What do you think of Rena Filstar filters?

[Wesku]

I had a XP3 for over 2 years. I liked it and it worked fine , but started leaking eventually. I bought an Eheim after that. I had Eheim for many years back in Europe , and I do think they are better made than any other canister I've seen so far.

 

[vfc]

I have two XP3's and an XP4. I am very pleased with them and have no desire to switch to another brand. My first XP3 has been running over a year. I primed it 15 months ago and never had to prime it again. All three are quiet. They all developed algae inside the tubes. After a few months it starts to break off and comes out of the spray bar. Some of my african cichlids love it and I occasionally squeeze the tube to release more. After a while the tubes clear up on their own and look brand new again; so no need to clean them.

I use Matrix, Cell-Pore, and the bio-stars that come with it for the bio-media. Cleaning is very easy. What is nice about the baskets is that I can take them out and quickly submerge them in a bucket of tank water to keep from killing off any anaerobic bacteria that may have developed deep inside the bio media. I then take my time and thoroughly clean out the 4 sponges in the bottom basket.

Another benefit is that the Aqua Clear surface skimmer fits on the input tubes. I have both my XP3s hooked to them to keep the surface of my 75G & 150G free from surface film.

 

[AroW]

What do you guys use the XP3 for? Is it effective if it is used purely for mechanical (I am not sure if I am stuffing too much pads into it, as I use all 3 baskets for filter pads and nothing else).

 

[RSki]

I've got 2 XP-3s on my 120g. Love em! Easy maintenance, good flow and quiet. I've got the 2 sets of foam in my bottom baskets for mechanical and the rest is filled with bio-rings in one xp and sintered glass in the other, topped off with the fine poly pad. Water is crystal and parameters are great, considering the tank is a bit over-stocked. Great filter for the $$.

 

[barley pop]

had my xp3 since x-mass and no problem it is quiet and works well for the
$$$$ i would get another 1

 

[hirth]

I would unplug it and make sure that the canister is full of water before you turn it back on again. Alot of the time the only reason they make noise is because theres air in the filter.

 

[lochness]

I've had 2 XP3s for nearly a yr for my 90g tall and I love them - I had never used canisters before so I had done some research about them and so I was a bit nervous and hesitant, but petsmart had them on sale online for $70 each (atm they are on sale for $104 and if you print their ad out and bring it to the store http://www.petsmart.com/global/prod...T<>prd_id=845524441777968&bmUID=1176263075767

petsmart will honor the price no matter how much they are in the store) so I figured if I didn't like them or I had problems I would always go back to HOB filters. I love the huge basket capacity and they run very quiet - I use the standard 20 and 30 pads for the bottom basket, the middle basket is filled to the brim with ceramic rings, and the top baskets have bio chem & nitra zorb, water softener pouches and the micro filter pads for polishing the water.

Tho I use the python to do weekly water changes, I never have to *clean* the gravel with a hose - simply stirring the gravel up and watching the debris come up is no cause for alarm since the filters clean it up in less than 10 minutes and the tank looks perfect once again. I do have a HOB filter in storage as an addition to my emergency back-up kit (along with battery powered pumps, rechargeable batteries, hand-cranked light and Bio Spira in the fridge. All i need to get is a small generator)

The poster that said their Renas leaked after a yr - where and how did they leak?

 

[lochness]

What do you guys use the XP3 for? Is it effective if it is used purely for mechanical (I am not sure if I am stuffing too much pads into it, as I use all 3 baskets for filter pads and nothing else).

nothing technically wrong with that except when you clean the filters, do so in a bucket of tank water - that way you have SOME beneficial bacteria but you're really killing alot off - replace the middle basket of pads with ceramic rings or scrub pads (rinse these in a bucket of tank water first) anything that is small enough to fit in numerous amounts, that is non-toxic and durable enough to withstand water 100% - and leave them in there without cleaning them or drying them out - when you clean the filters, submerge this basket in tank water in a bucket to keep the beneficial bacteria alive and simply return the basket when done. Or you can simply leave the set of filter pads you have now in them and treat them as you would ceramic rings -- the only slight problem with this is they will build up with alot of debris after time and you will NEED to clean them and in so doing will remove alot of the good stuff and weaken your tank a bit for while again which kinda defeats the purpose - I find ceramic rings or the plastic rings work best (tho ceramic rings tend to hold more due to their composition)

 

[sawboy]

I have an XP4 on my 90 with juvie Oscars. It is with an AC110.
I also have an XP4 on my 125 Africans with two Emporer 400's. The 400's will be giving way to AC's in the near future.

I absolutely LOVE the XP's. I will be buying more in the next few months as I plan on adding some tanks.

AC and Rena are the real deal as far as I am concerned.