HOB to Canister

Considering moving to a Canister filter. I currently have a Seachem Tidal 75 on a 36g bowfront high-tech heavily planted community tank. Cherry Barbs, Danios, Guppies and Corys along with bloody mary and Amano shrimp. Considering Fluval (206 or 306?) but they are pricy. I know there are a lot of other really good brands out there so hoping to get some suggestions that can help narrow my search.

Thanks in advance

 

Your 36 gallon tank only needs about 280-360 gph which the Tidal 75 provides just fine at 350 gph. Fluvals are extremely high profit filters for the sellers. Might want to look at 265 or 370 gph canisters from Sunsun/Polar Aurora on Amazon which are 4 star rated and above.



Sunsun filter review:

SunSun Canister Filter: Is It The Best Filter For 2019 [REVIEW]

 

I run a Fluval206 and an AC50 on my 20 long a Fluval406 and an AC70 on my 55 and a SunSun302 on my 29 and all with great results. I would definitely get either one of those filters again without question.

 

That's good info thanks. Any particular reason you have a HOB along with a canister? heavily stocked tanks or are you addicted to filtration???? LOL

 

That's good info thanks. Any particular reason you have a HOB along with a canister? heavily stocked tanks or are you addicted to filtration???? LOL

Heavily stocked yes and for piece of mind incase one has a problem. And along with the canisters and hobs I also run sponge filters in almost all my tanks as well

 

I've got a double sponge filter going along with my Tidal so I like having the backup filter just in case as well. I like the HOB but I literally have never missed a wc on this tank in 2 years and it would be nice to not have to clean out the filter each week and maybe save some time on those weeks when I wouldn't have to clean out the canister.

With the Fluvals, you think the 306 is the best option for my size tank? if so, will my smaller guys like the bloody mary shrimp would blown around the tank?

 

I've got a double sponge filter going along with my Tidal so I like having the backup filter just in case as well. I like the HOB but I literally have never missed a wc on this tank in 2 years and it would be nice to not have to clean out the filter each week and maybe save some time on those weeks when I wouldn't have to clean out the canister.

With the Fluvals, you think the 306 is the best option for my size tank? if so, will my smaller guys like the bloody mary shrimp would blown around the tank?

306/307 would probably b what I would put on it if it were my tank... you can regulate the flow with these canisters but I think your shrimp should b ok is it also a planted tank? If so I’m sure they will find cover in some low flow areas.

 

So just to throw my .02 cents in here..

I went from HOB to Canister about 6-8 months ago. I am and have always been a big Marineland fan, and I had two Marineland Penguin Bio-Wheel filters on my 60 gallon Goldfish aquarium. (Both the 350 which is a BEAST and the 200.) I am very happy with them -- they have a bad rep on this forum but I have said it before and I will say it again - I have had ~25 years experience with Bio Wheel filters and have always had them work outstandingly. The only reason I wound up deciding to switch to a Canister is because of the fact that the 60-gallon aquarium wound up in my bedroom (which was not the plan...) and just about any HOB filter makes much more noise than a Canister. It's not that they were LOUD, far from it. But I own about 40+ acres in a rural but not THAT rural area ... and at night, it's very important for me to be able to hear ... what's going on etc. 2 HOB filters running, the splashing of the water and Bio-Wheels, the air pump, etc. -- it was just a little too much noise for my comfort. So I went with a Marineland Magniflow 360 and I'm extremely, extremely happy. (You would not need the 360 , the 220 would be great or even you could get away with the 160 if you were diligent.)


I run a pretty standard setup in my Canister filter ... I use the Marineland foam pads for mechanical filtration, I buy and make my own activated charcoal carbon chemical filtration packs (I have well water with a TON of minerals and extreme hardness in it , and I feel like the charcoal helps clarify the look of the water, and I don't care if people don't agree frankly...) & the plastic globe-like Bio Balls for biological filtration. I also use an amazing product from Seachem called Matrix which is a pumice-like rock which allows significant amount of nitrate-removing bacterial colonies to develop in it. I used it in my Bio Wheel filters as well (making up my own 'cartridges') but I added it and a lot more into the Canister filter and it works wonders. Strongly recommended.


I have excellent water parameters and over-filtration, I'm pretty darn good at keeping the tank clean, and I am not overstocked. One thing about Canister filters vs HOB filters ... I used to think it was a pain in the 'neck' to keep up with the maintenance of the 2 Bio-Wheels ... because once a month (often every 3 weeks) you have to deal with them... swap the cartridge filters, rinse and reuse or use a new one or sometimes using extra filter sponges or pads or media or sometimes not, etc. But it's necessary, one month MINIMUM, 2-4 weeks all the time, you gotta do it. But it takes 5 minutes, maybe 10 if you're drunk and or lazy. HAVING SAID THAT, the Canister filter allows you to set it up and let it run and I know people who don't touch them for 3 months at a time, to no real problems (providing you're doing your weekly water changes etc.) --- BUT --- when it comes time to clean out the Canister filter and do the maintenance, it can be a real pain in the neck... you gotta do some disconnecting , some moving this-and-twisting-that-and-moving around... then you gotta deal with the fact that you're getting water everywhere because every **** time you get water everywhere despite trying not to. Then you carry the heavy thing outside and begin the work ... and it's a real deal, gotta get down and dirty ... but you also have to proceed with some diligence and make a little haste ... because all the living, breathing bacteria creatures that inhabit the surfaces of your filtration media ... they can't exist outside of water, so when your stuff dries out, they die, and you lose important filtration capability. So you have to rinse, move on with the cleaning, perhaps rinse a little more to keep some stuff wet, etc. THEN You have to deal with putting it all back together again, getting it back inside, getting it setup again properly, connected properly, primed and filled up properly, etc. It's not THE END OF THE WORLD, but it's not the 5 minutes worth of filter-swapping you do on a HOB filter.


Again the Pros far outway the Cons in this case, I firmly believe .... the Canister filter gives you tremendous filtration and water quality and does it's own thing for many weeks to months at a time... but you do have to maintain it differently, and perhaps more intensely, when it's necessary.

Anyway, rant over! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!