Hi I am looking to move into a canister filter but have zero experience with them. I recently moved into a 120 Gal freshwater tank and am currently running 2 power filters that seem to be doing an ok job keeping all the water parameters in check. I have read a ton of good things about the Fluval FX4 and I am leaning towards it but was wondering what people think about it and if they have experience using it for water changes. Specifically putting water back into the tank. How do you decholrinate the water before it hits your media?
Canister filters
- Thread starter Shukenukem
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its a great filter till its time for clean up, which is about every 3-4 weeks in my 150g goldfish tank, outflow is very very slow by then. its a heavy filter and a pain to clean, the sump in the other tank, 15 seconds and filter socks changed, basicl the same cleaning as the fx4 take me 30ish minutes .
Many people will tout the advantages of pressurized cans.
I believe canister filters are a mistake for most people, because they are not user friendly to maintain, so are left for long periods without cleaning, and spew nitrate back into the tank, degrading water quality rather than bettering it. I admit they tend to keep water clear, but clear doesn't;t mean chemically high quality.
I tried 3 different brands before deciding they were useless (Eheim, Marineland, and another I can't recall because it was such a piece of plastic junk.)
The flow must be turned off to clean, and sometimes getting the flow back on can be difficult.
Because of the above, I see being pressurized as a detriment rather than a plus, O-rings needed to keep them from leaking wear out quickly with the right amount of cleaning, and the plastic hose clamps provided are less than stellar, I ended up buying metal hose clamps from the hardware store to compensate.
At some point all the above 3 units leaked on the floor, and because they are pressurized and maintain siphon, could leak until the tank has drained to the depth of the siphon tube, if unnoticed during the night.
Just some considerations to ponder over before jumping in.
I believe canister filters are a mistake for most people, because they are not user friendly to maintain, so are left for long periods without cleaning, and spew nitrate back into the tank, degrading water quality rather than bettering it. I admit they tend to keep water clear, but clear doesn't;t mean chemically high quality.
I tried 3 different brands before deciding they were useless (Eheim, Marineland, and another I can't recall because it was such a piece of plastic junk.)
The flow must be turned off to clean, and sometimes getting the flow back on can be difficult.
Because of the above, I see being pressurized as a detriment rather than a plus, O-rings needed to keep them from leaking wear out quickly with the right amount of cleaning, and the plastic hose clamps provided are less than stellar, I ended up buying metal hose clamps from the hardware store to compensate.
At some point all the above 3 units leaked on the floor, and because they are pressurized and maintain siphon, could leak until the tank has drained to the depth of the siphon tube, if unnoticed during the night.
Just some considerations to ponder over before jumping in.
What do you personally use? I just want something that will help maintain the tank I am pretty good with with maintenance and have looked at numerous options in all the different filtration systems including sump and everything I have read points to cannister however I am open to other options. And would love to learn from peoples experiences.
Among the filter types I've used, I've used canisters for many years and not once had the issues mentioned above. I currently have Eheim classics, about 14 years old, and have not yet needed to do anything to them. Eventually, yes, I expect to replace the main O-ring seals and impellers, typical maintenance, but haven't needed them yet. My latest is a Hydor canister, in service for a year and so far I like it quite well. I've yet to use the FX canisters, I know people who like them.
Like any filter they need cleaning at regular intervals, the length of this interval will vary by tank according to things like stock levels, what and how much you feed, how you set up the media, quality of your tap water-- I have well water, it's not the clearest, so my filters have to clear this up with water changes, a factor in how often I rinse filter media. Don't want to offend anyone, but I don't get why people have issues with restarting canisters after cleaning-- I don't, even with virtually 100% water changes because of how I do them. Also, my nitrates run @ 5, so this isn't an issue, either.
