# canister filter



## FireWolf (Jul 8, 2013)

Good day all

just looking for some insight here given that I have no knowledge on canister filters.....

I always have had regular hang on filters for my tanks and recently been reading in forums (here as well) and from talking with some of the reps at Big Als that for tanks over 55Gallons is better to have a Canister filter given that they would work better than the hang on back ones....

As I mentioned before, I do not have much knowledge on Canister....aside from knowing the basics of how it would work (water in one side out the other hahahaha) 

currently I have a 75 Gallon tank set up, a few live plants in it (no fake at all) driftwood and is a freshwater set up. got quiet a few fish in it (about 50 or so)

so here are my questions:

is it really a big difference on the filter to have a canister vs the HOB? (aside from the maintenance between the 2 which I hear is less on canister)

which would be a good size canister to use for a 75 gallon tank?

the rep at Big Als recommended Eheim Classics (said was better than the Eheim Pro), when asked compared to the Marineland he said that the Eheim was much better....

now I have read in threads here that the Marineland are good, some say that the Eheim are good, but it all comes down to what people use. so I am looking for more information or if I should stick to HOB? 

I been looking for some online and thought that the Eheim 2217 sounds good 
also looked at Marineland c360 and c530

if anyone has some insight or suggestions for me to look into would be appreciated. 

thanks
Edin


----------



## pyrrolin (Jan 11, 2012)

Better water movement with a canister filter I find.

I have a rena xp 3 and an old ehiem canister filter.

The ehiem I have heard is a good dependable filter but I personally don't like it. The media is all in the same area and I believe they only one with the long spray output. I have only cleaned this once so far when I first got it and dreading doing it.

The rena xp3 I have is great, choices for output, spray bar, power nozzle. Also the media is divided up into 3 trays. I find it very easy to do maintenance on the rena.

Like HOB filters, go higher than you need. For example, the rena xp2 is rated for up to 75 gallons and the xp 3 is rated for up to 175. For your 75 I would recommend the xp3. Price difference is very little so go with the bigger one. Whenever I am able to get a 180 gallon I will be buying a rena xp4 to go with it, which I believe is rated for up to 250 gallons.

I am not sure what other filters have separate trays or compartments for different media or the ones with different output options besides Rena filters.


----------



## FireWolf (Jul 8, 2013)

is it better to have 1 or 2 canisters in one tank? or does it depend on individual preference?


----------



## Y2KGT (Jul 20, 2009)

I have 2 Rena XP3 filters on all my tanks. I highly recommend them for the reasons mentioned above.

And you can get them used for about $100-$120 each with full media.
--
Paul


----------



## Zebrapl3co (Mar 29, 2006)

I have ehiem classic and the pro2 and pro3. I also have a rena3 as well. I'd say stick with the classic. All of them have their flaws. The old classic (made in Germany) ones are the best. The new classic (made in China) uses really cheap plastic. They are extremely thin tend to crack more easily. There is a trick to priming the classic, which takes a bit of learning. The pro2 and pro3 are so-so in that it's not as well designed. It heavily dependent on the o-ring as it tend to leak when the o-ring gets old. But the pros are easier to use and prim as compare to the classic.
As for the rena, it's heavily reliant on the o-ring as well and not just one but 2 o-ring. Motor is noisy, and aren't as well designed as the eheim. So they tend to break down or needs parts replacement over time. They have really awesome silicon hose though. Very easy to prime. But the one I got stall very often after 2 years of use. It sitting in a corner collecting dust now.

You'll find that they are very quite compare to your hang on. No more splashing. But you do need to give some though into surface air exchange. If your tank is heavily planted, the plants might suck up all the O2 at night, hence suffocate your fish. Especially if you have floater plants.

*Never pay again for live sex! | Hot girls doing naughty stuff for free! | Chat for free!*


----------



## FireWolf (Jul 8, 2013)

I have been checking Big Als and they seem to have some good discounts on their filters, for example. The rena xp3 is going for $110, xp4 $180. the marineland c530 for $195, eheim classic 2217 for $140.... Seems that either BA wants more sales or just a promotion hahaha

Would there be a difference in what comes from a box new one compared with a used one? If for example the used ad would state "all media"? Any media not included in new ones?

My tank is not heavily planted (a bit of a plus currently) and got 3 air bubble items inside (I think that would be enough) to keep air in the tank....

I will be checking on youtube later today videos to see the noise level that the canisters have, since it seems so do have somewhat of a noisy engine....

What I am also looking at is one that won't really need any sudden maintenance like an O-ring snapping and having a leakage.

I wonder if the classic eheim at BA are more of the plastic type or older "metal" type?

