# [Wet Thumb Forum]-need canister filter advice...



## countrymouse (Jul 6, 2003)

I'm thinking about replaceing my HOT magnum with a different canister filter. The new filter would have to:

Be reasonably quiet

Not prone to spit bubbles

Function also as a CO2 reactor/diffuser

Return water well below the surface (to minimize surface disturbance)

Be reasonably fool-proof (me-proof







)

Be reasonably easy to clean and service.

LOL, now that I've described the impossible filter (or impossibly expensive filter), anybody have advice? Or is there some way to cure my HOT Magnum and rig the return for more depth?


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## countrymouse (Jul 6, 2003)

I'm thinking about replaceing my HOT magnum with a different canister filter. The new filter would have to:

Be reasonably quiet

Not prone to spit bubbles

Function also as a CO2 reactor/diffuser

Return water well below the surface (to minimize surface disturbance)

Be reasonably fool-proof (me-proof







)

Be reasonably easy to clean and service.

LOL, now that I've described the impossible filter (or impossibly expensive filter), anybody have advice? Or is there some way to cure my HOT Magnum and rig the return for more depth?


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## jpmtotoro (Feb 13, 2003)

you might look into the rena filstar line... not completely sure about using it as a reactor... you certainly could put a reactor in-line with the input/output though... if this is for your 55 gallon i might suggest the xp3.


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## nino (Oct 2, 2004)

I use Magnum 350 and Eheim pro. Eheim is the quiteds filter you could get but pricy. Magnum 350 is easier simpler to act as reactor as the impeller is at the bottom. You have to be careful when using other canister as reactor. Many can do it but up to certain amount of bubble per minutes. If it can't dissolve fast enough, some of the top mounted impeller canisters will have problems as air is collected inside the canister.


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## countrymouse (Jul 6, 2003)

Thanks - I had been wondering whether the Magnum was the only one with the bottom-mounted impeller. Definitely don't want the filter to go into airlock. The only thing about the Magnum 350 is that the return looks about the same as the one on the HOT Magnum, which barely gets under the surface of the water. Is there some way to extend it for less surface disturbance?


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## George Willms (Jul 28, 2004)

I would vote that you gor for an eheim. They are very quiet and will last you a very long time.


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## countrymouse (Jul 6, 2003)

It seems that Eheim filters are the best-liked ones. Are the Eheim Ecco series pretty good? They're less expensive than the rest. Does the handle lock securely in place so that it's not easy to dislodge it and accidentally open up the filter while it's running?


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## AP (Mar 20, 2004)

As far as the bubbles go, I got a Filstar and it spits bubbles like a burpy infant. I am in consultation with Filstar tech support, but all they could offer me, besides things I already tried, was to send in the filter so they could examine it. Well, that would leave me with an unfiltered tank. So I bought an Eheim Pro II. Wonderful in every way. Pricey, but after my experience with a Filstar on a planted tank, worth the exra money.


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## jpmtotoro (Feb 13, 2003)

i would still go with a filstar, or one of the NICER eheims. anyway, if you don't want to airlock your filter, you have the option of getting a reactor and just running it through the out-bound portion of the filter. make sure you get a filter that can push enough water... but this way the water goes through your filter, then gets pushed through the reactor. then you'll never have to worry about airlocking it since it is on the output side.

AP sorry for your un-luck with the rena. i have bought 2 filters from them and both run great. each has been running for over a year. even decent hardware sometimes goes bad, but i would suggest sending the unit back to them. it's probably something simple like a bad gasket somewhere. try to give them a chance to fix it. maybe it will come back perfectly fine and you'll have a nice little filter. anyway, that's my 2 cents. i try not to condem a company until after i let them try to fix a problem (unless problems are frequent...)









JP


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## George Willms (Jul 28, 2004)

I would recommend one of the eheim classics before the eccos. If you look around you can usually find some really good prices on them. You could even look for a used pro II.


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## Roger Miller (Jun 19, 2004)

My Eheim pro is remarkably quiet; you can't tell if it's on by listening. My Fluval 304 is almost as quiet but is prone to a few more problems.

I think the Magnum filters are the only filters with pump impellers at the bottom. There are good reason's why other manufacturers put the pumps at the top. The pump-at-the-bottom arrangement is one of the features that makes the Magnum filters low-end selections.

I've used canister filters for CO2 reactors for years. I will say bluntly that CO2 alone will not lock up a canister filter. Lock-ups have been reported but there *must* be other factors involved other than the CO2.

