Okay so I've always been an HOB girl with all my tanks! With my 90 gallon it's completely overstocked right now and my 2 ac 110's don't seem to be doing the job! I'm looking into adding a canister filter and keeping 1 ac running with it, or possibly both if I find it is needed. I need a canister that won't break the pocketbook too! I found this one on ebay....
http://cgi.ebay.com/AQUARIUM-FILTER-CANIST...1QQcmdZViewItem

Does anyone know much about this kind? If you do, how does it compare to others? Any other suggestions on reliable yet "cheaper" canisters??

I know Rena's canisters have all gotten good reviews.

Please Help!!

I went to CF to find a review on these canister filters,
but I couldn't find any!

My concern with this purchase would be getting parts
to repair it if it ever broke and also getting filter media
to replace the old filter media.

You are correct that the XP series from Rena are very good.
I got my XP3 for $89 from That Fish Place. They matched
Big Al's.

Also check Petsmart online prices. You probably know they
will match that price in the store if you print out the ad.

I would also leave both the AC110's running in addition to the
new canister filter. You may also consider adding a couple
low gph powerheads to keep the debris from settling in dead
areas around the tank.

Just trying to help and I wish you luck in your purchase!

Thanks Preacherboy! I went to CF to compare as well and didn't find anything. I do have a powerhead in there now, I used to have UGJ's but got tired of decorating around them.

I can only agree with that. I have never been a big friend of canister filters but I love my rena's. Exellent filter for reasonable money. Good Job

Cturner, it does say that it's new for 2007 so maybe there aren't any reviews on it yet. If you feel adventurous you could try it out. Hmmmm

I have five Rena XPs that all do a great job for me. They are easy to set up and maintain. If you shop around, you can usually find a good deal on them. I got most of mine through the online price match at Petsmart along with a coupon.

I think Odyssea is a low-cost Chinese brand.

I have not used their canisters, but I bought an Odyssea tank+cover+light+drip filter unit when I got back into the hobby 7 months ago. Thus far I'm quite pleased with it... knock on wood!!!

That said, this review of an Odyssea light fixture made me nervous... http://www.aquariumadvice.com/reviewpost/s...32&limit=recent

I use Fluval 405 canisters on all my tanks that are bigger than 20 gallons. I like them a lot.

HTH!

Well I contacted a few people that have bought the filter from the same seller and they said they have not had a problem with it so far except finding new media to replace the old media.

After doing some research I was tempted to go with a fluidized bed filter but I'm not so sure how much better that would be. Ultimately I would like to turn the 20 gallon under my 90 into a sump system or wet dry but I'm leary of how I would have to set it up. I also don't want to have a crap load of water sitting on my floor when the power goes out! I don't quite fully understand how the sump / wet dry system works.

I've always been curious about those wet/dry set-ups. I have no idea how they work. Would they keep pulling water out of your main tank if the power went out? That is a scary thought!

Canisters and power filters are about all I can comprehend. For me, when it comes to filters and filter maintenance, simple is best. Wiggle it just a little bit!

Eureka!!! I think I've figured it out!!!! Wooo hoo!!

From what I found... when the tank isn't drilled there's usually an overflow box with a 1" or 1 1/2" diameter tube running from the inside of the tank to the outside. When the power goes out the water line drops only to a certain point on the overflow box. I know they are better for filtration, both mechanical and biological.

I found something on the web and I hope it helps to explain it better than I did.

Here's an overflow...

http://saltaquarium.about.com/gi/dynamic/o...w/overflow.html

I bought 2 Resun External Filters they are also chinese and affordable. I have had them for 4 or 5 years now.