# Replacing 2 AC 50s with Canister



## jeebuscrp (Apr 7, 2014)

Hi everyone. Currently in my 55g Mbuna tank I'm running 2 aquaclear 50s. I'm thinking about replacing them soon and using them on a different tank. I'm contemplating going with a canister filter. The 2 that I have narrowed down too are:

Rena XP3 ( $120)

or

Eheim 2217 ($140)

I have a buddy that has the Rena xp3 and seems to like it, but I also here great things about the eheims. I'm leaning more towards the Rena mainly because its rated for up to 175 gallons and it's about 20 bucks cheaper. Does anyone have an negatives about the Rena or a preference?

Thanks.


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## sumthinfishy (Jan 26, 2013)

i actually use both of these filters. imo the rena wins hands down. the flow and and performance cant be beat. i do like the ehiems also, but think the rena is better


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## pablo111 (Dec 10, 2013)

Ignore tank size ratings on filters. They are nonsense. Aquaclear claims an AC70 will do a 70 gallon tank. Maybe a 70 gallon with 3 guppies in it... The Eheim, in it's default setup, holds more biomedia with more surface area than the XP3 does. If anything the Eheim should have the higher rating. 
You're very underfiltered right now with 2 AC50's IMO. I would keep one running with the new canister and put the media from the second one that you're removing into the canister, so you don't lose any bacteria.

My vote is for the 2217. Comes with WAY better media.


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## hose91 (Mar 5, 2014)

I'm new. Setting up my first tank, a 75G. Ordered 2 Eheim 2217's and set them up last weekend. My experiences:


I liked that they'd been around for a long time, so lots of experience and info on this forum and others on how to put them together. Good because the documentation is a bit sketchy
They're see through, so you can see what you've got in the can. Probably totally irrelevant, but for a new guy, it was nice to see them fill up during the priming process. 
I like that the pump head is on the top, and the gravity fed siphon is on the bottom, very little chance for my PFS to get into the pump head through all that filtration
The big open space in the canister isn't as tidy as the baskets, but the pads fit snug for the whole circumference and it just felt more "solid" that there would be less bypass. 
They're fairly short and squat, and fit nicely in the cabinet under my tank. I need to trim the hoses at the first water change, because I was shy about how short to make them, but otherwise, they fit like a glove. Cabinet is about 17 inches deep or so, and about 28 inches tall inside. 
They're very quiet. Right now they're less than 6 feet from my computer chair, and I cannot hear them. 
They come with all the media. Rings for the bottom, the foam pads, and the bio beads. Big bags. Fills the can up. Super easy to load, though I've only had them running a week or so, so no cleaning yet.

Didn't so much like that all the in tank plumbing is green with a big Eheim logo. I painted them black. Not a large issue, but took a couple of days to go get the paint, then paint them, then let it cure so there would be no nastiness in the new, cycling water. 
They weren't too bad to set up. Took a little fussing, mostly because my tank was against the wall already, and because my acrylic tank has bracing in it and precut holes for the over the back intake and spray bars, and there isn't a whole lot of slack to slide things around on the back of the tank. 
They're simple, well made machines. Not a lot of fancy switches and indicators or features, but they are solid to the touch, and my hope is that with the right care, they'll last for a while.

I've no Rena experience. Overall I'm happy I went with the Eheim, but I'm not sure you can go wrong with the two you're looking at. PM me if you have any other questions about the setup that I can answer for you! Good luck


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## sumthinfishy (Jan 26, 2013)

pablo111 said:


> Ignore tank size ratings on filters. They are nonsense. Aquaclear claims an AC70 will do a 70 gallon tank. Maybe a 70 gallon with 3 guppies in it... The Eheim, in it's default setup, holds more biomedia with more surface area than the XP3 does. If anything the Eheim should have the higher rating.
> You're very underfiltered right now with 2 AC50's IMO. I would keep one running with the new canister and put the media from the second one that you're removing into the canister, so you don't lose any bacteria.
> 
> My vote is for the 2217. Comes with WAY better media.


do u personally use either one of these filters?


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## jeebuscrp (Apr 7, 2014)

Thanks for the responses. I understand I'm probably lacking filtration with my 2 AC 50s, but my water is clear and all my levels seem good at the moment (for now). I guess the only other thing I'm worried about with a canister filter is the fact that my tank is on the top floor of our house so I want to make sure I get a good quality canister. If I do go with the Eheim, are there any leak concerns? or do you have any fail-safe measures (putting canister in a bucket etc...). OR would you suggest abandoning the canister idea and going with additional HOB filtration?


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## smitty814 (Sep 27, 2012)

There are few sure things in life. Every....and I mean every canister filter can leak. One fail-safe measure would be to put your aquarium in an empty pool. I have never seen an HOB filter empty a tank. I suppose it could happen. :wink:


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## hose91 (Mar 5, 2014)

Concur with Smitty! Mine are also on the second floor and in rubber half height containers, bone dry so far. The o ring is good quality, the pump head slides smoothly and firmly onto the can. I'm going to put clamps on the junction between houses and the intake/return pipes behind the tank for peace of mind. Can't go wrong, and once you get it set up, you may wonder why you didn't do it sooner! There was a recent thread where a HOB overflowed and did some damage, but there may have been some user error there. Disasters can always happen, part of the inherent risk, i guess!


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## jeebuscrp (Apr 7, 2014)

Yeah, Yeah I know.... I'm being a bit paranoid  Think I'll go with the eheim & leave my HOBs on for a while so the bacteria can develop in the canister before I take the HOBs off.
Thanks for your help.


