Some thoughts on buying a canister filter

[Ovidiu]

Hello everyone,

after my noisy experience with the new JBL e1901 i decided to send it back for a refund. Now i have to decide on which filter would be most appropiate for my 120 liters heavy planted low tech. I have always been a fan of Jbl filters and used them for many years, actually i only used Jbl filters but i would like to buy something different now and see how it works out. I am looking for a good quality and silent canister filter with lots of space for biological filtration. After some research i have come up with 2 brands and it would be really good to discuss here before i buy.

The 2 brands in front of me right now are Eheim and Hydor.

I know Eheim is a very good filter overall but from what i ve read on the internet the owner of the company died and his son has taken over the business and has moved the manufacturing in China (designed in Germany, built in China). They had numerous warranty issues with the newer models that eventually leaked. I am not sure what to think about this or if it is true information but it is eneough to make me question whether to go ahead and buy or not.

The Hydor on the other hand is a very capable filter with much more room for biological filtration. At 170 euros (the same as Eheim Pro+4 350) the hydor pro 600 has a filtration volume of 12 liters which is really good compared to 7 liters of the Eheim and @1000 lph when fully loaded with media. The only downside i see with the hydor is that the maintenance is a little bit tricky but i wouldn't mind.

My aquarium is 100 cm long and has already a jbl e901 connected and i will keep it running just in case.

Honestly my heart is pushing me for the Hydor because of the monster volume and the flow that i think is perfect for this tank.

Are there any other big differences between the two brands?
Can any of the filters work in the same room i sleep? (i am not sensitive to sound and the previous jbl e1501 was dead silent for my ears)
Do you have any other opinions or advices about these brands?

 

[CaptainC]

My 1901 was noisy, was....
Proper priming and sitting it on some filter foam turned it into one of the quietest I've had.
Think with the wheels on the bottom and a large canister it "rattles" bit sitting on foam it's quiet.
Also sometimes the internal baskets are awkward to seat so ensuring they are perfectly seated improves things too.
All in all, added together, the above issues make it seem noisy/faulty but try them, worked for me.

 

[Ovidiu]

So i found a german site where they sell the Hydor Pro 600 for 133 eur with shippment incl. At this price this filter is definetely going to live in my house.

@CaptainC
Thanks for your answer. I think that the problem with the 1901 was from the bad pump because you could hear it from outside the room with the door closed and believe me i checked at least 5 times the baskets, rotor and everything was perfectly aligned from the start. Was a bit of bad luck probably but the good side is that i get to try a new solid filter, much cheaper, much better energy consumption, and with a flow bit lower that fits perfectly in my tank. That 1901 was a bit too much for my 120 liter. Cheers!