# Favorite Canister Filter for 55 Gallon Tank



## Jimbo205 (Feb 2, 2006)

My wife has agreed that if I consolidate ALL OF MY little tanks, she is agreeable to having a 55 Gallon tank basically in the living room. 

To indulge my obsession I had started all of my 'little' tanks in the basement where I thought they would not get in the way. 
(We have a busy house with 4 beautiful bouncing children.) 

So now I am planning on what I need to do after I get my 55 Gallon Tank. Lights I think may be easy. 
But for the canister filter, I am not sure. 

If you were to do a 55 Gallon tank over again brand new, what would you pick for your filter and why? 

For the most part I am curious what brand fellow hobbyist like the most, 
secondly I am curious what people like for a filter in a 55 Gallon tank besides a Canister Filter. I did see the Fluval and was curious. 

Please let me know. 

What is your favorite filter for a 55 Gallon tank and why? 

(Thank you in advance for your help with this.)

Jimbo205


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

Money is always an issue for me, so I look for good enough quality and low price. I like my Rena Filstar XP-3 because it is cheap, has a high flow rate, and is very easy to prime, something Fluval cannot say, in my experience. It isn't rugged, but it does seem to be rugged enough for my purpose. Mine is on a 45 gallon tank, but seems a bit oversized for that tank.


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## houseofcards (Feb 16, 2005)

There's obviously many filters that will fill the bill, but my money is on the Eheims. I have an Ecco 2236 on my 72g for almost two years now and absolutely love it. The Eheim Classic 2217 would also do nicely for a 55g.

The one thing you'll notice if you compare Eheim's ist that their flows are less than their competitors for the same tank size recommendations. I believe Eheim claims better biofiltration based on media pass-through thus the lower flow rates needed. 

The double-taps on the Ehiem classics are great too. You simply disconnect the tubing at the double taps and all the water stays in the outflow/inflow tubing, so when you reconnect their is no priming.


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## Jimbo205 (Feb 2, 2006)

Canister filters seem so very different than Hang On Back power filters. 

Flo rate. With HOB they just tell you the size tank that they are designed for. 

Do you prefer one over the other because of the 'containers' in the canister and how they stack together or not?

(Thank you again for the help.)


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## houseofcards (Feb 16, 2005)

Jimbo205 said:


> Canister filters seem so very different than Hang On Back power filters.
> 
> Flo rate. With HOB they just tell you the size tank that they are designed for.
> 
> ...


As far as Eheim's the Ecco has the separate containers with a pull handle on the top. Couldn't be any easier to change media individually. The Classics do not have separate containers. The Ecco pretty much came out to give some of the ease of maintenance of the more expensive professional line without the hugh price.


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## ed seeley (Dec 1, 2006)

I've got an Ehiem 2128 on my 36"x18"x18" (I think that's about 55 US gallons!). It's overkill maybe but an awesome filter and dead easy to clean along with heating the tank.


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## Jimbo205 (Feb 2, 2006)

Once I get a new tank and if I get a canister filter; 
would it be good to clean the old tank and then use the NEW canister filter to 
clean the OLD dirty water (after stirring up the substrate REALLY well) to start or establish a good biological filter for the new tank in the NEW canister filter?

Part of me is thinking Canister Filter and part of me is thinking Sponge Filter (like described in Diana Walstad's book) so that shrimp, fish fry, snails and Artemia Nauplii are not sucked into a monster filter.

Feedback?

Thanks again.


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## rohape (Feb 7, 2005)

I agree, not Fluval. I had one for a long time and HATED doing maintenance. It was horrible.


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## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

Rena Filstar hands down. They are easy to setup, prime, clean & maintain. To keep fry/shrimp from getting sucked up, then just use a pre-filter sponge over the inlet. To seed it you can use the sponges etc from your old filters or you can put the bio-media from the new filter into your establish tanks for a couple of weeks.


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## ingg (Apr 8, 2007)

I have one Eheim, three Rena Filstars, on assorted tanks.

XP3 for a 55, mine is an XP2, and I ended up getting a powerhead for additional flow. I do like my Rena.

If this is to be a planted tank - do yourself a favor, and get either a 50, or a 75. Get the 18" dimension (50 is x3', 75 x4'), it is very hard to make a nice aquascape in a 4 foot long, 1 foot deep, tank. At least for me it is.

As for sucking things in - get the $2.00 bags meant for micro bags for stuff inside Aquaclear HOB filters. Now go to Walmart, and buy a sheet of the plastic squares in the craft section, it is maybe a dollar.

