# Canister Filters



## MSullins (Oct 16, 2013)

I have been looking for a good canister with a built in UV light...
So far I have found two of them..

JBJ EFU-35 Reactor Canister Filter 4 stage 250GPH

AquaTop cf500uv 5-stage 525GPH

My question is, has anyone heard of them? Are they good quality? Are they a good brand(AquaTop & JBJ)? Both have good reviews, but I am still leery... :?


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## FirstStateCynos (Nov 25, 2012)

I bought a grech 303B which is the same as the sunsun and aquatop. Cost me $64 and I love it. I put sand in my 55 gallon and made it cloudy on purpose. With just filter pads in the chambers the tank was clear in about 3 days.


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## CichlidOWNR (Dec 22, 2011)

I have the Aquatop cf500uv for the past 15 months and have no problems with it so far on my 55 gal mbuna tank. It is quite and I can find o-rings and replacement parts fairly easily.


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## MSullins (Oct 16, 2013)

CichlidOWNR said:


> I have the Aquatop cf500uv for the past 15 months and have no problems with it so far on my 55 gal mbuna tank. It is quite and I can find o-rings and replacement parts fairly easily.


Sounds good! lol I have read reviews about the parts being flimsy or poor quality.. Are they really that bad or just people over exaggerating?


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## smitty814 (Sep 27, 2012)

MSullins said:


> CichlidOWNR said:
> 
> 
> > I have the Aquatop cf500uv for the past 15 months and have no problems with it so far on my 55 gal mbuna tank. It is quite and I can find o-rings and replacement parts fairly easily.
> ...


Ppl are over exaggerating. However I can see that if ppl are going to try to force plastic parts they will break. I have 2 Aquatop CF400uv's. One up and running for over 2 yrs. the other for 18 months. Never a problem and very quiet. No leaks and easy to get started.


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## FirstStateCynos (Nov 25, 2012)

Parts are fine, I guess some people are man handling the parts that is why they break them.


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## pablo111 (Dec 10, 2013)

Don't buy a cheapo off-brand canister, and give up on the idea of UV. Built in UV bulbs in canisters are of "this is a joke" intensity and quality, and need to be replaced frequently. Just get a good canister from a trusted brand with no UV and be happy. 
Eheim 2213/15/17/pro3 Fluval X06 Or FX6.


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## smitty814 (Sep 27, 2012)

pablo111 said:


> Don't buy a cheapo off-brand canister, and give up on the idea of UV. Built in UV bulbs in canisters are of "this is a joke" intensity and quality, and need to be replaced frequently. Just get a good canister from a trusted brand with no UV and be happy.
> Eheim 2213/15/17/pro3 Fluval X06 Or FX6.


What does "off brand" even mean? Doesn't Eheim consider Fluval as "off brand"? Inexpensive doesn't mean poorly made. Let us consider the canister filter......hmmm. They are all pretty much the same. Pump, filter material baskets and volume. The only difference I see is wether the pump is on the top of the can or at the bottom. :thumb:


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## pablo111 (Dec 10, 2013)

Fluval, Eheim, Rena/API are brand name canisters. Marineland is a brand name (if horribly made) canister. Off brand is something like Sun-Sun.

Case in point: Coke and Pepsi vs RC Cola. I know what I"m drinking.


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## Raiderdane (Sep 23, 2013)

Fluval, Eheim, Rena Filstar....they are reputable proven filters. Marineland, Cascade, Hydor......so so. You can't go wrong with any of the first three in my opinion. I personally have a Fluval 306 paired with an Aquaclear 50 and a Penguin 350 on my 55 Gallon tank. I LOVE my Fluval, Easy to clean, works Great!! I would just give my 2 cents worth and say please don't skim when it comes to canisters. Do your research on the proven ones. You will be happier in the long run.


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## MSullins (Oct 16, 2013)

Thanks for the info guys. I think I am going to pickup an Aqua top next week! Excited!


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## pablo111 (Dec 10, 2013)

MSullins said:


> Thanks for the info guys. I think I am going to pickup an Aqua top next week! Excited!


Get an Eheim or a Fluval instead. Seriously. Don't drink the RC Cola of the aquarium industry.


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## MSullins (Oct 16, 2013)

pablo111 said:


> MSullins said:
> 
> 
> > Thanks for the info guys. I think I am going to pickup an Aqua top next week! Excited!
> ...


Thanks but no thanks... I am not up for spending $200+ on a new filter for my tank... I have done my research on aqua top, including reviews from here.. I think its a good choice.. I'll be just fine with my RC Cola...


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## Kanorin (Apr 8, 2008)

I'm just curious what the motivation is for the UV light is inside the filter?
Also, where is the light - is it in the same compartment that the bio media in or in a separate compartment? If the former, this would actually make the filter worse.


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## smitty814 (Sep 27, 2012)

Motivation would be to kill free floating microorganisms. The uv light is in a seperate chamber with spiraling ridges. It also has an on/off switch for those that might think the uv light would make the filter worse. :thumb:


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## pablo111 (Dec 10, 2013)

MSullins said:


> pablo111 said:
> 
> 
> > MSullins said:
> ...


