Please give me your opinion on the most effective and best built canister filter for a 185 gallon tank. I just bought a month ago, a rena XP4. Its supposed to pump 450 gph. I was hoping that would do the whole tank. But, by itself, was not enough. I DO like how quiet it is though. I'd like to add one more canister filter and am thinking another rena (xp3 this time) should do it. But I'd like to know what your experience is. Is there a better filter? I've heard of filters with heaters in them but can't seem to find any. Is there good canister filters with heaters? Please send me a link. BTW, I don't really want to spend a fortune. But If thats what it takes. Thanks guys
whats the BEST canister filter for 180 gl tank.
- Thread starter ospy
- Start date
The flow rate on the xp4 is 450gph with no media in place. With all of the trays filled you'll get about 190-195gph. Why companies like to advertise the gph like that I don't know.
As far as the canisters with heaters in them Eheim makes them but you're gonna spend at least 200 smackers on one. Best bet is to find a place online that sells them. I got my xp3 for 80 bucks new from www.thatpetplace.com. Another site worth checking out is www.petsolutions.com
I've been buying all my stuff online in bulk and saving a ton of money.
As far as the canisters with heaters in them Eheim makes them but you're gonna spend at least 200 smackers on one. Best bet is to find a place online that sells them. I got my xp3 for 80 bucks new from www.thatpetplace.com. Another site worth checking out is www.petsolutions.com
I've been buying all my stuff online in bulk and saving a ton of money.
I wouldn't buy the smaller one. I think you'd be better off with 2 of the same size so you can have interchangeable parts.
Aqua clears are HOB not cannisters.
Eheim makes the best. They also have ones with titanium heaters built in.
When selecting cannisters, don't just price the filter. Price the unit WITH the media. Buy the system complete. You'll get a better price than buying parts.
If you really like the cannister you have now, buy a second one and consider adding a Hagen 500 HOB too. You'll get good surface movement and have the reliability of cannisters too.
Aqua clears are HOB not cannisters.
Eheim makes the best. They also have ones with titanium heaters built in.
When selecting cannisters, don't just price the filter. Price the unit WITH the media. Buy the system complete. You'll get a better price than buying parts.
If you really like the cannister you have now, buy a second one and consider adding a Hagen 500 HOB too. You'll get good surface movement and have the reliability of cannisters too.
i would get over flows and do a sump on a tank that size. either get a eheim or add another xp4 but a sump/wet dry would be your very best bet for that tank
Redtail_Watcher;527041; said:
Jesus christ man, aqua clears are not even canisters, and no aqua clear is enough for a 180.
Get a 2260 and another smaller backup eheim classic.
What makes 2260 Eheim so great? Are they built better? I've noticed some of the filters are made kind of cheezy. Is Eheim a better built product? What about the heater? Which model offers that?
ospy, basically eheims are just excellent quality.
I had a fluval 404 and it clogged SO quickly, it was unbelievable. After a week of filtering, the flow rate would drop right down and I'd have to replace the filter wool.
Eheim's pumps are very, very powerful. And by that I don't mean flow rate, I mean torque/power.
No matter how clogged the media gets, the flow rate never drops.
Yesterday I changed the filter wool after 2 months, a lot of filter wool too, big thick chunks of the stuff torn from a huge roll, and the filter wool was basically choc full of s-h-i-t. It was all dark brown, you could not see any wool.
Yet honestly, the flow rate never dropped. The eheims pumps are great.
Other canisters I've tried and internal filetrs can clog in a matter of days, but eheims never clog.
The fluval fx5 boasts a good flow rate, but by the sounds of it, the pump is not as powerful/torquey. Even ducati, the most ardent FX5 supporter here, admitted they clog and he needs to change the media fairly frequently.
That's the main reason I like eheims, they are solid work horses of filters, good quality and dependable. The fluval I had also leaked.
The 2260 is for my money the best eheim. I am not sure about the media capacity between the 2260 and the Pro 3, I think they are similar. But the 2260 has a slightly higher flow rate, and has the intake on the bottom, so no bypassing of media.
I had a fluval 404 and it clogged SO quickly, it was unbelievable. After a week of filtering, the flow rate would drop right down and I'd have to replace the filter wool.
Eheim's pumps are very, very powerful. And by that I don't mean flow rate, I mean torque/power.
No matter how clogged the media gets, the flow rate never drops.
Yesterday I changed the filter wool after 2 months, a lot of filter wool too, big thick chunks of the stuff torn from a huge roll, and the filter wool was basically choc full of s-h-i-t. It was all dark brown, you could not see any wool.
Yet honestly, the flow rate never dropped. The eheims pumps are great.
Other canisters I've tried and internal filetrs can clog in a matter of days, but eheims never clog.
The fluval fx5 boasts a good flow rate, but by the sounds of it, the pump is not as powerful/torquey. Even ducati, the most ardent FX5 supporter here, admitted they clog and he needs to change the media fairly frequently.
That's the main reason I like eheims, they are solid work horses of filters, good quality and dependable. The fluval I had also leaked.
The 2260 is for my money the best eheim. I am not sure about the media capacity between the 2260 and the Pro 3, I think they are similar. But the 2260 has a slightly higher flow rate, and has the intake on the bottom, so no bypassing of media.