Need a new filter for my 55 gallon planted

I've had my high tech planted 55 gallon for a few years now. I've always run a Fluval 407 as well as a Fluval C4 HOB on it. Technically, I have a couple smaller sponge filters that are rated for 20 gallons, but they're really just there to be hooked up to my air stones that I run at night. The filtration provided by them is minimal. I've always kept my flow down with a spray bar out of the canister filter.

Anyway, I've always strictly followed the maintenance recommendations provided by Fluval, including replacing o-ring gaskets, impellers, and filter material. About 2 years ago, the power went out in my house, and the backwards flow created a siphon. The gray plastic that holds the seal and side locks on the 407 cracked, and I dumped about 90% of my water into my carpet. After hundreds of dollars of carpet cleaning and physical therapy that resulted from my ruining my back and hip while carrying out a carpet shampooer, I was able to get everything back in order. Fluval completely replaced my filter. I came on these forums and searched the internet for others who had similar issues, and I came away convinced that it was a fluke accident. I was very lucky to only lose 1 fish in the whole experience.

Well, yesterday it happened again. The power went out in my house and the same spot on the new canister filter broke. Luckily, this time it was a slow leak and I only lost about 15 gallons. So now, my aquarium is running solely with the C4 and the small sponge filters. Some may say that I have enough filtration, but I have a pretty heavily stocked tank with large breeding colonies of Endlers, cherry shrimp, and mystery snails.

This isn't really a post about what I did wrong. I'm sure it's possible that something I'm doing has caused an extremely rare issue with the filter, or I've just come across a design weakness. However, after two episodes, I'm done with the Fluval 407. I'm on the market for another filter. What really makes this hurt is that I had just spent a couple hundred bucks to customize the tubing from the filter so that I could add inline CO2 injection and heating. No, this wasn't the cause of it, as they did not leak, and I saw hints of a possible poor seal prior to getting those installed. I should have heeded those warning signs, but I couldn't find anything when I looked.

So, I wanted some recommendations on a filter. I suppose I'd be ok adding in another HOB filter, but I'd hate to waste the inline heater. I also really wanted to get away from using a CO2 diffuser in there, since they're a pain to keep clean and don't really disperse the CO2 throughout my aquarium like I'd prefer. I was looking into canisters again, and while I was looking at the EHEIM Classic series when I first bought my Fluval, the reviews make it seem like the maintenance can be a pain. I'm looking for a nice canister filter that can support in line CO2 and heating, but is also not a bear to maintain. I've heard mixed reviews of the SunSun ones, with the poor reviews mentioning leaks. I've seen a lot of good things about the OASE Biomaster Thermo series, although I'm not sure I'd need the versions that have a heater given the Hydor inline heater I just bought. They're pretty expensive, and it looks like they have limited options for filtration media customization. They mainly use foam and some Hel-X biomedia balls, but I've seen lots of people customize them with Seachem Matrix and foam that they cut themselves. I don't know much about this one though, so I want to make sure to get some opinions before I order something that is not found easily in my LFS or Petsmart. I look forward to your feedback.

 

Sorry to hear....my worst nightmare.
Would a wet-dry pump be an alternative for you?
Following as I am curious what you end up with.

 

Sorry to hear....my worst nightmare.
Would a wet-dry pump be an alternative for you?
Following as I am curious what you end up with.

I wouldn't mind a sump/wet-dry/trickle filter. The problem is that I don't want to have to spend too much time building my own setup. I also worry that since my sump would be below the tank, a power outage would leave me vulnerable to overflow again. I also worry about making sure I have a good prefilter to keep shrimplets and fry from getting sucked up into any of my powerheads that would control the system. If someone has a really good guide to an easy setup that I could do and have it be just as efficient as my old 407 was, I'm game. My wife just isn't a big fish person, so I'm treading on thin ice after my second filter failture.

