# What filters are people running??



## Andy g (Nov 27, 2021)

Hi I have a 280litre tank which I am overfiltering due to heavy stock am running 2 sunsun they are great filters what's people opinions on them also what other filters do people rate


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## Azedenkae (Apr 19, 2012)

Nice. The last time I had that size tank I just had an internal filter.

Currently I have a 40gal tank (150ish litres), just running a sponge filter + wave maker on top of it to distribute the air bubbles, and then an internal filter to further distribute the air throughout the tank and for mechanical filtration - just replaceable filter floss in the internal filter. I have a bunch of MarinePure spheres scattered throughout the tank and congregated around-ish the sponge filter. That's all for my filtration setup.


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## Aussieman57 (Dec 18, 2021)

Large 55 gallon Sump on 125 tank. Two Eheim 2217's on 90 tank; I'll take an Eheim canister over any other canister. And a plethora of sponge filters on 40's, 20's, 10's, 5's, 2.5's.


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## Auballagh (Jan 29, 2003)

Currently running a Red Sea integrated sump, Aqua Clear and Tidal hang-on-backs. And yes... I will grudgingly endorse just about anything EHEIM.
NOTE: I am NOT a fan of aquarium canister filters! This delicate, fussy-running and sometimes unreliable filter type, is my LEAST favorite aquarium filtration option.


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## CichlidCam (5 mo ago)

Andy g said:


> Hi I have a 280litre tank which I am overfiltering due to heavy stock am running 2 sunsun they are great filters what's people opinions on them also what other filters do people rate
> View attachment 144207


I have a 250 Litre (66Gal) African Cichlid Tank with a fluval 307 and it's working beautifully


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## Andy g (Nov 27, 2021)

I think my biggest thing is always over filter and for me sunsun are great filters for the money I have my sunsun hw3000 UV and I love it had a fx6 before and hated it and here in the UK they retail at 300 pounds crazy money


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## CichlidCam (5 mo ago)

Andy g said:


> I think my biggest thing is always over filter and for me sunsun are great filters for the money I have my sunsun hw3000 UV and I love it had a fx6 before and hated it and here in the UK they retail at 300 pounds crazy money


I totally agree, overfiltation is the way 
I live in Africa and a sunsun like yours is $200 usd at the shops, it's crazy 
So I managed to import the fluval 307 from the UK for $200 thinking it'd be better but 2 months in and it started leaking like crazy! I couldn't just send it in to fluval for a replacement.. Luckily I managed to make a plan with silacone and it's working again 
But yeah kinda regret getting the fluval


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

My beloved API Rena Filstar XP filters finally failed after 15 years. I researched everything out there is there is just NOTHING. I have some Eheims and not thrilled with the ease of maintenance on the smaller filters and the price of the larger filters ($500). I ended up buying Fluvals because I had to have something but I discarded all the hoses and intakes/returns...replaced all that with XP hoses, intakes and returns. 

I have no leak problems with the Fluvals.


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## Andy g (Nov 27, 2021)

CichlidCam said:


> I totally agree, overfiltation is the way
> I live in Africa and a sunsun like yours is $200 usd at the shops, it's crazy
> So I managed to import the fluval 307 from the UK for $200 thinking it'd be better but 2 months in and it started leaking like crazy! I couldn't just send it in to fluval for a replacement.. Luckily I managed to make a plan with silacone and it's working again
> But yeah kinda regret getting the fluval


Like I said I had a fx6 and the hose design is terrible silicone is diffently the fish keepers best friend 😁


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## DutchAJ (Dec 24, 2016)

I’ve run and liked Eheim 2217s (dead quiet)

have a few Tidal 110s (running for a year, I’m undecided on them still, like the self priming aspect, have had some noise issues though, like the volume for a HOB)

have a couple Marineland HOBs (not something I would choose to buy)

a couple Aquarium Co-op sponge filters (like them for their purposes a lot)

soon to be running the integrated Rea Sea Sump as well, hope I like that one!


