Through craigslist steals and friends I've been able to experiment with several different filters/filter combinations with my fairly heavily stocked 125g tank being the constant. There are plenty of reviews from people about filters, but they're all on different tanks with different stock levels so not very useful.
From my experience:
BEST FILTRATION SETUP on almost any sized tank would be an eheim classic canister filter for bio-filtration and to create a slight current to sweep away debris on bottom, then an Aqua Clear hang on back filter (with bigals filter floss as top layer) for fine particle filtration of the water column. The bigger the filters the better.
BEST BUDGET FILTRATION - as many of the biggest Aqua Clear hang on back filters as fit on the back of the tank. They'll handle the bio, are super easy to maintain, and will keep the water super sparkling crystal clear (if you add bigal's filter floss as the top layer)
here's my long "journal" of my different filters. They were all on my 125g tank which remained essentially constant throughout. (I wish I'd read something like this when I was starting out). First I ran just an Eheim 2262 with stock media (ceramic cylinders, green floss, substratpro) . It had a 950gph pondmaster pump w/ actual GPH of around 220. New its $475 + around $200 for media
PROS
- amazing filter overall (except cost)
- unbelievably amazing bio filtration
- doesnt have to be rinsed/cleaned for months (years?) at a time
- this pump ispretty quiet (quieter than magnum 350, and from what I've read the eheim pump that comes with it new is even quieter)
- VERY high quality/heavy duty hoses, doubletaps, hardware, build, etc
- all water must flow thru media, and its very unlikely to damage the impeller as it is top mounted
- can create a current in a big tank that will clear debris/crap off the bottom (but pushes plants permanently and might be too strong for some fish)
CONS
- kept the tank clean, but not the greatest mechanical filtration (I didnt run ehfi synth or poly-fill type stuff tho). Even with synth it needs help from another filter to keep water super crystal clear
- VERY expensive
- this particular pondmaster pump uses a lot of electricity...93 watts for only 225gph. Long run very expensive. (The eheim pump that comes with tho it is 80 watts with around 400-450 actual GPH which is much better)
- All around I'm happy with it, BUT I got it for VERY CHEAP on craigslist. As good as it is/would be with the eheim pump. I personally wouldnt and couldnt spend $500 -$700 for it/media
- even with spray bar, can create too much of a current in the tank for some people's preferences - will clear out debris/crap but cause tall plants to be constantly bent sideways
- spray bar reduces flow by 30-60gph
Then I added a Marineland Magnum 350 with micron cartridge. Its around $100 shipped +$15 extra micron cartridge + replacement blue sponges. Comes with 1 micron, 1 blue sponge, and a small amount of carbon (all crappy media). Overall: complete waste of money.
PROS
- comes with a good pipe cleaner
- canister can be taken off the stand for cleaning without unplugging the cord
CONS
- Everything about the filter feels cheap, especially the doubletaps and hose fittings
- It's very loud compared to others,
- uses 35 watts for an actual GPH of around 175 (not very good)
- basically zero bio filtration - can't be used as only filter on a tank
- The micron cartridge gets clogged very fast. a 2nd is necessary so while you use one, you can bleach clean another overnight (another huge pain)
- cleaning the filter in general is an ABSOLUTE PAIN in the ass. The doubletaps are crap, the hose fittings wiggle loose easily - potential BIG spills. The o-ring is hard to get back on after cleaning. The inner basket falls apart into 4 different pieces that are VERY difficult and frustrating to put back together, and every time i opened the filter the cap had fallen off, letting dirty water flow through to the tank. There are 2 foam gaskets that are tough to get back in the right place. Theres a big plastic piece over the impeller that always falls out of place.
- the thin blue sponge gets crapped out and utterly unusable fairly quickly (1-3 months) so you have to spend $$ to replace.
- the way its designed allows a lot of water to flow through without passing through all the media
- sand could easily damage impeller fairly easily
- comes with carbon that must be replaced often for extra $$, I ended up putting sponges in the inner media basket.
