I've only had my one Eheim 2217 canister filter, and I love it. Runs like a champ, quiet as heck. I highly recommend even though I have no point of comparison.

 

You really can't group the Eheim with the Aquatop/Sunsun. If your looking for something that will last you really can't beat the Eheim.

 

A SunSun 302 will do fine and there are several members reporting them lasting several years. I read a thread a couple days ago and a member mentioned having one for nearly 7 years. Is it the best quality? No, probably not. But it isn't like a canister filter is particularly complicated. I don't think you can go wrong with a SunSun. I've owned 3 on 3 different tanks and had no issue.

 

That was me:nerd:
I have 3 Sunsun 302's.
1 is still going strong at 7+ years of continuous use (the prime pump doesn't work too well on him otherwise still soldiering on silently).
I have 2 more Sunsuns running @ 6 and 4 years respectively all on 55G tanks and all going about their business quietly and effectively.
I will say the basket handles like to come off perhaps due to warping over time but they aren't broken and do work if you are careful and don't manhandle them.
These to me are a small price to pay for a filter that performs as the Sunsuns do and for the price point they are at.
I think I paid 46-55 bucks each for those over the intervening years.
And I am sorry to all the big brand guys but NOTHING will touch the cost vs benefit ratio of a Sunsun/Aquatop/Perfect/Grech/Super/Pingkay/ZenBlue for those on a budget.
Money no object I am sure we would all have Eheims but I have more urgent uses for my funds lol (Called a wife and kids - shhhh I didn't say that) :surprise:

 

Eheim or sunsun which ever way you go will be a great upgrade..Ive seen this before and people go back and forth on the two different canister filters and honestly the amount of people that have either brand you wont get a straight answer of which is better lol.. i have a eheim 2215 and i bought it used. the person before said they had it for some time with no problem and so far with me having it is has ran like a champ!! the quietness its crazy too but again its your choice and use your budget hands..and remember you can never have to much over filtration on a tank!!

 

cool thanks for all the info, think ill go with the aquatop cause it has the uv light option

 

Not sure if you have already made up your mind but I'll share my experiences
I currently own a Rena Filstar 1 (small I believe) been running 15 years or so.
Owned a SunSun 304-b broke down after 9 months, it would over heat then kick off/ reset after 10 mins then kick back off.
Eheim 2217 owned for about a month

First flow, my xp1 runs my cerges reactor, I also used the 304-b to run same reactor. As far as flow, 304-b said it would do 525gph, I would say its more around 200-250gph. The filstar says its 250gph and would say its more like 175-200. Almost couldn't tell the difference between the sunsun and the filstar just more turbulence in the cerges so I'm estimating it more.

The eheim I believe is said to be 265gph and I would say from what I've read its about 250. I have the filstar and eheim running side by side with same size DIY spray bar and the eheim is stonger flow. Although, it is not running through a reactor either.

I actually have the 2217 flow reduced a bit, its in my 40B. For a 29g I think a 2215 would work great but if you want more flow go with the 2217. Last I checked it was 139 on amazon and comes with all the filter media, the sunsun and aquatop don't.

Many people love the sunsun but maybe I just had a lemon, I also had problems with it leaking water from where the motor connected to the base, but was able to fix it by removing the big o ring and lubing it. Would think right out of the box it would be good to go but, not mine.

I do believe my 40B has never looked as clear as it does with the new 2217 on it. Its really nice filter and I would definitely buy another. Since its only a month old or so, time will tell if it will stand the test of time. The filstar is still chuggen along though.

ps. that UV in aquatop/sunsun is useless it just heats the water IMO

 

Not sure which AquaTop you are considering, but i do have experience with the CF400 and CF500 models.
Both have flaws that I would consider fixable but for what you pay, you should not "have" to fix manufacturer flaws.
My biggest issue with the filters was bypass. I actuall was getting bits of plant material sticking out of the spray bar along with a lot of fine particles floating in both tanks.
With the right mods, I no longer have bypass on either filter.
If you do end up getting one, let me know which one and i will let you know what specific fixes are needed

 

I actually have the same problem on my CF500. I was planning on adding more bio media to one of the trays along with more floss.... what mods did you do?

 

Generally speaking all the filters work, some are going to be more reliable than others. For the difference in price I would still go with an Eheim. There is 30 years of use on them and they are dead quiet if that's important to you.

 

Just curious for the OP's sake, are SunSun & AquaTop exactly the same filter? Or could there be some manufacturing differences?
I have no complaints about the pump head capacity/flow volume/or pump noise. I just have never seen a SunSun in person.

