Anyone use cannisters

[JustRon]

I haven't used one in

years. I guess I just didn't have good luck with them. Anyone using them? Your opinion?

[maddog10]

I use canisters on some of

the tanks that are not connected to my central systems. I use sponge filters in all of my tanks.

The sponges are all run off a single large pump. In the event of a power failure I can hook the

pump to my generator and keep the sponge filters going. That is my emergency plan. Everyone should

have one.

Back to the canisters. They are nice and quite, but can be a pain to clean and

maintain.

[sskruzr]

I've used 2 Magnum 350s

for over 6 years without an ounce of problems. I have one odysea canister for about 10 months with

no problems.

[fishmaven]

<!--quoteo

(post=1368:date=Jun 25 2006, 05:14 AM:name=cichlid)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(cichlid

@ Jun 25 2006, 05:14 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1368"><{POST_SNAPBACK}

></a></div><div class='quotemain'>I haven't used one in years. I guess I just

didn't have good luck with them. Anyone using them? Your opinion?</div><!--

QuoteEEnd-->
I've watched this topic just sitting here. No one's mentioned probably

the single best filter you can buy, Eheim. Not the Chinese knock-offs or the want-to-be s. Even

Marineland hesitates to question the use of Eheim when the topic of filters or even cannisters

comes up. Does anyone here use them? If not, why not? Dan

[Frank T]

i have 2,
never

really use them,
i dont think they are that great of a filter design for the price.
same

concept as a ugf.

i do like them for keeping the water clear, great for that.
and


moving from tank to tank easy.
being quiet.

[fishmaven]

<!--quoteo

(post=1959:date=Aug 1 2006, 07:41 PM:name=Benz_020)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Benz_020

@ Aug 1 2006, 07:41 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1959"><{POST_SNAPBACK}

></a></div><div class='quotemain'>i have 2,
never really use them,
i

dont think they are that great of a filter design for the price.
same concept as a ugf.

i do like them for keeping the water clear, great for that.
and
moving from tank

to tank easy.
being quiet.</div>
Well, Eheim makes an UGF

but I've never considered them as the same thing. With the Eheim the gunge is no longer in the

tank... Yes, keeping the water clear is another reason for a filter. Isn't that what a

filter's supposed to do?

So, I'm wondering, what do you use as a filter?? Dan

[Frank T]

<!--quoteo

(post=1966:date=Aug 2 2006, 02:56 AM:name=fishmaven)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(fishmaven

@ Aug 2 2006, 02:56 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1966"><{POST_SNAPBACK}

></a></div><div class='quotemain'>Well, Eheim makes an UGF but I've never

considered them as the same thing. With the Eheim the gunge is no longer in the tank... Yes,

keeping the water clear is another reason for a filter. Isn't that what a filter's supposed

to do?

So, I'm wondering, what do you use as a filter?? Dan</div><!

--QuoteEEnd-->



i ment use them just to filter particles but not as

chemical/biological filters.

"gunge is no longer in the tank... "
comparing to what is left under the plates of a normal UGF,
reverse ugf helps with that.
just IMO tank/gravel is much easier to keep clean with ugf's.
have them in all my show

tanks, and other large tanks.

reason i compare them to canisters, although many

differences, generally canister just passes water accross media, ugf dose the same,

"media" is the rocks in the tank.

[andregurov]

I've used (and still

use some) many different brands of canisters. My wife prefers them b/c they make "less

noise" compared to HOB and air-driven filters. Eheim are the best but too expensive.

I've used several Via-Aqua (Eheim knockoffs!) and they are cheap, cheaply made, excellent

canisters.

The biggest downside to canisters - for me, at least - is when you lose

power you lose filtration. Last year after Katrina I removed almost all my canisters from my

tanks. The problem wasn't so much the loss of power, it was when the power kicked back on if

you hadn't unplugged the canisters the death-dealing grunge got spewed back into the tanks.

