# Best canister filter for 55 gallons? Fluval? Ehiem? Models?



## Bluebarry

Want to get rid of all my hang over filters and replace them with canister ones, anyone have any suggestions which would be good for a 55 gallon? I know ehiem has a few but not sure which model would be best fitting.
Any information would help! Thanks alot!


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## The Guy

*I would go with Eheim, a little more$ but worth it!*

I use a eheim 2236 ecco on my 55 gallon it's rated for an 80 gallon tank @ 198 GPH, 
I'm sure it would do a great job for you. I also run a AC70 as well my tank is crystal clear all the time. You could go with other brands for less $ but in my books eheim is the best filter out their. I run Eheim on all my tanks. Parts are available @ Big al's on line as well as the complete filters. 
My opinion only it's your choice. Cheers Laurie


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## Bluebarry

Cool, thanks alot!


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## bettafrenzy

I have a fluval 304 canister on my 55 african tank, used to be a planted tank and in 4 years haven't replaced anything and have no issues with it. Nice and quiet and easy to clean. I have the basic foam in the bottom and bioballs filling up the rest.
kara


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## charles

Barry, if you are thinking about of your red belly tank, I would use something bigger. Say the 2075 especially you are using only 1 canister for the tank.

The 2236 does 159GPH and the 2075 does 290GPH.


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## joker1535

Honestly i got 2 ac110 running and they clean better than my canister filters.


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## crazy72

I run a 2075 on my 60G and I LOVE it.


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## mysticalnet

ebay Sunsun canister filter is the best


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## snow

I like fluval filters. Best brand of filters out there imo. I would use two 405's or 2 404's. It's always good to over filter your tank. Put one canister at one end of the tank and another canister at the other end. This way you also have a good current of moving water. Fluval canister filters you can usually buy fairly cheap used. Check this site or c list.


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## mysticalnet

Oh and btw my sunsun canister filter is cheap, looks awesome with the white, silent, many trays (4 and a half) and comes with uv sterilizer and it is 560GPH, comes with spray bar and stuff. Go search on eBay. If u want u can buy 2 of them and it might still be cheaper than 1 name brand.


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## Nanokid

sunsun canisters eh? can you give me a link? cant seem to find them. would love to try one!

ok heres my opinion...

fluvals - break and become a PITA after a year or two. become hard to prime, and replacement parts are not cheap. i have have 4 now, every single one i have had problems with. 

Xp3 (rena?) OK filter, much better then the fluval, but annoying to prime, but Much more reliable then the fluval canisters. still not my favorite. a tad noisy ( I.e you can hear it) but does a great job of cleaning the tank. 

magnums (marineland) (sp?) great thought put into this one. good for predatory fish, not so good for plants, do to the fact that its noisy b/c it "spits" air . SUPER EASY to prime, great filtration, clear body so you can tell when it needs cleaning but, noisy. 


Ehiems - much better in my opinion. VERY quite, easy to prime, good filtration, best for planted tanks. talked to couple people who use them as well, all love them. only canister filter on my list.

aquaclear (HOB by fluval) overall the best filter out there for tanks under 55 gallons. easy to clean, reliable (some of my filters are over 10 years old) and do a great job. i use them with canisters, as they help keep the tank agitated. 


thats what i say. some people might disagree with me, but thats the expeiriances i have had with the filters.


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## mysticalnet

Here you go:

Sunsun/Gretch Canister filter ebay link





Nanokid said:


> sunsun canisters eh? can you give me a link? cant seem to find them. would love to try one!
> 
> ok heres my opinion...
> 
> fluvals - break and become a PITA after a year or two. become hard to prime, and replacement parts are not cheap. i have have 4 now, every single one i have had problems with.
> 
> Xp3 (rena?) OK filter, much better then the fluval, but annoying to prime, but Much more reliable then the fluval canisters. still not my favorite. a tad noisy ( I.e you can hear it) but does a great job of cleaning the tank.
> 
> magnums (marineland) (sp?) great thought put into this one. good for predatory fish, not so good for plants, do to the fact that its noisy b/c it "spits" air . SUPER EASY to prime, great filtration, clear body so you can tell when it needs cleaning but, noisy.
> 
> Ehiems - much better in my opinion. VERY quite, easy to prime, good filtration, best for planted tanks. talked to couple people who use them as well, all love them. only canister filter on my list.
> 
> aquaclear (HOB by fluval) overall the best filter out there for tanks under 55 gallons. easy to clean, reliable (some of my filters are over 10 years old) and do a great job. i use them with canisters, as they help keep the tank agitated.
> 
> thats what i say. some people might disagree with me, but thats the expeiriances i have had with the filters.


