Filter Spares

markandhisfish · Feb 7, 2009

just had a scare with my external. ( eheim pro2 2028) did my usual weekly water cahnge etc and this week filter was due for a clean so cleaned it all as usual put it back together then about an hour later notice a big puddle on the floor in front of tank. filoter was leaking thought seal was gone. turned out i just hadnt quite got the lid locked down properly.

this led me to thinking tho it would make sense to have an emergency kit of spares in case anything didd go.

so far im going to order a spare sealing gasket . what other parts are a good idea to have on standby just in case?

Honeythorn · Feb 7, 2009

I have an Eheim 2215 and when I first got it ( it came with the tank second hand ) , I decided to clean in just in case there was anything transmissable ect. When putting it back together however, I was drying the impellar shaft, and didn't realise it was ceramic :blush:

!!!! It snapped in half and I had a bit of a faff finding an LFS who could order me another. So when I did, I ordered 2 and now keep the other one spare in case it happens again.

I think it's a good idea to keep a kit of spare parts , espescially things such as seals, which are likely to deteriorate a little more quickly than other removeable parts.

I don't know if the impellar shaft in your eheim is also ceramic, but I would reccomend you get a spare if you are going to order things.

Basically if it can snap or break easily in your opinion, get a spare just in case.

WILDER · Feb 7, 2009

Impellar and a spare filter itself.

OldMan47 · Feb 7, 2009

My emergency kit is the HOT Magnum that I keep running, along with my main filter, on my 120 gallon tank. It stays cycled and helps out the main filter but can be easily moved to any other tank if the need arises. I also use 2 sponges ganged to a single power head in my 29 gallon Xiphophorus tank. I have spare power heads so I can remove one of the two sponges to another tank on a moment's notice. Those are big sponges that run on the fountain in my 150 gallon pond during warm weather.

markandhisfish · Feb 7, 2009

pretty sure my impellar shaft is metal. i will however order a gasket seal and impellar . as for the spare filter wilder i intend as soon as work picks up and im earning propper money again to upgrade to a 2080 at which point the 2028 will become my spare filter .

WILDER · Feb 7, 2009

I always have spare filters.
I just swap them around when one could do with a good clean.

jourdy288 · Feb 7, 2009

I keep extra media on hand, although I do have a couple spare parts. It's a wise course of action! One of my filters I built myself.

markandhisfish · Feb 7, 2009

jourdy288 said:
I keep extra media on hand, although I do have a couple spare parts. It's a wise course of action! One of my filters I built myself.

would be interested to see how you went about that with pics too if poss

jourdy288 · Feb 7, 2009

Here's a short video, it's very low-res, but you should get the idea:

http

/www.youtube.com/watch?v=d95LRd6vNII...93&index=10

markandhisfish · Feb 7, 2009

errrm nope sorry couldnt make head nor tail of that . how did you do it?

Tolak · Feb 7, 2009

The gasket & impeller are a good idea for spare parts. Old Man47 has the right idea with the Magnum, you can put most any media in there, including the media from a filter that needs parts.

A cheap way is a few large box filters & an air pump. Pull the media from the filter that needs work, fill the box filters, and keep the tank running until you get parts.

Inchworm · Feb 7, 2009

A cheap way is a few large box filters & an air pump. Pull the media from the filter that needs work, fill the box filters, and keep the tank running until you get parts.

Tolak got here before I did with this suggestion. A small air pump and box filter is always good to have on hand. If you have one. you can also use it with an airstone if you need additional oxygenation of the water, like when you have added medication to the tank.

For the members who are not familiar with this method, here are the basic items you would need:

In an emergency, of course, you would put your filter media into the box filter and only add floss if you needed to fill up the empty space so the water flowed smoothly through it.