Don't let anyone intimidate you into thinking one or another basic type is inherently bad, people have personal filter preferences for various reasons and in the end it's what works for you. I like power filters because they're easy (and more versatile and cheap to run once you ditch the pre-made cartridges), canisters because the good ones are quiet and durable, and fluidized bed filters because they're extremely efficient bio-filters. Other types I've used or seen have their own sets of virtues or peculiarities you might or might not easily adapt to. Some are not my cup of tea, but again, it's what works for you.
Like any filter they need cleaning at regular intervals, the length of this interval will vary by tank according to things like stock levels, what and how much you feed, how you set up the media, quality of your tap water-- I have well water, it's not the clearest, so my filters have to clear this up with water changes, a factor in how often I rinse filter media. Don't want to offend anyone, but I don't get why people have issues with restarting canisters after cleaning-- I don't, even with virtually 100% water changes because of how I do them. Also, my nitrates run @ 5, so this isn't an issue, either.
Don't let anyone intimidate you into thinking one or another basic type is inherently bad, people have personal filter preferences for various reasons and in the end it's what works for you. I like power filters because they're easy (and more versatile and cheap to run once you ditch the pre-made cartridges), canisters because the good ones are quiet and durable, and fluidized bed filters because they're extremely efficient bio-filters. Other types I've used or seen have their own sets of virtues or peculiarities you might or might not easily adapt to. Some are not my cup of tea, but again, it's what works for you.
My 6ft 125gallon tank has 2x Aquaclear 110's and 2x FX4's. 
I like the FX4's a lot. So long as the can is full of water you don't have to "prime" them to get them going, it does this itself. Now the water change/gravel vac set you can get will let you use the filter to do both your gravel vacuuming and drain the tank (after the purchase of a hose to reach from the FX4 to a dump point sink,bathtub, out the window what have you) You will still need a python or some other way to fill it back up. What you can do is get adapters to put on the end of this drain hose so after draining you can then connect it to your faucet. Then take the end off of the FX4 and put it in the tank. Then you can use one hose for both draining and filling.
They can be a P.I.T.A. to clean but if you have weight issues like me (I live in an apt) they make a great alternative to sumps. You just have to do the maintenance on them regularly or they can and will turn into nitrate factories instead of cleaners.
I like the FX4's a lot. So long as the can is full of water you don't have to "prime" them to get them going, it does this itself. Now the water change/gravel vac set you can get will let you use the filter to do both your gravel vacuuming and drain the tank (after the purchase of a hose to reach from the FX4 to a dump point sink,bathtub, out the window what have you) You will still need a python or some other way to fill it back up. What you can do is get adapters to put on the end of this drain hose so after draining you can then connect it to your faucet. Then take the end off of the FX4 and put it in the tank. Then you can use one hose for both draining and filling.
They can be a P.I.T.A. to clean but if you have weight issues like me (I live in an apt) they make a great alternative to sumps. You just have to do the maintenance on them regularly or they can and will turn into nitrate factories instead of cleaners.
The only canister filter I had that leaked out of the body was a Marineland because they had moved manufacturing over to China and had poor quality control all my other canisters have never leak however I agree with the problem of the nitrate of generation you need to clean them more frequently than most people do
I'm just wondering why all the filtration? Not trying to be smart I would just like to know if I should be running a similar set up or should I just go with an FX6? I have 2 power filters right now so i should just introduce a canister with them?
I was running two 125 gallon tanks, each had a AC110 and an FX4. That gives about 6 turns an hour.
A turn is the whole volume of water going thru your filters per hour. Most fish keepers want anywhere from five turns to ten turns or more an hour.
I shut down my second 125 and just put the filters on the remaining tank to keep the b.b. alive at first. But now that they have been on there for a bit I like it better. My water has never been so crystal clear. ATM the tank is getting 13.4 turns an hour. But I am also a bit obsessed about water quality doing fin level water changes every third day.
You can never have too much filtration. Now with that said what you set up depends on several factors. Type and numbers of fish, feed schedule, water change schedule being major factors 8n determining the amount of filtration you use.