The Best External Canister Filter to Buy Is?
A lot of factors are at play when choosing to buy an external canister filter. However, if you dread filter changes and find it highly inconvenient, a wet/dry filter in a sump will best suit your need. It is mainly an under the tank filter that almost never needs filter changes.
Wet/Dry Filters Anyone
There are many great wet/dry filter brands in the market and one of them is Eheim. They say one can never go wrong with it. It used to be hard to prime but the Pro 2 series has great priming mechanism.
Marineland Filters and Cichlids
Another interesting brand well worth the look is Marineland. Many aquarium hobbyists love its retro design and the trays are great with cichlids. The fact that the water level in the display tank remains the same is another plus for this setup. Water changes are done partially by diverting dirty water from the tank by adding a WYE and a ball or a gate valve.
Gradual Water Changes
One good thing about this method of changing tank water is that, aside from its being highly convenient, it is not causing as much negative effect to the fishes as the new water is gradually introduced from the sump instead of a 50% water change. In other words, its method of changing water is not too shocking to the living things in your aquarium.
Rena and Cascade Filters
Other great brands you can check out are Rena and Cascade. The Rena Filstar has a quick release valve for the hoses, although a little tough to prime. Cascade is great – wonderful prime mechanism. However, there’s no quick release for the hoses.
Guess you can’t have it all. So weigh it on the features and what you can afford and go for one most convenient for you.
Tags: best aquarium external filter, the best external aquarium filter, best external canister filter, best external fish tank filter, the best canister filter externalThe Fluval FX5 versus the Eheim 2080
The Fluval and the Eheim filters have been compared and tested head to head with each other to determine which is better. Eheim costs as twice as much as Fluval and is a better biological filter since it can hold more media. Fluval, on the other hand, is cheaper and is the best mechanical filter.
Both filters are quiet by modern standards but Eheim goes a long way measuring only 19db compared to Fluval’s 43db hum. Although Fluval is the cheaper of the two, it consumes nearly twice as much power as Eheim. So keep this in mind if you are conscious about your monthly electric bill.
The Fluval Fx5 can cycle between 500-900 gallons of water and can be used in a 400 gallon tank.
If you want to get the best of both worlds, you can try setting up the media like this:
For the top basket is the Fluval pre-filter that is washable for easy maintenance. The middle basket has the Fluval Biomax at the bottom just to cover the holes and then fill it up with Eheim Substrat Pro. Same goes for the bottom basket.
You can replace the Biomax every 3 months, the Substrat Pro you can use again and again as long as they are not starting to turn to powder and are still round. Wash the media only with water from the tank and not from the tap. Another tip is to take half of the top basket, put Active Carbon on it, run it for a month and take it out.
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US $229.75
Can I Use the Same Canister for both Fresh and Salt Water Tanks
Sometimes the question “can I use my freshwater canister filter for a marine aquarium” pops up and the answer to that question is yes as long as you clean the filter first.
Mechanically most external filters don’t mind working in an salt or fresh water environment. The mechanics just don’t change. Your filters pump is powering the water flow through your filter no matter if it’s salt or fresh water.
The differences start at the filter media you’re using. As an example in a fresh we use Zeolite filters to absorb ammonium from the water, but this trick doesn’t work with salt water. The same hold true for some "scavenger resins" used in some canisters.
Thus you can use the same external filter but will sometimes need different filter media. The mechanical and sponge filtration remains the same. Most biological filtration remains the same and most media are developed for use in both environments anyway. Follow the instructions of the manufacturer.
There is one thing to keep in mind though; a marine aquarium is often more susceptible to small disturbances in balance then a fresh water tank. This makes maintenance of the filter and it’s media to a top priority.
In a marine aquarium you will often use a protein skimmer; this won’t work in a fresh water aquarium.
So canister filters can are usually suitable for fresh as well as salt water but there are some differences in the filter media used. A protein skimmer is great for marine, but it won’t work in your fresh water tank. More often than not you will want a higher flow-rate of water in a marine aquarium.
> Tags: canister filters, water tank, biological filtration, protein skimmer, external filters, query protein, fresh water aquarium
Proper Filter Maintenance for Saltwater & Freshwater Aquariums
Aquarium filter advice. Learn about aquarium filter maintenance for saltwater & freshwater aquariums in this free instructional video. Marc Grover is the co-owner of Underwater Depot. He and his business partner, Chris Bernie, have over 30 years of collective experience in the aquarium industry. Filmmaker: Traci Holsey
Tags: Traci Holsey, Freshwater aquarium, Marc Grover, Underwater Depot, video marcHep how do I set up an external filter in my aquarium?
I have just been given a Fluvel 204 external filter from a friend but he has lost the instructions how far apart do I have to put the inlet and out let pipes as he can't remember and are they easy to use .