pink_fish Posted July 5, 2009 Report Share Posted July 5, 2009 Hi guys, as the title says! a) I have a 215 litre AR980 tank which I'd like to get a canister filter for (the tank's standard system is not holding up with the current guppy population explosion the tank is having, lol). So I'm interested in hearing about people's experiences with the various brands/models. We haven't got loads of money, so looking for best value for $$$, but if the cheaper brands are crappy, then we'll save up and go for expensive, I guess. I've seen a couple of 'unbranded' ones on that 'other site' (white ones that look a bit like Fluvals - I think they might be Sun Sun brand) that I'm considering, but wonder if anyone here has used these? If so, what is your experience of them? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. b) Not sure if this is a dumb question or not .... We keep having problems with the suckers on internal filters and heaters going hard and ceasing to work. Does anyone know if replacements can be bought? I know that for heaters you can buy those silly strap-on ones that aren't too bad, but we have two filters that are almost unusable because their suckers no longer suck (which sucks [sorry....lol]) - a Rio 1700 and a small Eheim pickup - can these just be ordered as spare parts, or does somewhere like Hollywood stock replacements? Thanks in advance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwiplymouth Posted July 5, 2009 Report Share Posted July 5, 2009 I buy all my spare suckers at the $2 shop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morcs Posted July 5, 2009 Report Share Posted July 5, 2009 Aquaone CF1200. Nuff said :lol: You could go with a HOB filter too just to boost it, depends on your stocking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted July 5, 2009 Report Share Posted July 5, 2009 i like the german ones, cause they are reliable, have a good warranty, and parts are readily available. i got one of my fluvals about 4 years ago now, and its still running strong with no problems. infact a while ago i wanted to get an eheim, and after going over all the options, i landed up buying another fluval 405 :lol: i like the media baskets in the fluvals and the pipes which can never kink, and how easy they are to get started. and they are silent. but wait, there's more :lol: i also like the way you can just stop the water flow and clean the filter without mucking about. can even slow the water flow down if you are feeding the fish something like brineshrimp (live). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whetu Posted July 5, 2009 Report Share Posted July 5, 2009 well, just to cause grief to phoenix, I like the eheims! :roll: I have been using one for years now and find it absolutely reliable and easy to use. It is also easy to get started and silent when it's running. AND you can stop or reduce the water flow when feeding! :lol: Also when you detach the hoses from the cannister (when you're taking the cannister away to clean the media) the hoses are completely sealed so no water can leak out while you're gone. The downside (and it's a biggie!) is the price. I would recommend a second-hand eheim if you can find one at a good price or on a super special at a shop, but you probably can't justify the price difference for the performance difference over a fluval. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LYNDYLOO Posted July 6, 2009 Report Share Posted July 6, 2009 I would have to agree with morcs I have 2 Aquaone Tanks, 1 is an AR980 the other is a AR620T I run an Aquaone CF1200 on each of the Tanks, love them, fantastic Filters :bounce: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spoon Posted July 6, 2009 Report Share Posted July 6, 2009 Aquaone CF1200. Nuff said :lol: You could go with a HOB filter too just to boost it, depends on your stocking. i have to agree i have a fluval and an aqua1 cf1200 and cf 2200 i also have a jebo 819 fluval is good but rather fiddly also very expensive and the jebo is very similar to to the cf1200 but in my opinion not as good less lph and hour and small output hose (maybe to up the head rating who knows) its also more expensive , try petmart.co.nz they had good new prices last time i looked Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pink_fish Posted July 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2009 Hi guys, thanks for the info! Seems like Aqua One is the winner (my wallet) is happy, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VinsonMassif Posted July 7, 2009 Report Share Posted July 7, 2009 Plus AquaOne replacement parts are cheap and readily available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishybiz Posted July 8, 2009 Report Share Posted July 8, 2009 We run mostly eheims but do have a few fluvals and AquaOnes. The interesting thing is that when we compare the flow from an aquaone to an eheim of lesser litres per hour the eheim always appears to have more out put than the aquaone. Also the aquaone when cleaning is always messier than the eheim and more time consuming. We have an eheim here that is almost 30 years old and still going strong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkfur Posted July 8, 2009 Report Share Posted July 8, 2009 I buy all my spare suckers at the $2 shop +1 so do I Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whetu Posted July 9, 2009 Report Share Posted July 9, 2009 We run mostly eheims but do have a few fluvals and AquaOnes. The interesting thing is that when we compare the flow from an aquaone to an eheim of lesser litres per hour the eheim always appears to have more out put than the aquaone. Also the aquaone when cleaning is always messier than the eheim and more time consuming. We have an eheim here that is almost 30 years old and still going strong. That's one of the reasons I chose to go with eheims. I'm not one of these people who changes/upgrades stuff regularly, and I've been keeping fish for enough years now to know that this is a hobby I will have for the rest of my life. So I will probably be running the same two eheims (possibly on the same tank) 20 years from now. I will also have the same clown loaches! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishybiz Posted July 9, 2009 Report Share Posted July 9, 2009 I was talking to the sales rep today and he said that Eheim always understate the litres per hour whereas others overstate. Anyway if anyone wants a CF1000 make me an offer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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