# External Canister Filter Recommendations



## goobafish (Jan 27, 2015)

I want to buy my dad a new filter for his 120 gallon planted tank. He has had the same Eheim for over 20 years and it is difficult for him to service. Any suggestions as to models/brands that are easy to service and work well for a tank this size?


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## Bullet (Apr 19, 2014)

Wow what a nice son to buy a filter for Dad !
I've only used Rena XL brand and Eheim "classic" series on my 55 gallon freshwater overstocked set up 
The Rena was powerful and easy to set up and easy to clean but I found that priming was occasionally an issue
I'm currently using 2 Eheim Classics on my set up (one 2213 and one 2215)
Running trouble free for more than 4 years now 
Easy to clean, great media loading flexibility and no troubles priming
No broken parts needed to be replaced yet 
I should mention that I also run 2 AC50s because I am overstocked 
For a tank the size of your Dad's, I would suggest at least a 2217 if you go the "classic" route


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## solarz (Aug 31, 2010)

The only canister I've used was an Eheim, and I've found it to be a pain to clean.

First, there's no priming mechanism, so I can't just clean everything at once. I have to leave the intake pipe in the water with the valve shut in order to clean the canister, other wise I would have to reprime the whole thing.

Two, it's very easy to spill water. Forget to seal the top, or turn off both valves, and you've got a flood on your hands.

Three, the tubes are hard to pull off and hard to clean. The end that is attached to the safety valves are especially difficult to take off. I usually just kept those on and clean only one end of the tube.

It's certainly more of a chore than a HOB.


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## cb1021 (Sep 21, 2009)

Canisters are hard to clean. Aquaclears work wonders. Only disadvantage is they're ugly compared to canisters.


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## goobafish (Jan 27, 2015)

Thanks guys. The tank is built into the entrance of the house and encased in wood, so a hang on filter isn't really an option.


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## Cichlidrookie (Apr 6, 2014)

I have two Eheim classic canister 2217 and 2215. Yes they r a little pain to clean but I only do it every 3 months. 

I heard fluval fx6 is nice but never tried and it is big.


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## Windowlicka (Mar 5, 2008)

I've used Eheim (2211, 2213 & 2215), Rena (XP2 & XP3) and Mainland (C360)

IMO, They're all a pain to prime - even the C360 which had a priming button on it (it leaked water right outta that button!)

The Eheim's were always a pain to get the rubber washer set right between the motor and the cannister… get it wrong, and you've got a nice little leak on your hands, that sometimes might not get noticed for several days.

The C360 was horrible to take apart the media chambers and then put them back together (without snapping plastic parts) for cleaning. I can't tell you how much I absolutely =detested= working on that damned filter.

My personal favourite canister, and by a long way were always the XP series from Rena. they were simple to clean, (relatively) easy to prime after a cleaning, and reliable as all geddout. At one point I had 5 of these things running, and they were bullet-proof.


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## goobafish (Jan 27, 2015)

He is currently using a 2217 classic. Will something like a Rena XL L be a good upgrade?


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## Wiccandove (May 19, 2012)

I have 2 canisters on my 110, one is a cobalt canister filter (the other is an aquatop). By far the Cobalt is the easiest canister I have ever used. It runs on a pump from inside the tank instead of having a motor on the unit itself. You don't have to worry about the media trays being in the wrong way, or putting the top back on wrong. And because its pump is in the tank you don't even have to shut it off when servicing the filter because it makes a closed loop when you remove the top. 
This may not be making a lot of sense because I haven't had coffee yet  My only gripe with the cobalt canister is that the largest one is only rated for 55 gallons so you would need at least 2 for your dads tank IF its not overstocked. Honestly if I could justify it I would replace my aquatop with another cobalt just based on ease of use.


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## planter (Jun 9, 2008)

I use only eheim classics. There is a reason why they haven't changed the design or stopped selling them in decades. All canisters are more labor intensive then HOB filters but the if your going to have a canister few stack up to the classics. They run quiet, have tough motors, and are built like tanks overall.


