Canister Filter Recommendations

The AquaVogue Aqua One tank I have came with an 850 l/h rated canister filter that I can't help feeling is just that little bit under powered in the 170 litre aquarium as the flow around the tank has always been very modest and I absolutely cannot manage to get any significant surface agitation or ripples etc...  To be honest, I'm not that surprised that the filter in an all inclusive package would be only just adequate for the job...  The one good thing about the filter is that it's very easy to work with and to be fair, a second good point is that it's virtually silent...!!!

So, the search for a better quality canister filter that has a flow rate a little higher than 850 l/h is on...!!!  Within reason, I don't mind what the cost is if the quality is there...  Top of my wish-list at the moment is the Oase BioMaster Thermo 350 that has a claimed flow rate of 1100 l/h, which looks more like the sort of figure to suit the tank and the way it's set up etc... 

Trouble is, I'm finding that pretty much ALL the current canister filters seem to have cons alongside their pros and there are an alarming number of reviews that mention leakage etc...  Bit of a nightmare trying to sort the wheat from the chaff to be honest, so I'm hoping some of you guys n gals can throw a few suggestions forward for consideration... 

I use APS filters. Never had a problem with them and they're very easy (quick) to clean.

That's a couple of good recommendations there for consideration, thanks folks... 

Yeah, that looks & sounds like a more suitable candidate for the wish-list... 

The Eden & APS filters sound like terrific bargains, but I don't think they'd necessarily be an upgrade on the current Aqua One Ocellaris filter...  I still certainly appreciate the recommendations though, for sure...  The JBL would definitely be an upgrade though...

Which one did you get fcmf...? 

I must confess that I have considered adding a small internal filter as another option...  Ultimately, the Aqua One Ocellaris is doing ok really, and isn't faulty or leaky etc...  The prospects of an internal could be a good affordable way to help boost the current one... 

I still favour a new canister as a long term plan, but a high quality internal is definitely not ruled out...

I have had Eheim internals for years, both Aquaballs and Biopowers (which came out after I had the first aquaballs). Aquaballs contain sponges, with a small box for more sponge/carbon/floss/ceramic media, while Biopowers have sponges first and last in the direction of water flow with baskets of substrat pro (their equivalent of ceramic media) between the sponges. All have flow rate adjusters.

Yes, the pick-up had just one sponge as the medium. I've never had one myself but they do get good reviews https://forums.thinkfish.co.uk/tank-equipment-reviews/eheim-pick-up-filters/

What do you consider as "an upgrade" Pierre, more than 850lph or better build quality than the one you have? Or both?

Eheims have always been considered the 'Rolls Royce' of canister filters. But for me a good filter only needs to pump water and not leak. I used to favour Fluval, which were quite reliable. I also had some Eheims. The weak link for both of these was the canister clips, which tended to break over time. These days I prefer APS. They're simply made, which to me is a bonus because there's very little to go wrong, and I actually find the build quality to be very good. They probably use a bit more leccy than some but I'm ok with that. And the canisters are quite big relative to most other brands, which means you can get more media in them before the flow rate starts to drop drastically.

Just to throw something else into the mix here!... are you after more/better filtration or are you just after more flow surface agitation? If its the latter, would you consider a power head or wavemaker.  Your tank is quite well planted so I would imagine that you are not struggling for filtration capacity...

It is a dilemma, for sure...  First point to note is that I'm still very much a noob fish-keeper and more or less at the beginning of the learning curve... 

I definitely would like more flow and would like more surface agitation...  Not 100% sure that I "need" more filtration, other than for the business of being unable to gravel vac significant areas of the substrate, leading to a fair old bit of detritus and the consequent experimentation with the Seachem Pristine etc... 

I do have the APS Surface Skimmer filter, which is superb at what it does in fact and they are cheap as chips - but it's a bit too powerful from a flow point of view (350 l/h) and it's "fugly", as they say...  Because it's a bit vicious, I don't run it all the time - which in itself is bothersome as it means inconsistent flow for the tank inhabitants...

So, I'm basically trying to navigate my way through and find the best all round solution to cover these various interlinked problems...  The neatest solution would be the better canister filter, then the cheapest solution would be the small additional internal filter choice...  That would still be a little intrusive, being in the tank, but infinitely more affordable... 

I have considered wave makers, but they all tend to be a bit too powerful and start in that same ball park of flow as the surface skimmer...  I have found, on eBay, a 150 l/h submersible pump that looks ok and is really quite small and is cheap - giving another option, although that's a bit too similar to the existing surface skimmer in terms of how to boost flow but wouldn't contribute in the same surface clearing way as the skimmer... 

There doesn't appear to be an absolute "best" solution as such, so at the moment, all avenues are still potentially wide open...