Help me decide between these canister filters please, specs shown

[George84]

So I have a 225 gal tank setup with all juvies right now but want to get the filtration figured out compleatly before they get bigger. Currently I have two Emperor 400 HOB fliters, one on each side. I was planning on adding my Fluval 405 off my old tank but decided to keep my old tank up and running the way it is. This tank is built into the wall and I do not have the space for a FX5 so that filter is out of the option. I was thinking maybe running two of the Fluval 406 canisters, one on each side like my Emperors? I have always had Fluval canister filters in the past but I also have some other filters in mind too and wanted to know what everyone elses thoughts were. So her are the filters I have been looking at and if I need to look at anouther filter let me know please. Also I would like to find the best bang for my buck too. Thanks

Currently I am running two Emperor 400 HOB rated up to 90 gal tank each and have 400 GPH

Marineland C-530 canister
530 GPH
up to 150 gal tank
13.81D x 18.44L x 21.50H

Fluval 406 canister
383 GPH
up to 100 gal tank
7.6D x 14.5L x 17.8H

Eheim 2080 & 2180 Professionel 3 XL canister (I am not sure why they have different model numbers with the same specs)
450 GPH
up to 320 gal tank
12.9D x 12.9W x 22.3H

 

[swk]

I would seriously consider an eheim 2262 if I were you

 

[boldtogether]

Remember that all the specs you give are for filters that are empty, with zero head pressure. The actual flow to the tank is considerably lower than the mfg will print. A tank of this size should be doing 5x turn over based on accepted fish keeping practices, however this is a debatable issue as some enthusiasts say more and yet some say less. 5X turnover would mean you would have to run two Marineland C-530's, and that is what I would be after....minimum. As mentioned, a Eheim 2262 or a 2250 would be more than enough as far as bio-media capacity is concerned, and if you arent concerned to much about turn-over rate, the best bang for your buck. These filters are reliable, very customizable and general all-around work horses, albeit, expensive, but worth it.
I believe the 2080 is just a filter and the 2180 is a filter with built in heater.
BTW, the tank pictured seems small for a 225...maybe its deep and tall? What are the dimensions?

 

[George84]

Its a 225 for sure, its 72 x 24 x 31 Here is a pic to show more of its size taken during install

So I found that I only have 13.3 in. wide of area to fit the filter where I would like so the Marineland on is out of the question now too. Now keep in mind that I am going to continue to run both of the Emperor 400 HOB and am just looking for one or two canisters to help also. Thanks for the advice, please keep it coming.

 

[George84]

So I did some digging and it looks like the Eheim 2262 is too big also with it being 14 in wide. So it looks like I am down to the Eheim 2080 or a pair of Fluval 406's. Maybe a pair of 406's is the way to go. I just have a real tuff time thinking about spending over $400 on a single Eheim filter. It just makes me wish I could fit a FX5 in there even more for the bang per buck. But I can say I have ran Fuval filters for many years and have never had any problem with them at all.