I'd unplugged mine, but the tanks had to wait weeks until we had water to go with the power. A

small concern, to be sure, but a tremendously important one. UG definitely has its place at my

table.

J

[fishmaven]

<!--quoteo

(post=1978:date=Aug 3 2006, 01:24 PM:name=andregurov)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE

(andregurov @ Aug 3 2006, 01:24 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1978"><

{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'>I've used (and still use some)

many different brands of canisters. My wife prefers them b/c they make "less noise"

compared to HOB and air-driven filters. Eheim are the best but too expensive. I've used

several Via-Aqua (Eheim knockoffs!) and they are cheap, cheaply made, excellent canisters.

The biggest downside to canisters - for me, at least - is when you lose power you lose

filtration. Last year after Katrina I removed almost all my canisters from my tanks. The problem

wasn't so much the loss of power, it was when the power kicked back on if you hadn't

unplugged the canisters the death-dealing grunge got spewed back into the tanks. I'd unplugged

mine, but the tanks had to wait weeks until we had water to go with the power. A small concern, to

be sure, but a tremendously important one. UG definitely has its place at my table.

J</div>
I've never figured out how to run a fishroom with

no power. Years back, after a hurricane, I was without power for over 2 weeks. Luckily, my neighbor

had power. I ran cords to his house. I now have a deposit at a rental place for a generator. If

power goes out, I get first call on a rental.

Eheim has a patent on a round filter box.

They're big sellers in Asia, home of the knock-offs. Try fighting China on patent

disputes...

Obviously, you're talking about having a blower or compressor to run

multiple UGF systems. No wonder your wife likes the cannisters. I don't care for the noise of

jet exhausts either.

H.O.T. filters from Marineland or others, normally refuse to start

when the power comes back on. The crud collects around the impeller and seizes the unit. I worked

for a company that sold to WalMart. Imagine a system with 24 tanks that shuts down each time the

lighting blinks. Dan

[Frank T]

<div

class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'>Obviously, you're talking

about having a blower or compressor to run multiple UGF systems. No wonder your wife likes the

cannisters. I don't care for the noise of jet exhausts either.</div><!--

QuoteEEnd-->

thats the best thing about it! sounds cool http://cichlid.ipbhost.com/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif



blower runs

everything, one thing to plug in and im back up and running.
and if the generatopr dosent want

to work, have an invertor, just run an extention cord from my truck.

[andregurov]

<!--quoteo

(post=1982:date=Aug 3 2006, 02:57 PM:name=Benz_020)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Benz_020

@ Aug 3 2006, 02:57 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1982"><{POST_SNAPBACK}

></a></div><div class='quotemain'>thats the best thing about it! sounds cool

http://cichlid.ipbhost.com/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif
blower runs everything, one thing to

plug in and im back up and running.
and if the generatopr dosent want to work, have an

invertor, just run an extention cord from my truck.</div>

One problem for me - you have to be home to run the inverter! My "fish room"

actually uses mostly Hagen Optima pumps with splitters - but the room is really early on in

development (I probably will go with blowers in it when I work out all the tanks' placements).

Inside (where there is no way I would get away with a blower) I still have 2 tanks up with

canisters. I really dislike the maintenance involved with UG technology (gravel vaccing) since I

prefer sand substrate, but even without air powering it, I believe that more filtration will occur

in the event of a power outage. I'm not certain it is so, but it seemed to work okay with my

work tanks last year. I've been through a lot of canisters, courtesy of sales reps:
Fluval - thumbs down: awkward to prime, awkward to carry
Rena - thumbs up: cheap clear

hoses, ridiculously low-tech but easy to prime
Eheim - thumbs way up: reliable, seems to have

less water bypass, expensive (and Eheim wouldn't give me a free one! imagine that gall

http://cichlid.ipbhost.com/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif )
Via Aqua - thumbs up: cheap-looking

and cheaply made, but easy to get parts and works quietly
Penn-plax - thumbs up: easy to

carry, hard to get parts, clogs easily but this tells me less water bypass!
Catalina -

thumbs level: tried 1 but it broke
Magnum - tried repairing one for a customer one time. I

failed. Not my cup of tea

That is the summa of all I know. My wife is amazed it

actually filled a paragraph ...