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## PCUSER (Jun 1, 2017)

Wiccandove said:


> I have 2 canisters on my 110, one is a cobalt canister filter (the other is an aquatop). By far the Cobalt is the easiest canister I have ever used. It runs on a pump from inside the tank instead of having a motor on the unit itself. You don't have to worry about the media trays being in the wrong way, or putting the top back on wrong. And because its pump is in the tank you don't even have to shut it off when servicing the filter because it makes a closed loop when you remove the top.
> 
> This may not be making a lot of sense because I haven't had coffee yet  My only gripe with the cobalt canister is that the largest one is only rated for 55 gallons so you would need at least 2 for your dads tank IF its not overstocked. Honestly if I could justify it I would replace my aquatop with another cobalt just based on ease of use.


Hi, I'm researching this filter as well . My question is, do you still feel positive about the product after a year? Is it still quiet, and do you still recommend placing the pump in the tank itself? Sorry one last question. Does it create enough surface agitation/O2 for your tank? I'm planning only to use 1 in my 45gallon.
Perhaps somebody else has some feedback as well? Thanks, everybody

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## hibackgold (Oct 14, 2017)

fx6 is my choice if its within your budget...i currently have one and a fluval 405 in my 150 but i think i will upgrade the 405 to another fx6....i find both are relatively easy to clean vs ehiem cannisters (i have a 2217 on my 90g)...


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## slipfinger (May 11, 2016)

hibackgold said:


> fx6 is my choice if its within your budget...i currently have one and a fluval 405 in my 150 but i think i will upgrade the 405 to another fx6....i find both are relatively easy to clean vs ehiem cannisters (i have a 2217 on my 90g)...


I'm in the market for a couple of canisters, I had my eye on a couple Eheim 2217's. You mentioned issues with cleaning. I've never used Eheim before, any pros or cons would be great.


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## hibackgold (Oct 14, 2017)

slipfinger said:


> I'm in the market for a couple of canisters, I had my eye on a couple Eheim 2217's. You mentioned issues with cleaning. I've never used Eheim before, any pros or cons would be great.


with the fluvals, i'll just turn off the valves and they simply lift off easy and i'll carry the cannister to the sink for cleaning..they both prime really easy after cleaning too...with my eheim i have to carry the entire system out of the tank to disassemble the cannister....i find that the "quick disconnect" system that ehiem uses don't work so well and i've never been able to utilize it...i just take everything with me lol....eheim is a workhorse tho, i've had mine for years w/o any other issues besides that its a PITA to clean and prime..i've had my 2217 outlet tube disconnect and dump about 50gs of water onto my basement floor...ever since that i've tie wrapped every connection together to make sure that never happens again...


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## slipfinger (May 11, 2016)

hibackgold said:


> with the fluvals, i'll just turn off the valves and they simply lift off easy and i'll carry the cannister to the sink for cleaning..they both prime really easy after cleaning too...with my eheim i have to carry the entire system out of the tank to disassemble the cannister....i find that the "quick disconnect" system that ehiem uses don't work so well and i've never been able to utilize it...i just take everything with me lol....eheim is a workhorse tho, i've had mine for years w/o any other issues besides that its a PITA to clean and prime..i've had my 2217 outlet tube disconnect and dump about 50gs of water onto my basement floor...ever since that i've tie wrapped every connection together to make sure that never happens again...


Thanks for that.

I currently use a Hydor 600 and love it. Just disconnect the hoses and carry the filter box to the sink..... I got myself a another tank and I am looking to purchase as much used items as I can to keep the costs down a little. 
I've been told by many that Eheim are workhorses, this is the reason I decided to look at used Eheim's.

Might have to do a little more research on this one.


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## Kweli (Jun 2, 2010)

Cobalt seems to have a cool system for maintenance... the pump is external aswell and continues to run (and circulate water) even when you detach it.. i don't know if it handles a aquarium your size

Additionally, look at the SUNSUN 602/603 booster filters.. you basically put this BEFORE your canister filter and put all your sponge/floss in this one and leave all your biological in the bigger canister. This means you are only doing maintenance on the small canister with floss/sponge instead of the huge canister with bio

Heres a quick video, i found the whole video informative


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