Eheim vs. Fluval Canister Filters

[Night Hawk31]

I have been doing research into wich one of these canister filtes to get for my tank and I am stumped. I already know that Eheim is the cream of the crop but Fluval pretty much has the same specs except for a monitor for water flow in the filter. I do know that Eheim is expensive but is it worth it's price if they both do the same function? What is the difference between the two?

[Ghazanfar Ghori]

Quality. Ehiem will run forever without problems. One of my original
classics has been running without a single problem for 4+ years. I've heard
of folks running it for 10+ years without problems.

Both filters perform the same function. One is a Honda, the other is a Ford.
Which models are you looking at?

Some folks have been using the Filstars and those are a cheaper alternative
to the Ehiems and are supposed to be better in quality than the Fluvals.

[krisw]

I have 3 Fluval canisters (204, 304, 304), and one Eheim 2213. I've never had a problem with any of them failing. In terms of cleaning, I find the Fluvals much easier to disconnect, move to the sink, and move back. All I have to do, is unplug the electric, stop the flow, and "unlock" the hoses from the canister itself. The Eheim involves closing 4 valves, unscrewing them, and then the canister itself is just one compartment so it's harder to clean individual media/sponges. Additionally, the classic Eheims don't have a self-priming function, so it's often more work to establish the siphon again.

But all of that said, one thing I don't like about the Fluval is the type of tubing they use. I'm sure I could swap that out, but out-of-the-box, the Eheim's tubing is much easier to connect things like an in-line CO-2 reactor or the sort. For that reason, I think my next filter will be an Eheim, but I'm looking at the professional series for some more bells/whistles. Obviously, that's even more expensive.

Basically, as Ghazanfar said, both work and perform well.

[Jeff120]

I have a Fluval 304 and a Filstar XP1. Alot of folks complain that the Fluval is a bypass filter but I dont see that it works well. I agree with kris about the tubing and have replaced mine. I dont like my Fluval because it seems prone to leaks, after cleaning sometimes it will leak for a few minutes and then I muck around with it to get it to stop. The Filstar I have only had for a few months and I like it alot. Easy to set up and clean and you get all kinds of attachments for it too

[RTRJR]

Ghazanfar seriously underestimates the lifespan of Eheims. I have multiple >30 year old Eheim canisters still in constant use. I do replace the hoses every 10-15 years, and an ocassional impeller when I drop them while cleaning. I do also have spare O-rings as those eventually fail, but not as fast as the tubing loses flexability. Otherwise they seen to be eternal. I do opt for silence and long unit life, so prefer Eheims. My 35 year old son is anticipating inheriting my collection...

[Ghazanfar Ghori]

30 years! You should speak with Luis. He's an avid Ehiem collector and would
die for some of the older - no longer produced models.

[Cristy Keister]

So far I've only used the Eheim Classic series. They are a pain in the @$$ to clean and therefore only get cleaned maybe twice a year - if that much. Other than that I love 'em!

Then again, if you're talking about a well planted, growing tank in most cases you don't need filtration at all - just water movement. You could just use an air pump or powerhead with or without a sponge. Go cheap and pay more attention to what's easier to hide in the tank.

[dmartin72]

If you have the money, the newer Eheim models are the way to go! I have 4 eheims and love them all!

[RTRJR]

LOL! I do have at least one of the old air-cooled models (with flying-saucer impellers) still around, but I don't use it anymore as the impeller bushings have been unavailable a long time and the unit is a noise-maker as a result. The others were eventually tossed during a move. Those date to the dark age before submersable power heads. Yes, Virginia, there are folk still around who lived in that era. And it was a dark age as my first tanks had incandescent lights.

Several of the units were originally 20xx, but that model change was just impeller design, so upgrade to 22xx was easy. Technically those were pre-Classic, but you can only tell by the label (if it is still legible).

Heck, I'm dying for some of the recently discontinued Classics and the internals before the horrible Aquaballs.