Looking To Upgrade Canisters

Hey everyone, I'm looking to upgrade my current canister filter on my 75 gallon. I'm currently running a Marineland Magniflow 360 that I'd like to give to my mom, she's been running the same Penguin 350 for YEARS on a 55 gallon that has seen better days.

I'm having trouble deciding between the Eheim Pro 4+ 600 and they Hydor Pro 600. I've been watching and reading a lot of reviews, now I'm stuck. Does anyone have any personal experience with either of these two filters? I'm also open to any and all suggestions besides these two filters.

 

Maybe you missed this video the last few days on Eheim Pro 4's. Suggest you watch this first.

 

Maybe you missed this video the last few days on Eheim. Suggest you watch this first.

That was literally the next video I was about to watch. I did read a review on Amazon from somebody who apparently actually measured the flow rate of the Eheim and only measured 90 gph which kind of made me leery. I think I remember reading on here in a post that the flow rates listed on Hydor's boxes are the true flow rates with the media in, don't know if that's true or not.

 

Don't have any experience with those specifically, but I do have the Ehm Fltr 2217 Classic. Apart from being a little be noisy I have really enjoyed it. Now it doesn't have any trays so you can literally pack as much media as you want and use other media to create layers if you want. Now since it doesn't have trays it does take slightly longer for maintenance, but I don't mind it. Good luck on your search. My favorite of my filters thou is my fluval fx4, but it may be a tad bit to strong for 75g. I love it because it make water changes a breeze.

 

Don't have any experience with those specifically, but I do have the Ehm Fltr 2217 Classic. Apart from being a little be noisy I have really enjoyed it. Now it doesn't have any trays so you can literally pack as much media as you want and use other media to create layers if you want. Now since it doesn't have trays it does take slightly longer for maintenance, but I don't mind it. Good luck on your search. My favorite of my filters thou is my fluval fx4, but it may be a tad bit to strong for 75g. I love it because it make water changes a breeze.

I'm kicking myself for not grabbing an FX4 or FX6 when I had the chance... A local guy had like 15 of them brand new, in box, in his garage that he was selling on Craigslist for $200 and $250...

 

The Hydor is a good unit. I think Islandvic uses one of those. I would look at Amazon for only 4 star and above rated canister filters like . I use a Sunsun 370 gph for the past 7+ years with no issues at all. Also have a Tidal 75 HOB running.

 

Fluval FX4s and FX6s are on sale at my local Petsmart, I think I've made my decision.

 

Fluval FX4s and FX6s are on sale at my local Petsmart, I think I've made my decision.

I was just about to mention that if you seen that thread. Good luck with it.

 

Zorro A. Knievel Esq. , you had asked about Hydor 600's.

I have owned one for a about a year.

I have had zero problems with it and the 5 trays hold a lot of media.

I bought it on sale for $105. I'm not sure what they sell for now because the Hydor canisters are not that common for some reason.

If you can pick one up for that price or close to it, that's a deal.

If your interested in the FX4/6's at Petsmart, then you're budget is in the $200-$250 range.

If that is the case, may I suggest taking a look at liveaquaria's sale on the for $207 and the for $246. I linked it to site, they are not forum auto generated links to Amazon you usually see.

Coincidently I emailed Eheim a couple of days ago about those models, and they responded saying those 2 models are still in current production. Since there is not a Pro 4 series equivalent with similar capacity and pump volume, Eheim still makes the large Pro 3 models.

Customer service also said they have 3-year warranties and all the Pro 3 parts are readily available, if gaskets, seals, o-rings, connectors, etc need to be replaced

I had asked customer service some questions because earlier in the week, that same website I linked too had a promo of $50 store credit with purchases $199 or more. It ended today, but I have a feeling it will return soon since Memorial Day is approaching.

The 2078 has electronic flow control, that can be slowed during feeding and has optional 12hr timer, so the flow can be adjusted different for 12hr intervals. For example a high flow during the day and low or medium flow at night.

2078 holds 8qts of media and 2080 (1200xl) 12 quarts of media, not including the 0.5qt volume internal coarse foam pre-filter.

Both models have a large void space at the bottom below the first tray, that you can throw bio-balls, cut up pieces of foam sponge or cheap ceramic rings down into. Some people do this because it acts as a coarse mechanical filtration before the water flows up through the trays.

Or as Cichlidude and Ben Ochart say, don't fear the SunSun !

 

With the money I saved buying a Sunsun... I bought a boat.

 

With the money I saved buying a Sunsun... I bought a boat.

The price on the Sunsuns is hard to beat. I have a 603b running on my 10 gallon planted tank and it keeps the water crystal clear. I think I paid $25 for it. If I'm not mistaken, the Sunsuns, Magniflows, and I think Polar Auroras are all actually the same except for cosmetics.

