Has anyone tried these yet? I hear they are good, and Im trying to pick a canister filter for my tank, I was thinking of this one:
http://www.bigalsonline.ca/BigAlsCA/ctl366...isterfilterc160
Full Version: Marineland Multi-stage Canister Filter
I just bought one today. I will let you know what I think of it when I get it hooked up. 
ok, thanks, from what i've heard these are supposed to be really good, they look cool too lol
I was a bit leery of them because they seem a bit generic. It was recommended by the owner of the lfs that I go to. He is an experienced fish keeper and I love how clean he keeps his tanks. He knows fish too, so I trust his opinion. He actually steered me away from the more expensive Fluval. He told me that the quality of them had dropped off since they were first introduced.
It was a little confusing for a first time canister owner, but I got it hooked up properly. I would have liked a little more explanation in the instructions but the photos show very clearly how to connect everything.
Priming was not as easy as the instructions said. It says: pump twice. I had to pump more than that but the filter started right up. I also disconnected the power several times just to see what it would do in case of a power outage. It started right back up! It didn't need re-priming. That one feature is very important to me since I have little power outages all the time here.
The seals on the unit seem very secure, everything locks together nicely, and all the internal trays and media fit very well. I feel confident that there will be no major leaks. The media consists of marble sized plastic beads. I am not sure I like them but they can be switched for something else anyway. There is one tray inside for charcoal which can be switched for more media. The bottom tray holds porous sponge pads to filter solids, and there is a fine sponge at the top to filter smaller particles. The trays are generously sized.
I have to say I don't like the hoses. they are very stiff, and it seems to me that the intake and outflow parts that go into the water are a little flimsy. I like that the outflow has an aeration feature at the end. It could be better though.
It is very quiet!! there are no machine sounds that I can hear. The only sound is the water gurgling as it falls into the tank. This is a problem for my Honey. He does not like the sound at night (tank is in the bedroom) . The sound will have to be controlled by the water level as there is nothing to help you adjust the depth of the outflow tube. The intake does not go to the bottom of the tank. I suppose that both of those things can be fixed with a diy solution, but I would have preferred not to have to do that. It seems to aerate well. I have an oxygen test, I will try it later....
The water started out a little cloudy, it is now clear and looks more polished (running about an hour) There is less debris on the floor of the tank.
I put a piece of my old filter sponge in it. I hope it seeds well. I will be running one of the other filters with it for a while until my colony builds inside.
I like this filter and I feel confident that it will take care of my water issues. I bought the 160gph which is 4 times my tank volume. I also feel confident that it will not fail suddenly while I am away at work.
On the whole, I am satisfied that I made a good choice. There are probably better filters, but this one is good enough for me.
I hope this helps you. I will let you know if anything unexpected happens.
It was a little confusing for a first time canister owner, but I got it hooked up properly. I would have liked a little more explanation in the instructions but the photos show very clearly how to connect everything.
Priming was not as easy as the instructions said. It says: pump twice. I had to pump more than that but the filter started right up. I also disconnected the power several times just to see what it would do in case of a power outage. It started right back up! It didn't need re-priming.
That one feature is very important to me since I have little power outages all the time here.The seals on the unit seem very secure, everything locks together nicely, and all the internal trays and media fit very well. I feel confident that there will be no major leaks. The media consists of marble sized plastic beads. I am not sure I like them but they can be switched for something else anyway. There is one tray inside for charcoal which can be switched for more media. The bottom tray holds porous sponge pads to filter solids, and there is a fine sponge at the top to filter smaller particles. The trays are generously sized.
I have to say I don't like the hoses. they are very stiff, and it seems to me that the intake and outflow parts that go into the water are a little flimsy. I like that the outflow has an aeration feature at the end. It could be better though.
It is very quiet!! there are no machine sounds that I can hear. The only sound is the water gurgling as it falls into the tank. This is a problem for my Honey. He does not like the sound at night (tank is in the bedroom) . The sound will have to be controlled by the water level as there is nothing to help you adjust the depth of the outflow tube. The intake does not go to the bottom of the tank. I suppose that both of those things can be fixed with a diy solution, but I would have preferred not to have to do that. It seems to aerate well. I have an oxygen test, I will try it later....
The water started out a little cloudy, it is now clear and looks more polished (running about an hour) There is less debris on the floor of the tank.
I put a piece of my old filter sponge in it. I hope it seeds well. I will be running one of the other filters with it for a while until my colony builds inside.
I like this filter and I feel confident that it will take care of my water issues. I bought the 160gph which is 4 times my tank volume. I also feel confident that it will not fail suddenly while I am away at work.
On the whole, I am satisfied that I made a good choice. There are probably better filters, but this one is good enough for me.
I hope this helps you.
I will let you know if anything unexpected happens.
thanks that helped, sounds like a pretty good filter, thats the model I also wanted, I think i've made my choice then, I guess i'll try this one
I think you will be happy with it. Big Al's has a better price on it than I got. I paid about 30 dollars more but I didn't have to wait for it.
lol, yeah, were going to the city on saturday and gonna check out a fishstore that i've always wanted to go to but we never had the time, its called Fintastics. Were first gonna see if they have that filter and if they do how much it costs before buying it online. I know petland might have it but probably for twice the amount!
we bought it on Big Als yesterday! I cant wait til it arrives!
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