The Puffer Forum

To make a long story short, I'm sick and tired of my 20g long's current HOB filter. It's a cheap "Whisper" brand, and next to my 29G's HOT Mag. and my water cooled computer it's the loudest thing in the room by a wide margin. Not to mention I need to replace the impeller every 6 months to a year, which I'm getting real tired of doing.

Is there an appropriately sized cannister filter I can use for this size tank that someone could recommend? The HOT Mag is the smallest cannister I have ever seen, and even it needs a spraybar to keep it from blowing around all my DPs.

Cascade 500, for aquariums up to 30 gallons. Extremely quiet.

Eheim Ecco 2232
or
Zoo Med 501

I've never used the Zoo Med, but our local planted tank club sells them in a kit with a rimless tank, I know tons of people are using them and love them. They can't be beat for the price. link

I have an Ecco 2232 and it is superb.
Very quiet and I have just added it to my snail breeding tank because of the nasty cloudy water
It's cleared it in less than a day.

Thanks all for the input. For a while I wasn't sure they even made cannister filters that small.

I just checked at my LFS and it looks like I have $45 in store credit amassed from bringing in my plant clippings. I'll see about special ordering the Zoo Med, but I may splurge on the Eheim instead (since everyone seems to love their products so much).

Out of curiosity, has anyone heard anything about the Hagen Fluval 105 filters? This is the brand my LFS carries and from what I understand they are well liked.

Depending on opinions I may just pick one up later today.

Fluval is a good brand. Often times, people compete over whether Fluval or Eheim is better. Usually these canisters come with a spray bar, if you're concerned about that. I would suggest looking around at local ads to see if someone is trying to get rid of one that's used. I mean, you can pay full price if you want, but I like to be cheap and thrifty! ^_^

Also, if you're thinking that you'll eventually upgrade the tank or something, you might consider getting a larger one (like a 205 or 305) so you can make more use of it in the future. A 305 is a bit more expensive than the 105, but a 205 isn't all that much more.

I have couple fluval canisters and they work great...i brought my canisters on ebay...it's cheaper on ebay too...lfs r to expensive....

Just checked eBay and it seems Fluval filters are going for the same price as my LFS. Besides, I already have over $50 in store credit with them thanks to my planted tank which needs frequent trimmings...

I wish one of my local stores would give out store credits for stuff.