# Best canister



## jaida84

*** never used a canister before..I only have a 75 so I've gotten away with not having to buy one...Im probably getting a 125gal within the week and have been researching options but was just looking for some personal opinions on which ones are the best.thanks


----------



## rgr4475

Enhiems, Marinelands C360, and fluvals get pretty high reviews around here. Check out the reveiws.

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/reviews/category_display.php?CatID=104


----------



## AquaTester55

I have a Fluval 304 on my 29 Gallon. Size of the tank doesn't matter. Canisters are the way to go though. HOB have way to much bypass.


----------



## AquaTester55

I also have a Fluval Fx5 and a Rena Xp4. All of which are good filters.


----------



## Nighthawk

EHIEM!

When absolutely positively every fish in the tank has to live to a ripe old age by EHIEM! :lol:


----------



## jaida84

I see that the rena xp3 has good reviews..aside from the blue intakes. The enhiem classics are the only one in the budget when it comes to enhiems..Im about 70,000 in debt from school though so whats another couple hundred. Anyone have a Rena xp3? Is the xp4 a lot better then the 3? I dont see many reviews for it. I know newer often does not mean better. I only have about $150 to spend. I have two marineland bio-wheels (75gal each) to supplement the canister, but I would still like to turn over 4 times an hour. Thanks for the replies.


----------



## thefish

The only canister filter I've ever owned was a Filstar XP3. It works great and I only changed the media about once every 3 weeks, water was crystal clear. Quiet as **** too, I'm thinking of buying another for a 45 gallon tank I have.


----------



## jaida84

How much did you pay for the XP3 ? I see people saying they found it for < $100 the cheapest I found it so far was like $170.


----------



## MightyM

for 125g tank and on a low budget your best to go DIY wet/dry sump no canister at your budget will be as good.


----------



## Kilpo

I got mine off of ebay for $120 with shipping, right now the cheapest I see is at kensfish for $114.95 then you would need to add shipping. Also, with the xp3's you will still need to buy some media for it. You could go cheap and just get a bunch of pot scrubbers to add to it.

I have both the xp3 and a C-360, they are pretty close to the same although the C-360 doesn't come with a spray bar but does include more media. Both the xp3 and C-360 are very silent and work well. The xp3 is a bit easier to open up without any spill and to get started back up with the prime.


----------



## F8LBITEva

*** got a Cascade 1000, really quiet and really clear water. They go for about $75-$100


----------



## Ispintechno

I bought a fluval 304 maybe 7 years ago... I think. It has worked with not a single problem for me, still as quiet as the day I brought it home. I used to hear about people have parts break or leaking seal rings but for me its been perfect. The Enhiem canister filters where the cats meow back when I researched what was good but was out of my price range then.


----------



## geoff_tropheus

For a 125 gallon aquarium, I would get a

Eheim 2260 with a Eheim 2217

That would be awesome.

Geoff


----------



## bones06

I started out with the Eheim classic series and they are the quietest I have used.On my 180g I am still running 1 Eheim classic 2217 canister and recently put on a Fluval FX5. I am now very impressed with the new Fluval, this thing is a monster of a filter and has endless media possibilities. I am still Eheim loyal because I know they last forever, and still are as quiet as the day I bought them. I have my Eheim 2213 classic canister on my 55g qt/growout tank and it still does a great job. I would suggest you spend the extra money and get the Fluval FX5 if you can afford it. I got mine new off Ebay including shipping for just under $200.00 The only drawback that I think the Eheims have is they don't remove alot of solid waste floating in the water, but they are one of the best for biological filtration imo.


----------



## Cich of it all

Yeah, go with the 2217. Now if only you could find a good deal on a used one...
_cough, cough,_ _*my ads,*_ _cough, cough, cough_


----------



## geoff_tropheus

Be careful with the FX5 if you go there.

The FX5 pump is in the bottom of the canister. This creates 2 problems.

1. Solids from the tank will settle in the bottom and clog or damage the pump rotor assembly.

2. The fine filtering media is in the bottom basket, which makes it more of a chore to clean and replace fine filter media.

