Need Help Selecting A Canister Filter

[RainboWBacoN420]

Heya,
 
I'm not too familiar with canister filters, never worked with them or even had the chance to touch one at all. I mean I know they're great filters with the amount of space they provide for filter media and all the different stages of filtration. But which is the best to choose from? I'm looking at Fluval, Marineland and Eheim. And so far, Eheim is taking the cake. I hear a lot of great things about Eheim's products, especially since I'm super happy with their heater I bought a while ago. Let me just this, Eheim's heater in pin point accurate, super excellent, I highly recommend it. Anyways, I've been looking at canister filters for a while now, I really want to switch out the HOB Aqueon filter I'm using for my 55 gallon. I like the HOB filter by Aqueon, it's a great filter, but I'm looking for something a little more effective. The filter pads get gunky really fast and water begins to travel over the pads. Making filtration not only less effective, but also more noisy... (I can't sleep at night!). I already have a ton of ceramic media and filter pads with a bunch of yummy, nitrifying bacteria seeded all over, it would be very easy to transfer all of it over. 
 
So I'd like to hear from some you canister users, what filter are you using or have used and how good would you say it is?
 

 

[Akasha72]

I have two JBL crystalprofi external canister filters running on my 4ft and I'm totally in love with them. They are virtually silent, use only 13 watts of power each, are simple to maintain and all in all great all round. I wouldn't use anything else now
 
https/www.jbl.de/?lang=en&mod=products&func=detail&id=4347

 

[RainboWBacoN420]

Thank you for your recommendation, Akasha! But unfortunately, I don't think I can order from their site, or amazon.com and there's no retailers in my area. I was comparing to Eheim's and I would definitely choose JBL's canister over theirs... if I could. Darn. 

 

[Byron]

I have no experience of JBL, but I have had Eheim canisters for 20 years, and Rena (which is now API) Filstar XP3 for six years.  I bought the Rena because no one locally then carried Eheim, and when it comes to equipment I prefer purchasing it locally so I can easily return it if there are issues.  And Rena had what I would call a "second" to Eheim in online reports, so I went with it.
 
Eheim has the track record that so far no one else (thinking of comparable filters) has matched, simply because Eheim has been around for decades.  My two Eheims have been running since I bought them in 1996 and 1998 with never an issue of any sort.  My Rena has been running for 6 years and no issues, but as one experienced aquarist said to me, we won't know until Rena has been around for 20 years if they are as good.  But from the filtering aspect, I have no issues.  I do find all the pads in the Rena a real pain to rinse out though.  There are four permanent pads plus one white pad, whereas my Eheim have one permanent and one white.  I always discard the white when cleaning a filter, as it is so loaded with gunk that to get it somewhat clean basically pulls it so out of shape it no longer does the job.  But rinsing the Rena pads takes forever, which I suppose is a sign the filter is doing its job.  I have found that cleaning it every month, compared to every 3-4 months for my Eheims, makes this a bit easier.  More than once the Rena flow has noticeably lessened due to the clogging of the pads, so this is something to consider.
 
One of my Eheims has a heating coil built in, eliminating the need for tank heaters, and this is a feature I certainly love.  This tank has never varied from the set temperature more than 2 or 3 decimal points, say 24.9 to 25.2 when set on 25C.  All the tank water is coming into contact with the heating coils as it passes through the filter, and this is something difficult to achieve with in-tank heaters.
 
Byron.

 

[Blobfish]

I've had a few Fluval filters and they've been fine, worked well and given me no problems. 

 

[RainboWBacoN420]

 Yeah, I'm leaning more towards Eheim, I think they're very reliable. Thanks for your inputs!

 

[Hunterprey]

Never tried Eheim but also heard good things about them.

Fluval FX5 or FX6 is my favourite, very quiet & powerful. I also tried Fluval 406 it worked fine in my 75gallon BUT when I transfered it to my 40 it won't prime... So won't recommend that one.

Rena or Api Fi!star is a good filter as well. Quiet and easiest filter for me to clean.
IMO canister filter is the way to go. Good Luck!

 

[jag51186]

I have a Fluval 406 on my big tank, and it works very well. The primer doesn't work the best at times, but otherwise I love the filter. I also have an Eheim on my 17 gallon tank, but it's only been running a couple weeks...so far it's flawless though ;D

 

[NickAu]

I have 3 Biopro Aquarium External Canister Filters.
 
This one on my 2 foot Betta tank.
http/www.ebay.com.au/itm/Biopro-Aquarium-External-Canister-Fish-Tank-Water-Filter-800-LPH-Aqua-Sponge/221571094823?_trksid=p2045573.c100034.m2102&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20140410092834%26meid%3D35ab2f24e846484ab2b90be7b207be74%26pid%3D100034%26rk%3D5%26rkt%3D8%26sd%3D201010191699
 
and
2 of these on the 6 foot 100 gallon.
http/www.ebay.com.au/itm/Biopro-Aquarium-External-Canister-Fish-7W-UV-Tank-Water-Filter-1200-LPH-Media/201040456424?_trksid=p2045573.c100034.m2102&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20140410092834%26meid%3Dd5e07c2be18942f59ff634add9f18e8b%26pid%3D100034%26rk%3D4%26rkt%3D8%26sd%3D201010191699
 
They are quiet and easy to maintain.
 
