# Canister vs. Power Filter



## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

If money is tight use both penguins.


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## mistawac (Aug 24, 2010)

Well what I'm not understanding and I'm trying to is how a canister is better. I noticed that a few people here have the Eheim 2215 on their 55g and that filter only pumps at 164gph. My understanding so far is that the higher the gph the better and the Penguin 300 does 300 gph, cycling the water almost 6 times rather than just three. Even the 280 would be better than the canister if I'm following the gph rule.

I'm not trying to be a pest here, I'm honestly trying to learn and understand the best way to do everything so I have a long-lasting, great looking tank.


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

Canisters just have way moe capacity for bio media then most power filters they also have a greater chance of passing 100% of that water through it and mechanical media for better filtering efficiency. So it's not always a case of gph but what it does with the gph. Also for tanks with co2 canisters cause much less of the co2 to off gas because of the decreased surface agitation. 

Don't worry about questions. That is why the site is here.


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## tuffgong (Apr 13, 2010)

Another benefit of a canister is you don't have to clean it as often as a HOB. You also get rid of the large HOB unit on the back of your tank. The variety of intake/output setups available for canisters are much more pleasing on the eye. You can also run an inline heater with a canister, removing one more thing from your tank.


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## deleted_user_7 (Jul 7, 2003)

you can also dhave more control on the flow of water. For example, my set up has the intake on one side, outflow on the other. This way the water is continuously being circulated efficiently. With power filters, they just release the water to the front leaving the back of the tank with little flow, and the intake can only suck water in from directly below the filter. 

A powerfilter can hold over a gallon of media, and all of the media can be rinsed and re used for a very long time. No more buying "cartridges" made of cheap plastic and filed with hardly any carbon at all. 

Canisters are VERY quiet. It's great. No noise at all! If they ever make noise, then something is wrong and the impeller needs changing. 

As said before, canister filters let you use glass lily pipes which don't distract from the aesthetics of the aquarium. Powerfilters are large, ugly boxes...

To address your concerns about flow, some filters like Eheims place a greater focus on bio media. Slower GPH means longer contact time with the media. Other canister fiilters place a greater emphasis on flow. Think of it as a quantity vs. quality sort of thing. The choice is yours. Ever since I got my first Eheim, I can say I will never use another filter. On my 15 gallon tank, I wish I had a 2217 instead of a 2215 though. One day I may get a 2213 to supplement the flow. Even though my flow is good enough, I wish I had more. 

Canisters also add an extra gallon or two depending on the filter to your aquaroum volume, and that's always a good thing. Canisters are essentially enclosed sumps because they don't suck water. They run by having a siphon drain water out of the tank into the canister (in the case of eheims, the water goes into the bottom and moves upward) and then a pump pushes water back into the aquarium. 


I will never reccoment magnum canisters. I hate them with a firey passion. The HOT magnum sucks too. Whatever you do, don't get that. Canister filters are expensive and are an investment, so research a lot before you buy and make an educated purchase. I reccomend either Eheim or Rena filstar.


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## mordalphus (Jun 23, 2010)

The reason most people here use canisters is not for the better filtration or increased capacity... It's because they are quiet, you can hide them under your stand, you can hook a heater, a uv sterilizer and co2 reactor up to them to keep all of those things out of your tank. They basically give you the option of taking all of the cluttering equipment out of your tank and replacing it all with a spraybar and intake tube.

I think your filters will be fine if you're just planning on having a community tank. I'm a big fan of the biowheel as biological media, it has the incredible benefit of a wet/dry system, with a small space. They make great bio filters.

You _WILL_ be cleaning your filter pads every week though, they get dirty very fast, and if you don't keep up with rinsing them, they'll spill all of the water over into the tank unfiltered. And if the filter isn't leveled, it may spill the water onto your floor!

If you were planning on doing a high-tech setup on your tank with co2, high lights, fertilizers and high light plants, then you'll want to invest in a canister filter or two.


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## tuffgong (Apr 13, 2010)

There's no need to spend a ton of money to get a quality canister filter!!! Before you buy a canister be sure to read this: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/equipment/98858-my-review-sunsun-outside-filter-hw.html.


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## deleted_user_7 (Jul 7, 2003)

If you use biowheels and are injecting co2, you are being counterproductive because the biowheel dissipates the co2 from the water. Yoou didn't say if you were injecting co2 (unless I missed it) but I assume you are since almost everyone adds co2 in one way or another.

From all of the reviews on the sun sun filter. If you are trying to save money then that would be the way to go.nive seen two other name brand canisters that looks uust like the sun sun, so it makes me wonder if they are all made by the same factory and just have different labels put on them and are put into different boxes with different prices.


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## mistawac (Aug 24, 2010)

Okay, you guys actually have me convinced now on the canister filters. I think I'm going to try to sell these Bio-Wheel filters and buy the SunSun HW-302. I think that'd be okay for my 55g. Once I get that I'll be good to go.

Thanks for all the help! This basically cleared my filter confusion up completely. Now onto lighting and substrate/fert.


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## mistawac (Aug 24, 2010)

Anyone know where I can buy these? I can't really find any...


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## deleted_user_7 (Jul 7, 2003)

Buy what? Canisters in general? Petsmart sells eheim, rena and fluval. 

You can get the sunsuns on ebay.


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## mistawac (Aug 24, 2010)

I'm sorry, yes the SunSun. I can't find any of the canisters themselves, just the media. Are they being sold anymore?


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## hbosman (Oct 5, 2006)

mistawac said:


> I'm sorry, yes the SunSun. I can't find any of the canisters themselves, just the media. Are they being sold anymore?


I PMed you a link twice by accident. Anyway, you'll get the info.:hihi:


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## mistawac (Aug 24, 2010)

Awesome. Appreciate the links!


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## Chaos_Being (May 18, 2010)

mistawac said:


> Okay, you guys actually have me convinced now on the canister filters. I think I'm going to try to sell these Bio-Wheel filters and buy the SunSun HW-302. I think that'd be okay for my 55g. Once I get that I'll be good to go.
> 
> Thanks for all the help! This basically cleared my filter confusion up completely. Now onto lighting and substrate/fert.


 
You will definitely like it, mine is working great. The intake/spray bar are very unobtrusive, and I have everything I need plumbed in-line and hidden in the tank stand.


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## BobinCA (Jul 20, 2009)

hbosman said:


> I PMed you a link twice by accident. Anyway, you'll get the info.:hihi:


Can you please indicate what the link is to find a SunSun cannister filter please? I cannot find one on Ebay.

Thanks,
Bob


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## tuffgong (Apr 13, 2010)

BobinCA said:


> Can you please indicate what the link is to find a SunSun cannister filter please? I cannot find one on Ebay.
> 
> Thanks,
> Bob


I just PM'd you the link..


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## AquariumNoob (Aug 18, 2010)

I just bought (literally- just got home from picking it up) a 75g tank.. I was told that an eheim 2217 wasnt enough so i bought an eheim 2217 plus an Emperor 400 :d. Not planning on injecting Co2 so it should be fine.. Anyhow, from what ive seen, the Eheim 2217 seems like the best way to go- and its relatively cheap.. 140$ including shipping on ebay which is where i got it.. Everyone says that the eheim is a good filter so i figured i would go with it.. i hope they were right =D


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## mott (Nov 23, 2006)

I love my 2217! Literally no media bypass whatsoever, I recently replaced my 2236 with a 2217 and used the same output, the Shepperds crook I think it's called? 
and the flow is amazing in my 55, I'm hoping it slows down some as it matures


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