new canister filter

hi guys im planning on getting a new canister filter for my 3 ft tank. at the moment it has a haliea
800 lt p/h thats on its way out. i was looking at the eheim classic 2213 which does 400 lt p/h.
it will turn the tank over about 3 times p/h.
i want only 1 filter on the tank and an use an airstone.would you buy the eheim for about $150
or buy a cheaper brand like aqua nova 1200lt for about $100 that would turn the tank over 9 times an hour?

Depends on several things...

How stocked is the tank? If the tank is well stocked then more l/h will be needed.

also the type of fish and plants, some fish need the water sparkling, others dont really care and plants act as big biological filters and fast growing ones can remove the need for much of the firltration.

In terms of filtration, the rule of thumb is minimum of 4x every hour is needed for a healthy aquarium. I personallyy believe that a target of 6-7 times is better and that is what i aim for.

So, i would suggest that the 2213 is too small, even tho it is a great filter Some of the cheeper brands are still very reliable and do well. My aquanova 1500l/h filter lasted about a year before the pump started to leak, could replace it for $50 but meh. I also have a proaqua 2200l/h with UV unit that i use on my growout tank and even tho i have had some issues with it, it is running perfectly now.

I would suggest something around the 1500l/h range would be fine as it will prob slow to about 800l/h with media and head.

thats what i thought more l/h is better but i have height restriction in my stand of 410 mm internal
once the taps are on it doesnt leave much room for removal for cleaning. tank is in lounge room so the filter cant be seen
stocking will probably be a trio of bn's or some L168 not sure yet. a few plants and small school of tetra's or something similar. so the bio
load isnt to big.
is it worth even considering the aqua nova pumps i know they are a bit cheaper for more l/h but long term is it worth it?