I'm so sick of canister filter reviews, everyone of them is bias towards personal like. The bottom line is an HOB filter does just as good a job as any canister filter. The more I psychoanalyze the filtration concept, the more I'm convinced that the companies who make these canisters are out to fool everyone with their rocket science "ours is better" canister propaganda. There are only three basic elements to a filter, a sponge and some bio-media and a pump. Seriously, I am amazed at how simple it really is. The AquaClear filter for example, it doesn't get much better. I can turn my beast of a canister off today and be set with only the AquaClear. The whole we need more biological madness craze is nonsense. The truth is you need very little bio-media to keep a tank cycled, what else is left but a couple of sponges ? It too me a few seconds to rinse sponge and put back wow talk about easy maintenance. I"m seriously thinking about getting rid of my canister and just get another AC110 for double the filtration, not that I would need it with just one. The only thing I don't like about the AC is the intake tube setup, I don't like it, could be better. I think the HOB design could be made more user-friendly and it could be made to outperform all canisters combined. Fish keepers should get off the latest canister band wagon, it's a fools gig. Let's keep it simple stupid, really simple.