Re: Canister Review -- or - Rinsing my Socks

["S. Hieber" <shieber at yahoo_com>]

Jared Weinberger pointed us to a review of canister filters
and said:

> . . . I question giving an 85% "Quality" rating to a
> filter (the Rena 
> XP) about which they say "One leading retailer told us:'A
> lot of our 
> customers complain of frequent clogging.' "

This doesn't fit my experience.  I haven't found that they
clog any faster than a comparably sized Eheim with similar
media.  The Eheim's, similarly sized, tend to have lower
flow rates than other brands, so they may tend to load up
more slowly than others.  

But, if a Rena canister is clogging quickly, I'll bet it's
the media and not the pump.  I usually fill them with lava
rock or ehfisubstrat, or reticulated urethane foam (the
common filter sponge material that comes in various
densities).  I don't use floss (polyesther batting) in any
canister except a thin layer in some cases.  The floss
tends to clog too quickly.  I toss out that
carbon/charcoal-loaded pad that comes with the filter --
planted tanks don't need it.  I also put a foam sock on the
intake -- it's a lot easier to rinse out the sock than to
the internal media.  The sock greatly prolongs time between
cleanings.  How often I (need to) rinse out my socks
depends on the tank -- some socks load up faster than
others.

Scott H.

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