In your other canisters, such as Eheim and Rena, the pump is on top, which when all the solids settle out, they are at the bottom of the canister and not getting into the pump. And when you go to clean out your fine filter media it is right on top, and easy to change out.

Most of my canisters I replace the fine media once a month, the other media is rinsed& re-used maybee every 3-4 months.


----------



## CDMOK

Hey, Cich! I may take you up on that offer :lol:

I too am upgrading from a 75 to a 125, so I appreciate all the advice here.

Right now I use a Filstar XP3 and LOOOVVEE it. I am definitely keeping that one, but want to add one more for good measure. The 2217's seem really appealing, but the price. Eeeesh. And sumps are so intimidating. Choices, choices.

Let us know what you decide to go with once you get your 125 up and runnin'. I will take the results to heart.


----------



## jaida84

Thanks for the replies..I just bought a second emperor 400 on sale..so I have two now..plus its coming with 2 marineland biowheels for 75 gal each..haha so power filter wise I think im all set for the solid filtration aspect..I've heard bad and good about fluval..Nothing but good from this post..so I guess I will have to look into them as well...noise wise im not to concerned..the tank is right along side my bed..literally right next to my bed..and the emperors sound like someones running a vacuum cleaner..it actually helps me sleep ..i shut them off yesterday when I was adding the second one and it was an eery silence haha


----------



## jaida84

CDMOK --- I have a question for you..or anyone with an idea..im going to post it in another section but im putting my new 125 right where my 75 was..Im not sure if your in the same situation..but I cant figure out what to do..Im going to have to take all my fish out ..put them in a bucket?!? and move the 75..set up the 125 in its place andfill it with fresh water!? Ill use the same filter cartridges off the old one for the new one..but am not sure this will be enough to avoid disaster..any ideas


----------



## AquaTester55

> Be careful with the FX5 if you go there.
> 
> The FX5 pump is in the bottom of the canister. This creates 2 problems.
> 
> 1. Solids from the tank will settle in the bottom and clog or damage the pump rotor assembly.


*No* solids such as sand can make it through to the impeller. All the sand stays on the outside of the baskets. The velocity of flow is WAAYYYY to slow for the sand to make its way through the spunges and UP into the center baskets.

The impeller also will not get damaged like your standard 3 piece straight bladed impellers if sand does get to it.



> 2. The fine filtering media is in the bottom basket, which makes it more of a chore to clean and replace fine filter media.


Fine filtering media can be put in the TOP basket as well and I highly reccomend this as this will stop further "junk" getting into the bio media. So you eliminated the "chore".



> In your other canisters, such as Eheim and Rena, the pump is on top, which when all the solids settle out, they are at the bottom of the canister and not getting into the pump. And when you go to clean out your fine filter media it is right on top, and easy to change out.


This is exactly the same is the FX5 except the impeller is at the bottom. That is the only difference here.

solids can still get to the impellers when they are at the top as well. The only thing that will settle out is heavy depris such as sand.

Also. In a Rena Xp series its a major chore to clean since you have to remove all the baskets to get to the bottom where the coarse spunges are. Xp4 also has a tiny surface area. I wouldn't reccomend for large tanks. Even the xp4 I have is a bit small and I would never use it on my 180 gallon for primary filtration.


----------



## geoff_tropheus

Aquatester,

We can talk velocity, particle size, substrate density all you want, but there is no denying Gravity. All of your particles will eventually settle in the bottom where the pump is located.

There is a lot of pressure drop across each basket of media, where the velocity will drop and particles fall out. If your media does not have a "pore" size to trap it, it's going to the bottom.

Now, lets say that you did not do a good job installing all the baskets, or you have bad o-ring seals in the baskets, or even yet you did not make sure the foams were completely installed and pushed down into the baskets, your going to have bypass.

A friend of mine has already trashed a impeller, and had the filter stop running on him becuase sand got into the pump. The FX5 impeller is a openface impeller running in a magdrive application. The rotor and motor are cooled with aquarium water that circulates around the rotor. If your water contains particles that is going to damage it, we all know that.

