First a disclaimer: I've used HOBs, Sumps and Cannisters for years and find a use for them all so I don't have a dog in this fight and I apologize for bringing back to life a month-old thread but it was fascinating reading. With that being said I have found it interesting watching the evolution of the cannister filter over the years as they try to address some of the issues that people have found troublesome or that folks find inferior to other systems like sumps.
From ease of access for cleaning purposes to self-priming pumps, they seem to be making real attempts to remedy certain issues. Now those two examples in and of themselves are not that impressive but just last month a buddy of mine showed me a Cannister filter by OASE that I thought had a couple of very impressive features. First, it had a space built into it to slide in a 400 watt heater so it's no longer visible inside your tank just like a sump. The second was a removeable sleave of prefilter rings that you could unlatch and slide out of the top of the Cannister and clean and replace in no time! I was impressed enough to buy a couple and I'm anxious to see how they hold up.
Again, this isn't a post promoting one way or the other, just an observation I found interesting. It makes me think the manufacturers are definitely paying attention to and attempting to replicate within their cannister filters some of the things that make sumps great.
From ease of access for cleaning purposes to self-priming pumps, they seem to be making real attempts to remedy certain issues. Now those two examples in and of themselves are not that impressive but just last month a buddy of mine showed me a Cannister filter by OASE that I thought had a couple of very impressive features. First, it had a space built into it to slide in a 400 watt heater so it's no longer visible inside your tank just like a sump. The second was a removeable sleave of prefilter rings that you could unlatch and slide out of the top of the Cannister and clean and replace in no time! I was impressed enough to buy a couple and I'm anxious to see how they hold up.
Again, this isn't a post promoting one way or the other, just an observation I found interesting. It makes me think the manufacturers are definitely paying attention to and attempting to replicate within their cannister filters some of the things that make sumps great.
