I have been buying and setting up new equipment over the recent past, and of all the hundreds of posts I've read you see this question on just about every board daily in many different forms. "Which filters do I Buy"?????. There are tons of stickies explaining what filtration is and what each media does in the process but I have never seen one that truly helps a beginner (If one exists forgive me because I have missed it) sort through all of the choices out there. I know allot has to do with the fact that many of the filter manufactures sponsor many of these sites so therefore try to remain brand neutral.
I am going to use a few brands and models but I am not using this to bash any brand or model these are just examples. I think a good part of this has to do with a lack of any standard to rate a filter before it goes to market, in other words it seems to me that each manufacture uses its own methods to provide its ratings. Here is my case and I will try and keep it short.
You are shopping for a filter each has a rating, stated of say 500GPH and a few other specs such as media capacity etc. Let me just use two common filters both of which I own. The Marineland 530 and the Fluval FX5, the Marineland 530 is a Hugh filter with a capacity that is massive for different media and they claim it does true 530 GPH and is rated for tanks up to somewhere around 150 Gallons. The FX5 is smaller with a very high GPH rating which reduces down to a rate not allot higher than the 530 when you add media yet they rate it for tanks up to 400 gallons and it has a smaller media capacity. So how does one explain this? And again you could substitute any brand or models here. And then you see many try to compare say the AC110 HOB which yes has a high GPH but then its media volume is so much less than most canisters. I short while back I read an excellent post which reviewed the FX5 with the Eleim 2080 well most of the points seemed valid the specs on these to filters are very different. So I know there is no good answers for this but with all of you out there with the vast knowledge and years of experience give some advice that may help? I know many of you might say why does this matter or why make such an issue out of this and my answer again would be look at the boards each day and count how many times this question is asked.
I am going to use a few brands and models but I am not using this to bash any brand or model these are just examples. I think a good part of this has to do with a lack of any standard to rate a filter before it goes to market, in other words it seems to me that each manufacture uses its own methods to provide its ratings. Here is my case and I will try and keep it short.
You are shopping for a filter each has a rating, stated of say 500GPH and a few other specs such as media capacity etc. Let me just use two common filters both of which I own. The Marineland 530 and the Fluval FX5, the Marineland 530 is a Hugh filter with a capacity that is massive for different media and they claim it does true 530 GPH and is rated for tanks up to somewhere around 150 Gallons. The FX5 is smaller with a very high GPH rating which reduces down to a rate not allot higher than the 530 when you add media yet they rate it for tanks up to 400 gallons and it has a smaller media capacity. So how does one explain this? And again you could substitute any brand or models here. And then you see many try to compare say the AC110 HOB which yes has a high GPH but then its media volume is so much less than most canisters. I short while back I read an excellent post which reviewed the FX5 with the Eleim 2080 well most of the points seemed valid the specs on these to filters are very different. So I know there is no good answers for this but with all of you out there with the vast knowledge and years of experience give some advice that may help? I know many of you might say why does this matter or why make such an issue out of this and my answer again would be look at the boards each day and count how many times this question is asked.
