2nd hand Canister Filter is a no no if you want to safe trouble/problem....reason as below ;
1) 2nd hand (used) - you don't know is there any virus inside as it was used by pervious owner. He might have some viruse outbreak in his/her tank and therefore do a 100% clean up tank and decide not to use that External filter that he going to sell anymore.
2) You got to wash like hell if you buy 2nd hand, because all those piping,hose etc...and there are sure some part that you are unable to wash no matter how, therefore some unknown virus might be hidden there.
3) if it still in so call tip top condition and good, you think people will sell off at so cheap price meh?
4) when you buy 2nd hand, most of the time you need to buy extra stuff before u able to use the 2nd hand canister. etc hose that not long enough to suit your tank, valve might not be in tip top working condition (leaking), and of course the most important stuff , the O-ring. And sure with some missing part and manual.
5) No warranty.
6) Tray without any media. ( Got to buy and means extra cash out again)
7) Smelly (Sometime last owner last used, just wash with water and throw inside storeroom). Will you use your old Filter that you last use , wash with water without 100% wash to cleaness and use it again ?)
Waste of time if after you clean up, fixed it and end up it does not work.
9) The price of 2nd hand is just 1/2 the price of a new set (iam talking about Eheim, other brand of course very cheap like $30 - $40 for 2nd hand Dolphine, Atman, Jabao brand). Might as well safe abit more and buy a new set with warranty and confirm sure work set.
So good luck to bro/sis here who want to buy 2nd hand Canister filter...it might sound very cheap and good deal, but the only good deal is the seller that try to sold off his used and unwanted canister/stuff. Other you can safe , but as for Filteration stuff, it always better to buy new set rather then 2nd hand. Some might told you it in tip top condition,etc no leaking problem, upgrade of tank therefore got to upgrade to bigger canister, but for what i know, when a person try to sell off their stuff, they will give 1000 good reason to make you believed.
Good luck !!
Last edited by bossteck; 16th Sep 2009 at 17:17. Reason: spelling, sms lingo
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I don't see the problem of buying & selling 2nd hand filter, look at the marketplace. Lots of brothers out there are selling & buying 2nd filter, if the filter is not working or might have some damage. I sure you can bring it back to the seller & complain about it.
Doesn't mean you dislike 2nd hand stuffs and the rest of us have to followed.
Enough talking just my 2 cents.
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To be fair, I don't think psp1000 is insisting that everyone gets brand new filters.
- eric
QT practise for fishes is good
QT practise for Filter system is a must too if get from others' used source
Unless you got medication to back up if there is an outbreak
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I would like to agree with PSP1000.
I myself do buy 2nd hand stuff ( I am not from a wealthy family and also my monthly income does not qualify me to own any credit card as well ) and what PSP1000 have pointed out is what I have experienced as well. I presently have 3x 2026 and only 2 are 2nd hand. Of the 2 2nd hand filter, 1 is not in working order and I will use it as a spare part option. Newbie going into this hobby really has to do their research before committing their money into purchasing what they thought to be a good deal. Here are a few example-
1) Lightset- Depending on how long they've been used, do take note that the ballast would have been losing efficiency after prolong use. No matter what type of ballast it is, it is comparable when you take a used ballast and a new ballast.
2) Light bulb- A used light bulb would have a lower par reading compared to a brand new bulb. Might as well get a new bulb.
Just a few example to add at this moment. Not to say that you can't purchase them 2nd hand but you must be aware of the condition of electronic and electrical equipment in this hobby.
Hope this helps!
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sound like PSP1000 have personal bad experence with 2nd hand filter.
In my opinion, virus/bacteria can come from anywhere, maybe from plant, substrate, fauna or water, filter is just one of the possibilities. You do not need to wash it like hell, just soak it with Clorox will do.
Though I do agree that it might not worth buying 2nd hand china brand filter, it is already cheap, you can get ~1000l/h hour filter for about S$50.
Well i do have bad experience in 2nd hand filter, it just my suggestion to any newbie in this hobby as follow;
1) invest their hard earn money into bad condition 2nd hand stuff
2) Having bad experience for buying 2nd hand stuff and end up lost of this hobby of keeping fishes.
3) Everyone like to see their fishes and tank in tip top condition, but sometime by getting 2nd hand stuff (buy from those con 2nd hand dealer) and end up make yours fishes and tank a mass.
Maybe it will be good that instead of selling off urs 2nd hand stuff , do a exhange with other for other useful item with other bro/sis who share the same hobby. Well of cos sometime price might be a very big diff between yours item to their item, it always good that we exchange and if there a need, we do top up , then at least we spend less that way and still be able to clear what we don't use or buy wrong stuff end up never use. What we buy wrong which is unused or underuse, it might be someone else useful stuff and needs.
personally, i prefer to buy brand new electrical stuffs
usually only buy 2nd hand stuffs for non-electrical items
As per the post, the item involved here is a canister filter.
True, but it is not that difficult to solve. A thorough cleaning with a bit of bleach should clear everything.Originally Posted by psp1000
As above. Just run the filter with the solution and that should take care of all the parts the water comes in contact with.
That is why you should look carefully before you buy. Test it if you have too. As they say in every transaction, buyer beware!
Again you can use that to bargain down the price and use it towards the replacement. With research from the internet you can easily download the parts list and see what is missing.
Not necessarily, sometimes there are but usually these items cost a bit more.
I am not so sure that all canisters come with media. If you are particular and want things like biohome or ADA rio, you still got to buy it yourself. Plus if you are so afraid of viruses why do you want to reuse the media anyway.
Again you have the option NOT to buy.
Eh test before you buy?
Well, the beautiful part about the canisters is that the only moving part is the impeller. If you get the set cheap enough you can still replace the impeller and revitalise the power of the filter. Half price for a $300+ filter is quite a big sum of money still.
From your reasoning it seems to be very one sided and thought of after having a bad experience. Everyone I am sure would want to buy new, but not everyone has the budget. No matter how many thousand reasons the seller gives you, if you say no, the item is still not sold.
Last edited by cheetf; 13th Sep 2008 at 21:48.
bro i don't totally agree with you.
1-4 i somewhat agree, its a hassle to get pipes/fittings when they don't cater to our needs. plus pretty much people sell after decomm and by the time that is warranty halfway finish or so.
The other options is a VERY seller dependent question.
Not everything cater to our need in the very 1st place, (example media is not always included)
Some sellers some do honor a refund if it goes defective within a certain period of time (take not its NOT ALL sellers)
Its always a better option to get a new canister, IMHO its the needs and demands of the buyer and ONLY after weighing the pros and cons does one wish to buy a new or a 2nd handed one.
FYI: Brand new does not always mean it works 100% of the time, anyone who sells any type of equipment regardless if its for pet keeping to even down to your car products. (thats why warranty is there to portect the end user in the case of premature or DOA failure
For all the ones who think about buying a 2nd hand one for a fresh start. please weight the details and decide wisely. Best of luck with the next endeavor.
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"if he cant be bothered to take the time to write his question properly, why should I take the time to answer him."
Hmm, as your primary filter, I'd buy new. And get a eheim. If you want to play around and learn the internernals, buy a used eheim, bigger the better. I just did it.
I got a filter twice the size of my original. The downside I've replaced the main seal (It pump my floor full), and the impeller (Running hot and noisy), but qian hu has the parts, and now I can play with media, and get my water the way I want it.
I have huge water flow now, and a stable filter.
But you must be will to fiddle, and mess up. Eheim parts are not cheap.
I've also looked at other brands, but time you buy media, its the same price as eheim.
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