# What's The Worst Filter You Have Ever Owned



## Sanjo Eel (Aug 21, 2008)

So I am just curious and bored here wondering what the worst filter of all time is. I have to say in my experience the Cascade 300 & 400 HOB were pretty bad. Loud, terrible flow and filtration, expensive inserts that were hard to reuse, and the 300 ended up leaking after about 8 months. Totally booty, I would never get another POS Cascade HOB.


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## davery08 (Mar 4, 2011)

TopFin HOB filters.. garbage.. i guess any type of walmart filter would be garbage


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## Guest (Sep 16, 2011)

Any of the more high tech filters, have an ehiem pro 3e suddenly decide to stop working then start working. Flimsy plastic parts annoy me the most, if I have to pull on something hard to remove it, I expect it not to crack and break off







.


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## XiDiS (Aug 27, 2011)

Yah topfin arent that great. You can modify them though. I am going to use mine for straight mechanical filtration and fill it with some filter floss.


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## Piranha_man (Jan 29, 2005)

Emperor 400.


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## RedneckR0nin (Nov 5, 2008)

The overflow was the hardest to master. Other than that I always bought great filters and canisters. Always did what they had to and never scrimped on them.


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## Ryan25 (May 11, 2011)

Aquatech... need I say more?


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## pygocentrus da 3rd (Jun 19, 2007)

A Eheim wet/dry cause it was 400 bucks was about as effective as a fluval canaster thats half the money


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## Bawb2u (May 27, 2004)

Emperor 280. Seriously underpowered.


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Nov 5, 2007)

All the filters I have bought have performed really well for me, but I did get a Top Fin filter with a used setup I bought a few years ago and it was pretty awful, think I only used it for about 2 weeks and then tossed it.


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## MPG (Mar 14, 2010)

AC70. Too loud and a pain to setup right. (air bubbles mostly)


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## Piranha Guru (Nov 24, 2005)

I haven't met a tetra filter that I like yet.

Most of the other filter issues that I have had ended up being more of a setup application issue. They may have sucked for what I was using them for, but ended up working well for another setup. Live and learn!


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## sick of chiclids (May 25, 2010)

Really only ever had two tanks and the first was an epic fail many years ago. On my current tank I've only used marineland, aquaclear, and eheim. Soooo… marineland sucks.


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## MFNRyan (Mar 27, 2011)

The sunsun one your suggested to me sanj easily the worse ever.. far less then what they claim the substrait stock they claim isn't enough for a 20g an the flow rate isn't hard enough for anything.. That filter is a disappointment.. I actually have had luck with my cascade bio flow HOB.. It's running my 36g bowfront seems to work great.. maybe I got lucky?? It keeps the bio load well has decent flow an is in my bedroom can't hear it running at all.. I just bought it a few months ago.. maybe the newer ones are a little better set up?


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## Sanjo Eel (Aug 21, 2008)

Sorry you didn't like the sunsun man, mine is running like a champ. It didn't come with media but there's plenty of room for whatever. I am planning on getting another LOL


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## MFNRyan (Mar 27, 2011)

Sanjo Eel said:


> Sorry you didn't like the sunsun man, mine is running like a champ. It didn't come with media but there's plenty of room for whatever. I am planning on getting another LOL


It does not cycle near as much water as advertised. 525gph I believe. I have only fluval bio cubes and the bio balls in mine too, so not much for restriction. Also does not seem to pick up much.. not much suction at the intake tube an not much garbage in the filter after one month. I bought two when I got it.. neither seem to be what was advertised. I'm not giving up on them yet.. maybe they will turn out better after established.. We will see.. but not to happy with it from the start. For the money though.. can't say it was a waste lol.. It's called aquatop now


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## Ja'eh (Jan 8, 2007)

Piranha_man said:


> Emperor 400.


I've found it to be way too noisy.


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## e46markus (Dec 9, 2010)

Any of the penguin filters, from my experience they're garbage but you get what you pay for.


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## primetime3wise (Sep 28, 2003)

canister filters seem to always spring a leak for me...to the point, now, that i am afraid of setting one up and coming home to water everywhere.


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## sick of chiclids (May 25, 2010)

primetime3wise said:


> canister filters seem to always spring a leak for me...to the point, now, that i am afraid of setting one up and coming home to water everywhere.


One word&#8230; eheim


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## ACrowe25 (Sep 23, 2011)

Sick are you recommending eheim or saying they leak? In the process of buying and don't want to buy a leaker







thanks


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## sick of chiclids (May 25, 2010)

Strongly recommend eheim!


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## asahin (Aug 25, 2006)

Eheim all the way....

You get what you pay for. Why do you think Honda and Toyota top car sales. Not b/c people like paying more for them over a domestic. PIECE OF MIND.


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## asahin (Aug 25, 2006)

My worst would be an older smaller AC. I can't remember which one, but I do remember it leaking was all over the floor. It was my first filter on my fist tank which was a 10 gallon many many years ago. But I came home and the floor was wet. Need I say more.

I do want to add that it could have easily been my fault do to some type of improper setup or lack of maintenance. All I know is everything was going fine for about 2 months and BAMMMM. Water water everywhere. The water was flowing out of the top, back of the filter. My wife still bugs me about it when I mention that I want another fish tank. LOL.

I was so mad I swore I would never buy or use another AC again. I replaced it with a penguin or emperor, can't remember which one but I do remember it never leaked.

AC is a good filter, and many swear by them. I am not saying they are bad or don't buy one, I just won't use one again. I like to consider myself a man of my word or very stubborn. LOL.


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