Cannister filters are rubbish. Change my mind.

[colley614]

I've been doing a lot of thinking about filtration lately and I've come to the conclusion that there is nothing I like about cannister filters. They're overpriced and underperform.

[koko]

2 hours ago, colley614 said:

I've been doing a lot of thinking about filtration lately and I've come to the conclusion that there is nothing I like about cannister filters. They're overpriced and underperform.

ROFL

I don't like them as much as my HOB. So I will have to agree with ya ROFL

[colley614]

Everyone who owns a canister is like "I can do what I want I got a canister. Sometimes I clean it and sometimes I forget. Its so good I bought 2." And for the money of some of them I think they're in the sump territory price wise. Now with a sump you get a separate prefiilter that you can change whenever you want without stripping a sump to pieces. You can have tonnes more biological filtration and you can actually slow the contact time with the media right down. You can't oxygenate the media in a canister to get it working at its peak. And with your return pump you can turn it waayyy up or waayyy down. Oh, and you can buy a return pump with an amazing feature called a feed button.  

[Arctic Mama]

Totally. They have benefits over HOB for capacity, but that’s about it. Sumps can be problematic for space and potential flooding if they’re open, matten walls and sponges are prob my favorite. But I do run canisters and fluidized bed currently, I just also hate them.

[FishyMandy]

I run canisters at the moment because HOBs wont fit over my tank, but I hate them. I always make a mess when I clean them, and they are so heavy and cumbersome to move and I always end up in mega pain after cleaning them. So I dont end up cleaning them anywhere near as often as I should. I'm ditching them soon for a sump and cannot wait

[colley614]

5 hours ago, FishyMandy said:

I run canisters at the moment because HOBs wont fit over my tank, but I hate them. I always make a mess when I clean them, and they are so heavy and cumbersome to move and I always end up in mega pain after cleaning them. So I dont end up cleaning them anywhere near as often as I should. I'm ditching them soon for a sump and cannot wait

I absolutely love sumps.

Need to add carbon *plop*.

Want to change a prefilter *whoosh*

One day I will set up a refugium with hornwort, scuds and a deepsand bed. I love the possibilities with a sump.

 

[Goldfishbeginner]

Ive used canister filters from the start and have to agree, they really are a pain.  But, the fluval hob makes me a little nervous.   I had one lose suction while i was away at work and it killed my one tank that had two nice fish that i had just got.  Well, i did learn the importance of having enough air stone since that accident.   Since then ive thought about getting an aqueon hob as that design seems less likely to lose suction.    But, naturally since then my fluval hob has worked flawlessly.   

As for canister i like the kind for ponds that have backwash clean so theyre really easy to clean and you dont have to open them up.  But theyre generally for really huge tanks or intened to be outside becuase the plumbing required to use them doesnt typically fit under normal sized aquariums and is a little unsightly.  But im using one of these pond filters inside anyway.  Its clunky looking and sits next to the stand but its a breeze to use.

But long story short.  Sure HOBs ftw.

[colley614]

1 hour ago, Goldfishbeginner said:

Ive used canister filters from the start and have to agree, they really are a pain.  But, the fluval hob makes me a little nervous.   I had one lose suction while i was away at work and it killed my one tank that had two nice fish that i had just got.  Well, i did learn the importance of having enough air stone since that accident.   Since then ive thought about getting an aqueon hob as that design seems less likely to lose suction.    But, naturally since then my fluval hob has worked flawlessly.   

As for canister i like the kind for ponds that have backwash clean so theyre really easy to clean and you dont have to open them up.  But theyre generally for really huge tanks or intened to be outside becuase the plumbing required to use them doesnt typically fit under normal sized aquariums and is a little unsightly.  But im using one of these pond filters inside anyway.  Its clunky looking and sits next to the stand but its a breeze to use.

But long story short.  Sure HOBs ftw.

See, you raise a good point there. Canister filters for ponds tend to be built to a completely different spec. If you combined the features of a pond canister with an aquarium canister, you're looking at a completely different animal.

