Canister Filter or Sump | Which Aquarium Filter is Best for You?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 ต.ค. 2023
- Today's video is a deep dive into aquarium filtration, but specifically with Canister filters and Sump filters. We outline the pros and cons of each of these aquarium filters, and hopefully give you enough information to choose which type is best for you!
We've done many filter unboxings and how to's, which can be found at the playlist link below:
Playlist - • Canister Filter Setups...
If you're interested in any of the filters we frequently use in our aquariums, check out the affiliate links below!
Equipment
- Sicce Whale 500 Canister - amzn.to/3ugmocB
- FX6 Canister Filter: amzn.to/3dXbW0b
- Sicce Syncra SDC - amzn.to/35yJ0MD
- Seachem Tidal 75: amzn.to/3V0fntf
Chemicals/Media
- Chemi-Pure Green - amzn.to/3HAsg51
- Chemi-Pure Blue - amzn.to/3bgsVMd
- Easy Green Fertilizer - geni.us/NAl6lK
- Seachem Purigen - geni.us/d9EFZ
- Seachem Prime: geni.us/iys7T
- Fritz Glass/Acrylic Cleaner: geni.us/uvmwK8
Food
- Xtreme Krill Flakes - geni.us/iTAWsN
- Xtreme Big Fella Pellets - geni.us/9Cra
- Xtreme Nice Pellets - geni.us/6ADcc
Thanks for watching, and we'll see you next week!
I used to swear by canisters, but now having had a sump and got over the learning curve, its not even close. Sumps all the way!
Seamless sump for the Win all Day!
✊🏻✊🏻
I’m moving more and more into background filters. It’s easy, demands VERY little maintanence and will run for years without being in need of cleaning.
In my smaller aquariums up to 110 liters I use the Hamburger Matten Filter combined with a Czech Air-lift. A really effective biological filter.
Really liked my Fluval back in the day. That was yeas ago when I didn't understand my water conditions and parameters. Now I got the water dialed in, but just using sponge filters and hang behind Whispers. Really no complaints with it as long as it keeps the fish safe. 👍
I use Fluval canisters on all my tanks. Some FX series filters and a Few 07 filters. My 07 series filters and my FX4 are dead silent, my FX 6 is louder than I’d like it to be….however my tanks are for the most part always super clear and I feel they are easy to maintain as long as you give them a cleaning every 5-6 months or so. My only annoyance is with the FX and how glass tops to this day aren’t made to fit such large hoses and it’s just a pain when you have to get the glass cut to close the tops correctly🙈 As for sumps, I say they are a must if your doing anything over 200 gallons because I wouldn’t want to have to clean more than 2 fx series filters.
Wet dry sump best investment I ever made on my 300 gallon, not to mention makes a great quarantine area.
Thanks a lot for the video! Just in time!
Now have external canister filter for my 100l aquarium and almost happy. Want to upgrade to 200-250l. Was thinking about sump, but now I'm sure, that my choice is just bigger external canister filter. And everybody will be happy, me, my Convict and Salvini cichlids and all the others.
Awesome, best of luck !
The reason I have canisters is that my tanks are on the main floor of my house. To have a 6 foot tank and then add a 50-100 gallon sump beneath, the weight would be excessive. If my tanks ever migrate to the basement, I will explore sumps.
most of the large tanks I worked on in the past the sumps were actually plumbed into the basement. just requires a little planning.
Awesome info Video, I have a canister filter on my 50 gallon tank, I really like it, it a Fluval 307.
Very nice!
Well so I have a sump I have FX 6s and hang on backs. It really boils down to your applications and your preferences. If I had all big tanks my preference would be for sure sumps.
The easiest canister to clean is the Fluval 07 series, it unhooks and opens up fast, the dirtiest 1st layer sponge tray is on the SIDE, not the bottom like all others. You can just take out the sponge tray, clean that and keep running. The FX series are bigger but much more time consuming to clean out.
And once again, canister filters are simple to make 5 gallon bucket with a lid seals and a couple holes in a pump. And you've got yourself a great canister. Filter. All you have to do is fill it with whatever you want.
Would you ever consider doing a in-depth guide on the seemless sump? I'd love to learn how to use it for a bigger 100+ gal tank set up one day.
Definitely will at one point!
