# Canister Filter, Pros and Cons?



## Dienah

So I'm considering getting a canister filter, as it seems I really need it, only because I heard it's way better than simple HOB filters.

But I have no experience with them, other than the fact than knowing they are in demand and are far more superior. Could anyone just share some knowledge, the pros and cons of canister filters??

Just to add, I'm thinking of getting the Eheim 2217.


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## Darkblade48

Pros:
Quieter
Can go longer without maintenance
Can provide a wider variety of return options (spray bar, simple spout return, etc)
Can have various attachments (i.e. skimmer)
Can use an inline reactor for pressurized CO2, inline heater

Cons:
Expensive
Replacement parts can be expensive
Some filters have a minimum head space requirement


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## BillD

Cannisters work well where you want to hide the hardware such as under a stand. They also allow for a setup to be placed closer to a wall, which could make the difference between having a 12" deep tank or an 18".
The cons for me are the expense and the extra work cleaning them, compared to a HOB or sponge filter, which leads to longer intervals between cleanings (bad). The two I have are not in use right now. Most of my tanks have sponge filters and a few have ACs. Before I bought a can I would buy a new 75 gallon setup.
I'm sure the can fans will jump in and extol their virtues, but for me, they are too much trouble.


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## Dienah

Cool, thanks guys for your opinions! Actually kinda helps me out in figuring out if I should get one or not!! xD

I honestly never knew that canister filters had add ons, I think that's a pretty cool feature ... even though I don't know what 80% of that stuff even does 

And wow Bill, I didn't think anyone would actually stand up against canister filters!!


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## xr8dride

I've found that since using canisters I've also seen less evaporation of my water meaning less top ups. The canister allows for a greater mass of filtering media as well as water volume. As for the clean up of a canister filter...rinse a sponge or two, replace your fine pad now & then...not a big deal. I run 3 Eheim 2217's on a 180 gallon.


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## ameekplec.

Canisters are quieter in my experience versus air-driven sponges and HOB filters that cascade back into the tank - especially important with tanks in bedrooms and other noise sensitive areas.

I'm a big fan of canisters - any tank bigger than 10g I wouldn't think of running with anything but a cnaister.


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## BillD

Dienah said:


> And wow Bill, I didn't think anyone would actually stand up against canister filters!!


I'm not against cannisters; they are great methods of filtration and they have their place. They are not necessarily the best and they certainly are not the most cost effective. When running multiple tanks there are simpler and more cost effective methods. The bottom line is that any method of filtration is only as good as the person who maintains it. I find it much easier to maintain 10 sponges and a couple of ACs than 12 cannisters. Also use much less electricity.As well, as I mentioned earlier, I can set up a new 75 for less than the cost of the recommended cannister for it.


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## Lee_D

Less evaporation means you have a smaller interface between the air and water. You may be loosing less water, but your also not equalizing the CO2 / O2 with the air as efficiently as you could be. This may not be an important point depending on the situation, but I think it is worth mentioning.

As for the size of the tank where i'd switch over to cannisters from HOB's, I'd choose bigger than 10 gallons. I have three 50g tanks and I've switched them back to AC's because they are simpler and easier to use. My switchover point is where the rim of the tank is to thick for the AC to fit without cutting the plastic rim of the tank.

Lee


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## ameekplec.

Lee_D said:


> As for the size of the tank where i'd switch over to cannisters from HOB's, I'd choose bigger than 10 gallons. I have three 50g tanks and I've switched them back to AC's because they are simpler and easier to use. My switchover point is where the rim of the tank is to thick for the AC to fit without cutting the plastic rim of the tank.
> 
> Lee


I'm just a filter snob.


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## Newobsession

Cannisters can also be a plus in planted tanks whereand HOB or sponge filter(air driven) gas off CO2 from the surface agitation.


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## Dienah

Thanks everyone for the suggestions!!

This is actually making my decision making a little difficult now as everyone's opinions are kinda cut down in the middle haha


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## AquaNekoMobile

I have seen canaisters in action before. I've never run one before (I have a Rena XP2 not in use) but I love the HOB for easy extraction of media and cleaning. 

Something I've read and heard before is that if you have a power blackout or power outage for a long time that the beneficial cultures in the canister can die off without water flow to keep them alive. I can't speak from experience with this as I've never powered up or used my canister before. I have however had 2-10+ hr blackouts before and I was able to keep my AC filters going with a battery powered air pump with the air line tube stuck into the AC20 intake thus creating a air lift system so the water filled the AC20 and the overflow went back into the tank thus maintaining the filtering while providing oxygen to the fish and filter media.


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## vinjo

Go with your gut feeling.

I would say 50G is the size where the HOB vs Canister debate gets started. Smaller than 50G for the most part you will likely just use HOB. There's some small canisters out there and they're great, but for the price HOB is where it's at.

Once you're hitting the 35-50G mark Canisters become more viable. I'd still say HOB's are the best choice but at least now canisters make some sense.

Once you go 50G plus, hands down you want canister. While yes the AC110 model is the "omgwtfbbqz!" of HOB models and it's pretty awesome all around.. _most_ experienced aquarists will not use it as the core for their filtration. Most will have canister or some variation of sump for their core and the AC110 or equiv HOB is a secondary (You just can't beat the airation of a HOB waterfall).


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## Carlito

I've tried many different brands of filters over the years and 2 years ago I bought a Marineland C360 canister filter for my 55 gallon tank and I found that it did a great job and easy to clean and replace media.

A few months ago, it started to leak water badly after I had cleaned the media. I tried everything I could think of and I even replaced the o rings and it was still leaking, but not as much... Lucky for me I caught it in time and only lost a few gallons of water and I was also lucky that I have my tank set up in the basement on floor tiles, not carpet!

I have a 3 warranty on the unit and I called Marineland and they said that they were going to send me a new motor head and valve block. Within 7 business days, I received the new parts and to my delight, it hasn't leaked since!


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## qwerty

I'm running eheim 2213's. Before I was running AC 70's.

On the one hand, the AC 70 is by far easier to maintain... Cleaning the eheim is an actual chore that requires a towel to catch a bit of water spill, requires unscrewing and rescrewing hoses, readjusting the spraybar, etc. It's a real nuisance.

The flow rate is also lower on the canister filter, which might be something to consider (but honestly, that's kinda what powerheads are for if it's that important to you).

On the plus side I wouldn't personally go with anything but a canister on a display tank... The equipment is just so versatile that you can really hide things and optimized it for your tank and your needs.

Furthermore the extra canister space becomes really useful if you want to use anything like Boyd's chemipure or peat filtration, etc.

So my personal choice is canister. But if I didn't care about seeing my equipment, or if I wasn't running CO2 injection and didn't plan to use anything fancy like peat filtration, then I would go for a HOB.


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