 

A fellow fishlore member suggested a '150 Aqua Link wet dry'
I know this will be my next setup when the canister should fail, and is a commercially available option.

 

Looking into wet dry filters, I’ve found several instances of articles saying that they are not good for planted tanks.

 

Looking into wet dry filters, I’ve found several instances of articles saying that they are not good for planted tanks.

Hmmm, interesting. Wonder why this would be, I will dig into it a bit more.

 

Apparently they tend to increase the oxygen content and gas off the CO2. Can’t confirm this though.

 

I’d really love to consider a sump setup for the ease of maintenance, but I worry about the self-building and potential for more leaks. Does anyone have canister recommendations?

 

So for canisters I have several of these Amazon.com They serve me well.

My favorite filter is the Marineland Magnum 350 (I have several well over 10 years old) but they do not make them now and are imposable to find.

 

The best is subjective, different strokes different folks...
Just remember the gph outputs are less than the advertised specs. I have Eheims on all my tanks the oldest is 5 years now and still working good. I was surprised how quiet they are, in fact I have one a few feet away from my recliner and I had to touch it to ensure it was working.
Models in use are 2211, 2213, 2215, 2217 and for the last year Pro 4+. They are a bit pricey but I have been lucky to find them on sale. Before I bought the Pro 4+, I considered a SunSun and also a Hydor, did pick up a Cascade and Aqueon but they clogged up and became unreliable. Now collecting dust, "Lesson learned", why change when the Eheims have been so reliable.
No experience with in-line heaters or CO2.
Good Luck with your choice.

 

The best is subjective, different strokes different folks...
Just remember the gph outputs are less than the advertised specs. I have Eheims on all my tanks the oldest is 5 years now and still working good. I was surprised how quiet they are, in fact I have one a few feet away from my recliner and I had to touch it to ensure it was working.
Models in use are 2211, 2213, 2215, 2217 and for the last year Pro 4+. They are a bit pricey but I have been lucky to find them on sale. Before I bought the Pro 4+, I considered a SunSun and also a Hydor, did pick up a Cascade and Aqueon but they clogged up and became unreliable. Now collecting dust, "Lesson learned", why change when the Eheims have been so reliable.
No experience with in-line heaters or CO2.
Good Luck with your choice.

I've heard the Eheim ones, at least the Classic series, can be a chore to maintain. It looks like you have to fully empty everything out to clean the media. Correct me if I'm wrong. My two top priorities, other than having a good filter, is ease of maintenance and low leaking/flooding risk. I keep coming back to the OASE Biomaster series... but they're not as widespread as the EHEIM and Fluval ones, and I'd likely have to do some customization of foam and filter floss to optimize it.

 

The Oase are quite popular in Europe with the planted tank people.

 

Doing more research and after talking to my LFS guys, it sounds like a sump, wet/dry, etc. set up isn’t really ideal for my smaller 55 gallon setup. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to get it in the stand either… at least not without emptying my tank and moving the stand out to put the sump tank in there. I’m leaning more toward a canister at this point. Any further suggestions?
I suppose another option could be to just add second C40 HOB to it. I’d have to eat the price of the in-line heater and CO2 atomizer I just purchased a couple weeks ago, but in the long run, it would be cheaper. Another option would to just listen to the internet who say that the 407 fault I’ve experienced twice is a complete fluke and just purchase a new motor head or the specific part that broke.

 

I wouldn't mind a sump/wet-dry/trickle filter. The problem is that I don't want to have to spend too much time building my own setup. I also worry that since my sump would be below the tank, a power outage would leave me vulnerable to overflow again. I also worry about making sure I have a good prefilter to keep shrimplets and fry from getting sucked up into any of my powerheads that would control the system. If someone has a really good guide to an easy setup that I could do and have it be just as efficient as my old 407 was, I'm game. My wife just isn't a big fish person, so I'm treading on thin ice after my second filter failture.

