# External Canister Filters, which to go for?



## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

Hello,
I have been doing much research lately on external canister filters, as I would very much like to put one on my 33G tank. Trouble is, I haven't been able to settle on one that I like overall  I won't have the money for it for awhile yet, just wanted to get other peoples opinions on which would be recommended. 
I already have 3 powerheads creating current, so I will most likely diffuse the output somehow. 

Also, anyone know of a good, smaller size external canister filter to use on a 10G tank?

Thank you


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## dino (Aug 29, 2011)

some of my favorite filters after trying alot of them its suprisingly the aqua clear and for the canister i like the rena filters


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## Immus21 (Jun 14, 2010)

dino said:


> some of my favorite filters after trying alot of them its suprisingly the aqua clear and for the canister i like the rena filters


Totally agree. A small AC would be great for you 10G and an XP1 or 2 good for the 33G. Both types are often available used on the forum at great prices. GL


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## crimper (Oct 20, 2010)

I had my EHEIM 2217 for 8 years now, still runs like new, solid as a Tank. The good thing with eheim filter is it comes out with media already. I only get crystal clear water on my tank :bigsmile:

I have used XP filters before, i got a leak after a year and it cost more money as the media is not included. It is made of cheap plastic esp the quick disconnect, thats where the leak usually develop. By the way those media cost a fortune. 

The 2213 or 2215 will be enough for your 33G. J&L has it for $109.


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## Master wilkins (Dec 10, 2012)

For external canister filters i have both fluval 06 series, and rena xp filters on my tanks. 

The fluval in my opinion is awesome, but has one fatal flaw. Its too hard to get the lid off for maintenance. I have to sit in the tub and hold it with my feet while i pull as hard as i can as carefully as i can making sure not to break anyof the plastic. Other than that the fluval has no complaints by me at all. Superb performance, and an incredibly customizable media tray system. 

With my rena xp's the only issue i have is the intake spout. It comes apart in the tank too easily with my big boistrous fish. It does however have an immense amount of room for media, you can really jam pack that thing with a ton of stuff. But, as crimper said, its made of cheap plastic, so you do have to handle it slightly more gently than others. But really, show me a great canister filter, or for that matter any filter at all that doesnt use weak cheap parts in its system, its just not in the cards. 

I dont have any personal comments about eheim as ive never ownned or used one. However a friend of mine says he wont use another filter since switching to it, but everybody has his or her own preferance as to which is best. I will personally buy both the fluval and rena filters i have again because they work great.


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

Thank you everyone for your thoughts on this.

For the 33G I was leaning towards the fluval and eheim canister filters, the eheim from J&L is the least expensive option so far. Time for more intensive research on both brands..... 
Also, I was told the fluval requires regular greasing of the silicone rubber seal, to avoid stickiness when servicing.

I do like the look of the eheim canisters more, I may have to make a trip out to J&L sometime....

For the 10G, I currently have an AC20 hob on the tank, which is plenty of filtration for now (only 11 shrimps in the tank)... I was wanting to add an external filter for when the shrimp population gets much higher (around 100 or more), as the ac20 and 2 sponge filters will most likely not be enough. Also a canister would add that much more total water volume to the tank, lessening parameter swings (ever so slightly)
I actually spotted an external filter for a turtle tank today, looks like it could work for the 10G, intake and output hoses are the same size as airline though.


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## crimper (Oct 20, 2010)

Eheim FTW sploosh! 

I would never go back and would not purchase anything else since I got one.


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## Elle (Oct 25, 2010)

I use Eheim 2213's on both my smaller (18-20g) tanks. I also use small HOB's to back them up. Great canisters, super quiet, easy to clean. I've got everything from the babies (2213) to the giant (2262).


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## Arcteryx (Nov 23, 2011)

Elle said:


> I use Eheim 2213's on both my smaller (18-20g) tanks. I also use small HOB's to back them up. Great canisters, super quiet, easy to clean. I've got everything from the babies (2213) to the giant (2262).


Is that the 250?


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## Nicole (Nov 21, 2011)

I've never used an Eheim but I find that the general consensus is if you can afford one, go for it. But the best bang for the buck I find is in xp and fluval filters.


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## shift (Dec 21, 2012)

Let me know what canister you go with for the 10g


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## Master wilkins (Dec 10, 2012)

One thing I forgot to mention about the Fluval and XP filters are that mine are so quiet that I actually have to touch them to feel the slight vibrations to know that they are even on. Let us know which you finally decide on and why.


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## Reckon (Jul 25, 2012)

Nicole said:


> the best bang for the buck I find is in xp


I own eheim (ecco 2234, and 2236) and xp (2) filters. The eheim seem to be more efficient but I don't feel the flow they report is really up to what they say it is. It is a slick well engineered product though. I really like the adjustable directional outlet. I haven't tried the classic filters but perhaps their flow is better.

I really like the xp. Comes with a rainbar, tons of flow, impossible to break, MUCH older than my eheims but even quieter. A bit more of a hassle to clean though. Uses more wattage. I believe this is the most reliable filter, hands down.


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## JTang (Apr 21, 2010)

I had 2 Fluval 404's in the past. One worked flawlessly but the other one has leakage problem. Water leaked out from the big o-ring, which seals the lid to the canister, whenever the filter went down (etc. Power outage). I also had 4 XP3's. Only 1 had leakage problem at the small o-rings, which is quite common for the XP's. In both cases, replacing the o-rings should fix the problem. The 2 Eheims that I had ran fine without any issues. It costs more money but I will definitely recommend that.


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## scott tang (Jan 29, 2012)

rena xp or ehime


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## Vman (Jan 20, 2011)

I've always liked the XP's.I just don't understand why they make the XP1.XP2 is the smallest I'd buy.Find them easy to clean.


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## trout (Mar 21, 2012)

IMO id also suggest the eheim classics based on personal experience. 2211 or 2213 for the 10g, and either the 2215 or 2217 for your 33g. def worth the few extra bucks, extremely reliable, quiet filters, and easy to clean as also mentioned. replacement parts are fairly common, although you'll likely never need them!


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## shift (Dec 21, 2012)

What about for a 5g tank!


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## jobber (May 14, 2010)

More info to digress.
http://www.bcaquaria.com/forum/equi...-external-canister-filter-should-i-buy-33526/


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## crimper (Oct 20, 2010)

I disagree that Eheim is more expensive than Rena XPs. Here's the true comparison, I'm not gonna compare XPs to the Eheim Pros as they are not on the same league:

Eheim Classic 2217 which includes media cost $189.00 (price taken from an online shop that carry both filters, I saw one at King Ed for $169 the other day)

Rena XP3 which does not come with media cost $189.00 (not sure of the the price at King Ed, probably the same as 2217). With this you need to buy media which cost me around $80 to fill my XP3 before.

With this I can say that Eheim is more bang for your buck if we compare apples to apples. :bigsmile:


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

shift said:


> Let me know what canister you go with for the 10g


I have found a used fluval 103 to use on the 10G (Thanks trixy ), I just need to fix the impellar cover, replace the tubing, add ball valves and quick releases, adapt a bio-foam sponge to the intake hose, find a nice lily pipe for the outflow, then re-arrange my tank placements, and finally hook everything up.

Currently saving up for either a fluval or eheim to use on the 33G...


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