[babamski]

Which is the better filter for a 55 gallon tank?​

Eheim Professional II	8	42.11%
Rena Filstar XP (1-2-3)	11	57.89%
Marineland C-Series	0	0.00%
Hagen Fluval	0	0.00%

 

[babamski]

I'm thinking of replacing my AC110 with a canister filter and would like to know which is the best for my 55 gallon tank. Also, please list some NEGATIVES about the filters you've selected. I've been through some of the product reviews and mostly everyone there posts positive reviews. I want to know what are some of the real problems I may expect running a canister versus a HOB. Thanks.

 

[Nighthawk]

I voted Eheim. The only negative thing I can think of for an eheim is the price. It's the most expensive BUT it's **** sure worth it.

 

[babamski]

I voted Eheim. The only negative thing I can think of for an eheim is the price. It's the most expensive BUT it's darn sure worth it.

How long have you owned your Eheim? I just wanted to know if you've ever come across leakage over time. Also, do you have problems with it sucking up sand? I use aragonite sand and my HOB sometimes sucks up sand causing it to be noisy at times.

 

[rogersb]

I have eheim pro II's and fluvals, so I cannot somment on the rena's, but I can say I like the eheim better than the fluvals. I've had (2) 403's - threw them out. One leaked like crazy and the other just died one day. I have up and running a 303 and a 304. Very reliable, but - the 403 is a pain to service because of the design, and the 304 which was easy to service all of a sudden had it's quick disconnect stop working, making it a pain also to clean.

As for the sand thing, I use prefilters - just olf AC filters I cut holes in. They fill up once a month or every other month on the eheim, so I just take them off, rinse them out, and voila.

 

[rogersb]

I forgot to add about the price - watch forums for deals. I got mine with all kinds of extra media for $85 shipped. My second is on the way and all I 'paid' for that was 2 AC 110's.

 

[gre]

I have a rena xp3 and a fluval fx5. I prefer the rena, it is easier to maintain and the fx5 is heavy if you cannot drain it. Neather filter bothers the sand and have not had any problems with eather.