 

They are yes. Same manufacturer, everything.
The differences are as follows:

1. A more attractive made for the western world BOX.
(This likely extends to an actually readable direction set as well - example Sunsuns Chinglish "dirtiness entrance" which had me in stitches).
2. A red plastic insert on some models vs blue.
3. Actual customer service should you need them and a warranty. (Other boards members and YouTube report excellent customer service)
4. Some models of Aquatop come prefilled with media. (Some Sunsun sellers now provide this option as well)
5. A on canister brand sticker.
6. Higher price due to the above features.:wink2:

For some this may be a safety net they need or that may be enough value added to offset the additional cost.

*note one of the 2 is fudging dimensions I will know which when I get my HW-304B but I would bet on Aquatop fudging to try to differentiate a clone product.

Example:

My recently ordered Sunsun 304B: Amazon.com : SunSun-China HW-304B 5-Stage External Canister Filter with 9-watt UV Sterilizer, 525 GPH : Aquarium Filters : Pet Supplies

is an Aquatop CF-500: Amazon.com : Aquatop CF500UV 5-Stage Canister Filter with UV 9W, 525 gph : Aquarium Filters : Pet Supplies

 

Big Al's had the best price on Eheim 2217 this month. It was under 100 dollars if my memory serves. But....I am known to have bad memory.:surprise:

 

Memory might have betrayed you. 169.99 but @ 100 price point I'd have snapped one up!
I've got nothing at all against the Mercedes Benz of filters except price lol.
Eheim Classic Canister Filter with Media - 2217 | Big Als

*Sidenote love your signature lol aint it the truth.

 

I have a Hydor Professional 600 for my 70 gallon bow and I love their brand.
Simple to set up, run, and clean.

I got mine on eBay with an inline Hydor 350 Watt heater for $209 shipped.

You can get smaller sizes as well cheaper.

 

You know I just noticed that brand about a month ago but it was a smaller version I saw for sale. I am wondering if they are re-branded Jebo or if its a totally new brand. Very crisp and modern and Euro looking. Like an IKEA filter lol.
Always great to see new equipment in the hobby.
Especially things we can actually afford lol though that is treading dangerously close to Eheim territory in price!
The company itself appears to be Italian with an American branch but I am betting the production is done in China?

 

The 2 pics below better show the gap from the factory and after I added the spacer rings to the bottom of the canister. FYI, my AquaTop CF500 had a black pump head O-ring sealing it to the canister body. I never had a problem with this sealing point. A little Vaseline on the O-ring and it slid right in place and never leaked (better design than the Marineland C-360 that I have).

This is what the relationship of the Pump head to top plate should look like. If you are not sure of your filter, assemble your filter stack and measure the distance from the top of the cover plate to the top of the canister body, then measure how far the pump head sealing point drops into the canister body. You should have around 1/8 to 3/16" overlap. If this works out on your pump, then the next issue is how well atleast one of the trays seal to the canister body.

Bump: Also, near as I can tell, the actual flow of the filter did not change once I did the above modifications to my AquaTOP CF500. Also, the AquaTOP CF400 that I have did not have the same overlap issue - the pump head sealed nicely to the top plate (full 3/16" overlap). Unfortunately all three trays had 1/32" to 1/16" gap on all edges between the tray and the canister body. Once I taped up the indicated tray, I was able to dump a bunch of dirty water into my test setup (10 gallon tank on a stand) and within a few hours the water was clear and the filter floss was dirty (biomedia tray was still clean). In my opinion, this is how a canister filter "should" work.

Again, not bashing the AquaTOP brand too bad. The motors seem solid and quiet. The o-ring design is good. The shut off valves where the hoses connect is far Superior to the Marineland C-360 design. I am now very happy with my CF400's performance.

 

You know that is a MASSIVE gap. It is like your plastic standoff reinforcement runs in the base that hold your baskets up toward the head weren't there or were broken off?
There is no WAY you should have ever needed those massive spacers.
Something must have been really wrong with your unit. Guess we can look for sure when mine shows up.
Also I forgot to mention I have 2 Aquatops smaller rated filters that appear to be Jebo based.
A DF-200 and a AT-200. Both since discontinued in fact thats why I picked them up for a song on clearance years ago around 30 bucks a pop. Their replacement models sell for 150 plus on their website.
http://www.truaqua.com/aquatop-canister-filter-af-200.html This is the model combining my DF and AT model with UV and WAYYYYYY overpriced.
HIGHLY over-rated I must say. They are interesting but nothing to write home about and flow isn't squat. Much less than the Sunsun copied style.
Only thing they do better is the baskets and canister bodies are higher quality plastics. (but these are Jebo clones not Sunsun clone)
DF-200 Canister Filter - 216 gph
AQUATOP AT-200 Canister Filter
The DF model I like better than the AT model. Some people call the AT model the FAUXHEIM lol.
Also I have to say my experience with the Truaqua people were top notch from what I remember.

 

I must say that's new to me.
I've never had any problems like that at all with my Sunsuns.
If I do have your issues that's why I used Amazon it will go straight back and I'll try the Oddysea CFS 700 I was considering prior.

