Eheim 2213

[lizard]

Couple questions on my Eheim 2213 (which I *love*):

1) How often should I take it apart and rinse off the media?

2) Is having white "stuff" growing on the inside of the tubes normal?

3) Where do I find these nifty tap-thingys I've been reading about and are they expensive?

4) Do I need to change some portion of my media whenever I clean the filter, or do I only need to change it when it gets worn out?

Guess that was more than a couple questions

Thanks!

Pamela
aka Married Lizard

 

[Tolak]

It depends on the size of the tank & the fish you keep.

#1 Canisters hold a lot of media. Frequency of cleaning is a lot less than hob filters. If it is going on the 29 in your profile, every 3 months should be fine. I let mine go longer, but I run multiple filters.

#2 Gunk on the inside of tubes is normal. If you see a large decrease in water flow, this is usually the cause. A long piece if string or wire, with a piece of cloth tied on the end cleans it right out.

#3 Eheim sells them. http/www.eheimparts.com/client/homepage.aspx

#4 You only need to change it when it wears out. The fine pads clog a little more often, the coarse ones & media seem to last forever.


Tolak

 

[konrad05]

Couple questions on my Eheim 2213 (which I *love*):

1) How often should I take it apart and rinse off the media?

2) Is having white "stuff" growing on the inside of the tubes normal?

3) Where do I find these nifty tap-thingys I've been reading about and are they expensive?

4) Do I need to change some portion of my media whenever I clean the filter, or do I only need to change it when it gets worn out?

Guess that was more than a couple questions

Thanks!

Pamela
aka Married Lizard

Lizard, I have the whole line of classic eheims, so I'll tell you from my experience that:

1. every 3-6 months if you don't have plants, every 2-3 weeks if you do.
2. algae on the inside of the tubes and filamentous algae is normal, I'm not sure about white stuff. But if white filaments fly out when you pinch the tubes, then it's normal.
3. Your eheim should come with the tap connectors, if it didn't, then prepare to spend big bucks on the connectors as I've seen them go to around $40 at my lfs
4. I run my coarse and fine filters under the tap water everytime to clean them out perfectly, I change them 1-2 times a year. You dont need to worry about bacteria with the chlorine since it's all over the substrate in the filter anyways.

By the way, if you haven't already done so, don't put the coarse filter pad at the bottom like they show in the picture, put all of the substrate first, then the coarse blue pad, then the white. I can't imagine cleaning the coarse filter pad by having to remove all the gravel everytime, so I switched it up. good luck!

 

[vantgE]

for question four, If you have carbon in your canister filter it should be replaced every three weeks I bought a hob mostly to run my carbon so i don't have to waste time doing that. Also rinse your filter medioa in dechlorinated watter what is said above is fine but without multiple filters you run the risk of haveing a minicycle,

 

[Lateral Line]

1) I tend to have 2 canisters on a tank. I clean one every 2-3 months, then the other 2-3 months after that one, so each filter probably only gets cleaned 2-3 times a year.

2) As Tolak. Tie a nail onto a piece of string and pull it through the hose with a magnet. Then tie a rag on it and pull through. I only do it if I feel the flow is obstructed - not every time.

3) They didn't come with taps when I bough tmine. I ordered them from a mail order house, can't remember which - was years ago.

4) I have some fine floss as the last stage which I replace each time.

 

[freddyk]

Here's my thing on canister filters.

Because they hold so much waste they can go a long time without cleaning, and a 6 month recommendation isn't uncommon. In the end, waste in the filter is still waste in the aquariums water. My monthly routine is excessive, for reasons, but more often makes sense to me - doesn't take very long.

Cheers!

 

[keane]

2) As Tolak. Tie a nail onto a piece of string and pull it through the hose with a magnet. Then tie a rag on it and pull through. I only do it if I feel the flow is obstructed - not every time.

what a great idea!!!

have been wondering for a while now how I could clean my tubes. Thought I would just have to go out and buy new. Now I know different .

(Shame there is no "Tip of the Month"!!!! )

steve

 

[vantgE]

You can also buy a brush on the end of a flexible handle for this purpose costs some $3

 

[lizard]

Thanks for all the responses! I did my tank clean today and also cleaned out the filter and hoses. That's the first time the filter has been cleaned since I got it, which was in December sometime, I think. There was some "stuff" in there, but a lot of it looked like it was dusty from the lava rock that's in there. I don't particularly like that lava rock stuff. I think I'll have to change the fine filter pads either next time I clean or the time after. Coarse one looks like it'll last nigh forever, as someone mentioned it would Filter did not come with the taps, but I got it second hand. I found them on the eheimparts.com site for $21.95 (or something like that). It says quantity of one, but I don't know if that's one set, or what. I'm not going to worry much aabout 'em right now, 'cause the filter doesn't come apart that often.

Konrad - are you suggesting an Eheim in a planted tank be cleaned more frequently because of plant matter getting in there, or for other reasons?

Thanks, again!

Pamela
aka Married Lizard