Single Canister Filter Suggestions?

[Aqualoon]

Tank is a 75 gallon and will be in the living room so something that is quiet is a must.  It has to be available on Amazon Prime because of where I live shipping otherwise can get spendy.  Would like something with low power consumption and would prefer to stay around the $200 mark.

I see a bunch of off brands, not sure how well those do as the reviews are mixed.  I use to own a few Rena XP4's and see that they are now called XP-XLs - the XP4s as I recall were great for bio media, not so great on mechanical filtration but I also used it on a much larger tank.  Was also looking at the Hydor filters, love their in line heaters but not familiar with their canister filter lineup at all.

So, any suggestions?

[GMtrophs]

I would go with Eheim 2217 for the power consumption, quietness and durability!

[...]

Aqualoon...what a great name...lol...

I don't have any super relevant suggestions I'm afraid...i am relatively new to the US market (from Australia originally)...i have a 3 stage sump on my 125gal...it is not particularly quiet, mostly water noise, but my wife likes the sound of trickling water so we're all good...lol...

Years ago I used eheim filters and always found them to be durable and quiet. All the best making your decision. Let us know whAt you decide and we'd love to see a vid of your set up when it's up and running.

Welcome to TAM!

Danny 😆

[Aqualoon]

Well, my state bird is the Loon and I'm into watercooling my computers and of course the fish keeping hobby so this username seems to work all around!

How does the Eheim 2217 stand up to an overstocked 75g? Want to do a single colony of red rainbows or something else with great color. Figure this would be a great show tank in the living room, just want to show the least amount of equipment as possible as I want to do a 3D background and really make this thing look nice.

I'll do setup pictures, figure others like to see a tank come together like I do.

[finadic]

A fuval 406 might run more gallons per hour compared to Eheim which makes a great product though.

[Aqualoon]

Alright, so here's what's been suggested so far and what I've been looking at on Amazon. Some filters I have questions on so if anyone could answer them that would be fantastic.

+ Pro
= Neutral 
- Con
? Unknown/Question

Fluval FX6

+ Can easily handle overstocked 75g

- Price ($339)
- Power Consumption (43w)
- Can't use Hydor in-line Heater

? Noise

Fluval 406

+ Power Consumption (23W)
+ Able to use Hydor in-line Heater

= Price ($185)

- Rated for 100g, unsure if it could handle an overstocked 75g

? Noise

Eheim Pro 4+ 600

+ Able to use Hydor in-line Heater
+ Should be able to handle my tank/stock 
+ Power Consumption (16w)

= Price ($256)

? Noise

Eheim 2217

+ Price ($140)
+ Able to use Hydor in-line Heater
+ Should be able to handle my tank/stock
+ Power Consumption (20w)

? Noise

Aquatop 525

+ Price ($138)
+ Able to use Hydor in-line Heater
+ Built in UV

= Production description states "extremely quiet"
= "Should" be able to handle my tank/stock

? Power Consumption

Hydor 600

+ Able to use Hydor in-line Heater
+ Production description indicates low noise 

= Price ($178)

- Power Consumption (35w)
- Unsure if it could handle tank/stock 

Has anyone tried the Sun Sun filters?

[...]

I cannot comment towards your last post but just an FYI regarding "over filtration". It is a but of a myth that really only has to do with flow rate and solid waste removal. That is water clarity vs water purity. Let me explain.

Because the beneficial bacteria are living organisms they will only colonize to a population related directly to their food source (ammonia & nitrite). Providing you have adequate surface area for the bioload of your tank, and sufficient capacity to remove solid waste your tank will be in good shape. The only way to remove nitrate is through water changes or some type of specialized product (expensive & generally used in commercial aquaculture) or plants to remove it for your system. More filters, more surface area, more sponges do nothing towards nitrate removal.

A regular water change regime, regular filter maintenance, regular sponge cleaning, routine gravel vac'ing will ensure you have a pristine environment for your beloved Troph's to enjoy.

Hope that helps sir. All the best.
Danny 👍🤓

[finadic]

Looks like you did some extensive research. & I agree with Danny, I've always used Eheim only for decades till I got my first Fx6, which now I have 3 of them, but I think it would be total over kill, for a 75 gallon, I do have one on a 125 & it's works great, they are much easier to maintain & open & close compared to the Eheim 2217 which has the clips which are a hassle & no trays like the Fluval for media. The 406 that I saw was rated for 100 gallon on box, & has the separate media trays unlike the Eheim 2217 which I've run about 3 of them over the years. Quite impressed with the new Fuval line which I never would have considered in the past since I got the FX6's. I did read in a past review that some canister filters can raise your water temperature s few degrees do to the pump heat, but I am not sure which ones but my FX6's seem to be ok not producing heat. Good luck on your venture.
Cheers, Walt

[Aqualoon]

Yeah the only reason why I'm even slightly looking at the FX6 is because I had an FX5 + XP4 on a 150g that I ran for years and the combo was so perfect. Had the Hydor in-line heater and a Coralife in-line UV hooked onto the XP4, never had any issues with water quality. But I agree, I think that an FX6 on a 75 would be overkill.

It looks like it's going to come down to the Eheim 2217 vs Aquatop 525. I just got my tank today and I want to give it a good scrub down and look at 3D backgrounds and substrate so will be 2-3 weeks before I pull the trigger on a filter. So that gives me time to research!

Thanks for all the info, tips, etc. Appreciate it!

[GMtrophs]

Eheim is very quiet and you wouldn't even know that it's running...The Sunsun is good for the $$$ and it's made in China...not really sure on the power consumption and quietness but i've read some good reviews...i also read someone running Eheim classic filter for decades plus the good thing about the classic is you can buy replacement parts incase if somethin breaks! Hope this helps and G/L with your decision on the filter!