... no nice cabinet to hide it in.

 

[Ozymandias]

well i had a C-220 on my 30 heavily planted. i liked the filter and it was quieter them my aquaclear. cant tell you the demotions off the top of my head because i sold but it's not that big maybe a 1'x4'. the hosing for it can be a bit stiff and it doesn't have a spray bar. i just got a ehiem and so far i like it a little better and on ebay the pricing isn't that different. but thay both are some of the best filters though.

 

[coach_z]

i want a c220 for my 30gallon planted.
you can get them for 100shipped from some guy on ebay

 

[Ozymandias]

personally at some times i wanted more flow in the 30 then the C-220 produced and felt i 2 C-160 might have been better, one on each side so there where less dead zones in the tank.

 

[thrak76]

I own the 220 amd am very satisfied. Its currently filtering a heavily planted 29g along with a HOT magnum for polishing/backup. Its got 4 trays for media. I'm using foam, floss, bio balls, ceramic rings & a polishing pad, from bottom to top. I've found it very easy to service, as the valve block unattaches easily. It gets a Little messy when pulling out the bottom tray, but if you have the canister In the sink it shouldn't ne a problem. The flow is good and I also use it to diffuse my co2.