Cut a thin strip of the plastic squares sheet, and curl it up into a tube, yknow, 1" tall strip wound wound wound around itself in a little tube.... put it inside the bag in the bottom... and let the curl go. It expands out, holds the sides of the bag out away from the intake in next step. Put your intake in the bag, tie the cords around intake pipe... voila, prefilter that is pretty darn fry proof and I'm experimenting now on shrimplet proof, so far so good.


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## enzo (Aug 19, 2006)

Not sure if this counts but I really like the HOT Magnum filters.


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## jeff5614 (Feb 15, 2006)

Let me first put on my fire proof suit. I've had a fluval 304 for over 18 months with no problems from it. It's quiet, starts easily after a cleaning, no leaks etc. I'm not sure what more I'd want from one.


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

I used a Fluval 304 for a few years and when I was able to keep the hoses full of water when I cleaned it, it worked like a charm. But, the initial priming, or subsequent priming when the hoses were not full of water, was a royal pain, and usually resulted in blisters on my fingers from pumping the priming valve.


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## melgrj7 (Jun 9, 2007)

I have one of the newer models of Fluvals on a 60 gallon. I have the fluval 405 and have no problems with it. Its much easier to get started than they used to be (I had a 404 for aquatic turtles a few years ago).


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## Jimbo205 (Feb 2, 2006)

Which of these has a pause button or a shut off button for when I am feeding the fish? 

That is one thing I do not like about my HOB. Starting it back up is a pain. 

I want to feed my fish, not my filter. Thanks.


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## John N. (Dec 11, 2005)

I don't believe any of the canister filters have an "on/off" button for feeding. But the Filstar Rena and the Eheims do have accessible flow toggles, which you can shut down or reduce during your feeding times. Go with either the Rena XP3 or the Eheim 2217.

Oh, and to answer your earlier question: For your a new filter, it's a good idea to take some old bio media and stick it in the new filter for a few days to get the biological bacteria going. 

-John N.


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## houseofcards (Feb 16, 2005)

Jimbo205 said:


> Which of these has a pause button or a shut off button for when I am feeding the fish?
> 
> That is one thing I do not like about my HOB. Starting it back up is a pain.
> 
> I want to feed my fish, not my filter. Thanks.


You really don't need it. I mean if you unplug a cansister they usually start up with no problem. I guess some HOB can be more problematic. If you don't mind me asking, what kind of fish do you have that you feel they won't get to the food quick enough with the filter on?


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## Jimbo205 (Feb 2, 2006)

Actually it is not the fish that I was thinking of, it is the food. I have become addicted to hatching Artemia Nauplii. The larger fish get quite the workout trying to eat 1,000,000 of these things. Nutritional punch and an aerobics work out all in one shot. 

With an HOB the water flowing into the tank almost aims the food towards the bottom right towards the intake. 

I just don't like the idea of feeding my filter. 

So, after safely transporting my fish to a safe bucket while making the transfer to a new tank; 

would it be sick and twisted to take all the plants out, STIR UP THE SUBSTRATE, and then filter the tank water to suck out all the dissolved organic carbon and 'plant' or 'seed' it into the Canister Filter for the future tank? 

For all the El Naturale 'black gold' that builds up over time with plants and substrate, it just figure it would be a shame to drain and throw it all away. 

Or would that be a sick and twisted idea? 

Thank you all for your help with this. I am going to eventually print out this thread and go back over to PetsMart to start examining the recommended products.

Anyone that would like to create a poll on this thread for your favorite filters, please do so. I am curious. John I think you may have narrowed it down for me. Oh, and by the way I am only in the planning stages with this. Wait until the wife asks me about this. :biggrin:


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## Jimbo205 (Feb 2, 2006)

> But the Filstar Rena and the Eheims do have accessible flow toggles, which you can shut down or reduce during your feeding times. Go with either the Rena XP3 or the Eheim 2217.


I tried to find descriptions online for these canister filters mentioning those features, but could not find them listed.

John N., could you post a link to one? Thanks, those sound really good.

From the descriptions I found online, I am trying to figure out just how good canister filters are at biological filtration. One thing I read made me think they might not be. Good mechanical. Hmm..

More to think about.


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## Jimbo205 (Feb 2, 2006)

Oh, and I am definitely getting some 47" lights from www.commodityaxis.com for this new tank.

I got 2 of them for my 23" wide tank and they work great at a great price. I love the HO T5 lights with built in individual reflectors. So easy, so bright, so little fuss. Again, great price.


