Canister Filter Opinions

[TaxGuru44]

So I'm about to start my first FW Planted tank (60g cube). I'm stoked on the amount of money I'm going to save as I almost made the cube into an SPS tank.

Anyways I want to get a canister filter and am torn between a Marineland, Fluval and Cascade.

Can anyone provide me with their opinions on any of these? I have gotten good reviews on 1 of the 3 but I won't bring it up cause it might create some biases.

Thanks in advance.

[Sat Cong]

If you decided on fluvals, I have a 205 and 405 to sell.....Less than a year old and were running like a champ.

Had a 72 gal african cichlid tank, over 15 fishes including fronts, water change once a month ~15% and.....Zero ammonia and sparkling clear water with zero mortality for over a year until tank leaked! Oh did I tell you I didn't even bother to change/rinse the media inside for more than 6 months?

LOL....Not to try getting you to buy stuff and hijack this thread or anything.... But I like fluval and I think they are great for the price you pay for and parts are easy to find (AW) when needed.

[iVgOnMaD]

I have a couple canisters in good condition cheap.

http://www.sdreefs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34017

[pako73]

Stick with the Fluvals...you can't go wrong either way. I have a used 304 that I'll sell for 20 bucks since your a Charger fan. I also have Eheim 2032 I think that I don't have use for anymore.

[WRAiTHY]

I have used the Cascade 1000's for the last 5 years. All saltwater. I have only had 1 fail in 5 years and that was one I bought on ebay many years ago. It lasted 2 years before failing. For the price, I am going to continue using the 1000's or the 1500's.

[acbaldwin]

Eheim makes some of the best canisters in the industry. Pretty much the standard for most FWP people.

[pako73]

Eheim makes some of the best canisters in the industry. Pretty much the standard for most FWP people.

Yup, Eheims rock!!!

[stbrendan619]

I had a fluval 304 in a 60 gal jack dempsey / tiger oscar and it kept those pigs clean. and now I use a 405 in my 100 gal african cichlid tank and I am happy. I would trust fluval.

[Cuddlefish]

I have had 4 Fluval 404's. Each broke within a year of me buying them. Before they broke I was replacing parts constantly. They were a total hassle. I now have Eheims and I haven't had a single problem. They've been through some abuse too.

[SolRo]

I won and setup one of the new marineland canister filters, it's silent, has a nice quick disconnect, and seems good overall.

It's also for sale if you want one for cheaper than brand new

[TaxGuru44]

Thanks guys...

I think I'm between an eheim and marineland. Its going to be a 60g and I'd like to have something rated above that. This cube is going to be my super-super-SUPER-DUPER project. (Possibly even more so than my 75g reef ) Mostly because I can go crazy with the equipment and still have it cheaper than my reef.

Fadel is building the stand/canopy for me and from what I saw him sketch its going to be nuts.

I'll look into what everyone is selling within those brands..thanks again for all your support/opinions. Its kinda hard especially with it being a FW setup. I'm shooting for a mix between the 2 below.

[acbaldwin]

Keep in mind you don't need a ton of filtration in a heavily planted tank, like those above. Plants and substrate provide a large amount of bio filtration for bacteria and also the actual nutrient export.
Check out aquaticplantcentral.com and plantedtank.net for some really great help as well.

[Redeye]

Get the Rena canister
ALOT easier than either of the other two IMO, I love mine
Metal Impellar, no more replacing impellars all the time, super easy to restart, no stuid plunger

[Shells]

I am going to have to put my vote in for the eheims. I have a 55g FW and use an Eheim 2217. I had one Eheim 2217 for over 12 years and this past year the impellor finally gave out. I thought for sure the whole system gave out after 12 years so I ordered a new one. When the new one came in I just tried the impellor and the old one worked fine. They are a little costly but IMO you get your money worth.

[Dakota]

Get the Rena canister
ALOT easier than either of the other two IMO, I love mine
Metal Impellar, no more replacing impellars all the time, super easy to restart, no stuid plunger

I have an xp2 and I love it. Granted, I know eheim has a great reputation, but to save some money and still get a great filter, the Rena rocks.