hello to everybody,
I wanna ask sth about external filters, I have a 200lt gallon and I need a economic external filter. I think that Eheim is the best but its so expensive in my country, I live in Turkey.
Thats why I am undecided which is the better with Atman 3337 or Aqua Pro or Lifetech 1100lh 825. As you, which is the better??? I prefer less energy consumption,silence,and good cleaner of water. Which one do you prefer????

I faced the same decision you did and finally splurged on the Eheim Pro 3...it was well worth the money. However, when I was researching the filters, a lot of people recommended the Fluval's as a cheaper and nearly equivalent alternative.

I love my Fluval 305; hasn't let me down yet

prices are decent for them too, but I paid even less because I got mine used (a year old) with the tank I bought

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My 30 gallon planted freshwater - CONSTANTLY CHANGING

on my 55g mixed reef tank I used a wastebasket full of crushed oyster shells as an wet/dry input to my sump.


my .02

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fw leiden since 1979, fo salt since 1979, mixed reef 55g 2002-2009. Strong emphasis on the tank taking care of itself. Balanced with plant life, no water changes, tap water, no filters in FW. Only dosing calcium, alk, mag in marine reef tanks. http://www.aquariumforum.com/f15/my-...ods-26410.html
recent tanks (till 2009) 7 years- 10g FW leiden 7 yrs, 55g mixed reef 7, 2 yrs, 20g FW leiden, 10 g fw leiden , 29g mixed reef, current tank 55g leiden

and what do you think about Atman 3337 ???

Hi - I bought a Rena FilStar XP3 for my 90 gallon tank from Amazon and it is more than adequate for a 90 gallon tank. It's advertised for use up to 175 gallons, but I always like to overdo it in the filtration area. It was much less expensive than many other good cannister filters, from Amazon. Amazon.com: Rena Filstar Canister Power Filter, 175 gallon: Home & Garden.

I have a fairly heavy fish load, and the Rena FilStar XP3 keeps my water crystal clear and my various chemical readings right on target, with once a month change-out or rinsing of the filter media inside the canister. I have never had water this clear. The fish look like they are swimming in air.

I like the way the filter is constructed. It has several stackable trays (some of which even have horizontal dividers) into which I can load any mechanical and biological media that I choose. They say that there is no bypass of the water around the media, because it is a bottom-up flow pattern, and I believe it, because of how crystal clear my water is, within a few minutes after stirring up the gravel with a gravel cleaner.

I use the Rena FilStar media packs that came loaded in the filter, for the most part, although there are a couple more to choose from. The refills for all of these media (3 grades of sponges, the BioChem pack, the NitraZorb pack, the Ammonia pack, the activated carbon pack, etc) can be a bit pricey if you buy them at a LFS, but very affordable if you buy from That Fish Place or other big internet suppliers.

Because there is plenty of space for additional biological filter media in there, when I first set up the filter, I also added a big wad of clean Springflo Ribbon Bio Filter Media to one of the stackable trays (a media product which is normally used in koi ponds and water gardens, and is a great host for biofiltration bacteria).

The filter is self priming, takes only seconds to activate the prime process. And it is a snap to connect and disconnect the canister to and from the intake and discharge hoses (which are supplied with the filter). Some people have complained because the valve closure handle broke on their pump. But I know what they must have done - they didn't take the extra few seconds to be sure that the connection valve was seated properly, and tried to force it down - hard. And it cracked - which it certainly could do if you apply enough force where it's not supposed to go.

I love this filter .... and is it silent? Oh yes. In fact, I sometimes have to put my hand on it to tell if it's running, if I don't look at the strong return flow near the top of the tank's waterline. I have never used a powerful external filter that is this silent. I definitely can recommend it. This cannister filter is relatively inexpensive, is sooo easy to hook up and clean, and is soooo quiet.