Eheim 2010 Or 2012 Filter?

[Ali-Jack]

Morning all,
Hope you're all well?
Im in the process of kitting out my 30"x15"x12" 88L (23G) tank and am now deciding on which filter to get!
After research i've decided on the Eheim Pickup Internal filter (don't have space for an external), but don't know if i should go for the 2010 or 2012! 2010 says up to 160L tank and 2012 says up to 200L.
Obviously, as my tank is only 88L the 2010 sounds better, but i don't want to have a seperate air pump so i'm thinking the 2012 would better oxygenate the tank. Am i right? Would the power of the 2012 be too much for a tank this size? Should i go 2010 or 2012 for my tank?
Any advice is greatly appreciated

 

[Davo86]

IME it is always best to go for the biggest filter that will fit that you can afford,

In this case the pickups are quite a basic filter that has plenty of room for media, yet only comes with one foam.
Therefore personally I usually recommend cutting the foam into 2-4 smaller foams and even replacing some of the sections with another type of media,
Once suitably filled with media the flow rate on the pickup is only going to be around 250-300lph which would be near the minimum flowrate you would want anyway for a tank of this size

 

[Essjay]

If you don't mind paying a bit more, look at Eheim's biopwer range. The smallest one, the 160 (2411) is designed for aquariums of 80 to 160 litres, the quoted flow being 180 - 550 l/h (and Eheim's quoted figures are reputed to be close to the true one with the media in place). The 160 had one coarse sponge, a basket of substrat pro and a fine sponge.
I have the 240 in my 125 litre tank (I like to overfilter!) and it's the best internal I've ever had.

 

[Ali-Jack]

Thanks for the replies Based on that then I'd lean towards the biopower. The research i've done seems to suggest Eheim filters are best. Do you think the 160 is more than ample for my 88L? Do you think i'd gain any upgrading to the 200? Would the 200 be too big for my tank?
Cheers

 

[Essjay]

My biopower is rated for 160 to 240 litres and it's in a 125 litre tank! So the 200 would be fine in yours. You can turn the flow rate down if you found the flow a bit too strong. The 200 would also future proof you if you ever upgrade to a bigger tank up to 150-ish litres. I also like the substrat pro as the main biomedium as it is so easy to borrow some when I need a quarantine tank.

 

[Ali-Jack]

Cheers Essjay. Two final questions As my tank is 15" high will the 200 fit ok? Also, the tank's gonna be planted so will i be ok with doing away with my air pump?
Thanks loads bud

 

[Essjay]

My 240 measures 13 inches/33cm from the bottom to the top of the dome, I've just measured it! If you look at pics of the filter you'll see the flow adjuster knob sticks up a bit further. So the 200, having a basket less than the 240, should fit fine if the water depth is at least 11 inches. The filter has no intake slits on the flat bottom, only on the sides of the bottom basket so it can go quite near the substrate.

As for plants, I don't know if they need an air pump or not, I'm not very good with plants. But the biopowers do have a venturi which creates some bubbles. I'm not allowed to use it as the bursting bubbles interfere with my husband's hifi listening!

 

[Ali-Jack]

Cheers Essjay, You're a star
My wife hates the noise of the air pump we have currently, so as long as it's quieter than that i'm on to a winner.
Thanks a tonne

 

[Davo86]

Air pumps aren't recommended in planted tanks as they take a lot of co2 out of the water, which the plants obviously require

 

[Ali-Jack]

Cheers Davo. That's the best news i've heard all day
Air pumps are a pain in the ar$e! They're noisy and look pretty rubbish too if you ask me.
Thanks again both for your replies

 

[nbhagwat]

Air pumps aren't recommended in planted tanks as they take a lot of co2 out of the water, which the plants obviously require

I did not get this! So, does it mean the co2 dissolved by plants is thrown out by bubbeling? I thought during bubbeling it would dissolve more co2 into water from air.

Thanks,
Narendra

 

[nbhagwat]

Any reply please?

 

[XAli1971]

Any reply please?

the bubbling reduces the availability of CO2 for plants to absorb/use by accelerating the gas exchange processes at the surface.

If you try to increase the CO2 concentration in the water (by liquid addition or with a pressurised bubbling system) an air pump will reduce/negate the effectiveness of your CO2 setup.