Can anyone recommend a good canister filter that is not too hard to set up & operate? I am looking to get one to replace my hang on the back filters- I'm considering Magnum 350 or Eheim 2215. I once had a bad experience with a Fluval 205 so am kind of gun shy about canisters.

I would recommend the eheim. i have one and love it, it does a great job but i have also heard good things about the magnum. but from experience the eheim is a great filter

what size tank are you putting it on?

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Tank
125g african cichlids making it work
75g rimless Reef in progress

What happened with the Fluval?

The magnum is a very old design and not worth much IME. I know people love Eheims, but I can't figure out why. They are way overpriced and just don't seem to match up to a Fluval IME. I would definitely go with a Fluval.

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Biologist-Professional Aquarium Care-Published Author (Aquarium Fish International Magazine)

Stocking has NOTHING to do with tank volume, it is all about water changes.

I have an aquatop and love it.

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I have

Eheim - Excellent but expensive
Fluval - Excellent but expensive
SunSun - Brilliant for the price!!
AquaOne - Good, buy the next one up from recommended for your tank size though

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1x350L Goldfish, 1x 286L Planted, 1x190L Cherry shrimp, 1x140L Feeders, 1x130L Planted, 1x119L Peppermint BN breeding colony

Eheim,I have the 2213 and love it!Worth every penny and also not really hard to setup.

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http://bountifulbettas.blogspot.com/

"Come to the dark side....we have cookies...and filters/heaters/and water changes!"

The tank rim adapters on the Eheims are weak if present. This leaves the tubing that is putting water back loose and can come off. The bright green tube inside the tank is hideous. Their snap-downs are weak and break. The tubing is not securely attached to the tubes that actually go into the tank, another potential point of failure. Fluvals may be a little pricier than some, so if you are shopping based on price alone they are not the way to go. But nobody beats Eheim when it comes to being overpriced (and unjustifiably so).

I have used almost every canister out there. Most I would never recommend to anyone. Eheim is better than most, but IME the Fluval 05 line has fixed all the issues that have bothered people in the past. There is nothing about the Eheim that makes me think 'gee, I wish Fluvals had that', but there are many things about the Fluvals I would miss if I switched to Eheims. Their intake strainer is the best I have ever seen. Their tank rim adapters are as secure as they get. They even have an instructional DVD for people who haven't dealt with a canister before and may be a little overwhelmed on exactly how to set it up and maintain it. They also don't try to claim that their filters can go 6 months or more without maintenance, something Eheim does claim (yet has absolutely no evidence or explanation for...).

There may have been issues with previous models of Fluvals, but they are fixed. I would not recommend anything but Fluvals to anyone. The only time we sell Eheims at the shop are when people special order them and when I try to explain the difference there is no hope because they have already drank the Eheim Koolaid.

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Biologist-Professional Aquarium Care-Published Author (Aquarium Fish International Magazine)

Stocking has NOTHING to do with tank volume, it is all about water changes.

I forgot to put....for ease of setup...that would go in order of easiest to not so easy: SunSun, AquaOne, Eheim, Fluval

Quietest. Definately hands down the SunSun, i have to put my hand on it to make sure its working *L* Then would come Eheim, AquaOne and the Fluval

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1x350L Goldfish, 1x 286L Planted, 1x190L Cherry shrimp, 1x140L Feeders, 1x130L Planted, 1x119L Peppermint BN breeding colony

Guess I forgot to include that I have a 55 gal, pretty heavily planted, with 3 young angels, 3 rainbows, 6 cory cats & one large senior citizen kissing gourami. Thanx for the input

The fluval I had was very hard to put back together after cleaning & it leaked all over a hardwood floor. It may have been defective. I took it back to the store & have been using a Whisper 60 & Marineland 140 ever since. SInce that was my first experience with a canister I am really paranoid about those issues happening again. Also, I'm not very good at putting things together so I need something pretty simple.

My SunSun is on a 75gal - heavily planted, will be fairly well fully stocked tomorrow
Fluval 405 on a 90gal - colony of maingano, soon to be 5 clown loaches and a BN plec
The Eheim is out of action due to broken part and having trouble finding replacement
The AquaOne is on a 34gal tank - pair of angels

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1x350L Goldfish, 1x 286L Planted, 1x190L Cherry shrimp, 1x140L Feeders, 1x130L Planted, 1x119L Peppermint BN breeding colony

I have owned a two Fluvals..the FX5 and a 405. My FX5 couldn't go 2wks without changing filter pads. I switched to Eheim and will never go back. I now own 4 different models. The Classic series you refer to is comparable in price to just about any model out there. I own the 2217.