 

I have a hydor 600 in my 120 gallon and works beautifully. Very quiet with excellent flow. My impeller failed after 17 months of constant use. ($38) I also have a Sunsun 304B in my 75 gallon and while not as quiet as the Hydor it does a very good job and parts are much cheaper compared to the Hydor but have experienced no issues. I haven't purchased an Eheim but through ALOT of research I see mostly great reviews. I think it pretty much comes down to your budget.

 

JonJal , what happened with the impeller?

I ask, so I can be aware of possible future problems on my 600.

Thanks

 

I ordered 2 impellers from marineandreef.com (one for future backup) I was doing a water change and trimming some plants back and removed the intake sponge before I had unplugged the Hydor canister and think I may have sucked up a few pieces of gravel causing the impeller to break.I normally do not remove that sponge until after I'm completely finished with my maintenance but for some dumb reason I did...lol. I highly reccomend the Hydor though. I have had no other issues other than this. My buddy has one also and he loves his too. I cannot believe how quiet it is and is very user friendly. I don't see any future problems.

 

Awesome , thanks .

The only problem I had, was that I didnt buy 2 when I had the chance when I found them on clearance last year.!

 

I'm kicking myself for not grabbing an FX4 or FX6 when I had the chance... A local guy had like 15 of them brand new, in box, in his garage that he was selling on Craigslist for $200 and $250...

Those are the current PetSmart sale prices for the FX4 and FX6 respectively.

 

Those are the current PetSmart sale prices for the FX4 and FX6 respectively.

Yea I know, I just found out yesterday after going to PetSmart. I posted another post telling everyone the heads up.

 

Hey everyone, I'm looking to upgrade my current canister filter on my 75 gallon. I'm currently running a Marineland Magniflow 360 that I'd like to give to my mom, she's been running the same Penguin 350 for YEARS on a 55 gallon that has seen better days.

I'm having trouble deciding between the Eheim Pro 4+ 600 and they Hydor Pro 600. I've been watching and reading a lot of reviews, now I'm stuck. Does anyone have any personal experience with either of these two filters? I'm also open to any and all suggestions besides these two filters.

Yes, I threw a n Eheim Professional in the bin. Cost over$600 and was noisy, hard to service and re-prime and even though I set it up correctly water was able to short-circuit the required water flow through the filter. I bought a Biopro 2200 litre per hour with UV which you can get on Amazon about 3.5 months ago. AND WOW!!!!!!
Quiet, self priming, easy to service and keeps the water crystal clear. BTW check out the pond guru's videos on YouTube to see how to set up the media in the filter. Oh and it only cost around $100.

 

Yea I know, I just found out yesterday after going to PetSmart. I posted another post telling everyone the heads up.

Fluval pulled a jerk move on those. My lfs can't compete with that price at all, and they only charge me cost plus 10%. Less if it's a bigger ticket item like a tank or bundle of lights or whatever. I showed the lfs the receipt and he told me he would have laughed at me if I would have tried to get those prices in his store.

 

Fluval pulled a jerk move on those. My lfs can't compete with that price at all, and they only charge me cost plus 10%. Less if it's a bigger ticket item like a tank or bundle of lights or whatever. I showed the lfs the receipt and he told me he would have laughed at me if I would have tried to get those prices in his store.

Yea my regular LFS would have done the same thing. I actually decided against the Fluval and went with the Hydor. The Fluval seem nice if you need a lot of mechanical filtration and don't want to do a lot of maintenance, I clean my canister every week with my water change. I'm actually going to set up the Hydor in a little bit, I was going to last week but was busy.

 

johnbirg , dang Biopro 2200 looks stout! it appears to be a similar design of the SunSun canisters available in the States that is in the video I posted above, but with a couple of key upgrades.

It looks like a secondary black shield covers the UV glass, to block the UV from hitting the media trays. If that is the case, then you should have zero problems with that canister. I have seen people on YouTube with SunSun canisters with severely degraded media baskets when they run their UV light 24/7. The baskets looked like they were literally falling apart around the aread where water flows to the bottom and the UV light goes into.

That black shield should protect the baskets and you won't have to worry about them starting to degrade from UV exposure.

And yes, PondGuru's videos are always informative and entertaining to watch.

Next time I open up my canister for cleaning, I am going to use a food-grade silicone lube and give all the gaskets and o-rings a good coating. DO NOT use Vaseline or petroleum jelly.


Wraithen , that is too bad that your LFS can't even buy Fluval merch for the price that Petco offers as their sale price. The trend started with WalMart's pricing driving mom and pop stores to go under. Now the trend is LFS's closing because they can't compete on price with the internet and big box pet stores, even though most times their customer service is superior.

I could be that Fluval gave Petsmart a deal they couldn't refuse on a huge order of FX4/6's , because Fluval is going to introduce the next generation FX series. Fluval recently introduced the next gen 107-407 canisters, so maybe the next gen FX is coming soon.....


Zorro A. Knievel Esq. , excellent choice with the Hydor!! Did you get the 600?