I also use BioHome media instead of the stuff supplied with the filters.
http/www.ebay.com.au/itm/Biohome-ULTIMATE-Biological-Filter-Media-1kg-Fresh-Water-or-Marine-Aquarium-/231847879927?hash=item35fb35e4f7:g:br0AAOSwcu5UOlFp

 

[Far_King]

To be fair, I don't think you'll go far wrong with a top brand of filter, either Eheim or Fluval.
 
I was put off Fluval simply because I didn't like the pipework.  I have an Eheim pro 3 and it's an exceptional filter.  My only complaint was not enough hosing supplied so I had to purchase some more as Eheim recommend the inlet and outlet are both at the same place in the tank and I wanted mine opposite ends and I also had to plumb in a UV and a Hydor external heater.  You may not encounter the same issue and the hose supplied may suffice.
 
I also have a couple of Aquamanta filters (200 and 1200) which aren't bad at all (1200 is very impressive) but I doubt you'll be able to get them in the states.

 

[Akasha72]

I would agree. If I couldn't have got the JBL's I would have gone with Eheim and Fluval would have been my 3rd choice.
 
When I got my Rio 240 (second hand) it came with an All Pond Solutions external and I hated it on first sight. It was bulky and far too heavy when full of water. I cleaned it up and sold it on

 

[Gvilleguy]

I owned a Fluval 205 that ran for about a year and a half and developed a leak from the lid that I could not fix (replacing gasket, etc.). So I bought a Fluval 206, and it ran for over a year, and developed the exact same problem. I kept the gaskets lubed properly, and tried replacing them, but nothing fixed it. So I am not a Fluval fan.
 
Almost a year ago I bought a Marineland C220 canister. I cannot comment on reliability yet, but the design of the media trays is really, really good. The media baskets have rubber gaskets that create a vertical "tube" that practically eliminate any bypass of the water and force it all through the trays. I would consider Marineland in addition to Eheim. 

 

[Lunar Jetman]

I have two JBL crystalprofi external canister filters running on my 4ft and I'm totally in love with them. They are virtually silent, use only 13 watts of power each, are simple to maintain and all in all great all round. I wouldn't use anything else now
 
https/www.jbl.de/?lang=en&mod=products&func=detail&id=4347

Two 901s rather than one 1901? I've been looking at the 1901 for my 4ft tank to replace an old Rena XP3 so would be interested in your thoughts on the JBLs.

 

[Akasha72]

 

I have two JBL crystalprofi external canister filters running on my 4ft and I'm totally in love with them. They are virtually silent, use only 13 watts of power each, are simple to maintain and all in all great all round. I wouldn't use anything else now
 
https/www.jbl.de/?lang=en&mod=products&func=detail&id=4347

Two 901s rather than one 1901? I've been looking at the 1901 for my 4ft tank to replace an old Rena XP3 so would be interested in your thoughts on the JBLs.
 

 
 
Hi, I had a Rio 180 before the Rio 240 and just had one e901 on it but I was getting that horrible greasy film in the opposite corner to the filter and so I tried added a small internal in that corner and the film cleared up so I decided to get a 2nd external and bought a e700 from ebay. When I got my 240 I just moved the filters over but the e700 started to make a horrible noise and so I decided just over a year ago to replace it with another e901 - hence the two.
 
I actually find it works really well as I can alternate filter maintenance so if I do go a bit mad and over clean the other filter picks up the slack for a few days. I am a little over-stocked aswell so having two filters helps there too.
 
As for my thoughts on these filters - well I don't think you could go far wrong with them. They are a fantastic build, and the quality and safety features are top notch. They are easy to maintain, use very little power and you get a 4 year warranty! 
They are also super quiet - I've slept within 2ft of them and the gentle hum sent me to sleep rather than keeping me awake. As for any faults - well, there's been the odd time that I've struggled to get one started after cleaning but that I cured by moving the intake up a little. I also find the pipes clog up but I am using a dechlorinator that contains Aloe Vera and I think that might be why so I'll be buying without Aloe when this bottle is used up.
 
The thing I like about JBL is that they are a company that are always looking at ways to improve things so even though their filters are great now, if they find a way to improve them they will. 
When I got my first e901 it came with a rubber seal. It was fiddly and annoying. They then found a way of re-modeling the distribution plate that allowed for the rubber seal to be no longer needed and so my newer e901 came with the new style plate and no rubber seal. They also sell the new style distribution plate for about £3.50 so you can convert an older style filter for just a few quid. Both my e901's now run with the new plate so no fiddling with rubber seals - love it  

 

[RainboWBacoN420]

Thank you for your inputs!
I think I'm going to go with the Eheim: Classis 600. I was able to find it at my job yesterday, and I can get it for a pretty sweet discount. It come with an attachable spray bar, which sounds pretty cool with me. How reliable are these spray bars? Is there any chance that they can leak or eventually become loose and cause problems? In all the reviews I've read I haven't heard any problems regarding the spray bar (as of yet). But I just want to make sure that the product I'm investing in is sound and solid.
One thing I'd like to know, should I transfer all of the filter media in my HOB to the canister at once or should I leave both filters running just in case the canister fails to run at some point? I have read some reviews of their canister dying after a few days or weeks. Possibly due to faulty wiring? I don't know.