new cannister question

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
pnoydlyte

pnoydlyte

Candiru
MFK Member
Feb 5, 2007
829
0
46
Honolulu
ok i jus got a 55 tank nd no filter
i was thinkin bout gettin a cannister filter for it
right now at the lfs i have 3 different options
option 1- get a magnum 350 for 135 bucks
option 2- get a fluval 304 for 155 bucks
option 3- order online nd deal with the hassle of shipping to hawaii

my question is which option would be best im new to cannister filters so i dont kno much about them guy workin there says fluval are good but dont have much experience with them
are they worth the price
 
I personally won't use fluvals at all anymore, other than there powerheads. I have had 3 404's die on me after only 2 years. They are cheap filters, and are poor at pumping water when they have a load. Eheim is a much better choice, and online you could get one shipped for ~$120. Look into the eheim 2217 at drsforsterandsmith.com or bigalsonline.com. These come with bio media rather than carbon, and will last you many many years. Eheim's ehfisubstrat pro is one of the best bio-media's on the market, and does not come with any filter other than an eheim. A 2L box of it will run ~$25 wholesale, and 50 retail. Fluval's bio-media is not that great, and clogs very easily, forcing water to bypass the actual bio-media. Rena canisters are OK, but I still would get an eheim over a Rena. Magnums are moderate filters, but they lack the capacity of most canisters. If you have more money, consider Eheim 2026 or 2028 filter, as these are also very good filters. If you have plenty of money, look into the eheim 2076 or 2078, which are the new pro 3e models, and are amazing filters.
 
I would go with the fluval. I have a 404 and a 405 that run without problems. A cleaning every couple of months is all it need to do to keep them going strong.
 
I like the fluvals. I have a fx5 on my 125g. i feel like I need more filtration though. not enough flow for my dirty fish. If you order online though, Dr fosters and smith are the cheapest to hawaii.
 
I know you're in Hawaii but if you go to petsmart, you can get $30 off a Rena Filstar filter. I would go with a XP2 or a XP3 for your 55g.

Enter the code, XP3XP4, to get the $30 off. That should make up for some of the shipping costs plus it's a lesser expensive filter. Shipping is free over $50 and only a $15 fee to ship to hawaii.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom