Fights seem to be hard to avoid with Exturnal filter topics... Since I surgested it, I'll try get things back on topic by running through the filter's I've had and my experience with them, in order of what I've had...
Eheim Ecco. Constant parts failures. Replacements under warrenty hard to come by, but readily available if you want to pay for them. These however, are not build by Eheim, rather one of Eheim's sister companies, so can't realy use it as a representative sample for Eheim's...
Fluval 404. Noisy (could hear it at the opposit end of the hourse) flow dropped fast, needed constant maintance (weekly on a tank it should handle well according to the box, 335l with 8 Discus) and was a royal pain in the butt to prime, even before the priming handle bust. In the 6-8 months I ran it, it swallowed 3 new seal rings due to seaping after maintanance, even though I loobed up and ensured the ring diden't twist as I put it back on. It was retired after it started electric shocking me every time I placed my hands into the tank.
Rena XP2. Near silent and easy all round to use. Needed many new seals however, seaping after maintanance. This could be down to a lack of loob however, as the ring was hard to get out and loob up, so I did neglect it a little
May not be bad if you are on the ball with maintanance.
Tetratec EX1200 (X2). The only filter I've bought more than one of, no niggles thus far, cheap inlet and outlet sets asside
Other people's fiters I've helped with.
Fluval 405. Main seal ring bust early on and soaked a mates floor. Seemed as aquard to work as my old 404.
Eheim Classic. Good little goer, bit of a faff to maintain comaired to most other filters, but comparable to Fluvals IMO for priming. Head can be hard to pull of if the taps are closed...
HTH some
Rabbut
now shake hands and make up and lets never speak of it again....lets draw a line.
