Which Is Better? A Canister or Hang-on The Back Filters?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo

Which Filter is better? Canister or Hang-on the back?


  • Total voters
    35
  • Poll closed .
Agree with Back from the Dead on the Aquaclears. I run two sponges in mine and each week take the bottom one out to clean and put the clean one back in on top. There is never a shock of destroying the filter bacteria.

Think about this: canister filters are full of aerobic bacteria because of the high flow of oxygenated tank water through them. When you shut the filter down for more than five minutes, they begin to die (thus one of the advantages of trickle filters where the bacteria still have oxygen, even if the filter is stopped). For this reason, I keep the canister filter running during water changes unless I go below the intake pipe.

The longer a canister filter is shut down, the higher percent of the bacteria die, creating a problem when making a large water change or cleaning the canister out.

Many years ago, when HOB filters were much more common in the U.S., I heard that the reason Europeans used canister filters was due to safety regulations requiring electric motors be removed from open water, and not because they were better filters, and certainly not easier to clean! Americans, respecting the advanced status of many European hobbyists, got on the band wagon and purchased the "top of the line" European canisters (Fluval and Eheim at the time), even though the canisters at that time weren't much larger than a HOB, and certainly had more problems, including leaking, siphoning onto the floor when cleaning, and difficulties with re-assembling and hoses kinking.

I currently have a Fluval FX5, and the engineering on it is fantastic--so much better than the early ones. I'd buy another one if they weren't so expensive, but they are still a pain in behind to clean!
 
I'm also a big fan of HOB's & the AC 110 is my favorite. Surprisingly my runner up HOB is a modified Marineland Emperor 400.
I've only had one canister, an old Marineland Magnum 330. It was top of the line in its day.
Inconvienent cleaning & the constant worry of an unseen leak lead me back to HOB's.
I've read a lot of mixed reviews about the new Tidal HOB's. They haven't caught on in my area & are not available at any LFS's.
 
I'm also a big fan of HOB's & the AC 110 is my favorite. Surprisingly my runner up HOB is a modified Marineland Emperor 400.
I've only had one canister, an old Marineland Magnum 330. It was top of the line in its day.
Inconvienent cleaning & the constant worry of an unseen leak lead me back to HOB's.
I've read a lot of mixed reviews about the new Tidal HOB's. They haven't caught on in my area & are not available at any LFS's.

I was able to take a tidal 110 out of the box and inspect it, but still haven't tried one out. It appeared to be well made and rival the ac110 in media capacity. The few reviews I've heard from users say it is a great filter.
 
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On other forums, members noted that the Tidal filtration is excellent, especially after certain modifications. I can't remember what alterations where made to increase efficiency. Another complaint was the Tidals excessive noise.
Of course a persons noise tolerance is relative. What's loud for one is insignificant to others.
 
Each has there place. Maintenance aside, on a smaller tank like a 40 breeder a hob would probably be best. Once you start to get into larger tanks (75 gallon and up) a canister will be preferred. I personally can't stand listening to water splashing so I lean towards canisters. Some hobs like the aqua clear don't always restart by themselves on power loss. With that said I own a few aqua clear hobs, and if I was to run any hob that would be the brand I would choose. For canisters I prefer to use fluvals.
 
Having used both, I don't like how loud the motor noise of the AC is compared to an equivalent canister
 
On other forums, members noted that the Tidal filtration is excellent, especially after certain modifications. I can't remember what alterations where made to increase efficiency. Another complaint was the Tidals excessive noise.
Of course a persons noise tolerance is relative. What's loud for one is insignificant to others.

They seem pretty quiet unless you let the water drop a little. The motor is at the top so the slightest drop and it starts making a sucking noise. When the level is completely full, mine is quieter than the aquaclear 110 on the same tank.
 
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I prefer the versatility /ease of cleaning of the HOBs. I have 3 Aquaclear 110s and 2 internal diy filters with bio bale on my 225. If the bracket at the top wasn't in the way I'd do 5 ACL 110s and call it a wrap. I have sponge pre filters on the stems and approximately 3lbs of ceramic media in each mixed with biobale, topped by custom filter pads. The 110s have a large capacity for custom ideas. I have no interest in canisters...don't want to deal with potential backflow issues and flooding.

The lack of self priming is a small nuisance but not a deal breaker. I have a setup where I can flip a switch and turn off everything but the lights when doing a large water change. They can get loud at times due to clogged impellers/low water level, but I have a dedicated fishroom with a door.
 
I prefer the versatility /ease of cleaning of the HOBs. I have 3 Aquaclear 110s and 2 internal diy filters with bio bale on my 225. If the bracket at the top wasn't in the way I'd do 5 ACL 110s and call it a wrap. I have sponge pre filters on the stems and approximately 3lbs of ceramic media in each mixed with biobale, topped by custom filter pads. The 110s have a large capacity for custom ideas. I have no interest in canisters...don't want to deal with potential backflow issues and flooding.

The lack of self priming is a small nuisance but not a deal breaker. I have a setup where I can flip a switch and turn off everything but the lights when doing a large water change. They can get loud at times due to clogged impellers/low water level, but I have a dedicated fishroom with a door.
For you HOB are great!
 
I prefer Canisters. While the maintenance work is a bit more intuitive, the cleaning can be less times than a HOB. I currently run most of my tanks on canisters, but I do have one tank on a HOB and one on Sponge. I like that canister output can be adjusted while HOB just shoots down. I think the pros of a canister filter outweigh the cons for me, but I think it also depends on the situation of the tank as well. If it's a breeding tank, sponge filter all the way. If it's a limited space area, a HOB. And if it's a heavy bioload or if you just like overfiltering, canisters.
 
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