Equipment Review and Discussion :: Best canister filter?

[Ashley]

What would be considered the best canister filter?

Rena XP4
Fluval 405
Other???


We're looking at getting the best for our 55 gallon tank, one that will last for years and work well in a 100 gallon tank that we will one day need.

[steve]

I'm personally not a fan of the Fluval 04 and the similar 05 series and the Fluval FX5 might be a bit much in the 55 gallon. So, I think the XP3 or a similar Eheim filter might be a good fit.

[VeipaCray]

Hands down my pick for the best is the Eheim Pro III 2180 Thermo. It's very quiet, very power efficient, has a built in 500W heater, and is widely regarded as THE canister filter. The downside.... on sale it's $400 and takes about $150 in media to fill it.

If you want brute force.. the FX5 is your filter. The problem with the FX5 and a 55 gallon tank is the size. The FX5 will not fit under a 55 gal tank in a regular aquarium stand. You can adjust the valves to dial down the flow for a 55 gal tank. This beast is rated for up to 400Gallon tanks. It's available from ebay stores for $190-200. I chose this for my filter for two reasons. 1. Bang for the Buck. It's half the price of the Eheim, almost as quiet, and takes a TON of media. 2. Scale.. no matter how much my turtle grows, this should be the last and only filter I have to buy.

The Rena XP4 is an excellent filter. You can't go wrong with a Rena filter. They are simple, easy, and available everywhere. They aren't as quiet as the Eheim or the Fluval 05 but they do a great job filtering. They also have an optional connection kit for the Rena smart heater. The smart heater has a intake strainer at the bottom and a hole through the middle of the heater. You can remove the intake tube from the XP3 or XP4 and use the smart heater as the intake. This makes your tank look a bit more clean...it appears that you have one less gadget in the tank. Very cool feature.

The Fluval 05 series. While Steve doesn't like these... I don't mind them. I used to use a 305 when my turtle was a hatchling. That 305 is now on my wife's cichlid tank. It's a quiet reliable filter. It's not as cheap as the Xp3, but the 05 series is more quiet than the Rena filters. My wife's cichlid tank is in our master bedroom... it was either an 05 or an ehiem for noise. The 05 won out on price.

The fluval 04 series - leaky and they clog up with sludge really easily. I can't count the number of floods in my last house with a fluval 204.

The fluval 03 - forget it... no quick connection valves, no sponges for mechanical filtration. You can use filter floss...but be prepared to take this canister apart often.

Marineland magnum 350 - my vote for the worst canister on the planet. When you go to clean them, the gush more water than Niagra falls, they are loud and cranky, they are impossible to start at best, and they have a media chamber the size of a humming bird's stomach. I have a propane flame stick... attaches to a liquid propane tank (gas grill) and is used to melt ice or remove paint from concrete. I will soon post a video of me melting my 15 year old magnum 350 canister into a puddle. That's seriously how bad this filter is. I can't fathom even giving this filter away.

[theartbook35]

V. Cray, I did not know that the Rena XP4 could hook up to the smart heater, that's awesome! I love the smart heater, it works wonderfully.

I use a 405... I can see why someone would not like it. It is not very easy to clean in my opinion, and it can clog easily. But mine has survived the wrath of Sadie, so, it get's a lot of brownie points from me.

[VeipaCray]

The cleaning of the 05 series probably depends on how you have them set up. Loose media like carbon in the trays is a pain. Put that same media into a 99 cent media bag and poof much easier. The fluval 05 is a dream compared to the 04 and the 04 is a million times better than a magnum 350. You need to be a member of MENSA to get the 350 To not leak and restart after a cleaning.

Rena sells an optional heater connection kit to hook it up to their canisters.
http://www.rena.net/store/RENA-Parts/RENA-SmartHeater-Connection-Kit-703R-O4I_8.aspx

[Ashley]

After the holidays I plan on getting a fancy new filter for the tank.
Would the XP4 be a good choice? Or is it a bit much?
I want one that will last for several years and would also work well for a 100 gallon tank.

[VeipaCray]

You can't go wrong with an xp4, fx5, or an eheim pro. All three are excellent

[Ashley]

I'm leaning toward the XP4 since I can get it for under $200 (after shipping) on ebay.
That brings me to another topic of conversation...has anyone dealt with ebay stores for filters before?
I would only go through the big stores with good ratings.

Also, which of those filters is the easiest to maintain?
And what kind of maintenance would I need to do on a canister filter and how often?

I'd like to know as much as possible before buying anything...

[VeipaCray]

I bought my FX5 from an ebay store for $200 + Shipping. Pond Solutions was the name of the store / seller. Easy transaction, no issues, and I would buy from them again in a New York minute. I buy a lot of stuff from ebay stores. look at the feedback for the seller. If they have a few thousand responses and are like 99-100% positive, you can probably trust that seller. Also, if you pay with paypal through ebay... you protect yourself a bit. I've only had an issue buying something from a shady seller one time. I filed a complaint with ebay / paypal and ebay refunded my money. Ebay stores survive on reputation and great prices and therefore are a great place to shop and save a few bucks. I would just make sure you get a "buy it now" vs. bidding in an auction on something used.

The XP4 comes with media.... you may need to swap out or add some more biological media to it... but it definitely comes with some. The FX5 does not. The FX5 only comes with sponges.

The XP4 is easy to maintain as is the FX5 and the eheim pro. The best of those three filters is the eheim pro, but it's also by far the most expensive filter. The advantage the FX5 has over the XP4 is the volume. Because it holds so much more media, it can go for longer intervals between cleanings. That being said, the XP4 is still an excellent filter and for the price you can't go wrong.



Biological media can go for quite some time... and it just needs to be rinsed with tank water.

Chemical media like carbon will exhaust itself in 4-6 weeks on average and would need to be replaced. Purigen by Seachem (I use in all my filters) is a renewable replacement for carbon. Seachem claims it can go up to 6 months before you need to clean / renew it. I clean mine every time I open the canister. Purigen or carbon keeps the water crystal clear and removes organics which removes any odor. People on this forum will tell you that you don't need chemical filtration, but I personally would not run a filter without it.

The biggest cause to clean the canister is the mechanical filtration... sponges. They will clog with sludge and grime. They can be rinsed many times and re-used but will eventually begin to wear and need to be replaced every few years. The rate at which these clog is determined by how messy Miss Bowser is.

[Ashley]

Thanks for the help!
I buy things on eBay a lot, but just not tank stuff.
And Bowser is very messy...

[prettykitty]

I would say an fx5, its a good investment, since you plan on getting bigger tanks in the long run, why not go big for now so you won't worry bout it later?
Ya know you can hardly ever overkill a turtle tank because turtles are THAT dirty

[Ashley]

So, the FX5 or the Rena XP4?

Which one is easiest to use and maintain?

[steve]

I don't have either, but I really like the XP3. The XPs are very easy to clean, and the case hinges seem flimsy, but have held up to dozens of cleanings.

However, at around $200 I'll go with the FX5.

[Ashley]

Bowser is super messy, so I guess it makes sense to pay a little extra and get the FX5.
I'm just wondering how any of those filters will fit near the tank...definitely won't fit underneath!

[gabloo]

After hours and hours of research and advices from VeipaCray and rest of the forum members, i went with FX5. It should be here in couple days and i m very excited. Cost me around 280 for filter and medias.