Which Eheim Do You Guys Reccomend

[danski]

ive been lookin around at filters lately and im ready to give cannister/external another shot since i never really liked my xp-1 for some reason. ive seen the ecco and others but id like to get the best, if there is one for planted. that is if its not a million dollars .
thanks

 

[danski]

i see an ecco on ebay for about 80usd..will this be a good filter?

 

[karlp]

Eco's are fine. Professional are better if you've got the money. The only ones I'd have reservations about for a planted tank are the wet and dry ones which are designed to oxygenate the water during the wet/dry cycle and could release carbon dioxide.

 

[George Farmer]

What size tank is it?

I've heard negative feedback regarding the Eheim Eccos, clogging etc.

The Eheim Pro series are well-respected but a little pricey for some.

The Fluval range are good in my experience (204) and reasonably priced (you can save 50% of RRP normally). There's the new 05 series now but its early to say how good they are.

There's a company that does Eheim clones, I think they used to be called Atman but have changed names to Aqua-One, I'm not certain though. A friend of mine has a heavily stocked Rift Valley Cichlid tank with two Eheim 2028 clones and he swears by them, reckons they're virtually identical but half the price.

Personally I'd go for the best I could afford. Filtration is something that shouldn't be scrimped on IMO.

 

[RYO]

If your set on an Eheim go for the classic or pro. The ecco's flow rate is pathetic. may i ask what you didnt like about the xp, i find my xp2 easier to use than my ecco and my fluval 204.

 

[danski]

well maybe i should give the fluval another run.i sure would like to try the eheim or the clone...for me the fluval really didnt seem to filter well...the tank never looked quite as clean..im running a 29 gal tank..besides the tank clarity i didnt much care for some of the connections on the xp-1b because they seemed to come apart rather easily,and my 2yr old is kida curious about my tank equiptment..i would hate to see her mess with the fittings and it pop off and pump tons of water onto the floor...does the eheim also have these type of fittings?thanks

 

[RYO]

my 2yr old is kida curious about my tank equipment..

Hehe ben there had that done
The Eheim tubes i have are 1 piece and pretty easy to use. I know what you mean with the Rena pipes but must admit Ive had no probs with mine.
My fluval was ok, only 1 small leak (my fault mind)i just hated the ribbed piping. Worked pretty well though.

 

[zig]

Eheim Classic 2213 would be the perfect size for this tank, im useing a 2215 on a 40 gallon and it does an excellent job, i dont have any media in the filter just the sponges it came with (double check what media comes with your filter some come with none, not even the sponges, it depends on the deal you get) the sponges in the classic line of filters are probably more effective than useing media as they dont allow any water bypass. I clean mine every 2 months and thats all i have to do, they are dead silent and have a reputation as the workhorses of the Eheim range of filters, they are just a really simple design so not a lot can go wrong with them. You really need double tap connectors (which would not be impossible for a child to turn off!) to make it easy to attach and remove the filter for cleaning.

I would keep away from the Eheim Eccos and i dont have any experience with the pro series of filters other than they are easier to prime than the classics, i dont think there is any real difference between them other than that and of course they cost more money, the Eheim thermofilters are very expensive and i have heard not great things about the heaters they come with, they seem to break down after a year or so.

The Classics are only harder to prime if you dont know how, so dont let that put you off, once you know how to prime them and have the double tap connectors they are really easy to use and operate, you could also at a later stage run either a DIY CO2 reactor or an inline heater from a 2213 and still have enough flow in a 29 gallon tank.

If it was me i would go with the 2213 but it depends on your budget i suppose, and some people just prefer the more stylish looking pro series.

 

[danski]

so is this the model zig? its around 75us dollars...cheaper than what i paid for my rena if this is it...
http/cgi.ebay.com/Eheim-2213-37-Classic-...1QQcmdZViewItem
p.s what are the connectors you mentioned?

 

[zig]

Yes thats the one, the connectors are in the picture beside the filter, they basically plumb into the filter hosing and allow you to remove the filter without having to remove everything else, the spraybar and intake can then detach from the filter and stay where they are in the tank without removeing them.

Heres a picture of them on THIS page

 

[danski]

WOW those things are 59.99 a pair ...i dont need any more than whats supplied do i? thanks

 

[zig]

Yeah thats a crazy price i saw that but didnt read it, i was only interested in the picture of the connectors, they dont cost that much normally they are about $10 a set, you need 2 sets one for inlet and one for the outlet so $20 total.......but from what i can see checking a couple of US based sites the 2213 has the connectors included so you dont need to buy anthing else but obviously check the deal you go for especially to see is the media included as well.

When i bought my 2215 the tap connectors and media, spraybar etc were included, it was all ready to go i didnt have to buy anything else for it.

 

[macgyver]

I recently go the eheim 2215 for my 35 gal and it has been an absolute dream, easy to install and maintain with the hoses and adaptors provided and my water has never been clearer. I am currently using a few sponges and the media that it came with ( they are like little clay rings and balls - excuse my bad description - I cant remember what they are called! )

I would highly recommend to anyone asking for one.

 

[danski]

thanks everyone..i will commence to giving my wife the googly eyes and see if i can get her to let me get the eheim classic,even though i just got a new aquaclear 20..i have a potential buyer for the xp-1 so i may be able to swing this..thanks for all the help..dan