Eheim Or Fluval

[Megan]

Hi

I am after some advice. I need to replace my no name filter on my 4 foot tank. Could anyone please give me some help with which would be better. My tank is overstocked, but I cannot bear to part with any fishes, and do not have room for another tank. I wil be upsizing at some point in the future though. I have 5 clown loaches, 5 pakistani loaches, 6 chain loaches, 3 bronze corys, 7 rasboras and a few khuli loaches. The tank has been going for about 5 years with this load in it and no major problems. I have a rather large filter (no name) and do weekly / fortnightly water changes.

The tank is 240L (60 US Gal) I am after a filter that is bigger than I need, and easy to dismantle to clean. The one I have is easy to get apart, but it takes longer to get the baskets seated properly than it does to get the whole thing cleaned out.

The ones I am considering are:

(Eheim Professional 3 2073) http/www.thereefshop.com.au/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=10&products_id=1839

(Eheim Professional 3 2075) http/www.thereefshop.com.au/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=10


(Fluval G3 Canister Filter) http/www.thereefshop.com.au/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=10&products_id=1832

(Fluval FX5 Canister Filter) http/www.thereefshop.com.au/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=10&products_id=18


And then at a later date I will replace my powerhead with this fluval

(Eheim Pickup Filter 2008) http/www.livefish.com.au/accessories/eheim-pickup-filter-2008.html

Any help is greatly appreciated. I want to get something of good quality that will last for quite a while.

Sorry for the long post.

Megan

 

[markandhisfish]

eheims are without doubt the best quality filters on the market , well known for super reliability and longevity. instead of the pro3 take a look at the eheim classic 2217+ fantyastic filter , great flow . i run 2 on my 100g tank and theyare just fantastic. i wount use anything else .

http/www.warehouse-aquatics.co.uk/aquarium-filtration/external-filters/eheim-external-filters/classic-range/eheim-classic-2217-plus-external-filter-p-2898.html

 

[kiriyama]

I know they gat a bad wrap, but I run 2 Tetratec filters and have had no problems, you can pick up the 2400 version for £150 on Warehouse Aquatics, I'm sure that will handle your tank, and then some

 

[BIG BAD BARRY]

That website looks expensive!
Are those typical Australian prices?
I have an Eheim Pro 3e which i got for less £200 minus the media here in England.
It would cost more than double that in Australia!

 

[Uriel]

Both are fantastic filters. FX5 is highly rated in the hobby and has won a few awards and Eheims are generally accepted as top quality filters, that come with a top quality price tag. Personally i run all eheims and wouldn't have it any other way, but you will get others here who will swear by the FX5. So i think it's a bit of a matter of taste but neither is going to disapoint.

By my rough calculations the eheims are £250 on that site in aus dollars. Bearing in mind that eheim is a german company i don't think thats so bad.

 

[Megan]

Thanks for the reply Mark.

I only want to have 1 filter. Our power bill is already through the roof, so 1 big filter would be preferable to 2 smaller ones.

I need (and have) a good current in the tank now, so I want something that will push a fair amount of water. How much filter media does this filter hold? Does it have baskets for the media, or is it all just sitting in the canister?. Not a fan of having the carbon in there though. I already have those ceramic beads in my existing filter and would want to transfer them straight into the new one to avoid losing the bacteria.

Why not the pro 3? Is there something wrong with them. I did read some reviews that were not too kind, but they were from a fair while ago. Thought that they may have improved.

Megan

 

[Uriel]

The 2217+ is comparable to the pro 3 except without all the bells and whistles. The pro 3's are excellent but are double the price of the 2217+ in the uk. The flows are pretty comparable. 1000 l/h 2217+ 1350 l/h pro 3 600. Eheim filters are generally between 10-20w to run so are less than your average light bulb electricity wise. I believe marks 100g is running with oscars hence i suspect the extra filtration.

