I see a lot of threads here asking for advice on canister filters. I purchased 3 different filters (Fluval 405, Rena XP3, and Marineland C-360) at about the same time last year. I was extremely bored at work so I thought I would give my thoughts and impressions of these 3 filters. They have all been running on a 125 gallon with 2 oscars, an odoe pike, 10 clown loaches, 2 senegal bichirs, and a violet bruno pleco. Remember these are just my opinions hopefully they will be helpful to someone who is in the process of buying a new filter. Also, I know the XP3 is rated for larger tanks but I still think these 3 are failry close competition and price points.....
COST
Taking into consideration these are year old prices (all purchased online), the Fluval cost me around $200, the XP3 was around $180 and the Marinland $165
INITIAL OUT OF BOX IMPRESSIONS
The Fluval is the winner here. It just looks and feels more solid and sturdy then the other 2. The intake/output is nicely made and sturdy. It does not come with a spraybar that is optional. Im not a big fan of the ribbed hose. Seems like it could be (and is) a pain in the long run. The Marineland actually LOOKS the nicest but in reality seems cheap and flimsy.Its the worst of the 3. The black translucent hoses are thick and sturdy, but way too rigid, making install a pain. The intake/output is crap. Cheaply made, and it doesnt seem very efficient. The XP3 is somewhere in the middle, nice looks, good quality...It has good thick flexible hosing. Decent, but sort of flimsy intake (that is ugly blue color should be black). It does come with a very nice spraybar option that i like a lot.
MEDIA
Actually a tie between the XP3 and c360. The marineland comes with a ton of media (sponges, bioballs, ceramic rings, carbon, microfiltration pad) and the 4 large round compartments have many media combination possibilities. The XP3 comes with sponges, carbon and like 15 or so black plastic stars for biofiltration (should include more!) on the XP3 the 4 trays can be split in 2 providing a ton of media options. The 405 is a bit disappointing here. The 4 trays are smaller then the other 2 filters. It comes with sponges, carbon, and ceramic biomedia.
It seems to me the design of the xp3 and c360 are more effiecient then the 405. The 405s flow goes down the side of the canister through the sponges then up through the media trays, While the XP3 andc360s flow is forced from the bottom to the top. It seems like this would allow for less bypass
SETUP/INSTALL
Xp3 is the winner here. With the 405 second, the c360 dead last.
the XP3 was a breeze to setup. The instructions were clear and easy to follow. Im not a big fan of the priming method (you fill the intake hose using a funnel), but the whole setup took much less time then the other 2 filters.
The 405 is also pretty straightforward setting up. It comes with a nice large color setup guide (and dvd). The primer is a lever you pump to fill the canister, which takes a lot of pumps to fill the first time after cleaning/maintenance.
The c360 was also pretty easy to setup. Only problem I had were the thick stiff hoses which were hard to maneuver behind my tank. The primer is a button you press a few times to fill the canister. All 3 have a nice quick release mechanism you can engage to remove the canister while keeping water in the intake/output hoses. The c360 has kind of a goofy 2 lever system that is sort of hard to lock into place.
IMPRESSIONS AFTER ONE YEAR
405...Seems to be very reliable so far. I really hate the ribbed hoses, they collect a ton of debris that gets shot out when you fire it up after a cleaning (nothing a trip to home depot for better hoses wont cure)Flow rate is still strong. The filter is quiet as well. It is a bit tricky at times to take off/reseal the motor housing unit. They should have put something to grab onto instead of the clamps!
Pros:sturdy, high quality, low maintenance, easy install, good flow rate, quiet
cons:flow design? doesnt come with enough media, price is a big high, crappy hoses
XP3....very reliable and still super quiet. easiest to take apart and clean. It still has good flow rate and I have had zero problems with it. If you use the microfiltration pads (i dont anymore), it gets clogged pretty fast, lowering flow rate quite a bit.
Pros: great flow rate, easy to seup and maintain, great media options, good design, good spraybar
cons:kind of flimsy intake, clogs rather easily with microfiltration pads, Looks sort of ugly
c360...Jeesh where do I start with this thing. on the plus side its quiet, easy to maintain, and offers a ton of media options. But its way too flimsy and cheap feeling. The filter started leaking from the primer button after 4 months. I do give credit to marineland, though..they sent me a new motor housing very quickly> I guarantee the flow rate on this is not a high as advertised. Also flow rate deteriorates quickly in between cleanings. Overall just not a good filter.
pros: media options, quiet, easy to maintain, easy primer, looks cool? ( a stretch i know)
cons: cheaply made, crappy flow rate, bad hoses, hard to get good flowrate after cleaning., quick release hard to engage
overall winner???