I just looked on Amazon and even the best classic Eheim (2217) is roughly $130. Far cry from $200. I PM'd you the link.


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## Raiderdane (Sep 23, 2013)

You can get a Rena Filstar XP3 for $115.95 or an XP4 for $152.95, **** good prices right now!! If you want, I can pm you the info.


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## tsnider1 (Mar 6, 2014)

I am on a tight budget and recently bought the sunsun 302. I havent found any sign of a cheap product and mine was only 64 dollars on amazon.
In econ I learned about near perfect competition where almost every business has the same product and must find a way to differintiate their products. Eheim and all those name brands can charge a high price because they have distnguished there product by being around for a long time and being reliable. 
This so called off brand filter is relativley new to the market from what I found about it so in order to compete in an already established market it has undercut the competition. It doesnt mean it is of lesser quality they have just found a way to compete with the established filter companies.
Like I said before all I have heard are great things about the sunsun/aquatop/grech and mine has no signs of being cheap and I absolutely love it and love how quite it is.
I say go for it if you are trying to save money.


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## pablo111 (Dec 10, 2013)

tsnider1 said:


> I am on a tight budget and recently bought the sunsun 302. I havent found any sign of a cheap product and mine was only 64 dollars on amazon.
> In econ I learned about near perfect competition where almost every business has the same product and must find a way to differintiate their products. Eheim and all those name brands can charge a high price because they have distnguished there product by being around for a long time and being reliable.
> This so called off brand filter is relativley new to the market from what I found about it so in order to compete in an already established market it has undercut the competition. It doesnt mean it is of lesser quality they have just found a way to compete with the established filter companies.
> Like I said before all I have heard are great things about the sunsun/aquatop/grech and mine has no signs of being cheap and I absolutely love it and love how quite it is.
> I say go for it if you are trying to save money.


You make a good argument. I guess I'm just the kind of person who trusts established brands over new/relatively unknown brands. I stand by my recommendation of Fluval and Eheim... but you're right.


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## cprings (Sep 10, 2003)

I have been tempted by the aquatop/sunsun filters and may try it one day but I always lean towards buying the best because I know with proper care they can last for decades. SunSun/Aquatop has not been around long enough for me to take a leap of faith in a product in which the positive reviews are all short term experiences. I have a fluval 303 on my 90 and a 404 on my 125. Both run like new and are 10+ years old. The 303 is pushing 15 years. I'm on a tight budget right now but in the market for another filter. I'm leaning towards the XP3 at the moment.


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## tsnider1 (Mar 6, 2014)

nothing wrong with sticking with what is known. I am the type of person who ventures out into new areas.


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## cprings (Sep 10, 2003)

tsnider1 said:


> nothing wrong with sticking with what is known. I am the type of person who ventures out into new areas.


Does it come with some media? If not, what did you load in it? Not like you buy filters for the look but they are a nice looking canister.


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## chopsteeks (Jul 23, 2013)

cprings said:


> tsnider1 said:
> 
> 
> > nothing wrong with sticking with what is known. I am the type of person who ventures out into new areas.
> ...


If your question is about the Aquatop cf500uv, yes it comes with all the media. It has bio-max media, all the sponges and bio-balls. Not a fan of bio-balls for canister, so I replaced it with Seachem Matrix (pond).


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## MSullins (Oct 16, 2013)

So far I love the CF500! It runs like a champ! was a little hard to prime at first but I figured out the trick.. I am amazed at how clear my water is now. This thing really moves some water! and its soo quiet! 
I think that was the best $100 bucks I've spent!! Beats the heck out of my Aqua Clear 110 I replaced!! (Put its media in the canister)

Cleaned it out today (in curiosity) and there was a bunch of stuff in there.. lots of poop too, lol..
Very happy with it!


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## chopsteeks (Jul 23, 2013)

MSullins said:


> So far I love the CF500! It runs like a champ! was a little hard to prime at first but I figured out the trick.. I am amazed at how clear my water is now. This thing really moves some water! and its soo quiet!
> I think that was the best $100 bucks I've spent!! Beats the heck out of my Aqua Clear 110 I replaced!! (Put its media in the canister)
> 
> Cleaned it out today (in curiosity) and there was a bunch of stuff in there.. lots of poop too, lol..
> Very happy with it!


Glad to know of another person happy with Aquatop cf500uv.


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## newcichlidiot (Jul 7, 2010)

The UV light is actually connected to the canister head and the bulb extends down through the media trays. This causes (IMO) bypass, also the flow of water passing by the UV light is small. As the media trays when all stacked up almost totally block all water passing by the UV light. Meaning almost no water actually passes by the light. While UV light sterilization seems like a good idea this accomplishes it in a poor fashion. Very gimmicky, I have a sunsun304B that I picked up with a 120gal off craigslist. I will take my 2 Eheim 2217's (built like a tank) and move them to the 120 with an AC110. And put the sunsun on one of the 55's. The sunsun by no means feels cheap it is just the UV light is...


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