 

[markandhisfish]

The 2217+ is comparable to the pro 3 except without all the bells and whistles. The pro 3's are excellent but are double the price of the 2217+ in the uk. The flows are pretty comparable. 1000 l/h 2217+ 1350 l/h pro 3 600. Eheim filters are generally between 10-20w to run so are less than your average light bulb electricity wise. I believe marks 100g is running with oscars hence i suspect the extra filtration.

beat me to it . and spot on too the 2217 is perfect for your needs rated for tanks up to 600 litre . very good flow indeed i have both mine set at the water surface for surface aggitation and i still get enough of a current right down at the bottom so theres a nice circulation. the media just gos straight in the cannister with the 2217s and you can use pretty much any combiination you like . a lot cheaper than the pro3 too. doesnt have the fancy bells and whistles of the pro3 like uriel says , but if you ask me thats its strength . less things to go wrong coupled with eheims excellent quality and you have a filter that will last you for years and years . im the same as uriel i wont run anything else on my tank apart from eheim. after all your filter is your tanks "heart" if it stops your tank dies. why risk anything other than a product with a long proven track record of excellence. people get hung up on how expensive eheims are but thats the pro3 etc . the classics are no more expensive than most main competitors

 

[Megan]

Hi

Yes that was the cheapest I could find. I live in a regional town in Nth Qld and we only have 1 large LFS and they are about double that (online) price. Exchange rate is about $1AU = 60p (ish). The Eheim pro 3 comes with tubing and media when you buy it here. So I guess that is part of the $ difference.

The Tetratec looks a lot like the one I already have - but it is leaking and has never been easy to re-assemble after cleaning. It has rubber rings over the poles in the filter baskets. These have gone out of shape and no replacements can be sourced. Also the darn thing drained almost half of the water out of the tank when we had the cyclone and the power went out for 11 hours. All fish were fine, just flooded the room - have to replace some Ikea wall units and dry the large carpet mat. Thank goodness for tiled floors. Filter is now sitting in a large plastic container and just dripping a bit. Hopefully we don't lose power again before I get its replacement!

If I go with the 2217 and the internal 2008 (replacement later) that should give me the flow. Also I have my filter set up so water changes are really easy. I have installed taps that allow me to attach a hose and then pump outside, so the water is diverted from going back into the tank and instead goes out into my garden. Also wondering how easy it is to clean what it is like to prime after it is cleaned?

Think I will def go with an eheim, just a matter of which one.

Thanks for all hour help.

Megan

 

[BIG BAD BARRY]

Maintenance wise it doesnt appear to have baskets so if you used media rather than sponge then you would have to tip the stuff out.

Will be getting one in the future but personally prefer anything that helps reduce maintenance time and sometimes worth paying extra for.

Good luck on your choice!

 

[waterdrop]

Yes, trays and quick-release hose clip assemblies are one of those things where you just have to analyze yourself and your own patience and habits. If you have the time and patience for a some extra minutes to deal with these things then you probably gain a little more reliability from fewer things to fail.

In my own case I greatly appreciate the flexibility to cram in a filter clean when the family is making my schedule tight. I like being able to unclip from the aquarium, remove to the cleaning room and then quickly deal with whichever tray is my focus and then restart the whole system very quickly and get out the door to the next family event. That makes me more than willing to pay for convenience features on a filter and to tolerate a few more details that might fail some day.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[raptorrex]

oops

 

[raptorrex]

The 2217+ is comparable to the pro 3 except without all the bells and whistles.

you are joking, right? no offence mate but the name is the only "comparable" thing! its pump flow and capacity are, almost half that of the 2080. the PUMP flow of the 2217 is 1000lph, but the filter flow is 750lph. the 2080 pumps over 1700lph but the filter flow is 1300+.
its a problem is you only "selectively" read the specifications.
but 2 2217 may get the op started.

 

[Uriel]

Didn't selectively read the specifications there are multiple models of the pro 3. The 2080 being the largest. I was using the specs from the 2075 or 600 for wrong or right. The 2080 seems to run about £320 in the uk with media so no i wouldn't say it was comparable 2217+ which runs about £95. I think it was you that selectively read my post. I wasn't running an indepth analysis of eheim filters just giving the op a very basic comparison of a few eheim filters.

But if needs must

Eheim Classics

2217+
•Pump output 1000l/h

£95 with sponge media

Eheim Pro 3

2071/250

•Pump Output: 950 ltr
£118

2073/350

•Pump Output: 1050 ltr
£142

2075/600

•Pump Output: 1250 ltr
£173

2080

Pump Output: 1700 ltr
£255

Pro 3 prices are without media. Found the pump flow on the 600 listed as 1250 and 1350 but used 1250 here as these all came off same site.

 

[Kesaph]

Hi Megan,
This Aussie site is the cheapest that I've seen. I have recently bought most of what you need to start a tank from them. Delivery time to WA was a week, which isn't bad.
I bought the new AquaOne Nautilus 800 for my 100L tank but they do do bigger ones.

Nautilus 1100 ~$140
Nautilus 1400 ~$160
Nautilus 2700UVC ~$300 (massive overkill)

All media are included.