In normal operation CO2 bubbles shouldn't even be reaching the pump. They should be dissolved before they get into the pump and through the media. If they aren't, then the filter is malfunctioning or incorrectly configured.

What's more, if bubbles do reach the impeller then the normal flow of the pump will clear the bubbles before they can cause a problem. That is true for streams of bubbles much faster than normal use. If the media or the intake screen become clogged enough to seriously impede the water flow through the filter then a healthy stream of bubbles getting to the impeller might break the pump's prime.

Maybe an extreme CO2 dump could cause a problem, but in that case it might be preferable for the pump to stop rather than dumping all that gas into the tank.

Look out for power outages. If the pump is off then CO2 in the filter can buildup and break the prime.

If the filter media or intake screen become clogged then the filter can suffer a gas problem much worse than a CO2 bubble stream will cause. Everything in the path from the intake to the impeller is under suction. If things get clogged enough then the filter will draw air through seals that don't normally leak. That can break the pump's prime. The only times I've ever had a pump lose its prime while running it was because of a clogged intake screen and leakage through the seals.

The other source of bubbles in the filter is the oxygen produced by plants when the lights are on. The dissolved gas comes out of solution under the low-pressure conditions in the pump. Then they get spit back into the tank as bubbles. Those bubbles can also contribute to noise and other problems in the filter. The only way I know to minimize the bubbles is to make sure the filter media and pump intake aren't clogged. That won't prevent the problem but it will keep it from getting worse.

Set the filter up right and keep it working the way it's supposed to and you won't have problems. Certainly you won't have problems with CO2.


Roger Miller


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## gsmollin (Feb 3, 2003)

Countrymouse,

I've been using a Magnum 350 in CO2 reactor service for about 5 years without a single problem. The filter can't get gas-locked by any amount of gasseous CO2, or O2. I've even had a case where the Pl*co rooted up an airstone and dragged it under the inlet. The filter was coughing up air bubbles so loudly my wife heard it upstairs, but it was still working. So you can't beat that. On the other hand, the return is pretty much where it is, unless you cut it apart, and glue an extension on it. The chamber is small. That is really the best criticism of the Magnum. They need a bigger chamber. It is so powerful that it was sucking up plant debris and getting clogged in a week or so. I added a foam pre-filter, and now it runs 2-3 weeks between cleanings, but there is a pile a debris right under the inlet I have to siphon. I don't use it for a biological filter, just mechanical. The chamber really is too small to add bio media. Actually, You could add a bio-media/CO2 reactor after it pretty cheaply if you wanted a bio-filter reaction chamber. It would stay really clean behind the Magnum's mechanical filter.


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## hubbahubbahehe (Mar 29, 2004)

hey guys, sorry if i'm hijacking...but since we got a group of canister filter people...i was wondering if i could ask this question:

what is the optimum way to place your intake and also your outtake (say if it were a spray bar) in order to maximize efficiency...??


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## countrymouse (Jul 6, 2003)

> quote:
> 
> Originally posted by gsmollin [re Magnum 350]:
> Countrymouse,
> ...


I was wondering about that. But then I looked at the size of the bio-sponge in my power filter and did some thinking.

So here's plan A: I've filled my older HOT Magnum's media chamber with lava rock bio-media. I'm going to clean up the newer HOT Magnum that's been haning unused on the back of the goldfish tank for a while, and transfer that media chamber into it. As I recall, it wasn't as much of a spitter as this old one. If it operates without fogging the tank, I'll replace my power filter with a new HOT Magnum and fill its media chamber with bio-media. Two chambers filled with biomedia look like way more bio-surface than that sponge has.

Plan B: If the newer (but already owned) filter does fog the tank with bubbles, I'll either go for the largest size old-fashioned Eheim, or just live with the situation a while longer if I just can't talk myself into spending the money. It'll come down to how much the bubbles aggravate me.


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## lbsfarms (May 24, 2004)

If your concerned about cost, you might want to check out the Jebo canister filters. I bought one from Superfishstore.com and am very happy with it. I've found it works a whole lot better than the filstar xp3 I used to have.


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## countrymouse (Jul 6, 2003)

This is going to turn out to be cheap after all. The newer HM isn't spitting, and the tank is nice and clear. (BIG sigh of relief. I hate trying to explain to hubby why I need/want another new piece of equipment. Last year was the CO2 bottle and regulator.) The old HM turns out to have had a broken intake O-ring. Could swear I checked all the O-rings and gaskets recently; go figure. For now I'll just live with the shallow return. 

I really, really appreciate the advice, all of you, and if I add another tank (after the kids have moved out and become independent) I'll keep all this in mind.


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