Which Canister Filter?

Okay so I'm buying a 4ft 243l tank to expand a bit but I want to step up in the filter world and buy an External Cansiter Filter -

I've priced around and these are what i've found (they all have similar liters per hour ratings +- 1400l/h)

*Please note that the links are just examples of the product and not the specific capacity i'm looking at.

Elite - R1250
http://www.thereefshop.com.au/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=10&products_id=1661

Fluvial - R3000 (this is out of my budget)

SunSun (I've never heard of this make?) - R1500
http://cgi.ebay.com/SUNSUN-MULTI-ST...temQQimsxZ20100129?IMSfp=TL100129191018r32031
Tetra tec - R1800
http://www.aquaria.co.za/p_filters_tetratec.html

Penn Plax - R1400
http://www.petco.com/product/13594/...-8381-DE11-B7F3-0019B9C043EB&mr:referralID=NA

Dolphin - Uknown but I know its available

Okay so if anyone can give me a bit of clarity on what, out of these, is the best I would REALLY appreciate it!

I've wasted far to much money on filters so would like to make sure I buy the best one first.

Thanks!

 

Go for an eheim classic 2217. It's a superb filter. So good in fact, the design hasn't changes in something like 20 years.

 

Atman make a good cheap canister from what I've heard... Havent seen it myself tho

 

I have an Atman and it's pretty good actually. Not too shabby at all.

 

Well I had a 2217 eheim that ran for 14yrs,now my bro up in jhb has it filtering his tank.bulletproof apart from the clip holders havent replaced any of the internals

 

Eheim or fluval

 

I would agree with every1 on the Eheim!

If budget is your concern... then the Penn Plax would be my option. Their internals have worked fantastically for me in the past. And the replacement parts are easily available.

 

Thanks Guys... would love an Ehiem or Fluval but my budget just cant take the hit.

I did stumble across this site, not sure how reputable they are tho?:

http://www.aquariumfilterreviews.com/canister.htm

 

I have a tetra tec and have not had any problems yet. Its made in Germany so it can't be too bad (i.e. cheap chinese/korean mass production quality).
And it is not expensive and I get very good performance out of mine. Comes loaded with media and all i added was siporax instead of the carbon. I don't know if it will last as long as the Eheim, but its way cheaper.

 

Hi Laure, the tetratec look quite decent. noise wise what is yours like? This tank will be in my room so want it to be as quiet as possible!

 

Laure - have you tried to get spares for it

 

I can't tell if mine is on. I have to check the tank to see if water is flowing out. It is also super easy to clean. And I do recommend you invest in siporax, as its just about the best bio media you can get.

 

I can vouch for fluval, got one for 8 years now and still runs silently. Had a Bowini canister which only lasted 2 years before it packed up and also have a Dolphin canister for the last 2 years which is now getting quite noisy.

Rather spend the extra money now, it will be worth it in the long run.

 

No I have not had the need yet. At least there are 2 LFS in PE that stock spare media. If I need hardware spares I can find it on ebay. I have 2 external cannister filters running on my main display, so I have some redundancy should one of them pack up. That should give me some time to shop around for spares and order off ebay if I have to.

 

good luck - mate of mine needed spares and the simply told him they dont import the spares

 

Yes I guess so, which is why I just go the ebay route. Been doing that for most of my equipment.

 

Not a big fan of TetraTec as mine started leaking after a month, upgraded to Eheim and was happy ever since...and remember quality comes with a price

 

I just recently bought a Cascade 1200 and I'm relatively impressed with it. I just need to upgrade the filter media.

I paid R795 for it on special, so you should be looking at R1000 to R1200 normal pricing.