- I ended up just stuffing the entire thing with random sponges and abandoning the stock media so I didnt have to clean it every week, then finally sold it
- many people like these filters, but I just don't see why or how
Then I got Two Eheim 2217's (eventually they're for my friends tank, who is using my 2262 while I compare these on my tank).
I got for $111 each w/ media. Most places around $140-$160 shipped w/ media. Comes with mech (ceramic cylinders), a reusable sponge, substrat (bio balls), a carbon pad, and a fine mechanical filter pad.
Overall a very good filter
PROS
- VERY high quality/heavy duty hoses, doubletaps, hardware, build, etc
- almost silent.
- very good bio filtration
- uses only 20 watts and gets around 215 actual gph (good, AC110 better, 250 MUCH worse)
- rinsable/reusable media
- 2 of them keep 125 very clear (altho not quite super crystal clear)
- don't have to maintain very often (3-6 months maybe longer), but much more effort to rinse/clean than a hang on back filter
CONS
- Expensive (but will last a very long time)
- have to unplug cord to bring to sink to clean
- spray bar reduces flow by 30 or so GPH
Then I added an Aqua Clear 110 with the 2 2217's. Its available for $63 shipped from amazon. Comes with a sponge, bio cylinder media, and a carbon packet that is not reusable. If you add bigal's filter floss as the top layer ($10 for a HUGE roll of it that will last years b/c its rinsable) it will keep the tank ridiculously sparkling crystal clear (even when I turn off the 2217's for a few days - i tried it). Its the best mechanical filter
PROS
- VERY CHEAP $63
- 14 watts for 285 actual GPH (amazing!)
- pretty quiet
- very easy to clean/maintain (much easier than canister, esp 350)
- will not create a current as it just dumps water downward into the water
- fantastic mechanical filtration of fine particles in water column (if used with bigals filter floss as top layer...or poly fill if theyre the same thing? not sure)
- aerates water (some people may not want this break in surface tension b/c co2 release tho)
- rinsable reusable media
CONS
- will not create current and the intake only about 10 inches long (adjustable to 5) so won't get debris/crap off the bottom of any taller tanks
- water being dropped back in breaks surface tension - on some planted tanks people may not want this
- if your background isnt solid or painted, hang on back filter may be unsightly
- sometimes the lid rattles if not adjusted right
- in my opinion, included carbon media packet is useless, but not a big deal
Other filters (from what I've gathered from reading online...haven't tried them): canisters
New eheims: some of them WAY too expensive, not as simple or tough, extra useless features, parts can break more easily...classic FTW
Fluval 205/305/405 - I've handled one and overall feels much cheaper than classic eheims, and cost more with less flow rate, more wattage, much less efficiency, and bypass of media. Yuck.
Fluval 505 - Very appealing...very high flow rate and efficiency, great mech filtration for big tanks, MUCH cheaper than the big eheims and comes with media, but some media bypass, not nearly as good bio filtration, and not as rugged. I'd be much more likely to buy one of these than a big eheim. For a big tank (125+), one of these and a 2217 and a AC110 couldnt be beat.
Marineland c120/220/360/530 - I really don't know, but if they're anything like the 350 then I wouldnt go near them. But if theyre anything like the marineland double bright LED then I WOULD go near them. I've read they're loud and produce small bubbles, but other people like them.
Rena xp Line - a lot of people like them, ive never tried them. I'd like to test actual flow rates b/c the advertised are very high with low watts and similar prices if not lower than eheim (not as good media tho, and I find it hard to believe their as rugged as eheim classics but who knows). If they've got 80% efficiency like eheims (215 actual/264 advertised) then theyre at the very least appealing.
Other hang on back:
Magnum 250 - very similar (awful) design to 350 so wouldnt go anywhere near it
penguin bio wheel - i've never used them but bio wheels have no mechanical filtration capabilities whatsoever...if u want bio filtration get a canister. Also big chunky and cheap feeling
whisper - just a scam to get u to keep buying carbon pads. Useless if you ask me. but they are quiet I have one on a 20 gallon stuffed with sponges.
in tank filters - who wants an entire filter IN their fish tank? yuck
Just spent 45 mins typing this lol hopefully someone got this far/finds it useful!
