rocker85675 Posted April 7, 2008 Report Share Posted April 7, 2008 I have no experience with the FX5 I`ve heard good things about it. I`ve had a 403 and two 404s I wouldn`t even give them away. One actually was used for target practice. The other two went in the dumpster, they are a complete waste of plastic!!! I don`t have any experience with the others, all my tanks keep filling with salt so no need for a new canister. bosshog your a genius! target practice, never though of that one. my fx5 is good, turns lots of water and for fluval, pretty reliable (so far). heard lots of good bout eheim's, but like the fx5, a little pricey. me personally would buy an overflow box and a pump and make my own trickle filter for half the cost. 10 times better and easier to maintain than ANY canister, but thats just me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parachromis1 Posted April 7, 2008 Report Share Posted April 7, 2008 yeah i agree. sump is totally the way to go now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firestorm Posted April 7, 2008 Report Share Posted April 7, 2008 I can't speak for the renas, but I have mostly only heard good things about them from other people. I believe in eheim all the way, have had my eheim canister for about 7 years now and haven't had to replace a single part on it yet. As with fluvals, I do have a 104 currently, but am not impressed with the quality. The tubes used for them seem cheap, as well as many of the parts and I am sure I won't get more than 5 years out of it. I also like the aquaclears, have had them for years, are easy to change and clean, and make our water extra clear. Sometimes it is better to pay the price for an expensive filter, than to keep buying cheap ones that are unreliable. That is my 2 cents!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigA Posted April 8, 2008 Report Share Posted April 8, 2008 I have both a XP2 and an Eheim. Can't say I have any complaints about either. Haven't had any problems with them. Only downside I can see with the eheim is that if something does break down, there is only one shop in town that carries parts for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soggycereal Posted April 9, 2008 Report Share Posted April 9, 2008 nn Hi Have used fluval and ehiems over the last 20 years, find the fluvals do start to leak after a few years. Have never had an ehiem can leak, one professional series ehiem can i have has been running strong non stop now for 8 years, have yet to replace any parts on it. Thank You Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanker Posted April 9, 2008 Report Share Posted April 9, 2008 I have used several over the years: Fluval, Ehiem, Cascade, and Rena XPs. I will stand behind the XP against all others. They do not slop water when carrying it to the sink, baskets stack properly inside (others can be a little interesting to seat properly), and the included accessories are complete, and allow a whole slew of options for intake and output. The best feature, hands down, is the fact that they are the only canister I have found that somehow can get every single bubble out, every single time. No rattling bubbles in the impeller, no gurgling sounds emanating at all hours (the tank sits 2 feet from the couch in the living room). Never had a can do that, before. And if you suspect a bubble? Unplug it for just a moment, and the air will rise into the output tube - amazingly I have had other cans actually expel the air into the IN tube, sort of defeats the purpose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firestorm Posted April 10, 2008 Report Share Posted April 10, 2008 I have used several over the years: Fluval, Ehiem, Cascade, and Rena XPs. I will stand behind the XP against all others. They do not slop water when carrying it to the sink, baskets stack properly inside (others can be a little interesting to seat properly), and the included accessories are complete, and allow a whole slew of options for intake and output. The best feature, hands down, is the fact that they are the only canister I have found that somehow can get every single bubble out, every single time. No rattling bubbles in the impeller, no gurgling sounds emanating at all hours (the tank sits 2 feet from the couch in the living room). Never had a can do that, before. And if you suspect a bubble? Unplug it for just a moment, and the air will rise into the output tube - amazingly I have had other cans actually expel the air into the IN tube, sort of defeats the purpose. Thanks for the great news on the Rena. I never knew that since I have never owned one, but maybe for my next filter I will try one for myself. I like the eheim because it is very quiet too. Maybe some of the other models have a problem with the air bubbles. I have a 2250, and it has never done that. But yeah it is a huge, heavy thing that is quite awkward to clean. How much do the Rena XP's run for in $? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
African_Fever Posted April 13, 2008 Report Share Posted April 13, 2008 I've got an Eheim classic that I've had running non-stop for over 14 years, and have never replaced a thing. I haven't used anything else personally besides the FX5's, but have seen a ton of other canisters and nothing has ever impressed me the way Eheims do - like happeboy said, you just can't beat German engineering. The FX5's move a lot of water, but I'm still waiting to see how they last in the long-term. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canucklehead Posted April 14, 2008 Report Share Posted April 14, 2008 I had an FX5 running for about a year. I was woken up by weird sounds coming from my basement, it was the FX5 dying. Replaced the impeller assembly ($50!!!) and completely cleaned and reassembled it, which did nothing, still does not work. I switched back to multiple AC110's and could'nt be happier My next canister will be an Eheim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnite Posted April 16, 2008 Report Share Posted April 16, 2008 I've only ever used fluvals and I love them. Still have the very first one we bought 10 years ago and it still works great. Though i just have it sitting because the new ones have the primer, much better than trying to get it going every time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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