I've got some wet/dry experience,
I've had my 72g on a wet dry for two decades with a decade in between the trick with them is, yes it will back siphon, but as long as you aren't bottomsucking like some with a drilled tank might , the prefilter and return are up top maybe 1-2 inches in the water, and you'll just lose a couple gallons to the wet dry filter before the siphon gets broken. I also drilled a hole in the return up higher to break a siphon situation sooner since power outages are common enough where I am. a couple gallons goes into the wet/dry box and then the water level is too low and the backsiphon is broken and it doesn't over flow. I've never had a back siphon that would empty the tank, the wetdry goes up by an inch or two and it stops when the water level drops below the inlet to the prefilter and the return (now the hole in the return pipe).

I've never had a problem and my power goes out a few dozen times a year from a few minutes to a few hours to a few weeks like with a hurricane.

As far as "ideal" well it's a bit large for a 55g and it's a bit costly for the initial purchase. but in my opinion, it's basically problem free if set up right, just impossible to backsiphon enough water to overflow the wet/dry box, maybe you have to replace the return pump every decade or so, I never had to yet.

a 75g wetdry dims are 18x10x16 but depends on the manufacturer, a 55 stand(if cabinet) is like 30"x15" and somewhere around 30" high, might have to stand it on end empty to place it and fill it once its in, and work it past the center brace, but it should get in there. It would take up most all your undertank space but I think you could probably get it in there.

Again though, they aren't necessarily cheap, in the neighborhood of $250, an HOB intake box about $50-$100 and then a pump to return the water to the tank last I checked. you'd be in the $400 range, and the fluval 407 is in the $200 range.

I got my wet/dry 2nd hand cheap and just had to buy the return pump and new tubings. the tubing should be replaced every so often, 5 years or so just to be safe, can probably be used 10 years or longer if you like to gamble that the intake to the wet/dry hoses fails and leaks or the return hose fails and leaks back tot he tank. it's avoidable though. it's a 150 size that I have on a 72g tank, took some tetris skills, but I got it under there.

 

Yeah, I don't want to do any drilling of holes in my aquarium, and I really don't want to empty my tank out to move the stand out enough to fit a sump up underneath.

The part that broke on it is the gray plastic area next to the O-ring, near where the clamps are located. This is the exact area that broke on the last one. My LFS guys, and pretty much everyone I talked to when this happened last year. I attached a picture of the one last year as well as this year. It's obvious a huge amount of pressure came back into the filter and broke the area where the latch is fastened. I don't know how this has happened twice, but am aware that there could be something that I'm doing wrong. I don't know what that would be as the clamps are not complicated, and I'm keeping up with my maintenance, including lubricating and replacing the O-rings. If I really wanted to consider this a fluke, I can just buy a replacement motor head for $84 from Fluval. I just don't trust it anymore, and unless I can figure out what I'm doing wrong, I don't want to risk another one breaking. We were lucky that the leak was slow this time. The first one nearly emptied the tank in minutes.

So far, the leading contender for me seems to be the OASE Biomaster series. I was looking at a 250 or 350, which are both $225 or $275 respectively. I could even go for the Thermo variant, which has a built in heater, for $265 or $306, but it seems a bit unnecessary after I just bought an inline heater. I guess redundancy is always your friend though. I would just likely empty all the filter media out of it and put in lots of Seachem Matrix and some manually cut filter floss and foam for the built in prefilter and mechanical filtration.
I also briefly considered the Fluval FX4, as it's got a different construction than the 407, but a FX4 is a bit overpowered for my 55 gallon.

 

I have to look at that area when I will do maintenance again.

 

Sorry to hear. This is why I never use canister filters ever. I worked at a LFS and know of far too many horror stories.

Anyways, I would not recommend any canister filter, ever. They can all fail, and when they fail... well you know how bad it can be.

I'd recommend a sump if you want to salvage some of the equipment you already have. I really would. Don't risk it with a canister filter again.