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## turbomkt (Mar 31, 2004)

OK... I'll agree with a 75g instead of the 55. Still a 4 ft footprint, but more depth front to back for scaping.

Filters...if you can afford it, get the Eheim 2128 with built-in heater. Descriptions here. Note where it says "Adjustable flow rate" under Features.

For Filstar, look here. They call it "Outflow Regulator". I've heard good things about Filstar, but have nothing but Eheim at this point.

Fluval...had pretty good customer service when I had to send a filter back to them. The problem is I had to send the filter back before they would send me a new one. Something like 3 weeks total I would have been without a filter if I hadn't bought my Eheim. Depending on the Fluval model I've had problems with latches breaking, O-rings deteriorating, and the case expanding to cause problems sealing. Others have obviously reported success. I also don't like Fluval's ribbed hoses. I'm sure there something about the fact that the ribbed hose won't kink, but Eheim's hoses are rigid enough that they don't seem to kink either.

Also, I haven't seen too many filters designed to be turned off on a regular basis. Cannisters will be easier to start than HOB if you decide to do this, though. You can also look at a prefilter sponge. Otherwise, a 4 ft long tank can provide a lot more water area for the bring shrimp to swim that won't be prone to getting sucked up into the filter. Then again, it will take a lot more of them to get the same visual effect


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## Jimbo205 (Feb 2, 2006)

Thank you Mike!

Sounds great. 

I see that they have fantastic mechanical and chemical filtration. 

How are they at biological filtration? (This may be a more opinion question than a technical question.)


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## turbomkt (Mar 31, 2004)

Biological all depends on how much you put in. In all reality, I don't run any chemical filtration on my planted tanks. I only use mechanical and bio.


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## ed seeley (Dec 1, 2006)

The Ehiems are great filters but despite what I posted earlier I've now changed my mind!
After buying a 2128 I wouldn't actually buy another. I'd go for the 2028 with a Hydor heater on the pipework. There's absolutely nothing wrong with the filter but the reasons for my change of mind are:
1. Because there's the heater probe in the tank, which isn't small
2. When I clean the filter I disconnect the pipes and then carry the whole unit to the sink to be cleaned, but with this filter I have to un-plug not only the pump's power, but the heater too and, most annoyingly, the connection to the thermostat that plugs into the digital readout/adjustment. It makes the whole process more annoying than it needs to be if I'd bought the 2028 and the Hydor.

Apart from that it's a great filter and the temperature adjustment is extremely convenient, if only they had designed some kind of quick release electrical connection too. I run mine with the taps slightly closed and have been assured by Ehiem distributor in the UK that this cannot cause any problems.

From a Biological/mechanical/chemical point of view I've filled my filter like this;
Bottom basket has Ceramic 'pre-filter' rings with the coarse Ehiem foam on top.
Middle basket is filled with Siporax and JBL sintered glass media
And the top basket has a bag of peat in to add tannins and acidify the water further (for the fishes benefit, but the plants don't seem to mind it). There's still room left if I want to add anything else!
Above all this the Ehiems have a floss pad for fine mechanical filtration (I bought a huge sheet of pond floss pad and have cut it up to form the pads. £8 bought me an enormous sheet).

Great filter, but I would get the seperate heater.


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## ps49556n (Jul 29, 2007)

ed seeley said:


> The Ehiems are great filters but despite what I posted earlier I've now changed my mind!
> After buying a 2128 I wouldn't actually buy another. I'd go for the 2028 with a Hydor heater on the pipework. There's absolutely nothing wrong with the filter but the reasons for my change of mind are:
> 1. Because there's the heater probe in the tank, which isn't small
> 2. When I clean the filter I disconnect the pipes and then carry the whole unit to the sink to be cleaned, but with this filter I have to un-plug not only the pump's power, but the heater too and, most annoyingly, the connection to the thermostat that plugs into the digital readout/adjustment. It makes the whole process more annoying than it needs to be if I'd bought the 2028 and the Hydor.
> ...


Thanks for the info...I have a few questions for you I will PM.


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## Squawkbert (Jan 3, 2007)

Eheim classics offer better flow per unit of media capacity than their more expensive cousins do.

A 2215 kit w/ media & a Hydor in-line would be a great solution for a moderately planted 55. If you're really going to keep it stuffed, a 2217 upgrade would be in order.

If money is a constraint, I'd look at comparable ViaAqua filters, then Renas. If Hydors are out of budget, Visitherm Stealth all the way.


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