Canister vs Power filter's?

Hey all,
Right now I am running a AquaClear 70 power filter on my 40 gallon reef tank, and have been thinking of getting a canister filter to replace it. Reasons vary, but mostly due to my desire to *hide* some of the equipment hanging off the back of the tank. Would a canister filter out-perform my filter by much? Do you think it's a worth-while investment?
Also, my stand is kinda weird, so I only have 10 1/2" in width to work with (this doesnt allow me to run a sump/fuge, which has had me thinking about upgrading the mechanical filtration for a while), so if you could recommend a brand/model that will fit my measurement restraints that would be great.
TIA all

 

i like HOB's b/c i can put stuff like carbon or whot-not in them. never had experiance with a canister filter before so im not much help

 

From what Ive read most canister's have trays that you could put just about anything into - including carbon. Worst case I could put the carbon in the filtering chamber of my skimmer (it has its own media chamber before the return).
I love my carbon as well;D

 

I have a marineland C series canister on my freshwater and my 29 gallon QT SW tank and prefer them over power filters because of the increased space for media, there is a total of 4 trays, the bottom is a pre-filter sponge, then I have carbon, and then ceramic rings in tray 3 and 4.

 

Yeah, but with only say a 5-10 gallon or so increase would it even be worth it?

 

Hell yes. I have a 38g with a 10g sump/fuge combo that I built myself from a 10g tank I had sitting around. I would go for either a refugium or a combo sump/fuge. It's not about the amount of water volume you are adding, it's about adding macroalgae to remove nitrates and phosphates. Trust me, once you have one you'll never run a tank without one ever again.

 

It would have to be just a sump though, as my stand wouldnt allow much room for anything (a standard 10 gallon tank wouldnt even come close to fitting), I dont see how I could build a effective sump/fuge. It has to be tall and skinny.
The CPR thing seems ok, but the fact that I already have all of the equipment that it comes with and that it only adds 4 gallons, all for $400, is a turn-off. Seems like in my situation a decent canister filter would be more effective?
What I really wanted to do was build a new stand, and get rid of this useless one I have now, and do like a 20 gallon fuge/sump, but my girlfriend "loves the stand its on" , so I'm not going to be able to do that anytime soon

 

I'm confuse as to why people use filter like the canister. I've seen some systems for sale that have a wet/dry and canister.
If you have proper live rock and a protein skimmer do you even need a filter?