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I really like my Cascade 1000. Super quiet, large media baskets, good flow, thick plastic (the clear blue canister not only looks cool, but you can see when the filter needs to be cleaned, too), it hasn't stopped or failed yet (going on about 6 months), always restarts after an outage, keeps my water crystal clear, all for a reasonable price.

 

You know some times it's not bad to buy a used filter..like I said I bought a 2215 from some on here and it works like brand new..i only needed to buy new hoses..then I bought glass Lilly pipes just cause I got tired of the green intake/outtake..but in the end you can get a good filter cheap and if need to buy a replacement part or two oh well big deal..I mean if your running on a budget (or college kid like me) with all money going towards loans lol but nothing wrong with seeing what people have on here..I mean most if not all the stuff sold on here is pretty well taken care of!! Just a thought though..even though I believe you said you were gonna pick up an aquatop

 

Oh I agree most in here are stand up hobbiests. If they have a filter for sale for a nice price I would certainly consider that a source as well.

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UPDATE: Was talking about my 7 year old Sunsun slowing down and the prime pump not working?
All it needed was a kink cut out of the intake hose and some silicone grease around the travel of the prime pump.
Like magic she is back to full speed and full power.
I should have checked my lines long ago and done a full service on the filter (o-ring lube etc) Which I had done NEVER.
So one deep service and we are flying the fish are confused by the newfound flow. Wonder what they will do with double the GPH when the big daddy gets here.
Short end, I stand by my backing of Sunsun branded and sub-branded filters, it wasn't their failing so much as my own lackadaisical maintenance.
7 years - now to infinity and beyond!

 

Very interesting. In looking thru the .pdf file for the AquaTOP Forza I can see they have made some improvements over the CF series that I have.
Much better routing of incoming water to help eliminate bypass.

 

That is interesting. I wonder if this then makes it more efficient?
Hey wait a minute. That 30 deg to 0 deg tilt on/vs off.....
Are they implying the UV switch is on an internal mercury switch now?
Just tilt to turn off/on?
NM. Mystery solved has a safety mercury switch for the UV that if the tilt goes over 30 deg shuts it off.
Maybe I will try that FZ13 UV once the prices drop a bit? Still too new for that lol.
I especially love that carry handle for service time.

 

So got my 304B not happy.
Larger tolerances by far than my 302 series.
has that side to side to slide slop anothers CF500 did but does NOT have the head to basket issue requiring spacers.
About 3x as noisy and vibration I can feel through the wood floor.
is this standard for these 304B/CF500 or did I get a bum one.
It doesn't feel sound like anything is wrong and its moving a ton of water but my 302s virtual silence spoiled me.
Was not expecting this. Thoughts?
I almost just want another 302 qand send this bucket back but it moves a ton of water and the fish are loving the current and it has UV.
Just not sure I can live with the buzzing.

 

Mine started out a bit loud too. So I lubricated the impaler with some Vaseline. It got quiet for a few days, then got even louder! So I tilted it in all directions to get rid off some trapped air and it helped a bit. But it was still a bit loud.

But after a couple weeks it just got quiet by itself and the flow improved even more.

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I pulled the impeller and lubed the shaft and magnet w silicone grease also where the blades touch the motor housing ... Much better now still like hums loudly but the impeller noise is gone.
I take that back it still chatters a bit but if yours got better maybe mine will too Could just be new filter syndrome lol

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I had the same thing happen with my brand new aqua clear HOB filters. It took them a week or two to get quiet.



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I'm thinking lack of yuck is why it's noisy......but none of my others were noisy. This thing is just buzzy and vibrations are present. Its not rattling mind you and it's not air. Its just compared to my other silent ones well it isn't. Its 60 db of humming buzz on the meter whereas the others are 40-44
But I can't hear them. It's a big difference what's your db

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It's normal sounding buzzing like a hum say like a ballast on a shop flourecent light going bad it's not a rattle but I don't like it and it high speed vibrates my wooden floor.

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back to the OP's original question,I really don't think you can go wrong with the filstar.The one drawback Is it doesn't come with a spraybar,though you can get one cheap on that online auction site.

I've been running an XP-S on a 45 for over a year with no issue,and just got an XP-M for my 55.Pretty convenient to unplug it,lift the lever,disconnect the hoses to remove it for cleaning.

 

@MtAnimals - not knowing much about Filster products, how would you rate the water flow valves (i.e., during maintenance do the valves leak? My Marineland C360 leaked pretty bad. My AquaTOP and Eheim do not leak even a drop). Once the bypass issue was noted and fixed on the AquaTOP filters, they now seem to be pretty good units.

 

I don't have any problem at all with leakage,unless I forget to turn it off before disconnecting....:surprise: