Filter Broke: My Fish Will Die. NEED A GOOD FILTER ASAP.

[cooledwhip]

My Rena Filstar XP3 has been whacky ever since I got it and it has always had problems. There's a long explanation of why it doesn't work and why it has been funky but I'll just skip to the part why I posted here. It's broken now and I need a new filter asap. I have a huge stock in the tank and I can't afford starting over. I just did a water change today so I think they are good without a filter for a day or so right??

I have all the sponges still in the rena, it's hooked up it just doesn't flow the water. I need a good filter ASAP. The tank size is 50 gallons. I can't order one online so this will have to be at a petsmart/petco. Any really good filters for a 50 gallon on petsmart/petco? Canister filter please. Money isn't a problem, just no more than like $200 and it's fine. I'm so furious with rena, it's not my filter it's a fault with their product. I'm going to get my money back, but for now I need a new filter.


IF YOU WANTED TO SKIP ALL THAT^

I NEED A NEW CANISTER FILTER FOR A 50 GALLON IMMEDIATLEY. IT HAS TO BE AT PETSMART/PETCO BECAUSE I HAVE LOTS OF FISH STOCK IN THE TANK. I CAN'T WAIT TO HAVE ONE SHIPPED. THANK

 

[cooledwhip]

I have an eheim 2217 that has not been setup, I don't know if I should use that or not.

 

[cooledwhip]

Can't use the eheim. The sponges are different and I will need to reuse the sponges so there is media on the new filter.

 

[cooledwhip]

I think I will go with this filter. Fluval 406

http://www.petsmart.com/fish/filter...d36-16927/cat-36-catid-300019?var_id=36-16927

 

[Ch4rlie]

Fluval 406 is a good filter as have heard good reviews about this.

I myself have had two different fluval filter and to be fair, no complaints about them at all other than they can be a bit bulky but build qulaity is good as well as media access usually second to none.

Reckon you can't go wrong with a good Fluval filter, decent choice.

 

[cooledwhip]

I'll purchase one then. How long can the fish go without a filter?

 

[Ch4rlie]

hmm, would not leave the tank without a filter for much more than 24 - 48 hours max, but perhaps if you have a small powerhead or something to create flow and keep the filter media in the tank, that might make it a bit better short term.

 

[**sarahp**]

I've had both my Rena XP4 and XP3 die on me in the last 3 weeks

I've replaced them with JBL e901s - whisper quiet in comparison to the Renas - hadn't realised how noisy the Renas were 'til I couldn't hear them any more!

 

[Ch4rlie]

Sounds like Rena filters are not all that good

 

[**sarahp**]

To be fair both mine were 8+ yrs old and I do have a common pleco who has an annoying habit of swirling sand up right underneath the filter intake Every time I cleaned them out I would find LOTS of sand in the bottom so some would be bound to get in the impeller which is probably not all that great for any filter.

Alan (the common) has no idea just how lucky he is that I like him

 

[Ch4rlie]

Thats pretty good going 8+ years then, sorry, i assumed it was a fairly new filter when it broke down on you, just like cooledwhip's rena filter.

Love that story about your pleco

 

[**sarahp**]

No need to apologise, I didn't make it clear how old they were so my bad!

Alan can be a right annoying git (sand in the filters, uprooting plants, pooping everywhere), but I love him

 

[Ch4rlie]

We all have a character fish in our tanks we can't do without

I must admit that one of my whiptail catfish very rarely ventures out of his wood cave during the day and it frustrates me that i do not get to see him much at all. Yet my GF, when she's home while I am at works reports, he's out of the cave and quite happily going about his business in the tank and yet when I get home, he hides yets again.....but honestly, when I do see him, particularly during water changes, he peeks out and I get to see him, its great. Would not change a thing truth be told and he will always be one of my main habitants as long as I have fish tanks. Same goes for my male endlers, daft as a brush but reckon will always have a small group of them, I just like them for no particular reason

 

[cooledwhip]

I actually messaged them requesting my $200 back. This is completely unfair. It was a design flaw with their filter, almost as if the filter impeller wasn't reaching the water, you could hear some kind of churning.

 

[Ch4rlie]

Sounds unusual that there was no water in the impellar housing in the filter.

Is this a self priming filter or one of those you have to prime in various ways?