dont know what canister to go with... rena xp3 or eheim??? advice???

[JESTERX626]

I'm a fan of eheim, they're built nicely, looks better than other canisters out there imo, and my canisters havent caused me any problems yet. I run a eheim pro II 2128 thermofilter on my 50gal tank + a AC50, which gives me about 10x turnover rate and it doesnt create a tidal wave in my tank. -Jeff

 

[AnDr3w]

Just leave the HOB's on. You might as well be filtering more water then having them sit in your attic in a box you know what I mean?

 

[benzjamin13]

The Eheim is better, but that'll take your pay check for a week or two depending on size. The xp3 would be cheaper.

 

[2wheelsx2]

The Rena Filstar XP3 is a fine filter for its price point. I have Fluvals (FX5, 204), an XP3 and an Eheim 2028. If you are not after absolute silence, then Eheim is not the only option.

Canisters are actually very good at bio filtration. They're just not as good as wet/dry's, Fluidized bed filters are great at bio filtration, and they don't expose the water to air.

Anyway, the main differences between the XP3 and the Eheim 2028 I have found are:

1) Noise (Eheim wins)
2) construction (Eheim wins)
3) Initial flow (XP3 wins)

However, what I have found is that the Eheim filters the water more thoroughly, and also, is able to maintain a higher flowrate longer. That is, the XP3's rated flow reduces very quickly after it's put into service, whereas the Eheim flowrate reduces much more slowly as the filter clogs up with particulates. YMMV, but these are my personal findings.

As for your nitrite spikes, are you cleaning both HOB's at once? If so, don't. Clean on alternate weeks. If you clean both at once, you are removing too much beneficial bacteria. Also, are you cleaning the media with dechlorinated water? If not, that would kill all most of your bacteria.