More Eheim 2026 Advice Please

[fry_lover]

Hi All

I havent got an instruction book,

Can someone please tell me

1. Can you ONLY prime the filter when its off? If you think you need to prime it again do you have to turn it OFF first? Does doing it when the filter is ON risk damage to the filter?

2. The filter was fine last night, but i had to move it to a different tank and all the fish as the tank it was in was just a holding tank. I turned it off and simply moved it, primed it once (pushed the button) and then turned it back on again. This didnt work, so i turned it off again and primed it about 5 times, then it worked and was coming at a good flow. This morning the flow has gone down by about 50-75%. I turned it off a few times and tried priming it, but the flow remains the same (slow) even though the flow-lever is set to max.
If the filter was fine before, is this a priming issue? and how can i resolve?

The media is relatively clean as i gave it a good "going over" about a week ago.

Thanks

 

[Squid]

1. I prime with the filter turned off. I haven't got the instructions with me though , as i am at work.

2. Loss of flow is generally due to clogged filters/media. If there is no air in the system, ie you can see bubbles, then i doubt priming is the issue here. Are you sure that the flow is much less. Are you telling this by the red indicator, or by looking in the tank. If you are just doing it by looking in the tank, this may be deceptive if the tank is a different size, the outflow is pointed in a different direction, or you have less plants which show up the water movement.

First thing i would do is check the white filter floss/sponge at the top and make sure it's ok, but it sounds like you have done that .. in that case its confusing.

Cheers
Squid

 

[fry_lover]

1. I prime with the filter turned off. I haven't got the instructions with me though , as i am at work.

2. Loss of flow is generally due to clogged filters/media. If there is no air in the system, ie you can see bubbles, then i doubt priming is the issue here. Are you sure that the flow is much less. Are you telling this by the red indicator, or by looking in the tank. If you are just doing it by looking in the tank, this may be deceptive if the tank is a different size, the outflow is pointed in a different direction, or you have less plants which show up the water movement.

First thing i would do is check the white filter floss/sponge at the top and make sure it's ok, but it sounds like you have done that .. in that case its confusing.

Cheers
Squid

Thanks for the feedback Squid, i am going by "looking" at the flow, simply by whats coming out of the pipe, but its definitely reduced as last night it was coming out the spray bar fast enough to cause quite a bit of water surface disturbance and this morning with the spray bar in the same position, no water disturbance immediately above spray bar, so lifted spray bar out and it was just a dribble compared to last night

I will take the filter apart i think, it could be clogged i guess as i havent always followed best practice (learning as a i go) for example, i had the inlet too close the sand at the bottom originally (even though it has that green pre filter thing at the end of the in-let tube)

I also havent necessary filled the compartments in the best way, i think i only have a tiny, tiny layer of filter floss at the top

i need to clarify the layers of media and what should go bottom, middle, top i guess

However, i am slightly dubious as to some of the above reasons as filter was fine and dandy before i moved it? and i moved it ultra-carefully only from one room to the next room,

 

[Darkstar]

Starting from bottom to top, what do you have in the trays?

 

[fry_lover]

Starting from bottom to top, what do you have in the trays?

Hello Darkstar, ok, well as you know 3 trays

Bottom Tray (ground level)
about 70% full with Ehfimech with a course blue sponge on top of that

Middle Tray
Eheim Substrat (sintered glass media)

Top Tray (next to taps)
a Mixture of Eheim Substrat Pro media and some of this Alfa Grog stuff, on top of this is a VERY THIN (VERY!!!) layer of Filter Floss

Darkstar - am i learning the hard way in not following correct media stacking to the letter of the law?

Can you answer me this Darkstar or others

1. Do i really need a whole tray dedicated to non-biological media (the ehfimech) and if i do, does this go in bottom tray?

2. What role if any do sponges play, how much of the filter should i dedicate to sponge media and in what trays?

3. how much filter floss should i have at the top and how often to change this?
Also people, i have the foolowing biological media to use, whats best for my EHEIM 2028

- Ehfisubsrat (the sintered glass stuff, grey in colour, small peices)

- Substrat Pro (the little brown balls about 5mm in diameter)

- Alfa Grog (nearly new)

- Ceramic tubes - nearly new, about 1cm in length with a 5mm "tube" in the middle

MANY, MANY, thanks i know you guys have done this a thousand times, these kind of questions, but i am brand new to external filters


PS - i might have stacked the media wrong, but its definitly not clogged, all the media is a mix of new and or matured (but cleaned in tank water media)

 

[GrantyBoy]

Hi Fry Lover

I'm running two Eheim 2028 Pro's in my Oscar tank and have them both setup as the following.

Bottom Tray (mechanical filtration)
Ehfimech (tube shaped media) with the blue filter pad on top

Middle Tray (biological filtration)
Substrate Pro (small rough brown balls media)

Top Tray (chemical filtration)
Substrate Pro and a Active Carbon Pad


I am not using the top fliter floss pad. This pad is meant to 'polish' the water and is recomended by Eheim to be changed once a week. I feel I do not need it as the water is perfectly clear without it plus I believe this pad will clog very easily.
I would check the following on your filter. Does it need a clean. Are all the internal tray tubes lined up correctly and do the match the head of the fliter. Does removing the top filter floss make a difference? When was the impeller housing last cleaned?

Let me know how you get on

 

[fry_lover]

Hi Fry Lover

I'm running two Eheim 2028 Pro's in my Oscar tank and have them both setup as the following.

Bottom Tray (mechanical filtration)
Ehfimech (tube shaped media) with the blue filter pad on top

Middle Tray (biological filtration)
Substrate Pro (small rough brown balls media)

Top Tray (chemical filtration)
Substrate Pro and a Active Carbon Pad


I am not using the top fliter floss pad. This pad is meant to 'polish' the water and is recomended by Eheim to be changed once a week. I feel I do not need it as the water is perfectly clear without it plus I believe this pad will clog very easily.
I would check the following on your filter. Does it need a clean. Are all the internal tray tubes lined up correctly and do the match the head of the fliter. Does removing the top filter floss make a difference? When was the impeller housing last cleaned?

Let me know how you get on

Hello mate

thanks for taking the trouble, really appreciate that

The impeller housing? i bet its never been cleaned to be honest in the 2 years this filter has existed from new, is it simple to do? do you mind giving me some brief guidance please?

Thanks very much

 

[fry_lover]

does anyone else know about cleaning the impeller housing please?

do you think that could be the way forward?

what about the best media arrangement for a 2028?

thanks

 

[GrantyBoy]

Sounds like the impeller will need a clean. It only needs done about once a year or so, its not a regular maintanence job.
Pop the lid off the external filter and have a look underneath it. This is where you will find the impeller housing.

When I first got my Ehiem 2028's with no manuals I just took the things to pieces to see how they click together.
Here is where you can download the manuals from the Eheim website

http/www.eheim.de/eheim/inhalte/index.jsp?id=28898

With regards to the filter media setup just copy the setup I have. Mechanical filtration at the bottom, then biological then chemical (or more bio). This is how the manual adivsed the setup

 

[fry_lover]

thanks

i took the filter apart last night and re-organised some of the media, the flow increased and this morning the flow remains at a good level, so fingers crossed

thanks for the link