If you put your fine filtering media in the top basket, what is going to happen is that your going to have to change it in a shorter interval than if it was in the bottom. If you get lazy and dont change it enough, than you'll be starving flow to your baskets below that contains your bio-media. The bacteria that live in that media needs flowrate to get the free oxygen from the water. As the flowrate decreases, some of your bacteria will start to die because of less oxygen.

If you put it on top, just understand that your going to have to change it more.

In the FX5 your mechanical media is the foam in all three baskets. There are 6 foams that will require rinsing. I am not sure how you could not change/rinse all 6 without removing all three baskets, can you explain that?

Any of the other Canisters Eheim, Rena, Cascade, and others will require you to remove all the media to get to the mechanical media in the bottom. I dont see the FX5 as anything different because mechanical foam is in all three baskets.


----------



## Cich of it all

Oh goody another canister debate! 
Ford vs. Chevy
:?

By the way OP:


> I've heard bad and good about fluval


I've mostly good things about the Fluval FX5, but mostly negative things about the 05 series (405, 305, etc.).
Keep in mind the FX5 has a handy drain plug on the bottom for easily removing debris.
I would probably own an FX5 myself, since my LFS sells them for $175  (love my LFS for dry goods and equipment) - but if you really need that much filtration - setup a wet/dry and sump.


----------



## AquaTester55

geoff_tropheus said:


> Aquatester,
> 
> We can talk velocity, particle size, substrate density all you want, but there is no denying Gravity. All of your particles will eventually settle in the bottom where the pump is located.


you are right. They will fall out of suspension on the OUTSIDE of the baskets or just past the foam. I have sand in my tank and it usually gets picked up by the filter from the fish stiring it up. After tearing my Fx5 apart guess where all the sand is? All on the outside of the baskets.



> There is a lot of pressure drop across each basket of media, where the velocity will drop and particles fall out. If your media does not have a "pore" size to trap it, it's going to the bottom.


Right, and this is exactly why the particle fall to the bottom on the outside of the baskets or the ourside of the center baskets where it does not come in contact with the impeller.



> Now, lets say that you did not do a good job installing all the baskets, or you have bad o-ring seals in the baskets, or even yet you did not make sure the foams were completely installed and pushed down into the baskets, your going to have bypass.


I have seen this before. This is not a problem with the Fx5 filter but more so with the owner. The o-rings wont go bad for many years and if the foam is not inserted correctly, o well, sand substraight will still fall out of harms way.



> A friend of mine has already trashed a impeller, and had the filter stop running on him becuase sand got into the pump. The FX5 impeller is a openface impeller running in a magdrive application. The rotor and motor are cooled with aquarium water that circulates around the rotor. If your water contains particles that is going to damage it, we all know that.


Its also sealed a lot better unlike most filters so trashing the impeller is not as easy as others.



> If you put your fine filtering media in the top basket, what is going to happen is that your going to have to change it in a shorter interval than if it was in the bottom. If you get lazy and dont change it enough, than you'll be starving flow to your baskets below that contains your bio-media. The bacteria that live in that media needs flowrate to get the free oxygen from the water. As the flowrate decreases, some of your bacteria will start to die because of less oxygen.


It clogs up faster because a lot of the particles will get captured by the bio media which you don't want to have happen which is why you have fine filtration before the bio media.

It doesn't matter if the fine particle spunges is clogged before or after the bio media, the flow is slowed down on both sides of the clog so if your worried about the bacteria dying that its going to happen anyways. Really finy particle filtration is only reccomended for a week or so. I have no had fine filter spunges clog on me yet, only the filter fiber and I still had enough flow. The Fx5 gives you a little warning when the flow is reduced to much. you get a ton of micro air bubbles all in your water. Unpleasent to see but its a warning.



> If you put it on top, just understand that your going to have to change it more.


I understand that and have experience with that was well.



> In the FX5 your mechanical media is the foam in all three baskets. There are 6 foams that will require rinsing. I am not sure how you could not change/rinse all 6 without removing all three baskets, can you explain that?


