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I am going to be getting a new filter sometime this summer (summer is my money season !) and i cannot decide what kind to get. My tank now is only 40 gallons but i will be getting a larger tank at some point (i'm thinking in the 75 gal range) and i would like the new filter to be adequate for the future setup. I currently have a fluval 205 that i love, even though it's only rated for a 40 gallon tank and i feed my turt in the tank, it keeps my water pristine, and i love how easy it is to maintain. Everybody seems to love the Rena Fil-stars, and they are definitely cheaper than a comparable Fluval MSF, but they seem like taking the hoses off for cleaning would be a big hassle. So i guess what i'm asking is, what do you guys think? Are there any other brands that i should be looking at? I want this to be the last filter i buy for a long while, so i want to make sure i'm buyng the best one for my needs. Thanks guys!

I'm a big rena Filstar fan. I've got an XP3. One of the nicest things about it is that it's so easy to maintain. I clean it every month or six weeks and it takes around 20 minutes each time. Just a couple of weeks ago I took the whole thing apart including hoses and gave it a good cleaning and then put the hoses back on. I was very pleasantly surprised to find that it was easy to re-attach the hoses.

What was hard was getting the hoses attached the first time. They are very stiff and strong and it's really hard to get them to go over the plastic parts, though not impossible. One of the other people on here talked to the Rena people and they suggested heating up the hoses in some warm water to make them easier to go on. After the hoses have been attached for the first time they streach out and it's not hard to re-attach them. I wouldn't let it stand in your way of getting filter. At worst, it's a one time hardship.

You could get a Fluval 405, and combine it with the 205 (one on each end of the tank). I've got a 404 and a 402 on each end of my 90 gal tank and they work very well, keeps the water nice and clean.

I have a 75 that I use an XP3 with. It works very well.

I'm an xp3 fan as well, although I've heard good things since the fluvals have been updated. I used to like my fluval until the handles broke...something I believe the newer models have corrected.

Thanks guys, that helps a lot. Anybody out there using a canister filter that isn't a rena or a fluval? I want to consider all my options.