Posted: Sat May 30, 2009 1:53 pm
What I would recommend, if you can find one, is a Fluval 404. The extra filtration will be good, plus when you need to upgrade your tank, you won't need to upgrade your filter too. That being said, the 304 would be fine for your current tank.
The 304 and 404 are very similar, except in size and gph. The 404 is a bit taller, and puts out I think about 100 gph more.
Talking from experience with the 404, it should come with all the parts you need except for your filter media. It's pretty easy to maintain, although priming it (starting it up) can be a pain, but once it's up and running you don't need to do anything. The cost of maintenance is really just the cost of media, and then only the stuff you need to replace frequently (like carbon).
My only thought is be a little bit wary about it being new from kijiji. The newest generation of Fluval canisters (the 05 series) has been out for a few years, at least 3 years I'm thinking. That's not to say new 04 filters aren't still out there (especially in pet stores who bought a stock pile or something). Just make sure it looks and smells new.
One used to be able to find new 404s on ebay for about $80, but I think they've since sold out. I'm not sure what price range you're looking at for the 304, but the cheapest I could find was a 405 starting at about $88.
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