Best external old and new.

I think its easy enough to know the fx5 or fx6 are the top two best filters
but in your opinion whats the next best old or new ?
I have setup an Eheim classic canister filter 2260 its hugh but it pushes out 2400 L of water per hour.
The better one is the Eheim 2262 because its an special edition and it comes with extras.
I like to get top five filters so if anyone could add to my list it would be great.
Each tank will vary so i don't expect all the filters to be big power houses.

Irish-zx10r

I'll base my best filters on personal use.

For me the best bang for buck is the jbl1501. Nice and simple to use, all media included etc. Never had any problems.

I'm also waiting on a fluval g6 to try out. Shows the tds and temp in the tank and is supposedly really easy to clean.

I'd like to try an eheim 2080 just for the 2 inflows!

this could get very intresting looking forward to hearing what others have to say
fx6
fx5
eheim 2262
eheim 2260
eheim 2080

these are in no order but maybe i should have asked for each filter to go into categories
Best personal filter
best power filter for keeping a tank clean
best all round filter for value of money.

i use a number of different filters ranging from fluval 305 to fx5, a few eheim's tetratecs, a couple of unnamed knock off brands right down to the old box filters with media and airpump, they all work fine for me
i think it is down to using the right filter and media right for the right setup, I don't believe there is one filter a million times better than another, but there are filters better than others for particular setups
maybe post a question along the lines of what filter and media would be best with the following setup... tank xxxx stock xxx water change routine xxxx etc

Not sure if you are only referring to large filters but I've got a tetra tec ex 1200 plus a few months ago and I cannot fault it. It's huge a lil bit different to the older model and without the leaking problems. It also comes with a sponge for the intake. I'm assuming this is to protect fry.

If anyone wants to go in to more details it be great just try keep it simple so everyone can understand. I find reading all your comments very helpful so thanks for taking ths time and sharing your taught.

Ive had 2 eheim 2260 and cant realy fault them except they are hard to get started after a cleaning. Im using an old fx5 now in a 400l tank, its over 8 years old now and still works like new. the self bleeding feature on the fx5 is great. The build quality on the fx5 is better than the eheim. Ive had a hang on back filter and a couple of aqua one internals that were rubbish.

first external i had was a fluval 305 used to it on a 180 tank and did the job very well
next one up was the eheim 2026 had it for about 8 years and like paul said above it was occasionlly difficult to prime after a cleaning but other than that was a great filter
using a fx5 for the last 3 years and everything about it is good,
i know this topic is for externals but still use on occasion a old fluval 4+ internal filter (the rectangle shaped one) must be about 15 years old and never a bother on it

interesting topic for discussion james

I have 2 JBL e901s and they are very quiet. I think I breathe louder! They do the job well. If I had one complaint it'd be that I find the priming system tends to stick. I've used Eheim classics too and they're almost as quiet but harder to get going.

I'm with joemc in that I don't think any filtration system is entirely good or bad. Externals are very effective, convenient, low maintenance filters... but the bigger the tank, the more the cost of a good external skyrockets. And sometimes the lowly sponge filter is just as, if not more effective, depending on what you're keeping.

I'm on a DIY kick right now so in the next few weeks I'll probably have 3 out of 4 tanks running on overhead sump filters and the 4th running on sponge filters.

In all honesty it's difficult to compare externals of different sizes etc but to compare them within their size catagories on efficency/ functionality and ease of use sounds a bit more a propriety I supose. Like the fx5 would probably be the best of its size for obvious reasons whereas someone else mightn't have used 1 so think their jbl1501 or 1901 is better because their more affordable yeno...
Anyways I've used 1501 and found them good but not the build quality of the fx5 and without the self primer can be a pain for trapped air, also the fx5 re primes itself every so often which is handy.... don't they have the dump function too for water changes n that, sounds good to me...
I've used the Jbl e900 but as was pointed out before, besides trying to get it to prime okay the primer gets stuck and not too easy to fix... In saying that though it's a brill filter that I had going on up to a 240L tank without issues, savage range of media for it too so would still rate the filter well...
I also used 1 of the smaller eheim range that also brought dislikes. Didn't mind the valves on the pipes or to prime I had to suckling through the return pipe to get the syphon going but there were no separate media baskets which I found a pain... All in all though a great filter that done it's job well.

I only ever used one external the jbl e701 on a 120l tank and found it great and very quite. But sold it since and only use sponge filters in my tanks now run off one pump and to be honest i couldn't be happier. Although saying that i only keep 1 pair of fish in each tank so not as much waste to deal with as in a fully stocked tank.