I mean personally I'd just use HOBs filled with really good biomedia like CerMedia MarinePure, but yeah if you want to make use of your inline heater, then a sump works.

 

Sorry to hear. This is why I never use canister filters ever. I worked at a LFS and know of far too many horror stories.

Anyways, I would not recommend any canister filter, ever. They can all fail, and when they fail... well you know how bad it can be.

I'd recommend a sump if you want to salvage some of the equipment you already have. I really would. Don't risk it with a canister filter again.

I mean personally I'd just use HOBs filled with really good biomedia like CerMedia MarinePure, but yeah if you want to make use of your inline heater, then a sump works.

Two things hold me back on the HOB filters. 1. I have invested a decent amount of money in in-line equipment, and I’ve been less than satisfied in using standalone diffusers in a 55 gallon tank. 2. While none of my animals have a large bio load individually, there’s a 100+ breeding colony of Endlers in there along with breeding mystery snails and cherry shrimp. I already have to do a 20 gallon water change weekly to keep the nitrates low, and that’s with a ton of bio media and floating plants. If I go down to a HOB, even a good one is far less filtration than a 407. I just don’t know how I would fit a sump down in the cabinet, and I don’t have the tools or skills to manufacture one from scratch.

 

Two things hold me back on the HOB filters. 1. I have invested a decent amount of money in in-line equipment, and I’ve been less than satisfied in using standalone diffusers in a 55 gallon tank. 2. While none of my animals have a large bio load individually, there’s a 100+ breeding colony of Endlers in there along with breeding mystery snails and cherry shrimp. I already have to do a 20 gallon water change weekly to keep the nitrates low, and that’s with a ton of bio media and floating plants. If I go down to a HOB, even a good one is far less filtration than a 407. I just don’t know how I would fit a sump down in the cabinet, and I don’t have the tools or skills to manufacture one from scratch.

I understanding the not wanting to go current equipment to go to waste, especially given already high expenditures. At the same time, if your next canister filter fail again, it'll be A LOT of money, again. Fluval are allegedly already good canister filters (I can't speak from experience, I've seen all brands failed before). Last time I was getting thoughts from a group of aquarists, they already almost all recommended Fluval, and some recommended Eheim. To me I'd rather not have an aquarium than have to rely on a canister filter, though it should never come to that - there is always other options.

Unless you managed to establish denitrification in your canister filter, there is no reason why a HOB or any other filter would produce more (or indeed, less) nitrate than a canister filter. Nitrate is not really something most filters can take care of.

While a HOB would offer less filtration, yes, if you use good biomedia then even one HOB can be plenty. For your size tank which is relatively small, a single package of MarinePure gems for example is normally plenty: Product Details. You can even get two just for peace of mind, and a HOB rated for your size tank should have plenty of space. Lesser products like Matrix are also still very effective. You may need more, but I don't see why a HOB or two filled with something like Matrix won't be plenty for a 55 gal. Yes even with 100+ endlers.

But yes, also to clarify, you'd be following the same water change regime regardless, unless you can establish actual better ways to reduce nitrate.

 

I've got some wet/dry experience,
I've had my 72g on a wet dry for two decades with a decade in between the trick with them is, yes it will back siphon, but as long as you aren't bottomsucking like some with a drilled tank might , the prefilter and return are up top maybe 1-2 inches in the water, and you'll just lose a couple gallons to the wet dry filter before the siphon gets broken. I also drilled a hole in the return up higher to break a siphon situation sooner since power outages are common enough where I am. a couple gallons goes into the wet/dry box and then the water level is too low and the backsiphon is broken and it doesn't over flow. I've never had a back siphon that would empty the tank, the wetdry goes up by an inch or two and it stops when the water level drops below the inlet to the prefilter and the return (now the hole in the return pipe).

I'm wondering if one could drill a hole in the return line to break the siphon. A small hole placed an inch or two below the waterline. Seems like that would work, or am I missing something??