So I know this question has nothing to do with your video, but I didn’t know who else to ask. So can I put 1 severum 1 green terror 2 Jack Dempsey 1 firemouth 1 convict 1 phantom pleco and 1 Oscar in a 75 gallon. I am going to have a bigger tank for the Oscar in the future. I have the Jack Dempsey firemouth convict and pleco but I want both the severum and the Oscar. What do I do
What size sump would be good for 180gallon fish tank
Hi! I have a juwel rio 450. Going to put peacock cichlids in it. Will 1 fx6 cannister be enough for it? Cheers from Belgium
I have a sump that is built in on the back of my tank it uses a top over flow system. It has three tiers one mechanical. Next layer mechanical or a mix , the bottom has three chambers for biological media and the pump to put it back in tank. The water falls from top4” to the first then4” to the next , then 3” to the return . Puts lots of O2 in tank.
Awesome
I believe it would be canister up to a certain size and sump there after. Where the line is I don’t know for my 75 canister is perfect, for me.
When I got into the hobby years ago, I never heard of the sump and have been using canisters. I have 2 canisters hooked up to my 4 feet tank and am looking to add a sump but I can't do plumbing at all so I'll probably stick to canisters for now 😂
Haha fair enough!
Ive done cannisters my whole life. I bought my first sump. From custom aquariums. There seamless sump. So far i like it ✅👋. Only thing is there. A bit loud.
I’d recommend putting filter flow in the openings where water is tricking in
Ditching the seamless sump and plumbing in two fx4s to the drilled inputs/outputs. Took all measures to make it quiet and still sounds like I am living in a river. So far every single person who has come to my house has found it unacceptably loud as well. You can only turn one volume on the TV so much!
Im a HOB guy ..Seachem Tidal is the best to me out there for HOB
My favorite HOB as well
Yeah I'm dead in the middle. Never had an fx6 but I'm thinking 3 fx6 on a 180g or 3 hob 110s on a 180g.
Iv had canisters and good for the smaller tanks but for a larger tank the sumps have more benefits and easier to clean..
Notice any difference between the two as far as removing waste off the substrate?
Both can do the job, if you have strong enough pumps/canisters. I’d say maybe canisters since you can control output direction a bit more, but it’s a toss up
I sold my fx4. Fluval white fine filter pad clogs too fast. Fx filters are a back injury waiting to happen. Oase pre filter and the top handle is much easier on your back.
What about running multiple HOBs on a larger tank?
Nothing wrong with it! Just won’t have as much water volume and might be more noticeable
Very good question. An fx6 is 562gph loaded with media and hoses hanging. An aquaclear 110 hob is 500gph. That's pretty close to me.
Isn't it more riskier to have a sump system since you have to drill into the tank?
Or you can do what I'm doing with my 600 gallon that is reverse flow under gravel filter. I'm half way through the build of my plywood aquarium and will be using this system which I had great success with a 300 gallon in the past. This time I will be using Red Dragon pumps and two very large diatomaceous earth or just DE filters to control any waste that may collect under the plates. My heaters will be inline for a very clean set up. I may use a small canister filter to run some charcoal but that would be it. With my 300 gallon I used a pleated pool filter cartridge and it kept the water crystal clear. With the DE filters the water will have a polished look to it all the time. There is nothing better than 2-1/2 to 3 inches of substrate that you don't have to clean and use it for your biological filter. A 4x8 foot print is a large area that is needed for a aquarium that will house some very large tropical fish. The size of the substrate is 2 to 3 mm. What's nice is I never have to clean the substrate. I just pull the DE cartridge out rinse them off add new power and turn the pumps on. Can't get much simpler than that.
Is it possible for you to get the seamless close to 'silent'?
Yep. Either using a controllable pump, gate valve on the drain, and adding some extra filter floss where the water enters the chambers
What happen when the power goes out will it back feed and drain your aquarium
I'm not a true expert on sump systems, but with a plumbing background, you could avoid that issue with a backflow to avoid water coming back in.
I meant on the canister filter
Need concrete floors with big tanks and sump filters. I can't do that in my manufactured home.
I have fluval 407 canister for my 75 gallon chilid tank
Very nice 👍🏻
Sumps are so underutilized in freshwater hobby with big messy fish like African rift lake cichlids. If i was to set up say a large Malawi tank now i'd have a diy sump with a 'be an animal overflowbox, automated fleecefilter roller like the Red Sea Reefmat, a large refugium chamber with plenty of plants or suitable algae, smaller biomedia chamber with heaters and a pump chamber. The need to do water changes should go down and the overall water quality improve and energy consumption go down by using a DC pump instead of AC pumps like the ones used in canisters and other filters.
I clean my fluval and sunsun canisters once every 6 months. Easy peasy. Rinse the foam, change out the polishing pads. Rinse out the canister.