I have had zero problems with my Hydor 600 and wish I would have also bought the 350 when I originally found them on clearance.

I did find a hack that works very well with those Hydors, that you may find helpful.

Although they are designed to have zero bypass, this is true to a point. While 100% of the water will flow through the media baskets, 100% of the water does not flow through all the baskets.

After the first couple of times cleaning the canister, I found a slight amount of muck in the top baskets where the bio-media is held. It wasn't bad, but I figured the baskets of foam and Polyfil should be catching everything.


I then used one of my high powered LED flashlights and held it against the canister body. Although the plastic is tinted, I could see particulates slowly coming around the bottom of the first tray and rising up along the side. They would enter the middle and top baskets where the baskets join together.

As water entered the bottom and began to rise up, it would follow the path of least resistance. Probably 90% of the water would enter the bottom basket and rise upward. The other 10% would flow around the side of the bottom basket and up along the side wall, and enter back into the baskets toward the middle or top where the baskets would join together. The water was by-passing my bottom basket of foam and 2nd basket of Polyfil.

My solution was very simple and effective, though I don't have pics.

I had some 100 micron felt pads I had bought on clearance from Dr. Foster's and Smith, though I am sure you can find the equivalent on Amazon, Chewy, etc. I cut a strip about an inch tall and the width equal to the circumference of the basket.

These pads are not thick, probably about an 1/8" thick.

On the bottom 2 baskets, I wrapped the felt strip around the circumference of the basket. You can secure it in place with a piece of blue painter's tape or use a hot-glue gun and apply a couple of dabs to hold it in place.

Using something too thick to wrap around the basket will cause it not to fit down into the canister properly.

After I wrapped the bottom 2 baskets the first time and put everything back together, I could not see any particulates by-passing the 1st and 2nd baskets when inspecting while holding my flashlight against the canister body.

When I break down the canister to service it, the felt wrap on the bottom basket has discolored from catching anything trying to flow past it. Plus, none of the bio-media in the upper baskets are mucked up.

I use 2 of the spray bars connected and have them on the right side facing left. A couple of times a week, I rotate them to point at a 45 degree angle down and to the right so the flow hits the right side wall and deflects down then back across the substrate. This blows around the detritus and helps suspend it in the water column, for the filters to suck in.

If I didnt have a dozen Peppered Corydoras, I would keep it like that full time, but I don't feel like they would appreciate the current down there 24/7.

I actually had to drill out the holes slightly on the last tube of the spray bar, to reduce the pressure coming out. It was too much current for the community fish I keep.

I have had mine running just over a year now. I need to break down the hoses and give them a good washing, as they are becoming dirty with muck and I am guessing algae.

 

I can't win... I just opened the box for the Hydor... The canister is cracked. I've had it for 2 weeks before I opened the box, I've been working 60 hour weeks and haven't had time... Should I call Amazon or Hydor??

 

I can't win... I just opened the box for the Hydor... The canister is cracked. I've had it for 2 weeks before I opened the box, I've been working 60 hour weeks and haven't had time... Should I call Amazon or Hydor??

Amazon, they will ship a new one and you ship that one back. Simple.

 

Well that was easy... They don't even want the old one back.

 

Well that was easy... They don't even want the old one back.

I've had that happen on cheap stuff bought. Not worth the shipping...

 

I was sitting here filling the baskets with Matrix when I found it. Well at least I got backup parts now! There's a bright side to everything.

 

I was sitting here filling the baskets with Matrix when I found it. Well at least I got backup parts now! There's a bright side to everything.View attachment 564039

Had a similar experience with a fluval light. The coop didn't even want the defective unit back so one day I'll open it up and see if I can find the problem. That would mean all 4 of my 180 lights are the same plant 3.0s. Having one be different still irks me, but I can't have the good just different light sit in the basement. My wife would rightfully kill me, unless of course it means that I'm not having an even more expensive light in storage mwahahahahaha.

 

That is the trouble with Amazon and other online retailers.

They will ship a small item that can't be really broken, and then pack it in a huge box with the inflatable bags, newspaper and expanding foam.

Then ship out a large item like a canister filter or 48" LED bar with minimal to zero packing material !

At least now you have 1 spare part of everything.

Now I know who to go to, if I need a spare part that's unavailable online!! Ha

 

That is the trouble with Amazon and other online retailers.

They will ship a small item that can't be really broken, and then pack it in a huge box with the inflatable bags, newspaper and expanding foam.

Then ship out a large item like a canister filter or 48" LED bar with minimal to zero packing material !

At least now you have 1 spare part of everything.

Now I know who to go to, if I need a spare part that's unavailable online!! Ha

You're 100% right about the packaging... I bought it with a tub of Matrix, and they put them together in a 2'x2'x2' cube shipping box with no packing peanuts, newspaper, bubble wrap or anything. Hey, if you really needed something and were having trouble finding parts, I would gladly help.