 

I'm wondering if one could drill a hole in the return line to break the siphon. A small hole placed an inch or two below the waterline. Seems like that would work, or am I missing something??

It's what I do. It works. Can even be just above the water line and sprays out a little stream and it won't backflow when it's shut off. It gurgle for a couple seconds and breaks the suction as the hole sucks in air.

 

Canister filters leak!! Fact! No mater what or who makes them they leak. You’d think after 40yrs they’d have fixed this.
I use wet/dry filters a lot and like them. You can buy a used one off of marketplace/OfferUp for about $100 and set it up yourself. A dc pump will make it cheaper to run and give you different flow options. The chamber will house your heater. The hob overflow of a wet/dry is designed to remove only so much water on a power outage. The pump starts right back up when power comes on. These filters come in many different sizes. The aqua link 150 is way to big for your tank but the 75 would be more than enough. This filter is easier to clean and does a great job cleaning the tank. Water flow is what you want. Yes you can get one to fit under your tank. I’ve used these since the 90s. If you’d like I’ll put up a video showing how it works.

 

My biggest fear with the wet/dry is that I forget to check or preventively replace hoses and either the intake hose or the return hose fails from age.
Highly unlikely to happen, but it's the only thing I worry about that could put tank water on the floor.
A pump is bound to fail at some point along the way, but that won't end up with the water on the floor.

 

Canister filters leak!! Fact! No mater what or who makes them they leak. You’d think after 40yrs they’d have fixed this.
I use wet/dry filters a lot and like them. You can buy a used one off of marketplace/OfferUp for about $100 and set it up yourself. A dc pump will make it cheaper to run and give you different flow options. The chamber will house your heater. The hob overflow of a wet/dry is designed to remove only so much water on a power outage. The pump starts right back up when power comes on. These filters come in many different sizes. The aqua link 150 is way to big for your tank but the 75 would be more than enough. This filter is easier to clean and does a great job cleaning the tank. Water flow is what you want. Yes you can get one to fit under your tank. I’ve used these since the 90s. If you’d like I’ll put up a video showing how it works.

Where are you finding the Aqualink filters online? On their website I only see the C55 and the 2010 wet/dry filters for my size. I haven't seen any 75 or 150.

 

I’m sorry there. The aqua link only has the 55. Which will be more than enough for your tank. Aqua-link is found on eBay for good prices. Get the one with every thing. But everything doesn’t include the pump. Non include the pump.
Now for the 75 your looking for the eshopps 75 or 125 wet/dry. Both of these are older models and discontinued. But easily found for around $150-200 with everything but the pump.
Your best bet after you’ve got one and understand it. Is to buy used. Very cheap and you add what you want.

 

I’m sorry there. The aqua link only has the 55. Which will be more than enough for your tank. Aqua-link is found on eBay for good prices. Get the one with every thing. But everything doesn’t include the pump. Non include the pump.
Now for the 75 your looking for the eshopps 75 or 125 wet/dry. Both of these are older models and discontinued. But easily found for around $150-200 with everything but the pump.
Your best bet after you’ve got one and understand it. Is to buy used. Very cheap and you add what you want.

Right, but are there instructions and a manual with them? I’d like to see the official info on one before ordering anything. Need to know exact dimensions and what the maintenance is. I’m also not interested into doing anythingDo you have any links to any of that?
It sounds like the following are my options:

1. Give up on canisters and sumps, and just get another nice HOB like the Fluval C4 or an Aquaclear. I'd have to go back to using in-tank CO2 diffusers, which are annoying, but maintenance would be easy. My water change regimen would be the same as before. This is the cheapest option.

