HOB vs Canister

[Stuewart]

Im running a 55g and I have a sponge filter, and a HOB Top Fin 60 as my filtration, I dont really like the power filter but Ive never tried canisters. I was looking into the eheim 2215 but I dont know if I would really be gaining anything other than a LOT more media. I know more media is good and more biological filtration is always good, but how much would I actually be gaining? Any opinions? Also include what kind of filtration you're running.

[flexo248]

i run a fluval 305 for my 45 gal...........i like it because it is quiet.....maintenance is normal have to clean the filter and the hoses at least monthly...... when i have less fish i clean it every two months but i still clean the filter element monthly.
305 have 6 pockets and i dont even use it all....i dont use carbon....i have 3 pockets of bio....one pocket of peak moss...........occasionally i put a polish pad in one of the element
my water quality stay the same for at least two week.....the nitrate do come up if you dont WC..........like everyone else said WC WC WC.

other than that.....is good.
hope this help

[Trier20]

I have had both in my tanks. I've found that i like canister filters for larger tanks , lets say, 75g and up and HOB or sponge for anything less. Ik this isn't part of the question but i do like sponge filters bc you can see the water quality rather than hiding it in a dark box behind or under your tank and are also easier and quicker to clean. I rinsed HOB filters every 2-3 weeks in water i had syphoned out of the tank for a WC. As for my canister i was cleaning monthly. Just remember to keep doing water changes. Do you have substrate in your tank?

[Stuewart]

Its barebottom and I have five sub-adults so Im feeding a lot still. One other thing I liked about canisters was that you could run an inline heater.

[Trier20]

Inline heater is a perk. It just comes down to what you prefer. How you want ur tank to look. What type of water flow you want in it. Etc etc etc.... They all "clean" the water


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-Brandon

[cjr8420]

i dont like canisters because they are a pita to clean and if ya dont do it on a regular basis they turn in to a nitrate factory.i use sponges and HOBs with biowheels and no mechcanical filtraition.then i remove all solid waste with my WCs.i use to like them until i learned that just because crap is out of site it is still in the tank.hth

[cjr8420]

Inline heater is a perk. It just comes down to what you prefer. How you want ur tank to look. What type of water flow you want in it. Etc etc etc.... They all "clean" the water


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-Brandon
none of them clean the water they just store the crap in the water thats why i have no mechcanical no storage of crap

[Trier20]

Yup that's y I said "clean"


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[dprais1]

I like the hob because they are easy to clean. use a spong on the intake as a prefilter. i have an ac 70 and i just use three of their sponge filters on the inside and rinse them weekly. but i just started this when i started doing 95% daily wc. before that i had 2 of their sponge filters inside and biorings.

[Stuewart]

All really good help :) thanks. Im not running a prefilter right now on my intake, because I wanted to go and buy a nicer looking one sometime soon, instead of just having a sponge wrapped around the intake with rubber bands. I'll be sticking to my HOB for now

[dprais1]

i just got a sponge filter and stuck it on. check out kensfish.com. if your not sure which one to get then send them an email and they will tell you exactly which one is compatible with you filter

[Stuewart]

Cool, will do, thanks

[a volar]

I have used different canister and different HOB in the past 20 years....... I'll will get HOB Aquaclear allways!!!

I have used all sizes of aquaclear in all size of tanks and I love them...

[Harry Marsh]

Aquaclears as well

Almost rid of the rest of my filters