Yes you do have to remove all three baskets. I was simply saying that to change the "fine filter pad" you don't need to remove all three baskets.



> Any of the other Canisters Eheim, Rena, Cascade, and others will require you to remove all the media to get to the mechanical media in the bottom. I dont see the FX5 as anything different because mechanical foam is in all three baskets.


Agree.


----------



## Cich of it all

I assume this is all for the benefit of the OP, right? :-?

*jaida84*:
All of these canisters work very well. I'm sure you'll have success with any one you choose. Check Unimax by Aquael too. I REALLY like mine.
I do recommend that you stay away from Cascade canisters and Fluval -05 series canisters. However, both of these opinions are based on hearsay *ONLY*, and some people like them just fine.

I have had personal experience with:
Marineland Magnums: Pretty freakin' lousy piles 'o junk
Marineland C-series: awesome awesome filters; great value - best bang for buck - C360 is now only $130
Eheim classics: great filters, but a little loud and kind of a pain to maintain
Eheim pros: awesome filters; expensive, but very quiet, and possibly the best in every way.
Aquael Unimax: another awesome filter; expensive, but very powerful and comes with a UV light!
Rena Filstar (XP3, XP4): Good, but comes with no bio-media and they are noisy


----------



## jayiw

Cich of it all said:


> I assume this is all for the benefit of the OP, right? :-?
> 
> *jaida84*:
> All of these canisters work very well. I'm sure you'll have success with any one you choose. Check Unimax by Aquael too. I REALLY like mine.
> I do recommend that you stay away from Cascade canisters and Fluval -05 series canisters. However, both of these opinions are based on hearsay *ONLY*, and some people like them just fine.
> 
> I have had personal experience with:
> Marineland Magnums: Pretty freakin' lousy piles 'o junk
> Marineland C-series: awesome awesome filters; great value - best bang for buck - C360 is now only $130
> Eheim classics: great filters, but a little loud and kind of a pain to maintain
> Eheim pros: awesome filters; expensive, but very quiet, and possibly the best in every way.
> Aquael Unimax: another awesome filter; expensive, but very powerful and comes with a UV light!
> Rena Filstar (XP3, XP4): Good, but comes with no bio-media and they are noisy


I don't mean to stray off topic but where can I find the c360 for $130?
Thanks
Jay


----------



## Cich of it all

TFP had them on sale, but it appears they are sold out now. My LFS has them for $125. If you look around you can find a good price.


----------



## mithesaint

jaida84 said:


> CDMOK --- I have a question for you..or anyone with an idea..im going to post it in another section but im putting my new 125 right where my 75 was..Im not sure if your in the same situation..but I cant figure out what to do..Im going to have to take all my fish out ..put them in a bucket?!? and move the 75..set up the 125 in its place andfill it with fresh water!? Ill use the same filter cartridges off the old one for the new one..but am not sure this will be enough to avoid disaster..any ideas


I have an XP3, and it's been trouble free and silent for the 5 months or so I've had it. There is a LFS in N. Tonowanda that carries the Fluval line for a good price if you decide to go that route. I'd be more specific, but I think the mods would yell at me  You'll be able to figure out which store. I bought my XP3 from Big als when they had it on special. Not sure if that was a one time thing or not.

I recently did the same thing you did, only going from a 55 to a 90. I had a spare 40L sitting around that helped a LOT. I put the 40L on the ground beside the 55. I siphoned water from the 55 into the 40 until it was full, removing rock and fish and placing those in the 40L as I was able to. I had my filters hooked up to the 40 while I was finishing tearing down the 55 and setting up the 90. Once the 90 was situated, I started putting substrate and rocks in place. Once most of those were in place, I started adding fresh water with a load of dechlorinator. I've got a LOT of rock, but probably added around 40-50 gallons of fresh water, and 30 or so gallons of old water. Total time from start to finish was probably around 3 hours. I didn't lose a single fish.

Hope that helps.


