External Filter Tests

[Jinkz]

Oh nice one, you saved me a job mate

I'm guessing from that comment, Jinkz, that you have an ex1200 too? If so, could you test it anyway please? This thread will only be useful if several of the same filters are posted up so we can see how much they vary minnnt actually has 3 of these and will be posting the others up soon (I hope! ), so if you could do yours as well it'd be really helpful!

Would love to oblige Cazzie but I'm only after stripping and cleaning it recently so I won't be touching it again for a while

 

[Tizer]

What a sport you are Im still not doing mine!

You know you don't have to move them, right? Just drain some water, stick a bucket under the outlet and time it...

Yeah, too much hastle, might even interupt my viewing of Eastenders.

 

[coldcazzie]

Oh nice one, you saved me a job mate

I'm guessing from that comment, Jinkz, that you have an ex1200 too? If so, could you test it anyway please? This thread will only be useful if several of the same filters are posted up so we can see how much they vary minnnt actually has 3 of these and will be posting the others up soon (I hope! ), so if you could do yours as well it'd be really helpful!

Would love to oblige Cazzie but I'm only after stripping and cleaning it recently so I won't be touching it again for a while

It's ok, there's no rush! Thread will be here for a while. Next time you clean it...

What a sport you are Im still not doing mine!

You know you don't have to move them, right? Just drain some water, stick a bucket under the outlet and time it...

Yeah, too much hastle, might even interupt my viewing of Eastenders.

lazy bones!

 

[Tizer]

i nearly flooded the room fitting my inline diffuser last night, im not touching my filters for another month!!

 

[minnnt]

Lol, think I will test the others tonight.

 

[coldcazzie]

i nearly flooded the room fitting my inline diffuser last night, im not touching my filters for another month!!

hahahahaha plank!

 

[fleeing]

Just tested a not very new Eheim Pro2 2026.

Official (gu)estimate 950 liter per hour

Two filter trays with Eheim Mech and SubstratPro, a rough filter sponge between and a fine filter pad on top.

Actual turnover: 760 liter per hour.

Well there goes the theory about Eheim actually testing their pumps capacity with filter media in place.
Although this pump is far from new, the pipes are squeaky clean although I haven't checked the state of the rotor yet.
Maybe the rumour about Eheim and their accurate capacity claims only applies to newer pumps?

 

[minnnt]

Great info! Makes for interesting discussion!

Care to test it without media?

 

[fleeing]

aaaagh! just finished the weekly water change ritual....damp kitchen floor and all.

I'll try without filter media in a week (or two).

 

[StandbySetting]

Do remember that while they test with media in position that media will be new, not used, and the pipe length will vary, the height the filter has to pump the water plays a pretty large role too.

 

[nicolaisam]

Filter
Aqua One aquis 2450 UV-C

Maximum Pump Output
1500 per hour
quoted Operating flow rate 1100 l/hr at 120cm

Age at testing
new

Media, from the top down as that's the direction of water flow
Tray 1: sponge & bionoodles with 1lt eheim bio
Tray 2: sponge & Ceramisub
Tray 3: sponge & ceramisub
Tray 4:sponge & wool

Test Results: Real Life Output
Test 1: 7 litres in 20 seconds = 21L per minute = 1260L per hour

I am impressed with that.Pumping height 80cm from top of filter

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

the height the filter has to pump the water plays a pretty large role too.

I could not resist tinkering with route and positioning of the in/out pipes of my FX5 the other day. For months, I've had both pipes running over the top of the wooden border/bevel of my 5-footer, resulting in the pipes being upto 25cm above the water line. Initially I just routed the outpipe through a gap in the bevel, but then I juggled things so the inpipe could go through the same gap, reducing the maximum height above the water level to easily less than 10cm... The flow is now so much more visibly quicker, even to my Synodontis brichardi catfish, who has now changed his/her daytime roost to be in the line of fire of this stronger current!

Consequently, I'm now thinking of ways to improve the APS2000EF flow by re-routing its pipes, which drop into the tank from above the bevel (making the pump work harder and also creating more of a headache in insulating this garage tank in the bitter winter). However, I have some major problems to overcome...

• The electric cable for the filter is very short compared to the FX5, so moving the canister to help reach a large bevel gap is not an option, unless I extend the cables running to the Blagdon power point.
• The bevel gap closest to the APS2000EF is too small for the larger pipes to go through (unlike the Eheim 2078 pipes), so I could try and widen the gap, but I would be worried about doing this in situ (while removing the bevel would be near on impossible without removing the fish and almost all the water).
• The other option is to use the gaps near where the FX5 now runs in (the opposite side of the tank to where both APS and FX5 canisters sit), but this would mean sourcing some much longer piping, which might have an effect of on the throughput.

Of the three options above, I would prefer to try the longer pipes. Given I still have a spare APS2000EF sitting in its box, I'm tempted to initially try linking two standard length pipes together, presuming I can find a suitable connector from B&Q.

 

[coldcazzie]

Bumping this because it's been a while and someone else might have some results to add

 

[minnnt]

Seeing as you're in the board room now, why don't you pin it?

 

[coldcazzie]

Perhaps I will, once there's a few more tests to add to the ranks!

think I will test the others tonight.