J

[fishmaven]

" Magnum - tried

repairing one for a customer one time. I failed. Not my cup of tea..."

So, does

this mean you own or work in a LFS?

re Eheim: you probably asked the wrong person.

Dan

[andregurov]

<!--quoteo

(post=1999:date=Aug 4 2006, 04:35 AM:name=fishmaven)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(fishmaven

@ Aug 4 2006, 04:35 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1999"><{POST_SNAPBACK}

></a></div><div class='quotemain'>" Magnum - tried repairing one for a customer

one time. I failed. Not my cup of tea..."

So, does this mean you own or work in a

LFS?</div>

Missed that, sorry. Yep. Lease with option

to buy my store ... kinda fell into it.

Lotsa fun ... lotsa work. Not lotsa money http://cichlid.ipbhost.com/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif At least that makes it preferable to previous jobs with

lotsa work and neither fun nor money!

J

[Patrick Kelly]

I only have one

canister. A Fluval 304. Just picked it up at a club meeting from the auction. So far no problem

but only had for 4 months.


I used to have a lot of problem with the electric in

the neighborhood then I bought a generator. Has not gone off in 2 years since I bought it. http://cichlid.ipbhost.com/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif (Probably loose it tonight since I said

that.) Like buying a snow blower and not having any snow for a few years.....
I have used a

power inverter a few years back. It was enough to run the blower and a tv. My HOB filters tend to

not come back on after power blinks.

[fishmaven]

<!--quoteo

(post=2204:date=Aug 9 2006, 06:06 PM:name=Patrick Kelly)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE

(Patrick Kelly @ Aug 9 2006, 06:06 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=2204"><

{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'>I only have one canister. A Fluval

304. Just picked it up at a club meeting from the auction. So far no problem but only had for 4

months.
I used to have a lot of problem with the electric in the neighborhood then I bought

a generator. Has not gone off in 2 years since I bought it. http://cichlid.ipbhost.com/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif (Probably loose it tonight since I said

that.) Like buying a snow blower and not having any snow for a few years.....
I have used a

power inverter a few years back. It was enough to run the blower and a tv. My HOB filters tend to

not come back on after power blinks.</div>
The Fluval 3 series

isn't as bad as the 4 series. The 4 series has a locking mechanism that looks like a handle.

People grab it by this "handle" and flood their floors by the tank water as it's

siphoned from the tank. They are also practically impossible to get restarted after cleaning. The 3

series, when the filter gets dirty, just bypasses the media and returns to the tank. Hagen makes a

lot of great stuff. Their Fluval series of filters aren't one of them.

Their Aqua

Clear filters should be prized, they're one of the few that will actually suck water from the

tank, allowing them to be used when the tank is only half full. Most of the HOB filters require the

tank to be at or near the top of the tank to function. Many dealers don't stock them,

wholesalers don't stock the parts and hobbyists don't like cleaning dirty sponges.

Just remember to start the generator occasionally to make sure it will start when needed. Or, for

those that don't have one, buy a Honda unit, for some reason they start with less trouble than

other units. Remember also, they need to vent outside and fuel is needed. Many forget and run out

of gas before the power returns.

HOB filters aren't made for hobbyists convenience,

despite what this thread's comments would indicate. Unlike the Aqua Clears, although they can

use cartridges too, most HOB filters were made so the manufacturers can sell cartridges. Do you

think Gillette makes more money from razors or razor blades? That was rhetorical, you don't

have to defend HOB filters. Dan

[Patrick Kelly]

Thanks for the input

on the fluval. I will keep it in mind. It is used as extra filtration on my 150. Yes I prefer

the Aqua clears. I have 19 of them running at this point.