Eric

stan wrote:

first external i had was a fluval 305 used to it on a 180 tank and did the job very well
next one up was the eheim 2026 had it for about 8 years and like paul said above it was occasionlly difficult to prime after a cleaning but other than that was a great filter
using a fx5 for the last 3 years and everything about it is good,
i know this topic is for externals but still use on occasion a old fluval 4+ internal filter (the rectangle shaped one) must be about 15 years old and never a bother on it

interesting topic for discussion james

Thanks Stan
I learnt more on this topic today than i learn in months of looking through Google
so please keep your comments coming all the info is great.
It dones not have to be just external if anyone has something to say about internal filters its ok just keep it simple.
I would sware by cascade internal filter i think there great but thats my opinion. others may vary

davey_c wrote:

In all honesty it's difficult to compare externals of different sizes etc but to compare them within their size catagories on efficency/ functionality and ease of use sounds a bit more a propriety I supose. Like the fx5 would probably be the best of its size for obvious reasons whereas someone else mightn't have used 1 so think their jbl1501 or 1901 is better because their more affordable yeno...
Anyways I've used 1501 and found them good but not the build quality of the fx5 and without the self primer can be a pain for trapped air, also the fx5 re primes itself every so often which is handy.... don't they have the dump function too for water changes n that, sounds good to me...
I've used the Jbl e900 but as was pointed out before, besides trying to get it to prime okay the primer gets stuck and not too easy to fix... In saying that though it's a brill filter that I had going on up to a 240L tank without issues, savage range of media for it too so would still rate the filter well...
I also used 1 of the smaller eheim range that also brought dislikes. Didn't mind the valves on the pipes or to prime I had to suckling through the return pipe to get the syphon going but there were no separate media baskets which I found a pain... All in all though a great filter that done it's job well.

Thanks davey_c
I dont mind how people reply your info and knowledge is great
There are filters i didn't know about untill the likes of yourself and others replyed
i see now there is some very good filters on the market so hopefully it make life a bit easyer if a bargain comes up
people will see it got a good review here and it might be worth buying.

paulv wrote:

Ive had 2 eheim 2260 and cant realy fault them except they are hard to get started after a cleaning. Im using an old fx5 now in a 400l tank, its over 8 years old now and still works like new. the self bleeding feature on the fx5 is great. The build quality on the fx5 is better than the eheim. Ive had a hang on back filter and a couple of aqua one internals that were rubbish.

where is the multi quote lol sorry about having to reply few times
Paulv are there many 2260 on the market ? they be good for projects down the line.

My first external was a jbl 900, it was excellent for me because it was cheaper than a fluval or eheim.

I had to replace it because the filter casing cracked on me. I have a fluval 206 now and I think it's a much better filter. Built better, quieter and more features like anti-drip when you remove the filter head... The adjustable flow can be beneficial too.

I Had the jbl a little over a year and the fluval for five months now.

irish-zx10r wrote:

paulv wrote:

Ive had 2 eheim 2260 and cant realy fault them except they are hard to get started after a cleaning. Im using an old fx5 now in a 400l tank, its over 8 years old now and still works like new. the self bleeding feature on the fx5 is great. The build quality on the fx5 is better than the eheim. Ive had a hang on back filter and a couple of aqua one internals that were rubbish.

where is the multi quote lol sorry about having to reply few times
Paulv are there many 2260 on the market ? they be good for projects down the line.

James from what I knowvthe 2260 is the biggest classic filter eheim do, competing with the fx5/fx6 andas such rearly shows up second hand. New they cost a small mmortgage. Better value with the new fx6. I think Ian in aquatic village does special deals on the fx6.

I think we all would have a fx6 if money was no object out of all the above filters what would be the better second hand filter I seen few fx5 going for the €100 mark is there better deals to be got. I haven't seen many comments on APS filters they are nightmare to clean with the baskets getting stuck but they are very cheap and good at doing there job.

I recently gave my aps filter away I think it was the ef 1000 with uv steralizer. It was annoying to start after maintenance and stressed me quite a bit when it needed a clean and I accidentally put a basket in the wrong way and could not get it out. My uv steralizer didn't work so the tank always had a brown hue off it.

I eventually had enough and switched to tetra tec ex 1200 plus (because I had the ex 700 version and love this filter) my water was crystal clear in a day. Don't ever see my self going with aps ever again but that's just my experience with them I'm sure others have had better luck.

Maybe sometime we could revive the reviews section (assuming it's still there) and even compare our experiences of certain filters or heaters etc that we use... I remember posting there before about a wormer I got in av before but haven't seen it being used much to be honest

If your lookin for an fx6 I'd ask Ian if he he still doing that online deal on them, has to be bought online though, but still for less than 250e AFAIK ye get a savage filter...