Filters

[Mystil]

Hello Guys
I am thinking of getting an external filter to make more room for my tank in the future for more fish....

What are the best brands and also which one would be ideal for a Lido 120??

Bear in mind that I dont have alot of room where the tank is.

Also where can I get cheap floss medium for my filter for the time being?

Thanks
Liza

 

[Rooster]

Eheim gets my vote for ext. filters everytime.

As for floss, goto you local shop that sells material for dressmaking etc, and ask for "wadding" you get a hundred times more than at the LFS !!! It comes in different thicknesses, so have a feel and decide which you need... I use the thickest in my pond filter, and medium stuff in my external filter in the house. (We get ours at "Dunelm")

 

[SJ2K]

Eheim or Tetratec for a relyable external filter.

Id also go with the material shop, i get mine (thickest available) at around £3/4 per square metre, which is about the same price as a few small squares of official aquarium filter floss

 

[Mystil]

Brilliant!

Now I just have to try to get to a local dress makers!!! and see what make of filter is going to be okay for my sized tank..

 

[aibo210]

Id go for tetra I have one on a juwel rio 125 it fits perfect as the inlet pipes have a flat angle on them so they dont kick up the lid and you dont have to hack your tank!

 

[emmsy]

I am a fluval fan myself

Emma TB

 

[adamgreen240]

Id go for tetra I have one on a juwel rio 125 it fits perfect as the inlet pipes have a flat angle on them so they dont kick up the lid and you dont have to hack your tank!

i agree with the tetratec option , and go for the ex700

 

[tigermoth2]

Having just invested in an Eheim, guess where my vote goes!
The combination of Eheim with UV seems to be doing it for me.
Bob

 

[Cory_Dad]

I have both an Eheim 2213 Classic and a Rena XP3.

E + quiet
+ well built
+ snug fitting filter media

- cheap in-tank intake/outlet fittings
- expensive-ish
- installation booklet geared to engineers who've already set up the filter at least twice

R + fantastic easy to use basket system
+ great easy to use fittings
+ relatively quiet
+ easy to understand and comprehensive installation booklet

- the basket system CAN allow more bypass than other filters when media gets loaded with gunk
- a bit noisy
- not the cheapest filter (but cheaper than Eheim)

I looked at the Fluval but was NOT impressed. The cheapness of the hoses alone turned be off.

All of the above opinions are my own and I'm sticking to them until I no longer believe them.

Cheers.

 

[rabbut]

I have used Ehiem, Fluval, Rena and my mew toy a Tetratec Exturnal. My vote is with the Tetratec. The others are all glamorised buckets in comparison the the Tetratec, but the Ehiem are renound for running and running, though not for long in my case Ehiem caursed me no end of trouble, the Renas are high media bypass IME and Fluval have a reputation for being unreliabe despite being fine for me Tetratec haven't been arround long enough to judge long-term reliability, but if it is a good as the build quality, UI'd say Ehiem are about to recive some serious compertition in the next few years And about time too IMO, I think they overprice their equipment personaly, relying of their reputation to shift it

HTH
Rabbut

 

[T1KARMANN]

eheim are the BEST dont let anyone tell you anything diffrent

tetra make fish foods and they are new to the filter market how can anyone say they are any good they had problems with the taps when they 1st came out and that wasnt that long ago

 

[rabbut]

Admittedly, Tetra haven't been out long, I'll give you that T1KARMANN, but their customer services sound to have got on top of that You will find a very strong backing for Ehiem on here, and I am one of a supposidly select few to experience issues with their filters, hence my dislike of them. Just find it strange that both the origional and replacement developed a fault within a few days, and customer service was dissapointing with the lenght of time it took to arrange a replacement. I don't want to go there again, so will be avoiding them, but each to their own.... Most will tell you that if an Ehiem filter makes it past the first few weeks, it will run and run. Tetratec's reliability long-term is yet to be proven in the exturnal filter market, due to them being relatively new to the market, but if they are as good as their other gear, I don't see there being any more issues after the teeting one with the taps. The three year warrenty breaths confidence into most of their owners.
I'm not sure what Ehiem offer in teams of warrenty, but I don't recall it being 3 years. Didn't Ehiem have a few issues with the priming handel on the ecco range when they came out?

All the best
Rabbut

 

[T1KARMANN]

why would a filter that is any good need customer service

the thread starter asked for the best filter which with the track record of eheim their is no better

if after 30yrs tetra are still making problem free filters then they also may have a great rep like eheim

the only good thing about the tetra filters right now is they are cheap and they have good customer service both great things when buying the most important bit of kit you will ever buy for your tank

eheim are not used to getting problems and if you got the eheim from a shop then you shouldnt have had any problems sorting it out

if you got the eheim from the net well theirs your problem right their i find it best to buy from a shop then if you do ever get any problems you can take it right back and get it sorted the same day not have to post it off and wait for one to be posted back like i said a filter is the most important bit of kit on your tank you dont want to wait a week for it in the post

if it was a classic eheim you had problems with well for me that desighn is old hat i wouldnt bother buying one of them all the pro eheim are 2nd to none

 

[rabbut]

I like the old Clasic designs, less to go wrong Though I vaguley remember them not having any media baskets May be wrong there though I wouldn't bother with the Eccos, as these were the ones I had issues with. There are loads of features build into the new Ehiems, but that makes me question how that will affect the reliability. Ehiem are noted for their pumps, as those were the first product that it produced, I don't think they are noted for electronics . Mebe I'm just being an old fart, but I think that adding those features may well put the reputation of Ehiem as being good long-term in jepordy as they are adding complication and thus extra things to fail Just my look on it though

I would stick to the classics if I had to buy an Ehiem again, untill the new versions have proven that those electronics are good long-term The classics are a proven design that run and run and are probibly the products that gave Ehiem their name, but I'm new to exturnal filters so I don't know how their product line has changed over the years.

All the best
Rabbut

 

[T1KARMANN]

which lot of fetures are you refuring to

pro 1 i think they added the double taps in the head
pro 2 they added a prime buttom
pro 3 2080 nothing added apart for an extra intake pipe
pro3e 2078/76 both new on the market but its not rocket science to add something to add and reduce power to the head

the eheim classics are a pain to get closed sometimes with the sealing ring no always sitting flush and water all over the place great filter 20yrs ago but things have moved on

the ecco and aquaball are rubbish i dont know why eheim made this kind of budget filter well i do know why they were for people who didnt want to pay for the best

as stated you cant beat ANY of the pro eheims