# Canister filter question



## sohankpatel (Jul 10, 2015)

There is always a chance of leaking, however it usually is a slow leak that you will notice, not a catastrophic leak that drain your tank. SunSun is a decent band, fluval is a bit overpriced for what you get, the CF80 is an Eheim ECCO series if I am not mistaken. Ease of cleaning depends on the brand, my SunSun is pretty easy to clean but I have heard somewhere that Eheims are a bit of a pain.


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## Blackheart (Jul 5, 2011)

yeah the CF80 is just a rebranded Eheim. But I don't hear of many people complaining about Eheims.

I had watched one person who had had a power outage early in the morning to wake up and come down stairs discovering his Eheim canisters had leaked a bunch of water on to the floor, and this was a huge tank keep in mind, a 220.


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## prototyp3 (Dec 5, 2007)

Honestly, leaks can happen anywhere so I wouldn't make an equipment choice based on that alone. You can have an HOB fail and put gallons of water on the floor. It's the risk we take when we decide to put these pretty glass containers of water in our homes. I'd just make the decision based on cost vs convenience vs aesthetics.


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## Blackheart (Jul 5, 2011)

Well I've never had a problem with a HOB leaking and that's what I've been using for years since going into this hobby. I've had several break that just stopped working.

If a canister breaks by some chance, does it end up emptying water everywhere or just shuts off?


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## PlantedRich (Jul 21, 2010)

Logic says that I do something to protect myself when I see a hazard. 
So I see most any type of filter can leak and then deal with it from there. Look at the Aquaclears and you will see a small O-ring is all that keeps it from running the tank water out down to the end of the intake. The same amount of water will come out of a canister, down to the end of the intake where it will lose siphon. 
For canisters, there is some small chance that they will leak so I put them in a dishpan to catch the normal small ooze and put a cheap alarm in the pan. I've not had a canister leak but if it does, the alarm will let me know before the pan runs over. 

This is one source for one alarm I like.
Battery-Operated Water Alarm-BWD-HWA - The Home Depot
$10-12 of cheap insurance


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## Tessa (Dec 8, 2015)

I have my canister sitting in a large plastic storage container - if it does leak I have a chance of catching it before something dramatic happens.

edit: that alarm is a great idea.


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## PlantedRich (Jul 21, 2010)

Tessa said:


> I have my canister sitting in a large plastic storage container - if it does leak I have a chance of catching it before something dramatic happens.
> 
> edit: that alarm is a great idea.


I found these for several uses but they also work around the tank. There are alarms which are cheaper but I choose this particular one for a few points that I find matter to me. 
Since I hope I never really hear it, I want it easy to deal with on routine stuff. This one operates on a standard 9V battery so it doesn't take up a precious outlet but since it never uses battery except when sounding, the battery seems to last nearly forever. They might last forever if I would quit testing to see it works? I slide a finger over the contacts and it screams loud enough to wake the dead! 
The contacts are on a small cable which is important to me. Since it is in a pan, I want the electronics up and out of the pan so I place the contacts on the pan bottom and hang the rest up out of harms way IF I do have a leak. 
Nice thing to have hanging around a floor drain if you have one which tends to stop up---like when a sewer backs up. A whole lot better to catch those disasters before they get any bigger so I run the contacts down inside the drain and just above the normal water line so that I get as much warning as possible before the "junk" runs out on the floor.
:surprise:


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## JD_Aqua (Aug 7, 2015)

To be honest like everyone said, there is always a chance for a leak. Now I been running canisters for years now and the only leaking issue I had was the aqua stop valve for the fluval and leaking at the gaskets which are easy to replace. I never ran into the the problem when the power goes out and the filter leaks. 

Sunsun and fluval are easy to clean and maintenance is easy. I did just get a Ehiem 2217 classic filter and its awesome, yes the filter does not have trays so you have to spend a little extra time cleaning it but to be honest we spend all this time with our tanks anyway.

Also I have a friend the has a Ehiem ECCO and he has not had a single issue with it.


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## Aquaticz (Dec 26, 2009)

30 + years 
Never had a canister leak

I like the Eheim pro series ( not e)


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

Most issues with canisters seem to me to be improper assembly and or maintenance. I keep spare gaskets and o-rings on hand and inspect those in use every time I clean the filter. One of the reasons I use pre-filters is to keep me from having to break the canister down for cleaning as often. As lightly stocked as I keep my tanks, and I dont over feed, I only clean my canisters every 3 or 4 months It seems to me the more the canister is broke down the more wear and tear on the gaskets and o-rings especially around the cover. YMMV.


