Resurrecting An Eheim 2213 After 4 Months Inactivity

[aturner]

I have an Eheim 2213 external filter pump that's been sat idle for 4 months and I want to start using it again. It has been sat full of water, if that makes any difference. Prior to being sat idle it was used for a few years without any intervention, other than a replacement impeller.

What do I need to do to prepare it ready for use again?

I plan on using it to replace the submerged sponge filter pump that came with my current 60l tank. The tank is well established and I presume I also need to transfer bacteria from the sponge of the present pump to the Eheim?

From reading here I believe I should run the two pumps simultaneously for a few weeks?

The plastic pipework on the Eheim has started to go brittle and needs replacing - any buying tips to keep costs down, please?

Thanks
Andrew

 

[Rooster]

Wash it out WELL, use tap water and/or sterilising fluid if its not been running on an aquarium... then rinse it to death with fresh tap water, same with the media... then rinse it well in old tank water, perhaps run it in a "closed loop" with a bucket of tank water.
Now you can just put your old sponge media in the canister - remove a little of the cannisters media if needs be, or top it up with new/rinsed media if its currently empty - no need to run both filters side by side.
Run it like this for a month or so, then you can remove the sponge - and top it up with new media.

 

[aturner]

Wash it out WELL, use tap water and/or sterilising fluid if its not been running on an aquarium... then rinse it to death with fresh tap water, same with the media... then rinse it well in old tank water, perhaps run it in a "closed loop" with a bucket of tank water.
Now you can just put your old sponge media in the canister - remove a little of the cannisters media if needs be, or top it up with new/rinsed media if its currently empty - no need to run both filters side by side.
Run it like this for a month or so, then you can remove the sponge - and top it up with new media.

Thanks Rooster, that was very helpful.

Can you give me an example of a type of sterilising fluid that you have in mind please? All that I can think of is the stuff folks use for babies feed bottles but I'm sure "sterilising fluid" crops up in lots of other places.

Many thanks
Andrew

 

[Rooster]

Thats the stuff... some folk might say its a bit of "overkill" and if you arent afraid of hard work, just take it apart and scrub ! but I like to be "belt and braces"

 

[Spinal]

A mild bleach batch might even help - but be absolutely sure to rinse it to death afterwards...

 

[nicklfire]

i vaughly remember when i setup my eheim there was a added greasing compound for the propellor shaft... i would get some of that stuff and lube it up !!!

 

[aturner]

Just a quick question before I tackle cleaning the filter...

My local fish shop sells media kits for around £25 and that's prompted me to wonder how (or when) media actually needs replacing, as opposed to cleaning.

Assuming that the media is physically intact and free from contamination, I'd assume that it should still be serviceable, right? Under what circumstances should I be handing over my £25 to the fish shop for a replacement kit?

Sorry, one other question...
I have the baby sterilising solution and I'm all ready to start that procedure tomorrow; is there any harm or gain in placing the solid media in boiling water to clean it for a while?

Thanks,
Andrew

 

[DarkEntity]

Ive never changed the media in my Eheims in the last 3 years. I just wash half if it every 6 months or so. You should only replace the media if its falling apart or not doing its job anymore imo

 

[aturner]

Firstly, a big 'thanks' to everyone for taking the time to help here.

I just need to confirm one last thing before the D-day that is the pump changeover...

How do I introduce bacteria from the "sponge filter" to the Eheim? Do I leave out a little of the Eheim's bottom media and replace it with the sponge for a while?

Thanks
Andrew

 

[OohFeeshy]

Media-wise, just stick the old stuff in the Eheim (when you set it up). If you're after more media, don't bother with expensive Eheim stuff. Mine's got plastic pot scrubbers (these http/www.wernersponds.com/scrubbies.jpg . Often used in pond filters. Dirt cheap, in Wilkinsons for instance) mainly, which have a large surface area. And a bit of filter floss for mechanical filtration.

For the tubing, have a look around the net for the cheapest price. You might be able to find a non-Eheim alternative (plastic tubing of the appropriate diameter) but it's a bit hit of miss.

 

[Rooster]

Firstly, a big 'thanks' to everyone for taking the time to help here.

I just need to confirm one last thing before the D-day that is the pump changeover...

How do I introduce bacteria from the "sponge filter" to the Eheim? Do I leave out a little of the Eheim's bottom media and replace it with the sponge for a while?

Thanks
Andrew

Yes, thats what I would do... perhaps fill the filter with some tank water and give the sponge a good squeezing in the cannister - will distribute a lot of bacteria quickly, then do as you say - for a month or so.

 

[aturner]

Media-wise, just stick the old stuff in the Eheim (when you set it up). If you're after more media, don't bother with expensive Eheim stuff. Mine's got plastic pot scrubbers (these [URL="http/www.wernersponds.com/scrubbies.jpg"]http/www.wernersponds.com/scrubbies.jpg[/URL] . Often used in pond filters. Dirt cheap, in Wilkinsons for instance) mainly, which have a large surface area. And a bit of filter floss for mechanical filtration.

For the tubing, have a look around the net for the cheapest price. You might be able to find a non-Eheim alternative (plastic tubing of the appropriate diameter) but it's a bit hit of miss.

That's a great tip about the media and I'll remember that for the future. As things turned out, my existing media was fine and remarkably clean. I took Rooster's advice and cleaned everything in baby bottle sterilising solution. That stuff smells like (and probably is) chlorine so I was obsessive about rinsing it thoroughly. After rinsing I'd guess I had it pump over 50 gallons of clean water before disassembling it to introduce the old pump's media.

In the end I bought Eheim tubing - the old stuff was marked with the Inside diameter and the Outside Diameter and buying the "right stuff" was easy and seemed a better bet for the long run. At £7.50 for 3m it was a bit of a shock though! Before anyone jumps in, I should say that my 'local' fish shop (I've recently discovered) *are* a bit pricey but they are always happy to give advice, even if it means they end up not selling you something, so I'm happy to support them and give them my business.

 

[aturner]

I'm pretty amazed at the results so far...

2 days in and the chlorine, nitrite and nitrate tests are at zero. When I introduced the pump both ammo' and 'rite levels were 1 stage above 'OK' on the colour chart.

For the past few months I've kindof been micromanaging the old sponge pump and watching the levels. Sometimes a few stray plant leaves would end up partly obscuring the feed to the pump's impeller causing flow problems that I wouldn't notice for a few days. In turn the ammo' and 'rite levels would start climbing. At the same time it appeared that the sponge had sagged slightly allowing water to partially circulate without filtration and i had to fit spacers below the sponge to push it up a little.

Moving forwards, I plan to test the water every day until a full week with the new pump is up. Assuming it's all OK I'll drop back to testing weekly prior to the regular 25% water changes - does that sound reasonable?