fattythecatty Posted January 31, 2008 Report Share Posted January 31, 2008 Hi all, Well, I'm ready to set up the new 4fter. I have an Aqua One internal for it but I'd relly like an external. I've never used one before so what are you reccommendations? Are they easy to set up? Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scuba Sam Posted January 31, 2008 Report Share Posted January 31, 2008 Hmm - I'm a bad example - I have three external canister filters and not one of them is running at the moment. I am using internals and waterfalls. Good luck sorting it out - others swear by them. I just need to sort some free time out to suss it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fattythecatty Posted January 31, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2008 I like the thought of not having to see the filter in the tank and the extra space of course!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted January 31, 2008 Report Share Posted January 31, 2008 How much are you looking to spend? I'd probably go with a pair of Aquaone CF1200s. I'm impressed with mine so far and they're very cheap. $130 from petplanet. Seem to be bigger with more media volume than the equivalent fluvals too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paekakboyz Posted January 31, 2008 Report Share Posted January 31, 2008 that's a good suggestion from Ira - you could always go for a bigger unit that is spec'd to handle a tank that size but if it breaks you are left without any filtration. Having two units running can give you a heap of filtration (say you get two units spec'd at 300L or so each) and redundancy if one breaks down. Big units might include the Fx5 or something from near the top of the range from Ehiem or Fluvall... I run a Jebo 819 on a 360 litre tank although it's not too heavily stocked and I also have a smaller internal filter running as back up and in case I need to set up another tank in a hurry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted January 31, 2008 Report Share Posted January 31, 2008 I run a Jebo 810 on my 4fter and love it. Better than my Fluvals and Eheim but I have no experience with the Aquaones Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tHEcONCH Posted January 31, 2008 Report Share Posted January 31, 2008 Bigger is always better when it comes to canisters, but you should also consider ease of maintenance etc. - media in trays so that you can remove them easily, good quality fittings and pipework etc, built in priming pumps. It is often also a case of getting what you pay for. I really rate the Eheims, especially the 2028, and have had 4 running continuously for nearly three years with no problems at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkLB Posted January 31, 2008 Report Share Posted January 31, 2008 I've been running a AquaOne CF1000 in a four footer for almost two years with no troubles yet.... touch wood :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wok Posted January 31, 2008 Report Share Posted January 31, 2008 I have been using Fluvals for all my external filters. for a 4ftr i would recommend the Fluval 405, I have one running on my tank and the water is clear Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fattythecatty Posted January 31, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2008 I'm a bit limited down here as to what I can buy locally so had a look on trade me. Thought I might go with the Aqua One CF1000. Eheims are a bit out of my price range at the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted January 31, 2008 Report Share Posted January 31, 2008 I have been using Fluvals for all my external filters. for a 4ftr i would recommend the Fluval 405, I have one running on my tank and the water is clear wow, i would've thought two of them was a minimum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted January 31, 2008 Report Share Posted January 31, 2008 I'm a bit limited down here as to what I can buy locally so had a look on trade me. Thought I might go with the Aqua One CF1000. Eheims are a bit out of my price range at the moment. petplanet.co.nz i have used him for my filters & other bits & pieces, can highly recommend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nemines Posted February 5, 2008 Report Share Posted February 5, 2008 i've heard that a good filter is only as good as it is easy to clean. on my 250L tank i run an eheim 2026 and a fluval 304; both work really well (my fluval is filled with biomedia, bioballs for mech and eheim substrat pro for the rest). however i've found that the eheim is definitely a lot easier to clean, the clips come off and on without hassle whereas the fluval's lid clips seem to stretch to near breaking point before fitting into place. fluval is, nevertheless a solid good-all-round filter. i haven't tried an aquaone filter, i guess i've just got a fetish for german technology Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stargazer Posted February 5, 2008 Report Share Posted February 5, 2008 Well I've only had a canister filter for one day, but; I'd go with eheim, thats what I bought. Very easy to assemble, and very quiet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheesejawa Posted February 5, 2008 Report Share Posted February 5, 2008 go to www.petplanet.co.nz they have a good range of filters Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camnbron Posted February 5, 2008 Report Share Posted February 5, 2008 If you are going to go with an aquaone and considering the CF1000, my recommendation would be to spend the little bit extra to get the CF1200. Thats what I did when I had my freshwater tank last year (240L planted tropical), go that little bit larger if you can. I found it to be a good filter unit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fattythecatty Posted March 13, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2008 the tank has been running for quite some time now with an Aqua one internal filter, it's a pretty good filter with good flow and keeps the water really clean but man, does it make a racket. So I brought a CF1200 but now I've read the instructions I'm wondering if I need a degree to set it up!