whats the best canister filter???

Just want to get opinions on which canister filter you think is the best?...And mostly is there any brands i should avoid??? Is the rena filstar a good one???

From what I hear the FX-5 is to be the bad boy of them all but very expensive.
From what I know the Cascade 1500 works great especially for the price.
The rena is O.K. but what really matters is how big the tank is(gallons). If you post the size of the tank I think you can get a better answer. I've ran a 75gl with an emperor 400 (hang on back)for years and no problems.

its gonna be for a 46 gal bowfront

i would say fx-5. i have a 405 and i am very happy with it

I LOVE cascades! They work well! They are very simple and easy to set up and clean! And they are cheaper than most any other brand!
The 1200 would do very well on that tank, a little overkill but overkill on filtration is good!


I HATE fluvals! Overpriced and complicated! Too many doohickeys and thingamabobs to break on them! I had a 404 and traded it out for an aquaclear 110 HOB, that is how much I hated the stupid thing! Way too many 4 letter words involved with cleaning it!

I will never buy anything other than cascades, I have the 1500, 1200 and 500 and am very very very pleased with them all!
The only downside with cascades is the hose disconnect is plastic and that can wear out. I avoid that by keeping most all of mine in those plastic bins from the hospital and just popping the top off and setting it in a bucket when I need to service it. The bin catches the bit of water that comes out when you take the top off. But doing it that way you avoid wearing out the one flaw!

Ihave a fluval 305 on one 55 gal and this one on another 55gal,

http://cgi.ebay.com/PERFECT-AQUARIUM-CANISTER-FILTER-SYSTEM-MEDIA-265-GPH-/190486579180?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c59e287ec

I like the ebay one a lot better than the fluval, both in price and function.

the Fx5 is the best filter ive ever owned
it is awesome and easy to clean

I say you cannot go wrong with the Eheims...awesomely put together real craftsmanship...and right now every LFS in my area has them on sale due to new model coming out soon...Eco pros60 picked 3 of them up at $50 a peice. Only one moving part and eheim stocks all part to every filter they have made. I have heard good things about the renas good flow rate simple design big media baskets...I have a penplex cascade which works well the only problem I had was finding new intake/exhaust valves original owner broke intake, but cost was cheap low maintance is a plus...but I like my eheims better no noise at all.

Hi Everyone I used to use Magnums from Marineland. I never had a problem with them.
I'm not sure if they still make them, I believe the model was 305 ? I do have an Ehiem 2260 that
I have not had any problems with in 4 years. Now I'm going to be really stupid. The Eheim has never been out of the box for the entire 4 years !! I just haven't got around to setting it up in my
200 gal tank. I feel good for getting that out. Everytime I see it, I get mad at myself . So far a waste of alot of money. LOL LOL

the fx5s pump is at the bottom of the filter so anything that gets into the filter (rocks sand fish etc) will eventually make it down to the motor and clog the propeller. the eheim 2262 is the filter to beat. i have 6 myself and have never had a problem with any of them

Sunsuns are a good one and the prices on them are great. Check them out on ebay.

I love the rena's. I currently have a xp4 on my 90 gallon discuss tank. I also had a xp1 on a 35 gallon hex, and a xp2 on a 29 gallon salt water tank. I have had no problems from any of them.

Only own 1 canister and its the Magnum H.O.T.350 for years now, for me since its not something I use everyday been economical (thank you oregon state poker machines), easy to clean, like being able to put media in if I want to, like the fact that can be using 1 filter while the other is drying out for re-use.

After that I'm absolutely not 1 ounce of help!!

I'm fond of the Fluval FX5... but it's a big filter for big tanks. This is one instance where bigger is better! Now that they've been out a few years they're coming down in price from $400 to as low as $250 in some places. You get what you pay for. It's a very quiet filter too!

I have the Marineland Magnum 350 Canister Filter (yes, they still make them) apparently they used to be quite noisy, but mine has been very quiet. I got mine about 6 months ago and have only recently started using it for my fish tank, before it was altered to work on my turtle tank. It works very, very well. Plus Marineland's customer service is very helpful. I have heard tons and tons of RAVING reviews on the Fluval series of filters (working in a pet store, I hear a lot from all sorts of aquarists, and they sure don't hold back on bashing a brand they aren't happy with, lol) and while many people like the Cascade series, apparently it has recently drastically gone down in quality according to 2 or 3 angry customer returns of the Cascade filters. So I guess the older models of Cascades are of better quality then the newer ones. People complain that the instructions are confusing and one guy said he didn't even have the same parts that the directions called for, when calling Penn Plax, the manufacturer, he got very little help. I haven't personally used the Cascades, so this is all second hand info. But I have certainly seen multiple Cascade filters returned, but to my knowledge have never seen a Fluval or an Eheim brought back and they seem to have almost a cult following amongst long time aquarists.

Bottomline, everyone seems to have a different opinion and different filters work better for different people. I love my Magnum, but I must admit it doesn't allow for as much customization of media types like the Fluvals and others do. I would definitely buy a Fluval if I was buying another canister filter.

i like the FX5!!!!

I like fluval filters but i got 2 Marineland 300 in my 2 big tanks and they work like a charm!! great water movement...

I only have experience with two canisters so can't really say as to the best. But both that I use have done well.

First is a Penn-Plax 1000. Nice and quiet

Second is a Zoo Med 501 on a 10g. Same thing here in that you don't know it's running. My only CON on this guy would be the hoses. It makes the setup look "bulky" if you will.

I have the same tank and use an eheim 2217 and its amazing. Sometimes I have to lean my ear over it just to make sure its running,its just that quiet. My tank stays crystal clear and I also use a sand substrate and dont have to worry about my filter getting all messed up due to the great design

Im a Magnum 350 man myself. I have 3 of them along with a Cascade and a Fluval. The main advantage of the 350 is that its see-thru so you dont have to break it down to realize that you can go a little longer b4 the next cleaning Their price, quality, and the 350 gph really influenced me as well.

MarkM wrote:

Sunsuns are a good one and the prices on them are great. Check them out on ebay.

I run a 2 302's and they are great. Silent, efficient, CHEAP (got my 2 for under 100 bucks US total including shipping and media. I've had them running over a year. Love them. Only complaint is that the direction are lousy

on the sunsun's and you will have some money to spend on that special fish you want. As far as I have seen they basicly all work the same, why spend more for a name, when it's the job that counts. I like mine better than my fluval.

If you plan on using different types of media go fluval.If not go with the marineland 350 little cheaper does the job.

The Fluval FX5 would be WAY overkill on this tank, IMO. I use one on my 150.

You cannot go wrong with Eheim, but avoid the ECCO line. Any of the classic or professionals will very likely last you a lifetime. I have a classic series running now almost uninterrupted for about 10 years without a single problem ever.

If you want a good filter for the money I like the Rena Filstar line, and an XP3 or 4 would be plenty. I own these as well and have been happy with them.

Check Ebay for good prices on filters - I got my FX5 brand new for a song, at least $100 less than the retail price, even with shipping.

Fx5!!!!