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## Azedenkae (Apr 19, 2012)

Auballagh said:


> NOTE: I am NOT a fan of aquarium canister filters! This delicate, fussy-running and sometimes unreliable filter type, is my LEAST favorite aquarium filtration option.


You are my favourite. <3 Ahahahahaha.

But no yeah, I also place canisters at the bottom of the tier list. I'd rather have a wave maker and media in the tank than a canister (and in fact, I do lol).

It's so easy to achieve not just enough, but far more than enough filtration with any other kind of filter setup. Why would anyone ever actually want a canister, I would not know. If I actually want more space, I'd get a sump.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

OK for some balance. Canisters are quiet. And since you cannot heave the entire sump container into the sink like you can with a canister, I don't buy that they are easier to maintain. Two canisters on anything 75G or above provide more than enough filtration and oxygenation...more filtration does not mean better water quality. You just need enough media for the BB to grow, and much of the BB you need is already growing on the surfaces in your aquarium.


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## Kwik-3-Mart (Oct 5, 2021)

Sumps! My 210 gal African tank has a 40g fluidized k1 sump. And my 75g tank has a 20long sump filled with sponge media. Outstanding filtration and pretty much zero maintenance.
All tanks also have an aquarium coop sponge filter with an air stone on a battery backup so there’s at least a bit of aeration in a power outage.


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## Boji Cichlids (3 mo ago)

On my 90 gallon, run the Eheim 2217, seriously had it for 10+ years, occasionally replace the impeller coupled with a small sump with am Eheim pump- not sure of the model 10+ years no issues.


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## Aussieman57 (Dec 18, 2021)

DutchAJ said:


> I’ve run and liked Eheim 2217s (dead quiet)
> 
> *a couple Aquarium Co-op sponge filters (like them for their purposes a lot)*


Same here. I have been gradually replacing other sponge filters with these. They work great.


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## MaKettle (Dec 30, 2021)

I have an FX4 on my 75 gallon aquarium and it not only has been doing great, it makes water changes extremely easy.


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## 99CANECAS (3 mo ago)

Azedenkae said:


> Nice. The last time I had that size tank I just had an internal filter.
> 
> Currently I have a 40gal tank (150ish litres), just running a sponge filter + wave maker on top of it to distribute the air bubbles, and then an internal filter to further distribute the air throughout the tank and for mechanical filtration - just replaceable filter floss in the internal filter. I have a bunch of MarinePure spheres scattered throughout the tank and congregated around-ish the sponge filter. That's all for my filtration setup.





Andy g said:


> Hi I have a 280litre tank which I am overfiltering due to heavy stock am running 2 sunsun they are great filters what's people opinions on them also what other filters do people rate
> View attachment 144207





MaKettle said:


> I have an FX4 on my 75 gallon aquarium and it not only has been doing great, it makes water changes extremely easy.





MaKettle said:


> I have an FX4 on my 75 gallon aquarium and it not only has been doing great, it makes water changes extremely easy.





Andy g said:


> Hi I have a 280litre tank which I am overfiltering due to heavy stock am running 2 sunsun they are great filters what's people opinions on them also what other filters do people rate
> View attachment 144207


I got 120G long


Andy g said:


> Hi I have a 280litre tank which I am overfiltering due to heavy stock am running 2 sunsun they are great filters what's people opinions on them also what other filters do people rate
> View attachment 144207


I got a 129G long (454L) full of mbuna and x2 bn plecos with Fx4 ,fluval 407, tidal 110 with 2 wavers on either end with timers . Overkill maybe but fish are thriving .


MaKettle said:


> I have an FX4 on my 75 gallon aquarium and it not only has been doing great, it makes water changes extremely easy.


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## catscanman (10 mo ago)

Auballagh said:


> Currently running a Red Sea integrated sump, Aqua Clear and Tidal hang-on-backs. And yes... I will grudgingly endorse just about anything EHEIM.
> NOTE: I am NOT a fan of aquarium canister filters! This delicate, fussy-running and sometimes unreliable filter type, is my LEAST favorite aquarium filtration option.