2. Purchase a replacement motor head for my 407. This is inexpensive as well, but I fear I'd need to repurchase biomedia again. I never emptied the water from my 407, but I fear it has all died since there was no flow and my wife put it outside in a bin to keep it out of the way. Temps have dropped into the mid-30s this last week. This method is what I know, so nothing drastic changes. However, since I haven't figured out if I've just been exceedingly unlucky with the 407, or if there's something I'm doing wrong, I fear that I'd just be setting myself up for another massive leak again. I could always drill a hole in the intake tube to break the suction and stop the siphoning, but I'd have to figure out how to keep my Endler and cherry shrimp fry from being sucked in. I thought about putting some mesh over it, but I'd have to change that frequently to keep it clean and worry a little about it bypassing my main intake with the prefilter.

3. Purchase a different canister filter. I'm pretty sold on the OASE Biomaster Thermo series. It looks like the 250, or more likely the 350 models would be the right size for me until I started reviewing Pond Guru's **** My Filter series. I know numbers can be subjective, but to achieve what he calls a "complete cycle," meaning it also addresses the nitrate load, I'd likely need to go with a 600 or 850 series for my "smaller" 55 gallon. I have a spray bar, so I'm confident I could spread out the output enough, but those are already pricey filters. They look sturdier and with more latches where my Fluval 407 failed, so I'd hope that my previous issues wouldn't follow me here. This is the most expensive option.

4. Finally, I've looked into the sump and wet/dry options. As has been mentioned earlier in the thread, Aqua-Link ADP has some affordable options. My space is limited in my stand, so I don't think any of the other commercial options out there are viable. I'd likely go with their C55 or 2010 models, since I worry being at the maximum capacity in the C55 might not be enough. I still need to verify that both would be able to fit in my stand without having to drain my aquarium completely to move it away from the wall. My biggest fear about this is that I have no experience with a sump, and while it has excellent checks to keep it from flooding in a power outtage, purchasing something like this when there are virtually no reviews or guides online scares me. I've not been a big foam media person, opting for Seachem Matrix or BioHome Ultra in the past, and I don't think the drip/spray bar method in the Aqua-Link systems is compatible. I'm not willing to manufacture my own sump, as purchasing the tools and other equipment for it is likely to put me outside of my time and price constraints. I also have not been able to find any official manual or maintenance schedule for the Aqua-Link filters other than the old videos and information on their webpage. While helpful, they're not in enough detail to really resolve my hesitations.

So, those are my options, unless any of you would recommend anything else. I'm still nauseated that this has happened a second time so soon, and I just want to make sure I make a good choice before my wife's, and my own, patience with my hobby wears out.

 

So what about a Hamburg Matten filter?
No leak, quiet, massive surface for the beneficial bacteria. Only thing you have to toss or sell is the inline heater.
I myself have the HMF corner filter in my 20gl high as well as in my 125gl (in conjunction with the canister filters and inline heaters). You can drive it with an air pump or power head, it will never overflow, it is simple to maintain, it is quiet. Just to toss one more option into the mix....

 

I’m not sure a Mattenfilter is enough filtration for a 55 gallon, and they’re a pretty big eyesore in a tank that big and can be more flimsy than in smaller tanks. Don’t get me wrong, I love HMF, I have one in my 10 gallon cherry shrimp tank, but I think I’m gonna stay away from one on a larger aquarium that is mostly fish. Thanks for the suggestion though. I briefly considered one when I started spreading my shrimp from the smaller tank into the Endler tank, but I had decided against it.

 

There is no 100% perfect solution, otherwise all other filters would not exist.
Pick your poison
Another option would be an under gravel filter, though they have their shortcomings as well.
Coming back to the breakage at your canister in the same unusual spot, how do you open your filter?

 

You undo the clasps. Have to lift the bottom of it up a little bit before you pull the top down. The clasps help break the seal to lift the motor head away from the basin. I’m not sure there’s any other way to do it. The first time it broke, I had thought it was because my spray bar was underwater to keep the surface disturbance low, but that’s a pretty common practice, so I concluded that it was a fluke.