----------



## geoff_tropheus

> Quote:
> *geoff_tropheus wrote:*
> If you put your fine filtering media in the top basket, what is going to happen is that your going to have to change it in a shorter interval than if it was in the bottom. If you get lazy and dont change it enough, than you'll be starving flow to your baskets below that contains your bio-media. The bacteria that live in that media needs flowrate to get the free oxygen from the water. As the flowrate decreases, some of your bacteria will start to die because of less oxygen.
> 
> *AquaTester55 wrote:*
> It clogs up faster because a lot of the particles will get captured by the bio media which you don't want to have happen which is why you have fine filtration before the bio media.
> 
> It doesn't matter if the fine particle spunges is clogged before or after the bio media, the flow is slowed down on both sides of the clog so if your worried about the bacteria dying that its going to happen anyways. Really finy particle filtration is only reccomended for a week or so. I have no had fine filter spunges clog on me yet, only the filter fiber and I still had enough flow. The Fx5 gives you a little warning when the flow is reduced to much. you get a ton of micro air bubbles all in your water. Unpleasent to see but its a warning.


It does matter. Because if your fouling your fine filter pad with particles that would have normally be trapped in the bio-media. The Bio-Media has a ton of surface area to populate bacteria and a loss of some area will not matter much. Whatever gets thru the bio-media top basket will make it down to the second, and end up on your fine pad. If you put the fine pad on top, it is going to trap it all the particles which will make it foul faster which will require more cleaning.

I really dont want to turn this into some kind of FX5 rant, but regardless the FX5 has some shortcomings compared to other filters, and having the pump at the bottom was not a wise design. I own 2 of them, and am wishing now I had stuck to the good ole' reliable Eheim Large Canisters such as 2260 or 2262 for the same application. The FX5 might be cheaper, but you'll pay in the long run. Pack your Eheim 2260/2262 with 4L effimech, 2-gallons of Bio Bale, and top off with blue bonded pad and filter floss and your good to go for about $35 worth of media.

Sorry to have wandered off topic a bit. Just trying to put things out there that I have seen or experienced to have happend to help Jaida out. I have used just about every canister make and model out there, and Eheim is really the best, unfortunately it is also most expensive. When it comes to filters, might as well spend the money to protect your investments, you will not regret it.


----------



## cholile

Eheims are the best, but since price matters relative to price the fx5 and c-360 are the two i've heard wonderful things about and in combination with their price from all i've heard they provide the best value.


----------



## AquaTester55

> It does matter. Because if your fouling your fine filter pad with particles that would have normally be trapped in the bio-media. The Bio-Media has a ton of surface area to populate bacteria and a loss of some area will not matter much. Whatever gets thru the bio-media top basket will make it down to the second, and end up on your fine pad. If you put the fine pad on top, it is going to trap it all the particles which will make it foul faster which will require more cleaning.


What gets trapped in the bio media will need to be cleaned out eventually or a lot sooner if you have the media first. Cleaning the media more often will hurt your biological defense and you will loose more and more bacteria. They will populate fast but why should you have to clean your biomedia because your using it as mechanical filtration? Doesn't make sence to me. I don't know what you use for fine particle filtration but I don't use micron polishing pads. there is no need to. I use filter fiber which does an excellent job and I can run the filter for a few months without cleaning it. The length of your interval depends on the aquaria conditions and surface area. The fx5 only has about 20 sq inch of top surface area which is very small and anything will clog up fast in there. I get a few months out of my filter fiber in there. Im hoping to get 5 times longer intervals out of the mod im doing.



> I really dont want to turn this into some kind of FX5 rant, but regardless the FX5 has some shortcomings compared to other filters, and having the pump at the bottom was not a wise design. I own 2 of them, and am wishing now I had stuck to the good ole' reliable Eheim Large Canisters such as 2260 or 2262 for the same application. The FX5 might be cheaper, but you'll pay in the long run. Pack your Eheim 2260/2262 with 4L effimech, 2-gallons of Bio Bale, and top off with blue bonded pad and filter floss and your good to go for about $35 worth of media.