I went with 3 FX6s on both my 210 and 150. Although a sump woulda been better, I found that sumps can get quite loud and both of those tanks are in my basement rec room, which is also our home theater room where we watch lots of movies, and I wanted both tanks to run as quiet as possible. We cant even hear the FX6s running. Im no expert on sumps, so maybe the pumps have gotten better over the years, but my past very limited experience was the noise factor was no bueno. The BIGGEST drawback that does drive me nuts about the canisters is if you want to run carbon, having to open them once a month is a pain in the a...... lol. But I stopped running chemical filtration on the big tanks.
Very true!
Can you put filter floss. In the filter socks ?? To help polish the water. 💦 👋
Yep
A properly built sump (filter socks and a fluidized bed bio-filter) is by far the best for ease of maintenance. To clean the filter socks, just toss them in the washing machine with a little bleach. A fluidized bed filter is self cleaning, just change/clean the air stone once in awhile. For water changes, just drain and refill the reservoir section of the sump, let the heater warm up the tap water before to turn on the main pump.
A air driven fluidized bed can be noisy but if needed, just put the air pump on a timer when you regularly use the room. The bio filter will still work with the air off, just not as well.
The seamless sump is way too complicated and expensive. .
The seamless sump is not complicated at all. They literally stack like blocks.
I'm still a big Eheim fan. Hard to find these days.
Eheim is still the best over 70 years of making long lasting quality filters
@@greatestforever6192 I have two 2217 eheim that are 30 years old and still running strong. Just replace the shaft and bushing as needed.
@@johndoll8539 me too I have only replaced the impeller on my 2217s once in 27 years. I also have 2260s and 2250s that are 25 years old still running. I only open my filters every 18-24 months for cleaning.
I still like my canisters for they work best for me 😅.
The biggest problem I had was the availability of drilled tanks.
Getting back into the hobby. So much shit has changed since 1992😂.
Welcome back
one of the cons for canister is if your pump motor get burn you have to throw that container. instead of that sump pump is cheaper to buy.
No matter what size aquarium I have I'm sticking with HOB I have a 150gallon aquarium I run 2 aquaclear 110 filters on Dat aquarium and have 2 big sponge filters on each side of aquarium for oxygenated purposes just don't want 2 deal with canister or a sump
Nothing wrong with that!
Sponge/HOB filters for tanks up to 200l, canisters for tanks 200l to 600l and sumps for anything beyond 600l.
What’s the beautiful fish at 00:12
Electric blue acara
@@CichlidBros is 68 degrees too cold for one?
@@TwinCitiesOxygen yeah I’d recommend 76-80 F
Also, drilling some tanks for a sump will void the tank warranty.
👍👍👍🐟🐟🐟
My hose definitely droops.
I disagree canisters are much easier to clean out you're not cleaning your some properly if you don't at least once a year clean all the detritus from the bottom of it . Fine particles make it past the socks and the sponges and sits down at the bottom of your sump you have to go in there with a Shop-Vac to get it out. So it's a lot harder to pull your sump out than it is to pull the canister filter out. So every time you clean your canister filter out you do it much more thoroughly. But I believe the sump is way more effective just harder to maintain long-term.. and one thing you didn't mention about a sump is it controls your water level in the tank down below so your tank never really gets low the sump does. And not everybody can afford a seamless sump those things are expensive, so we get more affordable sumps or make them ourselves and most of the time you can't control the evaporation rate because you can't cover them.. making it harder to keep up with the evaporation.
I think we mentioned most of these things. Cost is about equal when you consider the price of a few canisters. Also, the regular cleaning of a sump couldn’t be easier. The deep cleaning once a year that you suggest is optional - I have never done that. We also mentioned that water reservoir maintains the water level in the tank
I like the sumps but I would prefer to hire a professional and let them plumb it.
The average fish keeper wants something simple. Thats a canister filter. I can’t do plumbing so sumps not for me. And your average fish keepers don’t get 300-500 gallon tanks or bigger. 120g are the biggest but most have sizes below this. Not everyone has a showroom or extra space in their homes for extremely large tanks.
Didn’t we say most of this in the video? Ex: negative of sumps is having plumbing experience. Also, many smaller tanks come with sumps these days. Especially saltwater tanks so size isn’t always a primary factor
My searching for youtube videos from fish keepers looks like the trend is smaller tanks. Nano tanks with very easy maintaining. It’s just you high sub youtubers who go for the largest tanks. just to get views. And have big buildings and a big studio productions.l and a team of people to help build these sumps. Don’t get me wrong I liked your tanks but average folks don’t go for larger tanks and sumps. You guys seem to be very cool.
@@tktropicals4997 “just to get views?” 🤦🏻♂️… Also we don’t have a team, studio production, or big building. These are own personal aquariums. If you like smaller tanks then go for it. We’re not saying either way 🤷🏻♂️
Sump for sure it’s not even close