Canister for a 55 Gallon on a budget

I have been looking into canisters for my 55 gallon tank. I saw that some of them (aquatop) have UV filters. Should I want this? I want to find a good canister that will be no more than $150 (preferably less) for my 55. I have been doing independent research but I am getting so confused. All I really know is that I probably want a spray bar because the 55 is most likely going to be a betta sorority and I want to reduce the current. I also know that I would rather not use and HOB in conjunction with the canister.

Any advice would be appreciated!

 

I have been looking into canisters for my 55 gallon tank. I saw that some of them (aquatop) have UV filters. Should I want this? I want to find a good canister that will be no more than $150 (preferably less) for my 55. I have been doing independent research but I am getting so confused. All I really know is that I probably want a spray bar because the 55 is most likely going to be a betta sorority and I want to reduce the current. I also know that I would rather not use and HOB in conjunction with the canister.

Any advice would be appreciated!

I have the sunsun 304b with the uv and its sitting in the corner of my room. I put a fx6 and a 24w coralife uv and I couldnt be happier with my crystal clear water.

I had so much micro bubbles with the sunsum no matter what I did I couldnt get rid of it. The uv I didnt notice any difference at all and after one month water got into the bulb area.

Sunsun and aquatop are the same for the most part.

Ive heard good things about eheim 2215 and 2217 and for cost it fits your budget. Although I can't say anything about them as I don't have one.

 

I have the sunsun 304b with the uv and its sitting in the corner of my room. I put a fx6 and a 24w coralife uv and I couldnt be happier with my crystal clear water.

I had so much micro bubbles with the sunsum no matter what I did I couldnt get rid of it. The uv I didnt notice any difference at all and after one month water got into the bulb area.

Sunsun and aquatop are the same for the most part.

Ive heard good things about eheim 2215 and 2217 and for cost it fits your budget. Although I can't say anything about them as I don't have one.

Well the Fx6 looks awesome, but my husband might kill me if I spent that kind of money on a filter right now lol. I actually have another question based on your post...

In my 29 gallon with an HOB, I always see those little bubbles. For a while I thought it was particulate in my water and I couldnt figure out where it was coming from. Then I looked closer and they were bubbles indeed. Are they a problem? Can they be stopped?

 

Theyre not a problem just unsightly.

If you raise your water l
evel with the HoB you can usually slow down any current and stop micro bubbles.

I do have a sunsun 603b that I paid 20 dollars for that isn't bad.

 

Theyre not a problem just unsightly.

If you raise your water l
evel with the HoB you can usually slow down any current and stop micro bubbles.

I do have a sunsun 603b that I paid 20 dollars for that isn't bad.

Well I might be stuck with the bubbles then because I have some gouramis in my QT now that will be going into the 29 in a few weeks. Gotta leave them room to get air.

When I look at the gph for canisters, does the 5 times aquarium gallons rule apply to the "filter circulation" gph or "pump outlet" gph?

I will check out the 603b. What about the hydor?

 

Havent read to much about hydor , but if you were to invest I would say the eheim would be the best choice. If you want a small budget canister try the 603 its only 20 so if you don't like it or its not enough you couls use it alongside or on another tank.

As far gph once you start adding media and stuff the gph drops alot.

I have 2 powerheads and the fx6 in my 125 which is 2000gph but probably more like 1300

 

Havent read to much about hydor , but if you were to invest I would say the eheim would be the best choice. If you want a small budget canister try the 603 its only 20 so if you don't like it or its not enough you couls use it alongside or on another tank.

As far gph once you start adding media and stuff the gph drops alot.

I have 2 powerheads and the fx6 in my 125 which is 2000gph but probably more like 1300

So what gph before media am I looking for with a 55? I know the usual rule for canisters is 5 times the tank volume, but if the gph drops after media is added, should I increase that calculation?