I havn't figured yet why they went with the design they did but it was probubly to be different. I do agree the Fx5 has a couple downsides to it. The only thing extra you will be paying for in the long run is your electric bill .


----------



## Jasoncham2003

How come no one really ever mentions the Rena XP series? I have had mine for 2 years and nor problems....I am considering upgrading from my 85 to a 240 and dont want to do a sump so i was thinking of 2 XP4's since I have such good luck but am very open.........


----------



## lotsofish

We went with Eheims since the bit of research we did was that everyone we knew that started with other canisters eventually changed to Eheims.

I also like the Emperor biowheel HOB filters so often I put an Eheim and an Emperor on a tank. Always a good idea to have some redundancy since even the best filters can fail now and then (and it is always when you are out-of-town.)


----------



## geoff_tropheus

I have (2) XP4's on my 125 gallon with Tropheus, and to tell you the truth, they are not much better than the XP3's. For all the extra you pay, the XP3 is the better buy.

If you look at the purchase price of a XP4 which at most places is $225 to $250 and you sitll need bio media. Say you spend $20 filling all three baskets with bio-media this makes say an average of $250.

The Eheim 2260 is $299 at Dr.Foster and Smith, and if you pack it with 4L of Effimech Noodles, 1-1/2" THK Medium Blue Foam Pad from Jehmco.com, then (2) 1-gallon Bio-Bale Bundles ($8ea.)and then top off with Filter FLoss and Blue Bonded pad cut to fit...you'll spend about $35 packing the canister. That makes $334 total cost.

The Eheim is going to run you $100 more, but this filter is atleast 2-3x the filter of any XP4. I know because I have (2) XP4's and (1) Eheim 2260, and (2) 2262's and those Eheim BLOW away the Rena Series. It is worth the money if you can afford it.


----------



## cholile

I have a sump but, while I realize the benefits of a sump, am considering a canister for the next tank.

are there any filters which, when packed with media, push more water than the eheim 2260 and 2262? how quite/loud are they?


----------



## chc

I don't know of any canisters that move as much water as the 2262. Some may claim it, but under actual conditions (i.e. filled with media) nothing comes close.

Eheims are silent.


----------



## AquaTester55

I have the Rena Xp4 and I have to agree with another member that its no better than the Xp3.

I look at it as an upgraded Xp3 with a stronger pump and one more basket.

Thing im wondering, will an xp4 impeller fit in the xp3 impeller well? If not, you could use the xp4 head on a xp3 and get more water flow 



> I don't know of any canisters that move as much water as the 2262. Some may claim it, but under actual conditions (i.e. filled with media) nothing comes close.


900 GPH pump output. What is the filter output? Fx5 says 925 GPH pump output but only has 525 GPH filter output. I think the 925 GPH pump output is a load of ****.


----------



## stslimited84

I have an XP3 on my 75 gal. I love it. It is very quiet, and does a great job on the tank!


----------



## geoff_tropheus

The Eheim 2260 comes with the Eheim 1260 pump.

The 1260 pump flowrate is 634 gph. The flowrate of the 1260 given the restrictions of the the 1" intake, and filter housing, the flowrate of the 2260 Canister is 500 gph. That makes a 21% flowrate reduction.

The Eheim 1262 pump flowrate is 900 gph, if we apply the same 21% flow reduction, then the flowrate of the Eheim 2262 Canister would be 709 gph. The 2262 Canister is the exact same as the 2260, except it comes equiped with 1262 pump, and isolation valves.

If your looking for a monster high flowing canister, nothing beats the Eheim 2262 that I have seen yet.

I have all the major brand big Canisters, and the top canisters are Eheim 2262, then Eheim 2260, then FX5, and its close between Eheim 2250 and XP4.

I have not tried any of the Eheim Pro 3 equipment yet.

The sound/noise on the Eheim 2260, 2262, and FX5 are all about the same. I actually took a decible meter and checked them, they were all three within 5db of each other. FX5 was more quiet.

When you perform a waterchange, the Eheim 2262 will shoot a stream out to about 5.5 feet in a 6ft aquarium. It is strong.