Hey ZebraPl3co... Have you bought parts for the one that stalled? I am wondering if they tend to be expensive on the long run....

Or any media replacements for that matter as well....


Currently the 5 that are calling my attention from what I read here so far, the forums and online sites are the:

Rena Xp3 or xp4
Eheim classic 2217
Marineland C360 or C530

Still got more reading to do, but those are the ones I'm currently considering...


Thanks all for the info being provided


----------



## colio (Dec 8, 2012)

I feel like I should keep quite because I have little direct experience with Canisters, but I've been reading a lot on the topic. The consensus seems to be that Ehiem's are the best quality and most reliable over the long run, while Rena's are easier to clean. 

i got a used 2217, and priming was a real pain (I swallowed some fish water, and a couple days later was... ummm. making a few extra pit stops!) but the 2217 is a good filter and will give very good filtration for your tank. I don't see agitation as much of an issue, as the spry bar puts out water at a pretty fast rate. I actually pulled the cap off the end of the spry bar to lessen the output current. 

The 2217 is completely silent as best I can tell (I still have a HOB running while the 2217 cycles up, and the HOB makes a good bit of splash). 


So for what it is worth, I have a 2217 on a 65 tall, and am very happy with it.


----------



## FireWolf (Jul 8, 2013)

Hey Colio --- all feedback is appreciated even from someone new with canisters as well  thanks


sorry everyone, when I saw prices before seems I was on the USA site of Big Als on my cell and not the Canadian site


----------



## pyrrolin (Jan 11, 2012)

MOPS has rena xp 3 for just under 150


----------



## df001 (Nov 13, 2007)

I have 2 2217's running on my 65g, and it is perfect, I clean them alternating months, they have more than ample biological filtration, and
because of the two spray bars even though its heavily planted i get great flow.

the eheims are easy to prime using the shut-off disconnect valves, they are an added cost but well worth it!! the shut-offs keep the supply and return line full while the filter is removed for servicing, then connect the in-take line to the filter, open the shut-off on the intake lines, and slowly open the shut-off on the output side of the filter, to bleed the air out. once the air is gone, close the shut-off -re-connect the line and open the shut-offs then power up and you're back in business easy as 1-2-3.

Also I swear by the upgraded intake/spraybars, they sit nicer than the bent tubing, because they are sectional, they can be adjusted to suit your tank needs, (spare parts can be ordererd) and you can have each segment of the spray bar point in a different direction. (they're also easier to clean imho because they are segmented.

All that said I've never used the rena, so I dont have a comparison. I know many people who do use them and are happy with them but i'm so happy with my eheim filters that it would take A LOT to make me want to buy anything else.


----------



## Zebrapl3co (Mar 29, 2006)

For the rena parts, you can get them from:
http://www.planetrenadirect.com/category/planetrena.parts.rena_filstar_xp_parts/

As it may be a bit evident, I used to be a **cough**rena**cough**fanboy**cough** 

For the eheim, you'll have to search around. But eheim parts are never cheap.

Just a note on buying new. If the eheim you are going to buy comes with media, its worth every penny. I would never buy one without media. I toss out the floss and use the rest. Their media will last a life time. You might need to replace the blue plastic sponge filter 5 years down the road.

As for the rena, it doesn't come with any hard media. Just 4 or 6 sponge (depending on which model). If you want hard media, that's an add on. So if it looks like the rena is cheaper, it's not really cheaper. If you add all the hard media and look at the cost, it's actually at par with the Eheim. Also, sponge decompose over time. 5 years down the road, you'll need to replace all of them.

Also, stay away from the 2227 or 2229, these are the Eheim wet/dry models. I tried to solve my aeration/surface agitation issue with this one. There is a huge design flaw (in my opinion), they are prom to leak.

*Never pay again for live sex! | Hot girls doing naughty stuff for free! | Chat for free!*


----------



## Lee_D (Jun 11, 2010)

I have two Rena M's (two baskets) on a 75g tank. They are working fine for me but I had issues when installing them. The priming caps leak bleeding air into the flow causing tiny bubbles throughout the tank. I installed an L (three baskets) this weekend on a 120g tank and its the last Rena I will ever buy. This redesign is crap!

The manual says the inlet should be 4 inches above the gravel, but they only supply enough fittings that the inlet is barely 4 inches below the water level. 

The spray bar is gone, gotta build my own.

There isn't enough hard plastic tubing to attach the suction cups. I can only hang it loose over the edge of the glass.

They must have realized the caps were an issue but instead of getting better caps, they ground down the plastic the cap is supposed to seal on. The result is the plastic is rougher, and seal worse.

The new fitting are incompatible with the ones from the older Rena's. Can't mix and match.