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## WaterLife (Jul 1, 2015)

Leaks like that can happen with any canister filter I believe.

From what I hear, it's when the power shuts off, but the water in the tank still siphons down to the lower canister filter and supposedly "overflows" it.
I don't know though, I would think a canister filter should be able to stay sealed and not leak, and any water that gets siphoned into the canister should "push" the "excess" water out of the canister back into the tank. I would think the canister working with the impeller spinning would generate more pressure than a shut down canister with simple siphon pressure, so I don't think pressure is a cause for leaking. I can see how the lines/tubing stays pressurized/keep the siphon pressure until the siphon is broke (hole, allows air in/out).

I guess the flooding does happen to some people, I assume it just depends how the canister filter was designed, if it has good seals/gaskets and can withstand higher pressures. Well, there is a extremely simple mod you can do to break that siphon when power shuts off to prevent flooding. Simply drill a tiny hole on your intake tubing, slightly under your water line/surface (your choice, you might not want it so close that when water levels drops for natural reasons, you don't suddenly end up sucking in air while the filter is powered on) and in the event your canister does "overflow", the water will only drain down to that hole you drilled, because the hole acts as a siphon break. Still would want to place the canister in a small tub/bucket to catch the water that does overflow.

I've only had SunSun 304B canisters and I've shut them off (there's no off switch, so unplugging the power cord is the only option -or flip power strip switch) and even had a power failure during a storm and they've never flooded. I still do the siphon break "mod"/hole just as a safety measure, but I still haven't had any water overflow the canister (not even down to the hole).

My recommendation is definitely to get a canister filter. I too used to exclusively use AquaClear HOB's, but very glad I did give canisters a try and much prefer them over HOB's now (at least for larger tanks).

If you do a sump, definitely do the siphon break hole as sumps aren't usually sealed to prevent overflow (remember to not completely fill the sump, leave some room to account for the siphoned down water -depends how many gallons would siphon down until the siphon break is reached).


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## PlantedRich (Jul 21, 2010)

I worry less about my canisters than I do about the Aquaclears. The way the motor is mounted so that you turn it sideways to get it on has caused me trouble when others have done some work for me. The O-ring that holds the water can get a bit out of place when you screw the motor back on . This is a slow leak that can drain lots of water depending how long the siphon tube in your tank. What worries me most if that I see no way to catch or control the water that leaks out at this point. It falls all the way to the floor or finds some cord or tube to run down where I can't catch it. 

Hint for any DIY folks who use drywall mud and also use the 2217 Eheim? The small drywall bucket can be cut down and the diameter is just right to fit the 2217 as a tray! A plastic Tie-wrap makes a good handle for the tray.


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## MChambers (May 26, 2009)

I have 14 tanks and all but one has a canister on it. I mostly have Eheims, and haven't had a problem with them, except once with a 2279 when the breather tube came loose (very few filters have this tube, so don't worry about it). 

I'm not a big fan of the Ecco line, but the 80 would probably be fine on a 55. I'd be tempted to go for the Cobalt EXT instead, or an Eheim 2217.


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## ichy (Apr 6, 2015)

A power outage should not cause a canister to leak. If it does it was going to start leaking with or without power. 

Yes, the canister uses a siphon but once the power is cutoff the siphon pressure equalizes with the head pressure and it stops. If a seal is bad or the lid not properly in place, yes it can continue to siphon, but again, these are going to give you problems regardless of whether the filter is running or not.


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## AWolf (Jun 13, 2014)

Do cannister filters get warm or hot to the touch?


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## ichy (Apr 6, 2015)

AWolf said:


> Do cannister filters get warm or hot to the touch?


nope


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## herns (May 6, 2008)

Blackheart said:


> If a canister breaks by some chance, does it end up emptying water everywhere or just shuts off?


no. the water is tight sealed inside the canister.

I have Eheim classic that leaks many years ago and it was leaking very slowly.


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## PlantedRich (Jul 21, 2010)

None that I have used. Some will be almost warm but that can often be judged by the electrical ratings. The worst will not get too hot to touch and most will have the motor near the top where it is in open air rather than at the bottom where it might be setting on something.
Heat can be related pretty directly to the amount of power used. So some of the better ones may use 15-20 watts while others may use 50-60 watts. Like light bulbs, the less power used will make less heat, but none are hot.
Nothing like a 50 watt bulb since they are using much of the power while light bulbs are turning lots of that power to light and heat. Nothing to worry even if they get covered with a towel or something.


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