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted March 13, 2008 Report Share Posted March 13, 2008 its very easy to set up although might be a bit of a pig to get started at first. Make sure you fill the cannister completely to the top with water and all the hoses as well before you turn it on. Turn the inlet (to the cannister) hoses on first and then the outlet ones. First time may take a bit of sucking and spitting but from then on its sweet as long as you turn the taps on and off in the correct order. I have 4 cf 1200s, and one of each of the other sizes and they run great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ant N Posted April 4, 2008 Report Share Posted April 4, 2008 A tip I use with canasters is to fill them right up ,including hoses , and then siphon the outlet into a bucket before turning the power on. Sometimes two or three bucket fills before all the air is out off the hoses and the filter, but is better than trying to run an unprimed filter pump! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spoon Posted April 4, 2008 Report Share Posted April 4, 2008 i have a cf1200 running 4 about a year now i have found that it doesnt fiolter really fine stuff as this tends to just get around the baskets however this stops after a week as it starts to get blocked up , also if u mount it below the tank in the cabinet flow rate will never be anewhere near 1200 l /hr the hose must have been 20cm long and no filter media when they measured that but i guess u get that with most filters Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted April 4, 2008 Report Share Posted April 4, 2008 i have a cf1200 running 4 about a year now i have found that it doesnt fiolter really fine stuff as this tends to just get around the baskets however this stops after a week as it starts to get blocked up , also if u mount it below the tank in the cabinet flow rate will never be anewhere near 1200 l /hr the hose must have been 20cm long and no filter media when they measured that but i guess u get that with most filters Unfortunately, that's pretty much the standard. I think all cannisters flow rate is no media, no head and flow at the outlet not restricted by average length hoses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lang Posted April 5, 2008 Report Share Posted April 5, 2008 but what is a 4fter? I thought it was a typo, but see it written as that in a few replies :oops: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rozski Posted April 5, 2008 Report Share Posted April 5, 2008 lang, a 4fter is shorthand for writing "4 foot tank" or "4 footer" There are a lot of tanks around in the standard sizes of 2 foot, 3 foot, 4 foot and up. Instead of someone having to give all tank dimensions and/or liters, they just say 4 footer and everyone knows roughly what size tank they are talking about Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lang Posted April 5, 2008 Report Share Posted April 5, 2008 lang, a 4fter is shorthand for writing "4 foot tank" or "4 footer" There are a lot of tanks around in the standard sizes of 2 foot, 3 foot, 4 foot and up. Instead of someone having to give all tank dimensions and/or liters, they just say 4 footer and everyone knows roughly what size tank they are talking about Makes perfect sense.... just looks a bit odd, so thanks for that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ikekrull Posted April 6, 2008 Report Share Posted April 6, 2008 I bought my 4 foot setup second hand and it came with a Fluval 304. The impeller shaft was broken on arrival however, so it made a heck of a noise at first. This part seems to be relatively fragile, so if you go for fluval be a bit careful removing the impeller cover when cleaning. On the plus side, i was able to replace the fancy ceramic impeller shaft with a bit of bamboo skewer from the kitchen while i await the replacement part to arrive from the pet shop, so +1 for simplicity on the fluval. A broken shaft will also not stop its operation, so +1 for reliability too. I also found it was absolutely essential to grease up the main seal on the canister (i used vaseline) - Previously, i couldn't get the thing to hold together properly, and as another poster mentioned, the clips almost seemed to stretch to breaking point - after a bit of a lube, it fits together easy as pie, no leaks, no fuss. It is a bit fiddly to get apart and clean, and some people claim difficulty priming it, so -1 for fiddliness I found it is essential to fill the canister and a good deal of the tubes completely - i fill through the intake and output tubes (i just pour water down them with a jug), then it will start straight up, every time, no need to touch the prime plunger. Most people looking at this class of filter swear by Eheim, but i think for the price differential, the Fluval 304 is quite functional and quiet (even with the bamboo skewer hack). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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