[buntbarsch]

I do like Eheim a lot

because of their reliability but I don't like the price. I use one of the new, square Eheim

cannisters and have to say that I never had any problems. However, I definitely would call myself

an "AquaClear Man". On 16 of my 24 tanks I run AquaClear. They are cheap, easy to clean

and move a lot of water. In my opinion the best value on the market. The remaining 8 tanks are

10g maternity tanks where I use sponge filters.

[fishmaven]

<!--quoteo

(post=2208:date=Aug 9 2006, 08:03 PM:name=Patrick Kelly)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE

(Patrick Kelly @ Aug 9 2006, 08:03 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=2208"><

{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'>Thanks for the input on the fluval.

I will keep it in mind. It is used as extra filtration on my 150. Yes I prefer the Aqua clears.

I have 19 of them running at this point.</div>
I forgot to

mention this. If you got the double valves for the 304 when you got the filter, after cleaning your

filter leave it empty of water. Lift the return tube and empty the water BEFORE hooking up your

hoses. Open the valve on the return hose first. Then open the valves on the intake hose. Your

filter should fill, rock the filter gently to burp any air in the media, then the unit should start

when you plug it in. I've found that's the best way to start an Eheim also.

Everyone complains about the price of an Eheim. It's marks vs dollars, German products

aren't cheap. Leica, has even started to have lenses made in Japan to their specs. Generally I

could come close to web prices when I sold them last. If I had, there wouldn't have been enough

in them to make it worthwhile to stock them. As it was, I had people coming to me to help them set

them up. I normally told them to wait until they were dirty and then bring them in and I'd show

them how to clean them. It was an irritant, not as much as a saltwater or African cichlid customer

that "knew it all" though. Dan

[Kyle May]

I have used Magnums and

Fluvals for years and have had nothing but good luck with either....I guess I am the lucky

one......

....I power my ugf's with power heads....moves tons of water, and the fish

seem to love the current.

[JHG]

Eheims are great filters, if you

have the spare $ to buy them. When I lived in Vienna, Austria I picked up a few new canisters

from a LFS going out of business -- great price! When I moved to Canada, I used a transformer

with them as a result of the voltage difference. I was once in contact with an Eheim North America

rep. who offered to to send me a new motor, rated for North America, for free. I accepted!

Great customer service = life-long customer.

[Myaj]

This is the first time

I've ever read of other people having trouble with their Fluval cannisters. I hate mine. Its

taken me about 3 years to figure out how to get the stupid thing to re-prime after a cleaning (make

sure the output is OUT of the water, and if that doesn't work, pull the entire output tube down

to floor level to start the siphon then try to get it back up before it sprays all over the carpet.

Yeah, no fun.

I have an Eheim classic, and it works great, it runs great, always

primes.. but I don't like the one big media basket.

I really really like my Filstar

XP3. Nice filter, primes easily, runs great, nice big easy to clean media baskets. And

affordable, unlike the Eheim pro series, hehe.

I also have a "knock off"

brand.. good layout, runs great, but one bump against the sink cracked the thin, cheap plastic and

any patch or seal will not hold. I would never recommend buying the "like Eheim!"

filters you see on eBay.

For everything else I use AquaClears or sponge filters. I just

like to have cannisters on the tanks in the living room so I'm not trying to watch a movie over

the gurgle of a loud tank.

[tanganyikanhunt]

I was once a fan of

fluval filters. Then one night, while living in an upstairs apartment, I heard water splashing at

about 2:30 am. I got up to investigate. Sure enough, carpet was soaked. I determined it was the

fluval.

Got out the wet/dry vacuum and got as much up as possible. Then heard from the

manager that I must have a broken pipe from all the water downstairs (actually lost about 15

gallons and picked up about 9 gallons).

Long and short, I ONLY use sponge filters now.

Thanks for the potential lawsuit Fluval.