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## smitty814 (Sep 27, 2012)

The post hose91 wrote about was an AC110 I believe and the user installed it leaning away from the tank. A rubbermaid tub to set the canister in is a good idea if you can find one that fits both the canister and in your cabinet. However if nobody is around all day to notice, the tub will over flow anyway.


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## sumthinfishy (Jan 26, 2013)

your other option is to keep your intake and outflow up near top of water line. this way it will run dry fairly quik if it leaks. of course for best filtration you want your intake deeper in the tank, and if the filter did happen to run dry it would spare you the water damage but you have to buy a new filter because it would burn itself out. like the others said nothings ever 100% but these are just a few different options you can do to try to prevent.


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## Kanorin (Apr 8, 2008)

sumthinfishy said:


> your other option is to keep your intake and outflow up near top of water line. this way it will run dry fairly quik if it leaks. of course for best filtration you want your intake deeper in the tank, and if the filter did happen to run dry it would spare you the water damage but you have to buy a new filter because it would burn itself out. like the others said nothings ever 100% but these are just a few different options you can do to try to prevent.


I don't do this personally, but I've heard of someone else who had this idea: You can drill a small hole in the intake tube about 2-3 inches below your water line. This way, if there is a leak in the cannister, it will only dump ~10-20% of your tank water on the floor rather than 80%. When you do a water change, just stick a piece of nontoxic putty (like silly putty I think would work) in that hole so the filter doesn't suck in air when water goes below that line.

To the OP's original question. I've owned several Rena XP2s and one Eheim classic 2215. I like the Rena XP line better, but both are good. PM me if you want more info as this is getting into the realm of product reviews.


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## Bikeman48088 (Nov 13, 2013)

smitty814 said:


> The post hose91 wrote about was an AC110 I believe and the user installed it leaning away from the tank. A rubbermaid tub to set the canister in is a good idea if you can find one that fits both the canister and in your cabinet. However if nobody is around all day to notice, the tub will over flow anyway.


LOL. I keep my Cascade 1500 in a 20 gallon Rubbermaid tub. When I first got the filter (along with a used 110g tank and everything else), the seal leaked and nobody had them in stock, so I used the old seal and a roll of small diameter rubber sealing material and placed it in the tub in case of leaks. It never leaked, but I left it in anyways.


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## pablo111 (Dec 10, 2013)

sumthinfishy said:


> pablo111 said:
> 
> 
> > Ignore tank size ratings on filters. They are nonsense. Aquaclear claims an AC70 will do a 70 gallon tank. Maybe a 70 gallon with 3 guppies in it... The Eheim, in it's default setup, holds more biomedia with more surface area than the XP3 does. If anything the Eheim should have the higher rating.
> ...


Are you on some kind of crusade against me now? I have been using 22XX filters since 2004. I've had 2213/15/17. They are decent filters. I have never used an XP but I know someone who has and I have rooted through one with the included media and was not terribly impressed.



jeebuscrp said:


> OR would you suggest abandoning the canister idea and going with additional HOB filtration?


If you really feel uncomfortable with the canister, you could swap one AC50 for an AC110 and have (decent) filtration, although you'd have nowhere near the quality of biofiltration of a 2217.
Even with a 50 and a 110 you'd still be slightly underfiltered for a well stocked tank IMO. That's just MO though.


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## sumthinfishy (Jan 26, 2013)

i'm on no crusade. when i feel someone is giving the op bad info, or info that is not backed by personal experience then i question it. thats all. this is a forum! a forum is a discussion, which is what im trying to have. if u feel i have some personal vendetta against u then that is your own issue not mine. i get questioned on my advice as do all members. i respond by answering their questions


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## sumthinfishy (Jan 26, 2013)

The beauty of canister filters is that you can fill them with whatever media you like. it can be store-bought media or homemade media it's all up to the user. what it comes down to his performance of the filter itself which I strongly believe goes to the XP


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## pablo111 (Dec 10, 2013)

sumthinfishy said:


> i'm on no crusade. when i feel someone is giving the op bad info, or info that is not backed by personal experience then i question it.


Fair enough. I stand by my assertion that the 2217 has much better media by default than the XP3.


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## jeebuscrp (Apr 7, 2014)

Well - I ended up buying the Eheim 2217 last night! Should be here in a few days.


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## smitty814 (Sep 27, 2012)

Well good luck. 
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=307210
I would like a Mercedes but have to settle for a Volvo. :thumb:


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## sumthinfishy (Jan 26, 2013)

+1


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## hose91 (Mar 5, 2014)

Congrats on the new purchase! No matter the brand, I think you'll be happy with the upgrade to a canister!


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## pablo111 (Dec 10, 2013)

smitty814 said:


> Well good luck.
> viewtopic.php?f=6&t=307210
> I would like a Mercedes but have to settle for a Volvo. :thumb:


While some people have complained their classics developed leaks, mine have never leaked. I have had a cracked canister and a cracked L pipe (inlet pipe) but that's it. 
Just lubricate the O'rings every time you put the thing back together.


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## jeebuscrp (Apr 7, 2014)

Well I got it up and running without any issues.

Made a short little video of it all set-up.






I did end up making a small hole in the intake a couple inches below my water line just in case. Also, if you check the video does it look like my flow is a little to strong for the fish? thinking I might need to drill a few holes in the spray bar or make the current ones bigger. Let me know what ya think.


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## pablo111 (Dec 10, 2013)

Flow is fine. It could be 2 times that strong and be fine. The water in the tank is barely moving.


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