If you could buy a self priming, self cleaning canister filter where you could just connect a hose to the filter and back flush the waste out of it. One with maybe a built in uv and heater with variable speed pump. Then I reckon you're looking at a game changer. 

[Goldfishbeginner]

Yes, the one I have has a UV feature but it stopped working.  i was also hesitant about using the UV indoors anyway.

As far as the pond canister though.  Many have a backwash that only moves the water and the media stays put.  These are no good imo.  I like the ones that have a big sponge inside with a handle that squeezes it or brushes it off to get the gunk out.    Recently, i saw one brand called ultraklean that uses these plastic media balls that stay put when its cleaning but tumble during the backwash clean settings.   It looks excellent but it was pricey.   I may try to grab one if I see it discounted.

[zfarsh]

Why not both?

When i had a 75gallon, i would use Aquafilter 110, Aquafilter 70, and Eheim 2217 on it.  Worked great for me, i would clean up the HOB often (like every week or two), and the canister when i felt like it (1 to 2 months).  If something fails, the others are still covered.  Also, the Canister is quieter, and i can put alot of misc media, so i like using it with the HOB.

I would do a sump with aquarium if it was modified with overflow taken care of, ie holes in the aquarium and proper measurements so no accidents can happen.  May want to try this one day, probably an awesome option too, but probably will still have my multi filters in place.

Now, i have a 30g with 1 baby standard goldfish at the moment, and i do either Aquafilter 70 + Eheim 2213, or Aquafilter 70 + HOB Fish Separator running with pump (and full of sponge / bio, with emergent plants on top), or all 3.

By the way, i moded my Aquafilter 70 to have a motor / impeller of a Aquafilter 20, and much quieter and slower now, which i prefer.  Oh, and i got sponge prefilters on all...

All aquarium planted with low light compatible plants (anubias / Java fern) and sand substrate.

 

[Distaff]

Expensive, and lots of fittings that could potentially leak.   Never used one - they scare me.    I like to keep everything in the tank.    Sponge filters and box filters just seem to be the least problematic.   

[Acro]

I didn't read this whole thread, but I always liked canister filters more than hob filters.  In my experience, with a big canister filter, it always cleaned the water, and needed cleaning less often than hob filters. 

However, I think the best filter is a sump filter.  If you have the space and want to grow some plants, an aquaponics type filter would be even better. 

[koko]

26 minutes ago, Acro said:

I didn't read this whole thread, but I always liked canister filters more than hob filters.  In my experience, with a big canister filter, it always cleaned the water, and needed cleaning less often than hob filters. 

However, I think the best filter is a sump filter.  If you have the space and want to grow some plants, an aquaponics type filter would be even better. 

I have to agree Sumps are much better than any of the filter systems. IMO

[Goldfishbeginner]

I saw this post was bumped and must post again about my recent experience with a pond canister.   it may be ill advised to use a pond caister indoors.  You guys might want to disregard my recommends about this setup.  This did work great for about a year and a half but lately its got a pretty good leak.  It seems like it leaking from the switchy valve part.  It probably has some sand worked into it.   I must keep this filter in a big plastic bin to catch the water.     Maybe I can fix this or change to a different filtration entirely.

[koko]

That is the one reason I don't like the canisters much. The 2 that I have had always leaked from the top eventually. Its like the inside seal gives out over time and I understand that. My issue was for at least one of them, was I couldn't open it up to replace that seal. The other one it was just to expensive at the time to replace it. 

I think Sumps are easier to service and maintain. The only problem with the Sump is the size of them. I guess that's why I like the HOB's so much.  

[FishyMandy]

I only had trouble with mine leaking was when the hoses weren't attached properly. But the heads were almost always stuck to the body when I needed to do mantainance and always had to troubleshoot to get them off. Thankfully I found a helpful youtube video which helped me get them off fairly easily. But still I hated doing mantainance on them