If you have the money, sump all the way. But yes, in hindsight I would have opted for Aquaclear 110's (I put two new ones on my 75 mixed Tang tank) over the fluval 307 Canister (on my 55). For about the same price (a little less than 200US), You get *at least 3 times* the water filtration (even with slowdown) with the Aquaclears. PLUS, accessibility to it/ contents/ etc, ease in cleaning/ mainitenance, ease in setup; redundancy in filtration- (both have similar customization options- which is the reason I went with the canister way back when). With the Aquaclears, and using sand as substrate, I do use pre-filter sponges that are easily accessible during siphon cleaning/ water changes.
Can you tell I love this filter?


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## Auballagh (Jan 29, 2003)

Oh, those hang-on-back Aquaclear power filters.
Rugged, simple in construction, and almost endlessly adaptable to all sorts of interesting applications. Plus, they just seem to last forever. A classic!


catscanman said:


> Can you tell I love this filter?


Yep.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I do like the Aqua Clears for HOB. I must have a dozen of them.


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## chopsteeks (Jul 23, 2013)

Seachem Tidal Filters. 

I was a big fan of AquaClear HOB like DJRansome. I purchased 2 AC 70 to replace old ones I had for years. These were now sold under the Fluval name. Both filters had problems with them. Both just stopped running after a couple of weeks. Cleaned the impeller, they both started working again. The following morning, same problem. I returned both of them.

This is when I tried the Tidal 75. I love the design as the motor is submerged in the water. Guaranteed to prime itself.

Also, I opted to use HOB style filter over a canister as I find this type easier to clean during my weekly water change. I use a Tidal 75 & sponge filter on my 75 gallon filter.

For my bigger tanks (125 & bigger), I use wet & dry filter…..


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## dstuer (Mar 27, 2013)

For small tanks, I'll use HOBs (unless I can run them in line with a sump), but for anything larger than a puddle tank, I prefer sumps. and consider any tank 55 gals or less, no more than a puddle.
An advantage of sump filtration, is filtering multiple tanks on one sump, and have filter up to 5 tanks, of almost 500 gallons on 1 sump.
Today I use a 125 gal tank as a sump for my 180 gal.
About an 8th of it is for bio, and mechanical media, the rest is heavily planted.
Once a tank is cycled, a small amount of biomedia is all that is necessary (dependent on stocking level), and my main concern is keeping nitrate concentration under 5ppm, which the plants assist in.








Plant weight, of course, must be on par or heavier than fish weight, to be effective at nitrate reduction


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## 24Fathoms (2 mo ago)

I gotta ask, why all the hate for canister filters? They have much more filtration capacity than HOBs and honestly arent hard to maintain. The only difference I can see is you have to pull them out from under the tank instead of off the side for an HOB, and most canisters can maintain their siphon or have an easy priming pump when for when the siphon is lost.

I'm not criticizing anyone's opinion, I'm genuinely asking to see if there is something I might be missing about HOBs.


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## Auballagh (Jan 29, 2003)

Hmmmm....


24Fathoms said:


> I gotta ask, why all the hate for canister filters?


It's their more complex, mechanical nature. O-Ring seals for those things that absolutely MUST be treated with careful respect in disassembly and reassembly work The careful alignment when threading things and seating parts. The sometimes unexpectedly delicate fasteners that can break or fail - with sometimes catastrophic results. All of it! And because of that stuff, canister filters seem to run their best and most reliably, when opened up the least amount possible.
But, with Hang On Back Filters and Sumps? Those really are just about the Opposite of that. Both types are seemingly DESIGNED to give easy, near constant access to the filtration media. And, as shown by @dstuer above? You're really only limited in filtering applications when using a sump - by your imagination. Sump filtration is just about as versatile and easy as you can possibly get.
Plus, a sump located discretely down inside the cabinet stand below the tank, will simplify the amount of hardware 'stuff' shown visibly inside the tank itself, making an operational/running aquarium look much more elegant and natural.