Either way, I don't think you'll be unhappy. Opinions are opinions and we all think we own the best and everything else is second rate. Parts break on all of them and everyone's experience is different.

If one filter needs to be cleaned more often then another it means it is working better. If one filter goes much longer without maintenance that means it isn't trapping much (the whole point of a filter) or allowing a whole lot of bypass (moving water instead of cleaning it).

Fluvals are silent as well. I have to touch my 405 FX5 to tell they are on.

Yes, if a Fluval leaked everywhere something was very wrong. This is usually user error, but could have been a genuine defect in the o-ring or something (very rare).

Broken part to an overpriced filter and I can't find a replacement...let me jump on that. (A special order at a local shop should get that taken care of in no time unless the part just isn't manufactured anymore, in which case good luck.)

Simple to put together=Fluval. They are the only one with an instructional DVD to make it idiot-proof (no offense, just in general to people not comfortable with canisters).

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Biologist-Professional Aquarium Care-Published Author (Aquarium Fish International Magazine)

Stocking has NOTHING to do with tank volume, it is all about water changes.

As I stated, everyone has their own opinions and experiences. Positives and negatives are out there for every system available. Don't think the OP was looking to get a "mine is better than yours" discussion.

You could start a poll in another thread if you like?

I honestly dont see the difficulty in putting an eheim together.As per my experiences I go by what Ive had.

Marineland Magnum 350-Great filter,imo.It was silent,but at the time it was too big for my tank.Its now in someone elses home,and he seems pleased.I never had any issues with it.

Fluval FX 3-IMO i couldnt stand the thing.The intake and outflow broke way too easily.Flow,was ok,but it constantly had an issue with air in it so it was not quiet.

Eheim 2222-This is an older pro model and i love it.been going strong for several months now,and have not had any issues with either.The green tubing isnt a big deal as its hidden behind plants and I feel it blends in beautifully.IF it ever became a problem,I have found some fancy glass replacements.Also,I am sure a zip tie would be a very simple piece of mind for where the hose connects to the intake/outflow.

Eheim 2213-What ive seen so far,I like.Have had it about a week,and so far everything about it is just like the other two.They are all quiet,to the point people are shocked to know i have filters going,you can hear them at all.

Like I said these are my experiences with them so cant tell about any of the others.

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http://bountifulbettas.blogspot.com/

"Come to the dark side....we have cookies...and filters/heaters/and water changes!"

I can see your one eyed Fluval fishguy *LOL* Thats cool

As for the Eheim part and special order, ya think i havent tried???? I cannot get the part local. So before you jump on in, might pay to get ALL the facts. I too believe Eheim overpriced, but so are Fluvals, i could buy 4 SunSuns for the same price of my Fluval, and in my opinion a better filter all over

I only put my experience with all the canisters i've had, as was asked by the OP.

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1x350L Goldfish, 1x 286L Planted, 1x190L Cherry shrimp, 1x140L Feeders, 1x130L Planted, 1x119L Peppermint BN breeding colony

This is not a 'mine is better than yours' discussion, I am sharing my opinions and experiences like the OP asked.

Same here. I am also sharing my personal experience and based on that experience I would never recommend Eheim to anyone.

Sorry for trying to help by making a simple suggestion. If the local places can't get it the part may not be manufactured anymore, meaning your only hope would be some online place that happens to still have the part in stock.

Being overpriced doesn't mean not being the cheapest. Sunsuns may be cheaper but that doesn't make something that costs more overpriced.

As stated, if you are buying based on price alone neither Fluval nor Eheim are the way to go.

I am speaking from the experience of fifteen years of aquarium keeping. That is personally, professionally, and based on the experiences of my customers and clients. I recommend what works the best with the least problems. Based on that experience I recommend Fluval.

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Biologist-Professional Aquarium Care-Published Author (Aquarium Fish International Magazine)

Stocking has NOTHING to do with tank volume, it is all about water changes.

I have only had magnum 350 canister filters and never had a problem with them that wasn't operator error. They are simple to operate and clean, and are quiet enough for me. If other canisters are better I could not tell you, because like I said, the magnums are the only ones I have ever owned, and I have owned them for years (but I do not own any now because at the moment, I do not own a fishtank).

Thanks everyone for the tips.
It seems everyone has their favorite, I will do a bit more research before heading to my LFS. )

i personally have a rena filstar xp3 but for a 55 you could go with a xp2 i love mine