Canister Filters?

JackoUK · Apr 7, 2007

I have a couple of spare quid and i've been looking seriously into getting a canister filter for my 200L community aquarium. I have read up quite a bit on these recently and have learnt that most people/independant sellers seem to push towards the Eheim as the best. I just thought i'd ask a few questions here first, as I know how wealthy in knowledge you all are......::sucks up:: :shifty:

Firstly, Is it worth me getting a canister for a 200L tank?

Secondly, What will I gain by having one, improvements and so on?

Thirdly, Which have you used and how have you found them?

And lastly, thankgod you say, should I over prepare for litres per hour flow and if I do is it adjustable?

Thankyou in advance :good:

Squid · Apr 7, 2007

Hello,

I guess it partly depends on the filter you have now. I had a juwel internal filter on my RIO180.. i found this filter to be fairly high maintenance, and to be honest, rubbish..

I was advised to get an eheim, so i bought the eheim proffessional II 2026. fantastic bit of kit. Not the cheapest of filters, but great, although i cannot compare it to any other.

What you will gain: My water stays very clear, the stats have been rock solid, and the maintenance is low low low. You can't ask for much more in my opinion. So, my tank being 180l and yours 200l, i would say it is well worth it.

The one i have is for a tank almost twice the size of mine, so i reckon it would be suitable for yours too. If the flow is too high in the tank, there are two options with that filter. The first is to pull back the lever and make the flow less, or drill more holes in the spray bar. I did the latter, as i wanted the increased filtration, but not wanted my plants blown about.

Cheers
Squid

SnBMeg · Apr 7, 2007

Yes, I would definitely say it's worth getting a canister for a 200L.

The biggest advantage that canister filters have is the amount of space they provide for beneficial bacteria. They also tend to be fairly flexible with the types of media that you can choose to put in them, so you can customize them to fit the particular tank's needs.

I've only ever used Fluval, and they have worked quite well for me. I have also heard many, many good things about the Eheim filters, and in all honesty I would use them if it wasn't for the cost. I'd need at least 4 to run all my tanks, and that's a whole lot of money. ^^;;;

In my experience, it's always best to go for as much lph (or gph) as you can (especially if you happen to have "messy" fish), as it will mean that ammonia and nitrites get run through the filter and "fed" to the bacteria faster.

chilledtim · Apr 7, 2007

Ive got an Eheim 2011 (270 Litres/Hour) that ive never used. What size tank would this suit?

JackoUK · Apr 7, 2007

Hello,

I guess it partly depends on the filter you have now. I had a juwel internal filter on my RIO180.. i found this filter to be fairly high maintenance, and to be honest, rubbish..

I was advised to get an eheim, so i bought the eheim proffessional II 2026. fantastic bit of kit. Not the cheapest of filters, but great, although i cannot compare it to any other.

What you will gain: My water stays very clear, the stats have been rock solid, and the maintenance is low low low. You can't ask for much more in my opinion. So, my tank being 180l and yours 200l, i would say it is well worth it.

The one i have is for a tank almost twice the size of mine, so i reckon it would be suitable for yours too. If the flow is too high in the tank, there are two options with that filter. The first is to pull back the lever and make the flow less, or drill more holes in the spray bar. I did the latter, as i wanted the increased filtration, but not wanted my plants blown about.

Cheers
Squid

Firstly thanks for the reply Squid. From your post it definalty seems like a canister would be a good idea. I currently have both a fluval 4+ and a small aquaone internal filter running in my tank, in opposite corners. They do seem to be doing the job although the current is a little strong for my plants at times from the fluval 4+. I like the idea of the many levels of media I can choose because of my low Ph that I may one day like to alter. Thanks again Squid for the info. :good:

Yes, I would definitely say it's worth getting a canister for a 200L.

The biggest advantage that canister filters have is the amount of space they provide for beneficial bacteria. They also tend to be fairly flexible with the types of media that you can choose to put in them, so you can customize them to fit the particular tank's needs.

I've only ever used Fluval, and they have worked quite well for me. I have also heard many, many good things about the Eheim filters, and in all honesty I would use them if it wasn't for the cost. I'd need at least 4 to run all my tanks, and that's a whole lot of money. ^^;;;

In my experience, it's always best to go for as much lph (or gph) as you can (especially if you happen to have "messy" fish), as it will mean that ammonia and nitrites get run through the filter and "fed" to the bacteria faster.

Thanks snBMeg. I have had a good luck at the Fluval range, I was thinking of a 404 if I can't quite find the funding for a Eheim. Also because I would like to get a Sultan Pleco I think the filteration needs upgrading a bit. Thanks again. :good:

pmdf · Apr 7, 2007

I run an Eheim 2217 canister on my 180 litre Tanganyikan, and an Eheim 2213 on my 180 litre community. Both also have Fluval 4+ internals. I'd highly recommend adding a canister to your existing setup. They're very good for biological filtration, and you also get the benefit of being able to add your own choice of filter media... I use peat in in the 2213 on my community tank for example.

Iron Man · Apr 9, 2007

I've run an Eheim 2217 on my 55 gallon for years. Its been virtually silent and trouble-free the whole time. I love the fact that you don't have to change it but every few months. Set it and forget it type deal.

They are not the most tremendous mechanical filters but what they lack in mechanical filtration they MORE than make up in biological filtration and your water parameters stay very stable and the water crystal clear.

rdd1952 · Apr 9, 2007

I can't speak for Eheims but have heard they are the best but a little harder to clean than some other canisters. I have 2 Fluval 304s (has been chnged to 305 now) on my 75 gallon tank and they work great. They are dead silent and also a snap to clean which I do about every 3 months.

andywg · Apr 10, 2007

Many people (on this forum and others) have had catastrophic failures with Fluval cannisters where after two years the seal fails and dumps all the tank water on your floor.

It is so bad that my lfs refuses to stock fluval as they are just so poor. I have had it happen with two, CFC has experienced it and I am fairly sure Paul_MTS and Wolfy are in the same boat.

Fluval are cheap for a reason. Assuming you will be in the hobby for 5 years, you will save money with the Eheim. Many people on another forum have Eheims that are over 10 and approaching 20 years old that still work perfectly. Think how many fluvals you would have to buy in that time period...

Maximumbob · Apr 10, 2007

I have a Rio 180 tank and have recently installed a Eheim 2324 thermofilter. I have found the workmanship to be excellent.

Best thing about it is that I get to get rid of the horrible black box in the corner of my tank. When it goes.. all that will be left is the spraybar and intake, CO2 diffuser, and pH monitor. All easily hidden/unobtrusive.

Another big difference I have noticed is the noise. The Eheims are near silent. Currently my ceramic CO2 diffuser is louder than the Eheim - it does need a clean though !!

So what did i gain.. more space in my fishtank, i lost an eyesore, and my filtration and thermoregulation are steady as a rock. I can even customise my filtration media if required - currently sitting with subrate Pro and mech.

External filters are also useful if you need to transfer the fish for any reason... tank leak, aquascape etc -

As regards ease of cleaning.. this eheim comes with baskets for the filter media, and built in off switch in the hose connector, which is detachable from the rest of the unit. Cleaning should be a lot easier.. although I dont anticipate needing to clean it for a while.