----------



## geoff_tropheus

The XP3 and XP4 heads are exchangable, I am not sure if the XP4 rotor will fit into the XP3 motor or not. I know for a fact all the hosing and valve assembly does fit the same and can be changed with no issue.

When I upgraded to XP4 I used all the same hosing that my XP3 were using and had no issue. Might need to shorten the hoses a bit, but I left them a little long in case I ever wanted to switch back.


----------



## cholile

thanks geoff for those great specifics! it sounds like from what you wrote the 1262 is in a league of its own, but the 1260, if the noise level is not much difference from fx5 and the maintenance not any easier, is not far superior to the fx5. is that how you feel?


----------



## geoff_tropheus

The Eheim 2260 does not come with isolation valves like the FX5 does which does make maintenance on the 2260 a pain, but you can get the isolation valves for about $70 complete set, or you can get PVC union Ball Valves from your hardware store for about $25 and do the same thing.

Some people really hate the Eheim Green Color of the tubing, spray bars, and suction line, but when compared to the FX5's tubing, the Eheim is better, its just not black or charcoal grey. The FX5 tubing is really a corregated hose that is a little more difficult to clean and the outlet moves around a lot when in use. The FX5 also has the huge intake strainer that fry sometimes gets sucked up into because the gaps are so large.

The output of the FX5 and Eheim 2260 are pretty close, the stream on the 2260 is a lot stronger, but I believe it is because the head on the 1260 is greater than the Fx5 pump. Which makes for a stronger flow, but also uses more electricty.

The noise level are 5db apart, but you cannot tell by ear the difference.

The advantage the 2260 is that you have the entire 18L capacity to put anykind of media in there you want. The FX5 has three baskets with large foams on each, and only leaves 6liters for other kinds of media, about 2L per basket.

If you completely ignore costs, Eheim 2260 is a better filter in my opinion. Unfortunately the 2260 will cost you about $100 more in media, and isolation valves to make them a apples to apples comparison.

To me the $100 is worth it, but to others it may not be.

The Eheim 2262 is about $150 more than the 2260. You can buy a 1262 pump for about $120, but would still have to get the Valves which really would make it a wash. You could sell the 1260 pump and get some money back, if your looking to convert a 2260 to 2262.

2262 is a beast...you would not regret getting it if your looking for a monster canister.


----------



## cholile

so helpful, thanks!

Like I said, I currently have a sump. I don't like the bulky overflow, I don't like how much space it takes up, and while I think other sumps (esp. DIY sumps done right) are less noisy, mine has been pretty loud.

I assume I could get some large rocks/plants to block the view of both hoses?

As large as it is, it really will give me lots of space in a stand underneath a 6 or 8 foot stand.

I have no sense of the maintenance involved in a canister. I know off topic, but any chance you could give me a sense of what's involved? Easy and minimum maintenance is high on my list so if any given canister is superior in this respect that'd weigh heavily in my mind (hence I wouldnt want the 2260 without the additions you mentioned).

Based on what you wrote if I had the $$ I'd go for two 2262 on a 200-300G tank. But of course I don't. It sounds like a 2262 and either the Fx5 or C-360 (heard good things about it).

Also, and maybe this will show how little I understand about canisters despite reading over and over about them ( I need to see it and use it to really understand it), why do people buy media? If it so large why not just stuff as many scrubbies in wherever the biofilter goes? for mechanical i guess i'd buy the foam.


----------



## geoff_tropheus

In my 300 gallon right now is (2) FX5 canisters and a AquaClear 110 powerfilter. I also have (2) MAxJet 1200 powerheads with the upgrade kits installed.

If I could do it over, I would without any doubt install (2) 2260's and keep the powerheads, or I would ditch it all and have (2) 2262's

The spray bars of the discharge line is near the surface so you really dont notice them, all you would have to worry about is the Suction lines if you are wanting to cover it up.

The noise is almost non-detectable with the doors of your stand closed from the canisters.