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## Nanokid

thanks for the link - but it looks like shipping is the same price as the filter.... kinda defeats the purpose dont ya think?


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## Mferko

eheim ftw, 
classic > ecco


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## mysticalnet

Nanokid said:


> thanks for the link - but it looks like shipping is the same price as the filter.... kinda defeats the purpose dont ya think?


Not if u went to the border and picked it up!


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## EDGE

If cost is an issue, Rena filstar are really good. Easier to clean than fluval 04/05 series and less expensive than Ehiem.

A quick and dirty way to prime filstar is to unlock 2 locking mechanism and let some of the water flow into the canister. This only works if you did not take out all the hose to do a hose cleaning (water is still in the hose). Do this when canister is empty of water. Once the return line is drained out.. lock the 2 clamp back on.


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## Maxxxboost

i have 2 55 gallons running

1st - Rena XP3, affordable, easy to clean, but a bit noisy
2nd- Eheim 2217 classic, *got it for free* but if i were to buy it, more money, harder to clean, but very quiet. 

If money wasn't an issue, i'd get another eheim, but if money is a problem then a Rena will work fine.


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## Bluebarry

wow, tons of advice, thanks a lot guys!


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## Treasure chest

I use Eheim2026 for my 54G. The filter is solid. The best part is the media capacity. When used in conjunction of Eheim pre-filter, I am able to stretch filter maintenance to once every 6 month.


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## tang daddy

As many have mentioned Ehiem an excellent choice because of realibility and workhorse performance....I use ehiems on 3 of my tanks and never ran into problems with them.

Never had any experience with the rena filters, but many people on here use them and seem to give good responce other then the slight noise they put out.

If you have a large bio load it would be in your best interest to run a oversized canister, I run a ehiem 2050 which is rated at roughly 350g on a 30g breeder because of high bioload, not saying you need to do the same as me but overfiltration cant hurt!


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## The Guy

I read the link for Sunsun/Gretchen the filter looks and sounds ok, but they only offer a 30 day warranty! their return policy goes on and on sounds like you would have to jump through a lot of hoops just to have it repaired, and you have to pay for all the shipping as well. I don't know I think if it were me I would stick with tried and true.
My opinion only, it's your choice.


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## MNP

Have to agree and love the approach, I've used a similar approach for years on 3 - 46 discus and a 55 saltwater. Prefilter through marineland 200s with refillable media holder (floss only) discharged to a small DIY collection box then picked-up and through an ECCO 2236 (seachem matrix and pro strat only). 200's handle all mechanical, eheim handles pre-filtered water for bio. Change/Rinse floss every other day, eheim maintenance - rinse and clean impeller every 6-9months. Once in a while, hang a 1/2 cup of carbon in 200 or collection box for 5 days.

This set-up has done very well for me, the bio load capacity is huge and active without being clogged by particulate. Fully planted or live rock and corals doesn't seem to matter.


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## jaxonjesse

I would go for Fluval. Recently I set up my 55-gallon fish tank, and I have the same confusion which is best. Then my friend suggests me a link, where I can find the different types of canister filter reviews, capacity, features etc. Then after a lot of research from this site I bought a Fluval External 406 canister filter. This is undoubtedly one of the most promising ones. It can filtrate almost 100 gallons of water which is huge. This particular Canister Filter is fit for both saltwater and freshwater aquariums, and many more features. If you want you can check the link: https://fishboxpro.com/best-canister-filter-review/


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## aaronjohn

Fluval is best


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