The main body hasn't changed much from the older style. That's about the only good thing I can say about it. I'd still buy the M as I think they are targeting that price range, but anything larger and I'd have to start looking at another manufacturer.

By the way, I now have 7 old style Rena's and 3 new style Rena's to judge from.

Lee


----------



## pyrrolin (Jan 11, 2012)

Mine came with lots of little 3 inch adapters to make the intake tube longer, it almost touches the bottom of my 90 gallon. I had no problem priming mine, even came with a little funnel to make it easier.

It came with sponges, filter floss type and bio media, the bio media is star shaped and I think it came with carbon media.

I have since added dollar store plastic pot scrubbers for extra bio media and I rarely use carbon which I have a large container and refillable pouches for.

The sponges can last years if cared for, the bio media lasts for years and you can add more dirt cheap. You can get many months out of the final floss type media or just buy floss at a craft store.

You can see any buildup in the tubes easily.

I love my rena xp 3. I just cleaned it last night, easy as usual. Then I cleaned a eheim 2217 and it was not fun to do that one.


----------



## FireWolf (Jul 8, 2013)

Thanks for all the info being shared  its really helpful in making a decision. 

do the filters come with a plastic hose? or is it a pvc type of hose? I am wondering because I might make a connection so that when the water returns to the tank it runs from a single hose up to the tank and in the tank it splits in a T and from there have a 2 drilled PVC pipes extend the length of the tank and drill them so that water gets spread across evenly... anyone tried that before? any ideas how good it might work?

my tank is about 4 feet long so might get a T and a pipe for each side about 1 1/2 feet long on each side of the T.

thanks


----------



## Zebrapl3co (Mar 29, 2006)

pyrrolin said:


> ...I love my rena xp 3. I just cleaned it last night, easy as usual. Then I cleaned a eheim 2217 and it was not fun to do that one.


Yeah, I forgot about this. That one, I give to rena, it's much easier to service than the Eheim.



FireWolf said:


> Thanks for all the info being shared  its really helpful in making a decision.
> 
> do the filters come with a plastic hose? or is it a pvc type of hose? I am wondering because I might make a connection so that when the water returns to the tank it runs from a single hose up to the tank and in the tank it splits in a T and from there have a 2 drilled PVC pipes extend the length of the tank and drill them so that water gets spread across evenly... anyone tried that before? any ideas how good it might work?
> 
> ...


Well, if you bought a filter that is rated for a much bigger tank. The current from the filter itself should be enough to create a current to push the clean water through out the tank. You don't really need to create a T connection. The rena does come with a spray bar, but it's not my thing. I don't like the splashing.

*Never pay again for live sex! | Hot girls doing naughty stuff for free! | Chat for free!*


----------



## Lee_D (Jun 11, 2010)

Pyrrolin is talking about the Rena 3. I agree, it's a great filter. It's also been discontinued. It's been replaced by the Rena L, which doesn't have all the parts described. Instead of the tray with all the little attchments it now has a zip lock bag with an inlet, an outlet, and a few stars.

Lee


----------



## df001 (Nov 13, 2007)

FireWolf said:


> Thanks for all the info being shared  its really helpful in making a decision.
> 
> do the filters come with a plastic hose? or is it a pvc type of hose? I am wondering because I might make a connection so that when the water returns to the tank it runs from a single hose up to the tank and in the tank it splits in a T and from there have a 2 drilled PVC pipes extend the length of the tank and drill them so that water gets spread across evenly... anyone tried that before? any ideas how good it might work?
> 
> ...


IIRC new eheims come with tubing, the simple spraybar/intake (green) and the media.

I've seen people do custom spraybars, across the back of the tank, and it works for them. just remember the more/larger the holes in the spray bar, the less pressure the water will jet out with which may be an issue for you, ie if you dont want it to splash hard, drill the holes bigger.

Also to keep the water flow consistent across the spray bar, you might want to T it off behind the tank, and feed both ends of the spray bar from the supply line.

As I have dual canisters on my 65, i have a spray bar on each side of the back, but when I run one canister I put it on the side and have it blow water the length of the tank with the return below the spray bar it keeps the water moving nicely.


----------



## FireWolf (Jul 8, 2013)

I will most likely be keeping only one canister on my 75 gal, and well, got 2 pumps (one on each side of the tank) to circulate the water. I am thinking that depending on the strength of the water being sent by the filter I might just need one and move the second one to my other tank....

I got suggested from a friend that a pond filter would be good too given that they have UV lights and price wise would be cheaper than an Aquarium filter....

any thoughts on that? or anyone uses that method?

what about pumps with UV lights? any benefits?


----------