For maintenance once a month a shutdown one canister and repalce the fine media. All other media I leave alone. Every 3-4 months I open the canister and clean all the mechanical media, rinse out the canister housing, and rinse in dechlorinated water any bio-logical media I am using. I clean the impeller, motor housing, and the tubing. The 2260/2262 canister takes me about 30-40 minutes to clean like this. Only about 10-15 mintues to just open up and replace the fine media.

The reason you buy media is that your trying to maximize your space, and I know potscrubbers do really well, but if you compare that to a cintered glass there is going to be a lot more surface area to populate bacteria on the cintered glass over the potscrubbers. Pot scrubbers I think will work fine in a canister, as long as your not real crazy on the fish load. I would want to maximise biological area as much as possible.

Mechanical Foam is perfectly fine as long as you get foam safe for aquatic use and not too small pore size. Got to be careful because some foams are washed with phenols, or other solvents not safe for fish. So, just dont go and buy foam from Wallyworld and try it. Otherwise, there is some really nice bluk foam that you can cut to fit sold by Jehmco (jehmco.com). The stuff is really nice.

Fine Filtration, I use Chempure, filterfloss, bulk blue bonded pad, and sometimes polyfilter pad. All but the chempure is repalced monthly, and cut to fit. The Blue Bonded pad is real cheap, so if floss.

Its really up to you and what you want in the aquarium. If you dont mind some floaties, you might go without fine filtration and just up your waterchange schedule.

That part is up to you entirely.

hope this helps...

Geoff


----------



## Cich of it all

Hi Jack!! :lol:


----------



## cholile

Thanks so much geoff. incredibly helpful. i wish someone would post on youtube a step by step process of how to do the maintenance you describe and illustrate all the parts of the 2262 and why it's so great, but short of that this is as good as it gets. i want to try to understand anything i can about it before spending $1000+ on filtration (if i got 2 of the 2262s).

i don't recall if cintered glass was in the study, but i recall some article detailing a study showing that pot scrubbers allowed for something like 2 to 3 times the biofiltration capacity of even the second best, which was bioballs i think. so if that's true (big IF i guess) then would seem like it depends how much empty space we're talking about. just wondering if you already know this (probably do).

i was looking for bulk foam but not 100% sure which item you are referring to. could you give me the link?

thanks again.


----------



## cholile

oh, also do inline heaters work with the 2262? i've yet to research inline heaters so if any would work, any of them top notch in reliability?


----------



## Deeda

The tubing is the same size on the 2260 and 2262. Only the pump is different. The output/pressure line is 16mm or 5/8". I have a Hydor ETH300 hooked up to mine. Works great.


----------



## geoff_tropheus

http://www.jehmco.com/html/accessories___media.html

This lists the blue-bonded filter pad, and the blue medium foam block.

This will be more than enough for (2) Eheim 2262's
Item No. FMSF-M3
Filter Media Sheet 2x size (blue)
39â€


----------



## chc

Regarding the bio-media options, I think you should take Geoff's advice and go with something porous (sintered glass types) and stay away from pot scrubbies, bio-balls, etc. Those items just don't have the surface area that porous media does. They work better in wet/dry configurations for a variety of reasons, but they aren't nearly as good as porous media in a submerged application like a canister.


----------



## cholile

awesome. thank you again geoff.

chc.

ha, well considering he pretty much has this down to a science and i know nothing i'd say there's no question i'm taking geoff's advice 

i just recalled this article explaining how pot scrubbies were far superior to all other media, but now that you say there's a distinction between superiority for coverage when used as a wet-dry as opposed to fully submerged i'm sure the article was focusing on wet-dry. i didn't realize there would be a distinction in which media would work better. i just thought all work better in a wet-dry, but the same rules apply for fully submerged


----------



## gtsum

how does the bio bale compare to seachem matrix (I have recently started using matrix after hearing nothing but great things)?


----------



## TorontoRaptorsFan

I also endorse the Eheim brand of filters. All my tanks have an Eheim Canister and a couple of sponge filters. I prefer the Professional 2 and 3 lines since they're very, very easy to maintain. As Geoff Tropheus said they're also quiet and reliable!


----------