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## 24Fathoms (2 mo ago)

Auballagh said:


> Hmmmm....
> 
> It's their more complex, mechanical nature. O-Ring seals for those things that absolutely MUST be treated with careful respect in disassembly and reassembly work The careful alignment when threading things and seating parts. The sometimes unexpectedly delicate fasteners that can break or fail - with sometimes catastrophic results. All of it! And because of that stuff, canister filters seem to run their best and most reliably, when opened up the least amount possible.
> But, with Hang On Back Filters and Sumps? Those really are just about the Opposite of that. Both types are seemingly DESIGNED to give easy, near constant access to the filtration media. And, as shown by @dstuer above? You're really only limited in filtering applications when using a sump - by your imagination. Sump filtration is just about as versatile and easy as you can possibly get.
> Plus, a sump located discretely down inside the cabinet stand below the tank, will simplify the amount of hardware 'stuff' shown visibly inside the tank itself, making an operational/running aquarium look much more elegant and natural.



No argument from me that sumps are better, however they are certainly more complex to set up and more costly. So i guess it comes down to cost and ease of use. With that said, however, I've always wanted a sump...I do love the idea of keeping equipment out of the tank and not having to do top offs in the main tank (I understand i have to topp of the sump, but at least the main tank would always look full). I've always also thought that my tank (a 75p, which is roughly 40gallons and 29.5"x17.25"x17.25") is too small to justify a sump, so I've been running a canister for years. ALSO with that said, I hate my Fluval 407...I just think it's a dumb design. I miss the Eheim classic I had years ago...


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I love canisters. We are just drowned out by those Members that love apparatus for the sake of apparatus. 

Can't beat the quietness. IDK what canisters "these people" have  but mine you just press a lever to open.

My equipment is out of the tank...heaters are in line and filter intakes are behind 3D backgrounds.


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## Auballagh (Jan 29, 2003)

And well, don't believe all of the press you're seeing in this posting thread. Despite the apparent lack of popularity of those canister filters you are (only?) reading here.... I suspect those canisters in this aquarium-keeping hobby (for tanks over 50 gallon in size, at least...) outnumber all other aquarium filter types COMBINED, by almost 2 to 1.
..._SIGH_...
Unfortunately, attaining enlightenment to _The Non-Canister Way_ has been difficult - if not impossible - for some people to achieve.
-
But, the revolution is real! Fight the tyranny of the canister!!!


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## dstuer (Mar 27, 2013)

All filtration works, but....it's the degree of filtration the aquarist expects that may be the key.
If filtration is perceived to be just about water clarity, a simple filtration method may be chosen.
I often see canister users enthusiastically claim their can has not been cleaned in a month or 2, and consider that a complete filtration progress.
To me, a filter that is not regularly cleaned is not removing waste from the system, it is just sweeping it under the rug, because any waste sitting in a recirculating filter has not removed that waste, it has just taken it out of view.
I consider invisible chemical waste perhaps more deleterious than the detritus and turds you can see.

One reason I use planted sumps, is that they remove nitrate, along with ammonia and nitrite.
The only way a can removes nitrate, is when gunk is cleaned out. So a can that is not cleaned often, as opposed to filtering out chemical waste, is actually becoming a nitrate factory.

I prefer a filter that is user friendly to clean, and I don't hesitate to clean gunk out of, at least once or more times per week. In that way that type regular cleaning, actually removes waste from the system.


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## Kwik-3-Mart (Oct 5, 2021)

dstuer said:


> All filtration works, but....it's the degree of filtration the aquarist expects that may be the key.
> If filtration is perceived to be just about water clarity, a simple filtration method may be chosen.
> I often see canister users enthusiastically claim their can has not been cleaned in a month or 2, and consider that a complete filtration progress.
> To me, a filter that is not regularly cleaned is not removing waste from the system, it is just sweeping it under the rug, because any waste sitting in a recirculating filter has not removed that waste, it has just taken it out of view.
> ...


i think I understand what you are saying, but you make a number of statements which may be dangerously close to misleading a new fish keeper into disaster.