From my experience:
BEST FILTRATION SETUP on almost any sized tank would be an eheim classic canister filter for bio-filtration and to create a slight current to sweep away debris on bottom, then an Aqua Clear hang on back filter (with bigals filter floss as top layer) for fine particle filtration of the water column. The bigger the filters the better.
BEST BUDGET FILTRATION - as many of the biggest Aqua Clear hang on back filters as fit on the back of the tank. They'll handle the bio, are super easy to maintain, and will keep the water super sparkling crystal clear (if you add bigal's filter floss as the top layer)
here's my long "journal" of my different filters. They were all on my 125g tank which remained essentially constant throughout. (I wish I'd read something like this when I was starting out). First I ran just an Eheim 2262 with stock media (ceramic cylinders, green floss, substratpro) . It had a 950gph pondmaster pump w/ actual GPH of around 220. New its $475 + around $200 for media
PROS
- amazing filter overall (except cost)
- unbelievably amazing bio filtration
- doesnt have to be rinsed/cleaned for months (years?) at a time
- this pump ispretty quiet (quieter than magnum 350, and from what I've read the eheim pump that comes with it new is even quieter)
- VERY high quality/heavy duty hoses, doubletaps, hardware, build, etc
- all water must flow thru media, and its very unlikely to damage the impeller as it is top mounted
- can create a current in a big tank that will clear debris/crap off the bottom (but pushes plants permanently and might be too strong for some fish)
CONS
- kept the tank clean, but not the greatest mechanical filtration (I didnt run ehfi synth or poly-fill type stuff tho). Even with synth it needs help from another filter to keep water super crystal clear
- VERY expensive
- this particular pondmaster pump uses a lot of electricity...93 watts for only 225gph. Long run very expensive. (The eheim pump that comes with tho it is 80 watts with around 400-450 actual GPH which is much better)
- All around I'm happy with it, BUT I got it for VERY CHEAP on craigslist. As good as it is/would be with the eheim pump. I personally wouldnt and couldnt spend $500 -$700 for it/media
- even with spray bar, can create too much of a current in the tank for some people's preferences - will clear out debris/crap but cause tall plants to be constantly bent sideways
- spray bar reduces flow by 30-60gph
Then I added a Marineland Magnum 350 with micron cartridge. Its around $100 shipped +$15 extra micron cartridge + replacement blue sponges. Comes with 1 micron, 1 blue sponge, and a small amount of carbon (all crappy media). Overall: complete waste of money.
PROS
- comes with a good pipe cleaner
- canister can be taken off the stand for cleaning without unplugging the cord
CONS
- Everything about the filter feels cheap, especially the doubletaps and hose fittings
- It's very loud compared to others,
- uses 35 watts for an actual GPH of around 175 (not very good)
- basically zero bio filtration - can't be used as only filter on a tank
- The micron cartridge gets clogged very fast. a 2nd is necessary so while you use one, you can bleach clean another overnight (another huge pain)
- cleaning the filter in general is an ABSOLUTE PAIN in the ass. The doubletaps are crap, the hose fittings wiggle loose easily - potential BIG spills. The o-ring is hard to get back on after cleaning. The inner basket falls apart into 4 different pieces that are VERY difficult and frustrating to put back together, and every time i opened the filter the cap had fallen off, letting dirty water flow through to the tank. There are 2 foam gaskets that are tough to get back in the right place. Theres a big plastic piece over the impeller that always falls out of place.
- the thin blue sponge gets crapped out and utterly unusable fairly quickly (1-3 months) so you have to spend $$ to replace.
- the way its designed allows a lot of water to flow through without passing through all the media
- sand could easily damage impeller fairly easily
- comes with carbon that must be replaced often for extra $$, I ended up putting sponges in the inner media basket.
- I ended up just stuffing the entire thing with random sponges and abandoning the stock media so I didnt have to clean it every week, then finally sold it
- many people like these filters, but I just don't see why or how
Then I got Two Eheim 2217's (eventually they're for my friends tank, who is using my 2262 while I compare these on my tank).
