spoot
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Posts: 149
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Post by spoot on Jun 3, 2012 7:11:21 GMT -6
www.truaqua.com/aquatop-canister-filter-cf-400uv.htmlAnyone have any experience with these? I'm considering trying one out to supplement my Magnum 350. If they work out, may even replace the decade old Magnum seeing as how it's seen it's better days. Other option is to run 2 Eheim 2213s. I have one already but a new 2213 is going to be roughly the same price as this gem for less flow, less filtration media, and no UV. Well, mostly the flow and filtration. I'm not 100% sold on UV, though I hear it will help with ich and is good for algae blooms... Price seems reasonable. Reviews seem good, but not many follow up reviews just initial point of purchase. The only negatives I'm reading are the spray bar and intake tubes are cheap plastic. Since these aren't exactly critical pieces and could even be replaced with DIY builds I don't see that as a huge flaw. Other folks seems to be against them since they aren't Eheims. I dunno, I buy what seems to give bang for buck. UV Sterilization, Realistically probably 300-325GPH, Easy Priming, Quick Disconnects, and Roughly 2 Gallons of Media Storage seems pretty damn spiffy for ~$100 bucks.
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Post by ree123 on Jun 3, 2012 7:26:47 GMT -6
I run an Ehiem 2217, and am not familiar with this particular product.
I would think some questions you need to research are...
*Can you buy replacement parts when needed ?
*How long has this company been around and can you expect them to continue to be avail for you ?
*What is the interior size of the media section in comparrison with other cannisters of similiar size and price ?
*Can you expect the UV portion of the filter to last a year like most bulbs do or is this a cheaper model, thus the element will have to be replaced sooner, making this a more expensive unit over the long life use of it ?
I am sure there must be reviews of this filter on the I.N. , and I would suggest you read some more before investing $100 to be sure this is indeed a good buy.
I hope you will share your knowledge with us here as you gain it and do further research.
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Post by plecoman on Jun 3, 2012 7:54:51 GMT -6
Aquatop's are suppose to be great working filters from what I'm hearing. They are fairly new on the market. Someone on this forum bought one several months ago and said that it was working great. What I like about them is that you have a switch where you can turn the uv sterilizer on and off as needed. I would think that the bulb would last a lot more than a year, that is if you don't run it all the time. I was going to buy one a few months ago myself, but "The Fish Hub" had ran out of stock and it took them too long to re-stock. It was Thorace that bought the Aquatop filter. I would suggest sending him a pm and ask him if he still likes it. Here's a link to that thread. www.musiccitycichlids.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=tanks&action=display&thread=3058 |
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spoot
FORUM PARTICIPANT
Posts: 149
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Post by spoot on Jun 3, 2012 8:14:13 GMT -6
Yea, all the parts are on the truaqua site.
Most of the reviews I've read go back a year or so. Seems like the filters were being sold on Ebay under the SunSun brand before TruAqua started rebranding them? I dunno, there is some confusion to that part.
On reselllerratings.com they have a 9.36/10 rating over the course of a year (http://www.resellerratings.com/store/TruAqua), and the products are getting good reviews on sites like Amazon as well. The downfalls always seem to be the same, cheap plastic on intake/output and people not pay attention and getting leaks (not sealing properly, not closing the valves before disconnecting, etc).
Well just looking at the flow rate comparisons:
Magnum 350, rated at 350GPH roughly $120ish
Eheim 2215, rated at 164GPH roughly $100ish
CF400UV, rated at 370GPH roughly $100ish
GPH though is really shady. Most companies other than Eheim rate the flow with no media. Eheim rates it with media, but I normally subtract 20% or so from rated flow. So I would wager the Magnum is closer to 275~, the CF400 would be 295~, and the Eheim I'll leave at 164 since that's with media.
I can't find comparison in terms of how much actual media each one holds. I know with my Magnum 350, it holds about a "Fist" sized bunch of ceramic rings in the media basket and the blue mesh wraps around that. The only Eheim I have is the 2213 which has actually more media with less mesh than my magnum, and from the videos I've seen on this, it has more than both of them.
This I don't know. Of course the company states it will last for a while, but I can't find much of a follow up on it from users. TBH the UV is just a kicker. I could actually see me going for their model w/out UV and saving $20. It is only rated at 265GPH so that's what... 140% flow for $20? I'm game.
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spoot
FORUM PARTICIPANT
Posts: 149
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Post by spoot on Jun 3, 2012 8:22:53 GMT -6
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Post by ree123 on Jun 3, 2012 9:56:45 GMT -6
Nice review. Thank you.
Let us know if you buy this and how it works for you please.
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Post by rickl on Jun 4, 2012 9:10:07 GMT -6
At $100, the 2215 would be a better comparison than the 2213. IMHO media volume matters alot more than flow for a canister. Beyond that it's a question of convenience, ease of cleaning, noise level, etc etc. Classic Eheim's are known for being rock solid, silent, and a PITA to clean. In my mind, canisters are best at providing superb biological filtration. High flow rate assists mechanical filtration, but doesn't necesarily help biological filtration. Looking forward to hearing more about this TruAqua, since while I value silence, I also value my $  . -Rick (the armchair aquarist, with a rather limited hobby budget and too many hobbies to spend that limited budget on) |
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Post by tradewatertropical on Jun 4, 2012 9:29:06 GMT -6
I did see these filter selling on ebay and was wondering about them myself ?? Most of the reviews I have read seem to like them so far and not a bad price either !!
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Post by thorace on Jun 4, 2012 20:14:51 GMT -6
I got back to yo spoot....also forgot to mention that it is really quiet also.
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Post by plecoman on Jun 4, 2012 22:47:28 GMT -6
Hey thorace, other than quiet, are you satisfied with the filter? I'm still thinking about getting one. I love the idea of have a UV sterilizer built into my canister filter, that I can turn on and off as needed.
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