Your preferred cannister brand/model

[Tiber]

When I bought my tank (used on Facebook) it came with a fluval 7 series cannister filter. Long story short it drove me crazy, was so loud that I could hear it from the next room and I got rid of it after a few weeks.

Though I have always wanted a cannister filter and few other people seem to have such issues with noise so I've decided to give it another go. Due to past frustrations I'm not just going to go into pets at home and buy whatever brand they have in stock.

Amazon has all pond solutions cannisters that seem well reviewed but feel slightly concerningly cheap compared to other brand. I'm a bit suspicious of the fluval ones due to past experience but maybe I just got a dodgy second hand one? The local store I buy most my fish from has a betta cannister though I don't know much about that brand

Just wondering what brand you folks prefer?

 

[Mike N]

I have Eheims and Fluvals. All are silent. A couple of my Eheims are probable 30 years old and are still silent. Good longevity i’d say. I’d try replacing the impeller and shaft That may solve your problems.
good luck!

 

[AquaBarb]

I think fluval are pretty much the best all round canisters on the market.

High performance, reliable and cheaper than some of the other top brands. The 4's are really easy for maintance and normally pretty quiet. The Fx series are top dogs in canister land

Oase is a soild brand tho and come with built in heaters.

All pond solutions are pretty good for a budget filter which do the job nicely but build quality doesnt match a fluval or an oase etc

Aqueal ultramax's are also fantastic filters

 

[Tiber]

I think fluval are pretty much the best all round canisters on the market.

High performance, reliable and cheaper than some of the other top brands. The 4's are really easy for maintance and normally pretty quiet. The Fx series are top dogs in canister land

Oase is a soild brand tho and come with built in heaters.

All pond solutions are pretty good for a budget filter which do the job nicely but build quality doesnt match a fluval or an oase etc

Aqueal ultramax's are also fantastic filters

Fx 4 looks amazing but I suspect the flow would be too strong for my 190l

 

[plebian]

The best canister filters for the money are Sunsun. I've owned the 702A, 703A and 704A models. Aside from costing less than half the other popular brands, they hold more filter media. Except for the largest model, they all run silent. Also, they are MUCH easier to clean than Fluvals. There's a cichlid guy called Ben O'Chart that has a Youtube channel who's done some comparison videos if you're interested.

 

[Tiber]

The best canister filters for the money are Sunsun. I've owned the 702A, 703A and 704A models. Aside from costing less than half the other popular brands, they hold more filter media. Except for the largest model, they all run silent. Also, they are MUCH easier to clean than Fluvals. There's a cichlid guy called Ben O'Chart that has a Youtube channel who's done some comparison videos if you're interested.

Is that just all the pond solutions one in a different colour?

 

[plebian]

Is that just all the pond solutions one in a different colour?

I believe that's true. At least, I've read that elsewhere. I've never owned a Pond Solutions canister so I can't absolutely verify that.

 

[plebian]

I should mention that the built-in siphoning mechanism on the Sunsuns doesn't work unless the canister is full of water. When cleaning, you need to fill the canister completely before attempting to siphon water through the intake hose. Also, don't bother with models that have built-in UV. The bulb simply aren't powerful enough to be of much value and they are easily broken. This is true of all canisters with this option, not just Sunsun.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

As far as I am concerned there are only three good brands of canister. The first is Eheim. Next would be Eheim and finally there is Eheim. I have 5 of the Pro II series, 4 x 2026 and a 2028. I have 3 of the 2026 in use, the 4th is for spare parts. I never got around to putting the 2028 into service. It sits NIB on a shelf.

My very first one 2026 was chsen because I planned to push my pressurized cow firectly into it. I felt Eheim was the onl brand which could handle a gas bubble going in every few seconds. It ran fine that way for almost 10 yearswhen I gave up the use of CO2. It then became the prime filter on a 75 gal. pleco breeding tank. It is still running today some 22 years later as quiet as the day I turned it on for the very first time.

The last 2026 and the 2028 I bought NIB on Ebay.= because they were long beyond when Eheim had upgraded their most current models. The present Eheim canister line is the 5E.

 

[plebian]

As far as I am concerned there are only three good brands of canister. The first is Eheim. Next would be Eheim and finally there is Eheim. I have 5 of the Pro II series, 4 x 2026 and a 2028. I have 3 of the 2026 in use, the 4th is for spare parts. I never got around to putting the 2028 into service. It sits NIB on a shelf.

My very first one 2026 was chsen because I planned to push my pressurized cow firectly into it. I felt Eheim was the onl brand which could handle a gas bubble going in every few seconds. It ran fine that way for almost 10 yearswhen I gave up the use of CO2. It then became the prime filter on a 75 gal. pleco breeding tank. It is still running today some 22 years later as quiet as the day I turned it on for the very first time.

The last 2026 and the 2028 I bought NIB on Ebay.= because they were long beyond when Eheim had upgraded their most current models. The present Eheim canister line is the 5E.

Everyone has their own value system. The only Eheim I could find (Eheim Pro 4 + 600) that came anywhere near the specs of a Sunsun HW-704A e.g. cost 4X as much. The maximum rate of flow for the Eheim was 1250 liters/hour with a maximum lift height of 1.8 meters. Comparable numbers for the Sunsun were 2000 liters/hour with a maximum lift height of 2.5 meters. Both units held the same amount of filter media.

In my case, I would have had to buy two of the Eheims for each Sunsun canister I used, costing me 8X as much.

 

[GaryE]

You have to bear in mind how international we are. The prices of the various brands relative to each other can vary wildly depending on where we are.

For me, I want reliability and longevity in a filter. My Fluval and Eheim canisters have been workhorses. I can't comment on Sun Sun because they barely pop up in my market.

Canisters are expensive, and I think it's reasonable to expect a bare minimum of 10 years use out of one. My Fluvals are working well after 7 years and 3 years, and my Eheim is at 12.

I'd be curious to know how long Sun Sun have run for people. I expect they're reasonable quality based on HOB filters I run, but does anyone have any experience longterm?

 

[Uberhoust]

Only have used a fluval, 407 has been working well for me.

 

[Sleeveless]

I've used a Fluval 307 and 407. Great canisters and both quiet.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

Here is an invaluable lesson I learned many decades ago.

In the long run, the cheapest solution is usually the one that cost the most up front.

There is another saying which I tend to follow as well. "You get what you pay for."

My Eheims have been running perfectly for a whole lot longer than they have been making Sun Sun canisters. About the worst place one can have a UV is inside of a canister, especially ones with high flow rates. A major factor in the efficacy of a UV is dwell time, This refers to how long the water is in contact with the UV light. Slower flow is the rule here.

The one weakness with Eheim canisters is that they put a heater inside some models. Doing so with UV is an even worse idea. I have had two tanks wiped out from heater failures. What do we think having an internal filter heater stuck full on would do to a canister? I use Hydor inline heaters with my 3 canisters. Also, internal heaters for filters means there is only one model that will work. Considering that the least reliable piece of eqiupment in the hobby are the heaters........

 

[Seisage]

As far as I am concerned there are only three good brands of canister. The first is Eheim. Next would be Eheim and finally there is Eheim. I have 5 of the Pro II series, 4 x 2026 and a 2028.

Do you have any thoughts on Eheim's "classic" series? I'm thinking of switching to canisters and recognize the benefit of a trusted brand. Their "classic" canisters are a bit more budget friendly than the pro series, so would be more accessible to me