I got for $111 each w/ media. Most places around $140-$160 shipped w/ media. Comes with mech (ceramic cylinders), a reusable sponge, substrat (bio balls), a carbon pad, and a fine mechanical filter pad.
Overall a very good filter
PROS
- VERY high quality/heavy duty hoses, doubletaps, hardware, build, etc
- almost silent.
- very good bio filtration
- uses only 20 watts and gets around 215 actual gph (good, AC110 better, 250 MUCH worse)
- rinsable/reusable media
- 2 of them keep 125 very clear (altho not quite super crystal clear)
- don't have to maintain very often (3-6 months maybe longer), but much more effort to rinse/clean than a hang on back filter
CONS
- Expensive (but will last a very long time)
- have to unplug cord to bring to sink to clean
- spray bar reduces flow by 30 or so GPH
Then I added an Aqua Clear 110 with the 2 2217's. Its available for $63 shipped from amazon. Comes with a sponge, bio cylinder media, and a carbon packet that is not reusable. If you add bigal's filter floss as the top layer ($10 for a HUGE roll of it that will last years b/c its rinsable) it will keep the tank ridiculously sparkling crystal clear (even when I turn off the 2217's for a few days - i tried it). Its the best mechanical filter
PROS
- VERY CHEAP $63
- 14 watts for 285 actual GPH (amazing!)
- pretty quiet
- very easy to clean/maintain (much easier than canister, esp 350)
- will not create a current as it just dumps water downward into the water
- fantastic mechanical filtration of fine particles in water column (if used with bigals filter floss as top layer...or poly fill if theyre the same thing? not sure)
- aerates water (some people may not want this break in surface tension b/c co2 release tho)
- rinsable reusable media
CONS
- will not create current and the intake only about 10 inches long (adjustable to 5) so won't get debris/crap off the bottom of any taller tanks
- water being dropped back in breaks surface tension - on some planted tanks people may not want this
- if your background isnt solid or painted, hang on back filter may be unsightly
- sometimes the lid rattles if not adjusted right
- in my opinion, included carbon media packet is useless, but not a big deal
Other filters (from what I've gathered from reading online...haven't tried them): canisters
New eheims: some of them WAY too expensive, not as simple or tough, extra useless features, parts can break more easily...classic FTW
Fluval 205/305/405 - I've handled one and overall feels much cheaper than classic eheims, and cost more with less flow rate, more wattage, much less efficiency, and bypass of media. Yuck.
Fluval 505 - Very appealing...very high flow rate and efficiency, great mech filtration for big tanks, MUCH cheaper than the big eheims and comes with media, but some media bypass, not nearly as good bio filtration, and not as rugged. I'd be much more likely to buy one of these than a big eheim. For a big tank (125+), one of these and a 2217 and a AC110 couldnt be beat.
Marineland c120/220/360/530 - I really don't know, but if they're anything like the 350 then I wouldnt go near them. But if theyre anything like the marineland double bright LED then I WOULD go near them. I've read they're loud and produce small bubbles, but other people like them.
Rena xp Line - a lot of people like them, ive never tried them. I'd like to test actual flow rates b/c the advertised are very high with low watts and similar prices if not lower than eheim (not as good media tho, and I find it hard to believe their as rugged as eheim classics but who knows). If they've got 80% efficiency like eheims (215 actual/264 advertised) then theyre at the very least appealing.
Other hang on back:
Magnum 250 - very similar (awful) design to 350 so wouldnt go anywhere near it
penguin bio wheel - i've never used them but bio wheels have no mechanical filtration capabilities whatsoever...if u want bio filtration get a canister. Also big chunky and cheap feeling
whisper - just a scam to get u to keep buying carbon pads. Useless if you ask me. but they are quiet I have one on a 20 gallon stuffed with sponges.
in tank filters - who wants an entire filter IN their fish tank? yuck
Just spent 45 mins typing this lol hopefully someone got this far/finds it useful!
