Canister filters

[Dewey]

I'm looking to add a canister filter to my 55 gal tank to suppliment or
replace the current Whisper filter. Does anybody have any recommendations on
brands and / or sizes? Any pros or cons you could share will save this guy
some anxiety at the pet shop!
Thanks....

[CanadianCray]

I would recommend the Rena Filstar series. BEST bang for the buck IMO. Stay
away from Fluval. To many problems & a pain in the rear to clean. Ehiems are
also good but over priced.

"Dewey" > wrote in message
...
> I'm looking to add a canister filter to my 55 gal tank to suppliment or
> replace the current Whisper filter. Does anybody have any recommendations
> on brands and / or sizes? Any pros or cons you could share will save this
> guy some anxiety at the pet shop!
> Thanks....
>

[NetMax]

"Dewey" > wrote in message
...
> I'm looking to add a canister filter to my 55 gal tank to suppliment or
> replace the current Whisper filter. Does anybody have any
> recommendations on brands and / or sizes? Any pros or cons you could
> share will save this guy some anxiety at the pet shop!
> Thanks....


I think in North America, you have Filsar, Fluval & Eheim. I have no
personal experience with the Filsar. Eheim has been around a long time,
quite pricey but generally does the trick, though the ECO line didn't
seem to be very well received. Fluval had their share of problems many
years ago (and for many years), which I think they have gotten past, so
they are a credible choice. All the Fluvals have the same access
characteristics, which I think are fine. The Eheim's access varies, and
the models which might be applicable to you, 2213 & 2215 are ok, perhaps
not as good as the 304, but not a huge difference. Brand loyalty aside,
I think there aren't any bad canisters on the market right now. Buying
on-line will probably save you lots of money. but watch what media and
accessories are included. The 2213/2215 sometimes gets packaged without
shut-off valves (which I think is a real nuisance), and doesn't always
have enough media. Fluval packaging is more consistent; lacks a spray
bar (your personal preference might be to add one), may include a skimmer
(not relevant for freshwater) and unless you're planning to do chemical
filtration (carbon, coral, zeolite etc), requires another box of Bio-max
to fill the 3 chambers properly. Media can be very pricey, so watch
that, and don't be afraid to mix media from different manufacturers, if
their function is comparable. Eheim media in an LFS is made of money
;~). No-name bulk media on-line is the cheapest. Fluval (and I imagine
Filsar) falls somewhere in-between. Washable media is a pay-once
application, so you just might want to grit your teeth and pay the LFS
for their overpriced block sponge or ceramic rings and move on, all
depends on where your threshold is ;~).
--
www.NetMax.tk

[Todd Carini]

I use a Fluval 304 in my 55 gal and it does more than keep up with a crowded
Central American Cichlids. I have found the best two places to order from
are http://www.bigalsonline.com and http://www.thatfishplace.com. I have
yet to beat their prices on stuff other than possibly on eBay.

Todd Carini

"Dewey" > wrote in message
...
> I'm looking to add a canister filter to my 55 gal tank to suppliment or
> replace the current Whisper filter. Does anybody have any recommendations
> on brands and / or sizes? Any pros or cons you could share will save this
> guy some anxiety at the pet shop!
> Thanks....
>

[Gill Passman]

Todd Carini wrote:
> I use a Fluval 304 in my 55 gal and it does more than keep up with a crowded
> Central American Cichlids. I have found the best two places to order from
> are http://www.bigalsonline.com and http://www.thatfishplace.com. I have
> yet to beat their prices on stuff other than possibly on eBay.
>
> Todd Carini
>
> "Dewey" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>>I'm looking to add a canister filter to my 55 gal tank to suppliment or
>>replace the current Whisper filter. Does anybody have any recommendations
>>on brands and / or sizes? Any pros or cons you could share will save this
>>guy some anxiety at the pet shop!
>>Thanks....
>>
>
>
>
I use a Fluval 304 as well in my Malawi tank...I have added a Fluval 4
Plus internal over time as the number of fish seem to increase daily.
About to upgrade the external to a 404 once it frees up from another tank...

I've only got Fluvals (except for 2 dinky Rena internals that came with
tanks). I had issues with a 304 that had an intermittent fault which
stopped it working which was replaced with no questions by the LFS -
although unfortunately we were on holiday at the time and it wiped out
half the fish :-(. For this reason and whatever filter you buy, if you
can, try and keep the Whisper running as well - gives you some redundancy.

All of the other Fluvals have worked without issue and we've got quite a
few of them. Just about to get a 5FX for a new tank I'm setting up. I
also understand that there have been more improvements made to the
latest 5 series filters but haven't tried them myself (105, 205, 305, 405).

Gill

[Mark Stone]

"Dewey" > wrote in message
...
> I'm looking to add a canister filter to my 55 gal tank to suppliment or
> replace the current Whisper filter. Does anybody have any recommendations
> on brands and / or sizes? Any pros or cons you could share will save this
> guy some anxiety at the pet shop!
> Thanks....
>
I use a Magnum H.O.T. canister with a "BioPro" 30 biowheel attachment on a
55 and it has worked very well. It's a little canister that hangs on the
back, and there's easier access for cleaning and/or maintenance than units
that shelve or sit on the floor, and I like the biowheel a lot . . . --Mark