Fluval v.s Eheim canister filters. Which are better?

[madrhino]

Hi all,
I have an established 125g reef tank with a sump beneath. As of yet, I have never used any sort of mechanical or chemical filtration. I have 120 pounds of live rock and have never had a problem with my water. Regardless, I was thinking about adding a canister fiter to utilize their mechanical and chemical filtration systems and wonder which brand would be a better choice and why. Thanks!!

 

[Anonymous]

It's been years since I've used any but quality wise Eheim is vastly superior to a Fluval. Fluval also always lost their siphon and you literally had to pound them on the floor to get them started again.

Regards,
David Mohr

 

[Lark]

I had a 20 gallon freshwater tank, and the Eheim worked great. That is, until it put about 10 gallons of water on my floor. (Broken seal.)

People swear by them.

For the cost, it wouldn't be much more just to buy a nu-clear and a decent pump. Even the big pro-II eheim is a little puny for a 120 gallon tank. They sure are easy to clean and use, though.

 

[gussy]

Fluval is a lower end brand. Check out the prices and the built.

 

[Anonymous]

My Ehiem has been running constantly for about 12 years now, with nothing replaced or repaired. This was switched back from fresh to marine and back to fresh again. Of course I changed the media. Hands down a heckuva canister.

 

[ChrisRD]

...and have never had a problem with my water. Regardless, I was thinking about adding a canister fiter...

IMO you'd be better off forgetting about the canister filter and sticking to what you are doing.

As the old saying goes, "if it ain't broke..." :wink:

 

[cjsrch]

remember plankton good for reef. traping them in a filter isnt if you want to use mechanical filters try a settling filter

 

[madrhino]

Thanks for the feed back. After talking with some other enthusiasts, they agree with the "if it ain't broke" mentality.

 

[Rikko]

Fluval has got a new "fancy" model out that I've yet to play with - my gf who still works in the pet sector was telling me about a demo model they got. It's about 3x the price of the regular Fluvals and automatically shuts down for a few seconds every few hours to let air bubbles rise out, and other "fancy" things that I've since forgotten.
I think this is it:
http://www.hagen.com/canada/english/aqu ... 2180011001

I have to say that between the Fluval 04 series (I own a 204 and have used the 304 and 404 when I worked in a LFS) and the Rena Filstar filters, the Fluval absolutely blows it out of the water. The new 05s are undoubtedly even better.

I have experience with only the older Eheim filters and can only say they're built to last.