Choosing A Canister Filter

[dan the man]

hi there guys

ok so its my birthday again and i think its time that i use some extra funds to set up the aquarium i got around a year ago - i know, shocking isnt it haha

anyway went to the LFS and have run into some confusion on what the best thing to do is in relation to a canister filter

the tank is roughly 4x2x1 feet and i have no idea what i need to keep it clean, eventually i would like to keep discus and have a plants growing, and from what i gather from my research this will need very clean water. what sort of flow rate should i be looking at for a tank this size?

main issue is cost vs price. the store i visited was pushing some eheim units ranging from 450-800, however when i first got the tank some cheaper units around the 150-300 mark were said to be sufficient

what do people use here? yes i know better brands will last longer etc etc but would a cheaper brand such as aqua one be ok to get started and then upgraded in a few years time?

also with the eheim units, what would a good features vs price series be? some of the ones i looked at had timers, temp readouts etc etc however are they worth the extra $$$?

god this is confusing! :)

[GoGuppy]

hi there guys

ok so its my birthday again and i think its time that i use some extra funds to set up the aquarium i got around a year ago - i know, shocking isnt it haha

anyway went to the LFS and have run into some confusion on what the best thing to do is in relation to a canister filter


the tank is roughly 4x2x1 feet and i have no idea what i need to keep it clean, eventually i would like to keep discus and have a plants growing, and from what i gather from my research this will need very clean water. what sort of flow rate should i be looking at for a tank this size?

main issue is cost vs price. the store i visited was pushing some eheim units ranging from 450-800, however when i first got the tank some cheaper units around the 150-300 mark were said to be sufficient
..........
what do people use here? yes i know better brands will last longer etc etc but would a cheaper brand such as aqua one be ok to get started and then upgraded in a few years time?

also with the eheim units, what would a good features vs price series be? some of the ones i looked at had timers, temp readouts etc etc however are they worth the extra $$$?

god this is confusing! :)[/b]

G'day Dantheman

You reckon cannister filters are confusing?? Hey, that's just the start... :wacko:

Seriously though, my advice would be:
1. buy the best you can afford now, especially if you're going to focus on Discus down the line. Things may change later, eg once you've got the discuss, you may decide in a few years time to get a separate bigger or smaller tank for something else and you can put the existing filter in that tank, and so on.
2. use the old KISS principle "Keep It Simple, Stupid!", in other words don't use filters with built in heaters and timers, and what ever else they can think of. If your filter breaks down, at least the heater will still be working if they are separate, etc,.
Anyway, good luck with your selections and let us know how you're going from time to time.
Cheers (and happy birthday!!)

[Woodsy]

I don't know about that Go-Guppy, I love my Eheim Professional II, especially for a planted tank - No heater to hide or have my fish get burnt on, automatic purging, and an impressive flow rate. Plus, if your canister breaks down for some reason (not that any of my Eheims ever have), I doubt you'd want your heater running, at least without a circulation pump which you'd have to buy in that case anyway... But you are right in that you should buy the best that you can afford, especially with the way that technology is progressing.
A cheaper alternative would be an Eheim Classic - Basic, reliable, and a good flow rate. I've definitely got my moneys worth from mine.
Hope that helps Dan.

[GoGuppy]

Fair comment, Woodsy.
Nothing wrong with Eheim gear, but if the cannister broke down in winter say, and you had a separate heater, you'd still get some natural convection from the heater causing slight water movement and currents in the tank, not that you would want this condition to last too long. It may be enough though to last while you get a new pump rotor or other component in.
By the by, I keep a small internal circulation pump as a spare back up, but also use it occasionally if I want to add activated carbon or other short term filter media in the tank. They are cheap as chips (no need to buy an Eheim for this), and IMO very worthwhile investing in.
Cheers

[krisisdog]

Probably be better to go with an Aqua One canister, fair bit cheaper than an eheim, and almost as good. Aqua One is a very respectable brand.

[Woodsy]

Aqua One is a very respectable brand.[/b]

Debatable.

If you honestly want cheaper, I'd be more inclined to go with a Fluval. No fancy tricks, but at least you'll get a decent degree of reliablility.

[Emma2938]

Hello,
thought i would add my 2cents worth. Eheims seem nice, I have 1 but I dont think you can go past fluval, We have 2 304's 2 fx5's and a 405. They are realy good IMO, you just plug it in, fill it up, and turn it on. It does the rest. JBL are also making some good filters.

[devil san]

the old style fluval 404 are a great unit, quiet, easy to maintain, and not too large (compared to some) the only down side is the expense.
i also have one of the newer style fluval....not worth a look at, noisey, unreliable pile of junk.

[joz]

Lots of advice here alot of it really good IMO.
But I tend to agree with GG here.

Only because I believe that all in one units although very convenient are asking for trouble incase one aspect of it goes bung.This has always been my opinion btw.
If you want to get heaters out of the tank there are inline heaters available for about $120.
But these will also be useless with out a circulating pump.

Unfortunately Eheim are exxy,even though they are probaly the most relaible and most serviceable.

But this is where I alway get back to having more than one filtration source.If one fails the tank can limp on without any disasters.
Like my tank atm ,OK its 8' but it runs on 3 cannisters (Fluval,$$& AquaOne) and multiple heaters.

It also had a trickle filter connected a few years back,so that was 4 separate filters.But that as put out of commission because I wanted plants.



With Discus tho you'll have your work cut out with SA water.But filtration should be at its optimum as should the quality of water changes..good luck :)

[tightenup]

Howdy Dan - thought I'd share some experiences.

I have used some of the no-name brand filters in the past without happy stories. I don't recommend getting a canister filter unless you know one person who is happy with it!

I've had good experiences with fluval 404s, never had a problem. An old eheim classic bought with a second hand tank is loud and annoying (everyone else says eheim have a reputation for quality - I have never bought one new, so maybe this one is broken...)

I recently bought a Fluval FX5 that I am VERY happy with. I highly recommend it if you have the space. Best price I found was www.petland.com.au - $389. Its got a lot of nifty but simple features that make life easy - eg you can do a "quick change" on the hoses to do a water change by pumping your water straight out of the tank into your garden etc.

Because I am cheap and like experimenting, I've loaded the FX5 up with nylon pot scrubbers, which are meant to have a really high surface area. IT also slows down the FX5 quite a lot, meaning that the water spends more time in contact with the bacteria growing on the pot scrubbers.

Discus don't like a lot of current, so this might be a good solution for you - the FX5 has a two-head output that I have directed to flow up the sides of my tank to minimise current further.

PS: On top of this I run an aquaclear 500 (1892lph) hang on filter from http://www.aquariumproducts.com.au/ ($99) - These are good, but don't have much filter area so not a lot of bacterial action. I'm very happy with it though, and will keep using it. While you are there, check out the JQB-5500 68000lph pump for $90 - I use one to pump in clean water from a water change. Very nice gear.


PS: there is a lot of merit in getting multiple filters running on your tank if you have the space. Apart from the "what if it breaks" question, you can get much better water circulation.