 

Generally the rule is 7-10 times GPH the tank size. I would say atleast 300-500, with media in. (Most filters should be measured w/ added media)

A UV sterilizer since I don't think this was mentioned, is to kill microorganisms that are harmful to fish. I don't personally run them, some people do. Imo, unless you are doing fish that are not hardy?...

I would UV for not hardy, or scaleless fish.

I think Magnum's are kinda neat, but I wouldnt know anything about canisters.

You could make a DIY spray bar!

 

I'm not running a canister myself, but stumbled on the Hydor Professional series of canisters. They're new on the block for canisters and I haven't really read bad reviews on them as far as running. I'm planning on buying one myself

The 350 and 450 are 125 and 150 respectively on amazon. They even come with the spray bars, too.

 

I'm not running a canister myself, but stumbled on the Hydor Professional series of canisters. They're new on the block for canisters and I haven't really read bad reviews on them as far as running. I'm planning on buying one myself

The 350 and 450 are 125 and 150 respectively on amazon. They even come with the spray bars, too.

They are on sale now at dr fosters and smith but I think it is still more expensive than what you found on amazon. All the reviews seem really good and I think I might go for one. For the 55 gallon would you think the 350 is sufficient?

Generally the rule is 7-10 times GPH the tank size. I would say atleast 300-500, with media in. (Most filters should be measured w/ added media)

A UV sterilizer since I don't think this was mentioned, is to kill microorganisms that are harmful to fish. I don't personally run them, some people do. Imo, unless you are doing fish that are not hardy?...

I would UV for not hardy, or scaleless fish.

I think Magnum's are kinda neat, but I wouldnt know anything about canisters.

You could make a DIY spray bar!

I thought the 7-10 times rule was for HOBs and only 5x for canisters but I could be wrong. I suppose there is not harm in extra filtration...just more $$$

Generally the rule is 7-10 times GPH the tank size. I would say atleast 300-500, with media in. (Most filters should be measured w/ added media)

A UV sterilizer since I don't think this was mentioned, is to kill microorganisms that are harmful to fish. I don't personally run them, some people do. Imo, unless you are doing fish that are not hardy?...

I would UV for not hardy, or scaleless fish.

I think Magnum's are kinda neat, but I wouldnt know anything about canisters.

You could make a DIY spray bar!

I thought the 7-10 times rule was for HOBs and only 5x for canisters but I could be wrong. I suppose there is not harm in extra filtration...just more $$$

 

Personally, the 450 because it offers more media space and a little higher flow. More filtration is better. The 350 seems sufficient, but doesn't quite hit your 5x with media. It's up to you though, just because something is recommended, it doesn't mean it's a holy script.

You can always pick up a second smaller canister down the line to help if you feel you aren't getting enough filtration.

 

Personally, the 450 because it offers more media space and a little higher flow. More filtration is better. The 350 seems sufficient, but doesn't quite hit your 5x with media. It's up to you though, just because something is recommended, it doesn't mean it's a holy script.

You can always pick up a second smaller canister down the line to help if you feel you aren't getting enough filtration.

Any idea whether the Hydor 450 has more media customization space than the Eheim 2217?

 

After a little googling, the internal volume of the 2217 is about 1.5 gallons (6L). The 450 has about 2.5 (10qt) gallons.

As far as media space, I would assume that the 450 has more with an extra gallon.

Edit: I don't think flow rate is as important as the volume of the canister for filtration. It forces everything through the filter media with little to no blow by, where an HOB has plenty of that

 

After a little googling, the internal volume of the 2217 is about 1.5 gallons (6L). The 450 has about 2.5 (10qt) gallons.

As far as media space, I would assume that the 450 has more with an extra gallon.

Edit: I don't think flow rate is as important as the volume of the canister for filtration. It forces everything through the filter media with little to no blow by, where an HOB has plenty of that

Okay awesome. In definitely leaning toward the Hydor 450.

 

It comes down to tried and true Eheim or the new kids Hydor Pro.

Best of luck with it either way and let us know your results!