Favorite products

[mseguin]

I was thinking it would be helpful to all to get an idea of what fellow hobbyists favor in terms of aquarium products. So I've started a thread where you can post a list of your favorite aquarium products or equipment. Just a couple or rules:
1. No bashing other products. (i.e Eheims are great, Fluvals suck)
2. No criticizing other people's choices.
3. Only positive reviews. (I.e. no "I like Aquaclear, but I don't like such and such on the Penguins")
4. Not really a rule, more of a recommendation. Only mention products you have actually used. If (like me) you've never used a canister filter, don't post a recommedation based on what you've heard or read.
Don't know whether this will get any interest, but just thought it would help inform, especially for people looking to make a pruchase of a particular piece of equipment for the frist time. Feel free to add categories as needed. I'll give it a start. Obviously, usual disclaimer regarding opinions not being those of OVAS applies. :-)

Best HOB filter: Aquaclear

Best Internal filter: Fluval

Best Heater: Marineland (Aquarium Systems) Visi-therm submersible

Best Water Conditioner: Aquarium Pharmaceuticals

Best Tank Kits: Marineland

Best Flake Food: Tetra

Best Bottom Feeders pellets or wafers: Wardley

Best Frozen food: Hikari

Best Air pump: Hagen Elite

Tha'ts all I can think of right now

[PaleoFishGirl]

This is a great idea!  I don't swear by any particular products, but I would love to know what the rest of you use.

[az]

best frozen food: Mysis shrimp

best flake food: Wardley

[Aiglos]

Best HOB FILTER - Marineland Emp 400

Best Canister - Rena XP3  ( flow & cost & effectiveness; im sure ehiem is "technically" better)

Best Heater: Marineland Visi-therm submersible

Best Water Conditioner: Aquarium Pharmaceuticals

Best Tank Kits: Marineland

Best Bottom Feeders pellets or wafers: Hikari

Best Frozen food: Hikari

Best Pellets - Hikari

Overall I am very partial to Marineland and Hikari;  I would but there stuff any day as I have never had FEW problems with them;  I have 2 XP3's and I love them;  I have never owned another canister filter but until they let me down I will recommend them to anyone.

[BigDaddy]

Best HOB filter: Aquaclear

Best Internal filter: Eheim Aquaball (tons of media space)

Best Heater: Ebo-Jager submersible

Best Water Conditioner: Seachem Prime

Best Tank Kits: Marineland

Best Flake Food: Tetra Crisps

Best Frozen food: Hikari

Best Canister:  Love my Eheims

[kennyman]

Based on quallity vs price I prefer.

Favorite HOB: Marineland Emperor series
Favorite Flake: HBH Veggie
Favorite Canister: Rena XP's


As for the other stuff I havent found things I totaly happy with yet. Seeing what you all prefer will help guide me

[Mettle]

Best HOB filter: Aquaclear, bar none, for the ease of media and customization that's available. Only drawback is sometimes that lil' impeller needs a push. :lol:

Best Internal filter: Fluval Plus. I've only used this and sponge filters. But for effectiveness/flow that I was going for, this won out.

Best Heater: Fluval Tronic.

Best Water Conditioner: Laguna Water Prep. (Much more highly concentrated, does the same thing as AquaPlus and was on sale for 50% off. What more could you want?)

Best Tank Kits: I'm not a fan of kits, period, because I look for such specific things when I set up a tank. But I would say, bang-for-your-buck, best kit out there that I would buy is the Geosystems 80. Other than this I've only ever actually bought the Hagen 10 gallon kit.

Best Flake Food: Nutrafin Max.

Best Bottom Feeders Pellets or Wafers: Nutrafin Max & Basix.

Best Frozen food: Hikari

Best Air pump: I don't use any, oddly enough, so not applicable I suppose.

Gee. I look like a walking commercial for Hagen. :roll:

[Jim]

best HOB filter: Aquaclear

best heater: hagen tronic

best water contitioner: Aquarium pharmaceuticals

best flake food: anything tetra

best frozen food: HIKARI

Best bottom feeders pellets or wafers: wardly

[darkdep]

Great idea for this post, Matt!

Best HOB Filter:  Aquaclear (Not much competition here)

Best Heater:  Ebo Jager

Best Canister: Fluval 40x series (I've decided that given the price diff between these and Eheims, I like these better.  Also notice I say the 40x series, which means the 403 AND 404.  I'm torn as to which I would say I prefer.)

Best Cichlid Food:  New Life Spectrum Cichlid Formula

Best Juvie Food (Commercial): New Life Spectrum Grow Formula

Best Water Changing System:  Python No-Spill

Best Glass Tanks:  Hagen

Best Water Conditioner:  The Biggest, cheapest, bottle of POND conditioner you can find.  Right now that's a Laguna bottle for me.

For some other things, such as Lighting, plant ferts, and decoration, I vote for DIY every time.

[Julie]

Best HOB: aquaclear/next is penguin
Best Heater: my old tetra that just keeps on ticking
Best Flake:Omega One
Best pellets:Sera
Best tank:perfecto or oceanic(aka best backbreaker   )
Best frozen:hikari and robin beefheart

Julie

[henry]

Best Frozen food: Hikari

Best Bottom Feeders wafers:  Hikari

Best Flake: Tetra /anything with high spirulina

Best HOB filter: Aquaclear

Best external canister: Fluval (love them, but in fairness all I have owned)

Diatom Filtration: Vortex (only true diatom i guess?)

Best Water Conditioner: Seachem Prime (great value)

Best Med line: Aquarium Pharmaceuticals (Melifx is a great product)

[squeeker]

Best HOB filter: Aquaclear

Best Water Conditioner: Prime

Best food:  Homemade, it's pretty much all I use any more

Best Air pump: Hagen Elite

Best Canister:  Fluval series... I'd love to get my hands on an FX5, but I don't have that dough to spend ATM

[luvfishies]

HOB: Aquaclear
CANISTER: Jebo
HEATER: Tronic
DECHLOR: ChlorAm-X
INTERNAL FILTER: Hydor Sponge
AIR PUMP: Jet Stream (close second is PetCetera's line, believe it or not)
PLANT FERTS: Anything Seachem, notably Flourish Excel
MEDIA: AquaClear sponges, Biomax.
UTENSIL: Magnet glass cleaner, nylon scrubbie sponge,  long tongs for planting.

Can't comment on foods, because I use too many different kinds, and don't have access to many other kinds. I make a bit of my own foods, and also use reptile foods for the snails.