1. the gunk you are cleaning out isn’t nitrate. Nitrate is dissolved in the water. It’s molecular, not particulate. The “gunk” you are cleaning out is very likely part of the bacterial culture that keeps your tank working. One of the most common new fish keeper mistakes is cleaning too often.

2. ALL filters are literally nitrate factories! That’s their job. However their “fuel” is the food you put into the tank. So all filters produce nitrate at the exact same rate that you feed the fish. So no amount of cleaning your filter will decrease nitrates. Unless you kill your bacterial culture which breaks the “factory”

May I suggest some further research: 8. Review of Aquarium Filters

here’s a quote:

*Myths About Aquarium Filters*
There are many myths parroted around social media about filters. These myths include:


*The brown “gunk” inside the filter bio-media or filter foam is trapped feces and it is beneficial to the aquarium to remove it frequently and thoroughly. This is the single most damaging myth in the Hobby.*


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## MaKettle (Dec 30, 2021)

After having both HOB and a canister, I've learned some things. My HOBs have always been too loud for me. Sometimes, the sound will actually aggravate my nerves, because I have excellent hearing. Even my husband is annoyed by them. My FX4 is so silent that my husband has considered bumping me up to a big enough aquarium for my community tank (it has the HOB) to switch to another FX4. 

I like that I can see into the HOBs to see if it needs cleaned. With the canister, I pay attention to the water clarity. If it's starting to get a bunch of specks, I know it's time to clean. Too bad they fluval didn't come out with a clear canister though.

The canister can be awkward to pull from and replace from the cabinet, especially when full of water. Luckily, I'm strong enough that it isn't an issue for me.

My favorite part about the FX4 and 6 is the quick water change feature. I dread changing the water in my community tank. It's a 35 or 39 gallon tank. I don't remember. I always get water everywhere. Changing the water on the 10 gallon tanks aren't bad. Changing water in my 75 however is a breeze.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Get one of these for wheeling large canisters full of water to the sink. Also comes in handy for birdseed storage cans, planters full of soil, moving boxes of books, giant bags of dog food, etc.
Winado 165 lbs. Capacity Aluminium Folding Dolly Push Hand Truck in Black 286153730531 - The Home Depot


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## Rockfella (Aug 4, 2021)

24Fathoms said:


> I gotta ask, why all the hate for canister filters? They have much more filtration capacity than HOBs and honestly arent hard to maintain. The only difference I can see is you have to pull them out from under the tank instead of off the side for an HOB, and most canisters can maintain their siphon or have an easy priming pump when for when the siphon is lost.
> 
> I'm not criticizing anyone's opinion, I'm genuinely asking to see if there is something I might be missing about HOBs.











FILTRATION SYSTEM


In nature, water is filtered through layers of soil, sand, rock, and other natural materials like leaves. In home aquaria, we can replicate this through the use of external canister filters for the long-term health of your aquarium & its inhabitants. With such an abundance of external canister...




fzaqua.com





Get this one if you can to avoid the O ring problems discussed in this thread.

Another problem with canister filters (probably all filters) is their rated gph is usually less real world usage, so users end up getting more than 1. SUMPS are best IMO. My DoPhin C1600 rated at 2540lph (647g) did 850lph (224g) when it was EMPTY! This can really change the game, especially for cichlid tanks as water turnover of x8/10 is recommended for typical cichlid aquariums.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I think the 8X to 10X GPH recommendation takes into account the actual rate is lower and is still more than sufficient for African Rift Lake cichlids. There are experienced, knowledgeable fishkeepers who believe anything more than 4X is really too fast for the beneficial organisms.

The one thing I agree with for a sump is that it can provide more capacity for filter media. But after years of fishkeeping I have come to realize that even a small filter has enough media...taking into account that the organisms grow on the glass, sand, decor...to handle toxins in a tank and more media is not necessary or even desirable for a margin of safety.


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