coldcazzie
Ice Queen
Ok, I thought it would be sensible to have real life tests of the external filters we all use, and to have them all posted in one thread so it's easy for people (both members and guests) to find if they are wondering what the filters will be like for them. This started as being just All Pond Solutions filters, as some people have really positive reviews of them and some people have really negative ones. However, it's now being opened up to any brand of filter as the usefulness is not limited to the APS range.
The main reason for these tests is that most manufacturers put the maximum output of the pump without media in, but fail to put the actual output once filled and connected to a tank. The real output will always be slower than the max because of the resistance provided by the media, frequency of cleaning, pipe width and head height. There are a couple who do give the filled output, I think Eheim, can't remember who else. As a rough guideline, you should half the output claimed, unless they give the filled output...herein lies the point of the thread: to find out what users real life experiences are of each filter's output, so anybody considering a new filter can see what they're like in the field.
If we all follow the same layout it'll be fairly easy to see what everyone's results are. Hopefully it'll yeild some helpful findings
The method I used was to measure the amount of water pumped out in 10 seconds, then x6 to get output per minute, then x60 to get output per hour. However, you can also time the amount of time it takes to pump a known volume of water, such as a 2L pop bottle, or an 8L bucket. The choice is yours.
Here's mine:
Filter
APS EF2000+
Maximum Pump Output
2000L per hour
Age at testing
less than 1 year
Media, from the bottom up as that's the direction of water flow
Tray 1: 2 filter foams and ceramic rings
Tray 2: ceramic rings and a few bioballs
Tray 3: bioballs
Tray 4: 4 filter foams
Test Results: Real Life Output (will edit with 2 more at a later time when I'm not swarmed by children!)
Test 1: 2.5 litres in 10 seconds = 15L per minute = 900L per hour
The main reason for these tests is that most manufacturers put the maximum output of the pump without media in, but fail to put the actual output once filled and connected to a tank. The real output will always be slower than the max because of the resistance provided by the media, frequency of cleaning, pipe width and head height. There are a couple who do give the filled output, I think Eheim, can't remember who else. As a rough guideline, you should half the output claimed, unless they give the filled output...herein lies the point of the thread: to find out what users real life experiences are of each filter's output, so anybody considering a new filter can see what they're like in the field.
If we all follow the same layout it'll be fairly easy to see what everyone's results are. Hopefully it'll yeild some helpful findings
The method I used was to measure the amount of water pumped out in 10 seconds, then x6 to get output per minute, then x60 to get output per hour. However, you can also time the amount of time it takes to pump a known volume of water, such as a 2L pop bottle, or an 8L bucket. The choice is yours.
Here's mine:
Filter
APS EF2000+
Maximum Pump Output
2000L per hour
Age at testing
less than 1 year
Media, from the bottom up as that's the direction of water flow
Tray 1: 2 filter foams and ceramic rings
Tray 2: ceramic rings and a few bioballs
Tray 3: bioballs
Tray 4: 4 filter foams
Test Results: Real Life Output (will edit with 2 more at a later time when I'm not swarmed by children!)
Test 1: 2.5 litres in 10 seconds = 15L per minute = 900L per hour
what are other people's views on this?