XP3 with 405 a somewhat close 2nd, and the c360 miles behind. For the cost the XP3 cant be beat. the c360 is a nightmare I would not buy another one. The 405 is a great filter as well, I just really question the flow flow direction and overall efficiency. As far as which keeps the tank cleanest? Well, obviously thats hard to answer since all 3 are running on the same tank. BUT for what its worth, the XP3 always has the most gunk built up in it during cleaning. Now I dont know if thats because of the xp3s higher flow rate, design differences, or other reason but that tells me its doing something right. Again this is just my opinion i hope this helps somebody
COST
Taking into consideration these are year old prices (all purchased online), the Fluval cost me around $200, the XP3 was around $180 and the Marinland $165
INITIAL OUT OF BOX IMPRESSIONS
The Fluval is the winner here. It just looks and feels more solid and sturdy then the other 2. The intake/output is nicely made and sturdy. It does not come with a spraybar that is optional. Im not a big fan of the ribbed hose. Seems like it could be (and is) a pain in the long run. The Marineland actually LOOKS the nicest but in reality seems cheap and flimsy.Its the worst of the 3. The black translucent hoses are thick and sturdy, but way too rigid, making install a pain. The intake/output is crap. Cheaply made, and it doesnt seem very efficient. The XP3 is somewhere in the middle, nice looks, good quality...It has good thick flexible hosing. Decent, but sort of flimsy intake (that is ugly blue color should be black). It does come with a very nice spraybar option that i like a lot.
MEDIA
Actually a tie between the XP3 and c360. The marineland comes with a ton of media (sponges, bioballs, ceramic rings, carbon, microfiltration pad) and the 4 large round compartments have many media combination possibilities. The XP3 comes with sponges, carbon and like 15 or so black plastic stars for biofiltration (should include more!) on the XP3 the 4 trays can be split in 2 providing a ton of media options. The 405 is a bit disappointing here. The 4 trays are smaller then the other 2 filters. It comes with sponges, carbon, and ceramic biomedia.
It seems to me the design of the xp3 and c360 are more effiecient then the 405. The 405s flow goes down the side of the canister through the sponges then up through the media trays, While the XP3 andc360s flow is forced from the bottom to the top. It seems like this would allow for less bypass
SETUP/INSTALL
Xp3 is the winner here. With the 405 second, the c360 dead last.
the XP3 was a breeze to setup. The instructions were clear and easy to follow. Im not a big fan of the priming method (you fill the intake hose using a funnel), but the whole setup took much less time then the other 2 filters.
The 405 is also pretty straightforward setting up. It comes with a nice large color setup guide (and dvd). The primer is a lever you pump to fill the canister, which takes a lot of pumps to fill the first time after cleaning/maintenance.
The c360 was also pretty easy to setup. Only problem I had were the thick stiff hoses which were hard to maneuver behind my tank. The primer is a button you press a few times to fill the canister. All 3 have a nice quick release mechanism you can engage to remove the canister while keeping water in the intake/output hoses. The c360 has kind of a goofy 2 lever system that is sort of hard to lock into place.
IMPRESSIONS AFTER ONE YEAR
405...Seems to be very reliable so far. I really hate the ribbed hoses, they collect a ton of debris that gets shot out when you fire it up after a cleaning (nothing a trip to home depot for better hoses wont cure)Flow rate is still strong. The filter is quiet as well. It is a bit tricky at times to take off/reseal the motor housing unit. They should have put something to grab onto instead of the clamps!
Pros:sturdy, high quality, low maintenance, easy install, good flow rate, quiet
cons:flow design? doesnt come with enough media, price is a big high, crappy hoses
XP3....very reliable and still super quiet. easiest to take apart and clean. It still has good flow rate and I have had zero problems with it. If you use the microfiltration pads (i dont anymore), it gets clogged pretty fast, lowering flow rate quite a bit.
Pros: great flow rate, easy to seup and maintain, great media options, good design, good spraybar
cons:kind of flimsy intake, clogs rather easily with microfiltration pads, Looks sort of ugly
c360...Jeesh where do I start with this thing. on the plus side its quiet, easy to maintain, and offers a ton of media options. But its way too flimsy and cheap feeling. The filter started leaking from the primer button after 4 months. I do give credit to marineland, though..they sent me a new motor housing very quickly> I guarantee the flow rate on this is not a high as advertised. Also flow rate deteriorates quickly in between cleanings. Overall just not a good filter.
pros: media options, quiet, easy to maintain, easy primer, looks cool? ( a stretch i know)
cons: cheaply made, crappy flow rate, bad hoses, hard to get good flowrate after cleaning., quick release hard to engage
overall winner???
XP3 with 405 a somewhat close 2nd, and the c360 miles behind. For the cost the XP3 cant be beat. the c360 is a nightmare I would not buy another one. The 405 is a great filter as well, I just really question the flow flow direction and overall efficiency. As far as which keeps the tank cleanest? Well, obviously thats hard to answer since all 3 are running on the same tank. BUT for what its worth, the XP3 always has the most gunk built up in it during cleaning. Now I dont know if thats because of the xp3s higher flow rate, design differences, or other reason but that tells me its doing something right. Again this is just my opinion i hope this helps somebody
