Recommendation for canister filter

[Crystal90]

My eheim 2213 is over 10 years old and the motor can't seem to keep up anymore. Can anyone recommend a good alternative. I have a 40g tank. Fish: 1 angel, assorted scissor tails and corys. I would prefer a canister type. Thanks.

 

[anewbie]

Fluval 307 or 407. They are simple over priced but reliable and fluval is excellent for warranty support (at least in usa).

 

[Rusty_Shackleford]

Fluval 307 or 407. They are simple over priced but reliable and fluval is excellent for warranty support (at least in usa).

I was going to buy a 207, till I purchased the superior Aquael Ultramax 1000.
Way way way more room for media, plus you don't have to spend another $25 for a spray bar because it's included.

 

[anewbie]

I was going to buy a 207, till I purchased the superior Aquael Ultramax 1000.
Way way way more room for media, plus you don't have to spend another $25 for a spray bar because it's included.

Well until i use the ultramax for 5 years and determine it has no issues i'm not sure i would rate it superior. It does have more media but any canister filter that leaks or clogs won't be superior. The spray bar - i would have to double check but i think mine came with a spray bar or maybe i purchased it as an extra - hum - i did purchase it as an extra but it was only $13.95 but i suppose it was pre tariff.

I'm not claiming the ultramax is better or worse but wiill state that you have only owned it for a few days and not gone through the cycle of longevity. There are things that sometime don't work out so well - bad type of plastic that goes brittle - seals that don't hold and a million other things. So i would use a bit - at least a year before being able to make strong authorative statements. It isn't a question of you being right or wrong just not having enough actual usage time to make a determination.

In fact one thing i absolutely hate about the eheim 2217 is they use crappy plastic for suction cups and elbow on spray bar - both become very hard and brittle after a few years.

 

[Crystal90]

Well until i use the ultramax for 5 years and determine it has no issues i'm not sure i would rate it superior. It does have more media but any canister filter that leaks or clogs won't be superior. The spray bar - i would have to double check but i think mine came with a spray bar or maybe i purchased it as an extra - hum - i did purchase it as an extra but it was only $13.95 but i suppose it was pre tariff.

I'm not claiming the ultramax is better or worse but wiill state that you have only owned it for a few days and not gone through the cycle of longevity. There are things that sometime don't work out so well - bad type of plastic that goes brittle - seals that don't hold and a million other things. So i would use a bit - at least a year before being able to make strong authorative statements. It isn't a question of you being right or wrong just not having enough actual usage time to make a determination.

In fact one thing i absolutely hate about the eheim 2217 is they use crappy plastic for suction cups and elbow on spray bar - both become very hard and brittle after a few years.

I've repurposed some suction cups from other hob filters and used them for the spray bar. I thought it was just the hard water in my area. I did see some people complaining that the fluval plastic breaks above the seal gasket so I've been hesitant.

 

[Rusty_Shackleford]

Well until i use the ultramax for 5 years and determine it has no issues i'm not sure i would rate it superior. It does have more media but any canister filter that leaks or clogs won't be superior. The spray bar - i would have to double check but i think mine came with a spray bar or maybe i purchased it as an extra - hum - i did purchase it as an extra but it was only $13.95 but i suppose it was pre tariff.

I'm not claiming the ultramax is better or worse but wiill state that you have only owned it for a few days and not gone through the cycle of longevity. There are things that sometime don't work out so well - bad type of plastic that goes brittle - seals that don't hold and a million other things. So i would use a bit - at least a year before being able to make strong authorative statements. It isn't a question of you being right or wrong just not having enough actual usage time to make a determination.

In fact one thing i absolutely hate about the eheim 2217 is they use crappy plastic for suction cups and elbow on spray bar - both become very hard and brittle after a few years.

Agreed. And yes good suction cups are hard to find.

 

[Uberhoust]

I have a Fluval 407 for a couple of years now. More than enough room for media, and it simply works. Purchased fluval simply because it was the most available in the area I live in and parts are easy to get. I have a spray bar but prefer now to just use the main nozzle.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

I wish I could help but the only canister brand I have used is Eheim, specifically, the Pro II 2026. My oldest one is over 20 years in continuous use. It spent the first 10 years one my high tech planted tanks and U used it to diffuse the pressurized CO2. This was my plant from the stayt and I felt no other brand could withstand the rigors of pushing gas bubbles through it. I used to have 3 rinning but I ma downsizing tank numbers and one canister got retired.

I learned a very long time ago that when it comes to choosing equipment that, "In the long run, the cheapest solutions is usually the one which costs the most up front."

Agter Eheim discontinued the Pro II line I managed to find on Ebay two NIB ones. I bought them both. One was another 2026 but the other was the bigger model 2028. Circumstances changed and I have that 2028 on the shelf today. It is still NIB as I never put it into use.

 

[Magnum Man]

and to offer another point of view...

I eventually crossed over to that train of thought, with chain saws, and bought a stihl brand saw, previously, I was buying a cheap store brand, and whenever anything went wrong, I just went in and bought another, for a fraction of the price... eventually I was swayed, and bought the better unit... 10 years later, I'm not entirely sure that was best, as things wear out now, they have to get fixed, which costs good money and time down, that I didn't have with just replacing the cheap store brands...

next, is the problem, that most brands of anything being manufactured today, are only shells of the item most companies had built their reputations on... I honestly think no filter made today, is going to last 20 years, and after being out of the hobby for 30 years, I learned that fact, with marineland, and aquaclear, I bought several new, and all I got was junk...

that said, while build quality is down, innovation is up on newly made items... but I think the bean counters rule, and planned obsolecence, is more important than long service life at least for most companies... this seems to be true from clothes washers to aquarium filters...

I have now bought 2 of these units... the 1st has been running for a year now, with no issues, but in the last year, my newest purchase a month ago is "new and improved" with even more features, of which we'll likely pay for with a shorter service life... anyway, these are feature packed , and dirt cheap...

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0FRSBKP5S?tag=ff0d01-20

 

[TwoTankAmin]

My bet is that filter, once filled with concrete, will make a great anchor for a small boat.

 

[anewbie]

My bet is that filter, once filled with concrete, will make a great anchor for a small boat.

Depends on if the chain is connected to the filter or the concrete. If the filter my bet is a block of concrete will be left on the bottom while the boat floats away.