External Vs Canister Filters

[dirtydog]

Hi all, I read quite a lot on these forums and notice people talking about external filters and canister filters. I only have one tank at the moment with an internal filter so I know nothing about externals except they are much better at filtering. Are these the same though as a canister filter?
I get another tank on the weekend so would like to know what the best sort of filter will be to get (3ft).
thanks!

 

[dc3]

External filters are anything that don't sit underwater in your tank - essentially falling into two categories - HOB and Canister.
HOB hangs on the side of your tank - common examples are Emperor Biowheel / Aquaclear. Canisters look like their name suggests - and have a couple of pipes coming out of them - see Eheim 221x or Fluval x04. The advantage of the former is they are much cheaper and easier to clean and cna kick out a fairly high flow rate. Canisters are more customizable in terms of media - need to be cleaned out once every couple of months - of course they cost more than HOB's...
To answer your question - a 3ft tank would be possibly a 40g - give or take. I'd buy a HOB - Aquaclear 50 will do you, but if you can go with the 70 (also called AC200 & AC300) - best filter I've ever had dollar for dollar

 

[Garbage]

Cannasters in my opinion, Eheim's specifically are the BEST filters you can buy.

 

[dirtydog]

cheers guys thats much clearer now.

 

[mlawson]

Eheim's specifically are the BEST filters you can buy.

From a friends view, he thinks tetratecs are better.

 

[Danno]

Fluvals are also amazing filters.

 

[for_my_fish]

my rank order would be:
tetratec
eheim
fluval (if it was in a half price sale)

 

[andywg]

Fluvals are also amazing filters.

Until the cannister leaks after two years and floods your carpet.

I wouldn't use a fluval if you paid me. They are so unreliable my lfs refuses to stock them.

Without a doubt, Eheim are the best cannister filters you can buy. As mentioned before on this forum, many people have eheims over 10 and approaching 20 years old that still work perfectly. No other cannisters I am aware of have that sort of reliability.

 

[Araxen]

I have a Filstar XP2 along with a Aquaclear 70 on my 55 Gallon tank and I have the best of both worlds!

 

[Darkstar]

Fluvals are also amazing filters.

Until the cannister leaks after two years and floods your carpet.

I wouldn't use a fluval if you paid me. They are so unreliable my lfs refuses to stock them.

Without a doubt, Eheim are the best cannister filters you can buy. As mentioned before on this forum, many people have eheims over 10 and approaching 20 years old that still work perfectly. No other cannisters I am aware of have that sort of reliability.

Agreed Eheim are by far the best. The tetratec range is looking pretty good but I'd never use a fluval, ever again.

 

[Danno]

Ehiems are also around 300 dollars....

 

[england]

well i find my 403 a great filter and 1 of my lfs rates fluval at the top of the scale.....but i will be buying a tetratec 1200 as its sooo cheap at the moment

 

[Iron Man]

The only thing HOB filters do better than some canister filters is produce more water flow and mechanical filtration. Canister filters are tremendous biological filters, however, and most versatile. You can put anything you want in one and load it up, or you can put 10 different things in it. You can put the intake hose anywhere you want and put the spray bar anywhere you want. You can also adjust the flow without having to worry about the filter making a bunch of racket, at least on Eheims.

I have an Eheim 2217 which is a part of the "classic" series and I will never had another canister filter hopefully for a very long long time.

BTW - I've had my Eheim for 3 years now and it still performs like new.

 

[dirtydog]

youve sold me on the idea of an external filter... depends if I can find one cheap enough as I dont want this tank to cost me anything really. The tank is free (not decided on if I have room for a 2 or 3ft yet), ill prob be using a sand substrate and rocks/slate that I have already and Ill DIY a stand and light rig for it.
i have a fluval 3+ in my 30" at the moment and it can clog quite quickly sometimes, my fiancee has a biolife in her tank and I clean it maybe every 6months!

 

[faithless1294]

in my opinion it would be:
Tetratec
Ehiem
and i dont rate fluval...