Need A Decent, Quiet External Filter

[rob_cool1]

Yeah i hope so, whatever it is it will be much better than the filter i have atm. When i bought it i knew it would struggle to cope with the fish i have but it was all the money i could put towards one as i lost my job the week before i needed it
Then when i get that i can get a couple more corys and it should cope fine then another plec maybe when my angels pair off lol
 
when i get the new external il keep the internal running for a couple of weeks just until the external's media matures? i might just leave it in there on minimal power in case one breaks, not sure though lol 
 
 

Thanks for all your input, i have narrowed it down to the Fluval 206 or the EFX 200. Ive chosen these 2 as the maidenhead stocks the media for the EFX and the other lfs stocks the media for Fluval so getting parts etc will be a lot easier.
 
Will probably get the EFX over the 2 as i prefer maidenhead to the other shop and ive heard one in action and it was really quiet. The stock filter on the 620T could sometimes be really loud if it wasnt balanced right lol
 
The APS does look good and the reviews for them are good too but im guessing parts and media will be harder to get as you can only get it online? There aren't any lfs that stock that brand around my area.
 
Anyway thanks again for all your help
 
Rob

Just to let you know with the APS range I'd buy from there website, free next day delivery via their courier service so I wouldn't worry about where to get it from. I was thinking APS but was warned off it as their build quality isn't great apparently. 

 
Yeah thats what I've read too  
 

 

[rob_cool1]

Sorry in the late reply, i bought the EFX 200 and its been set up for about a week. Had to cut some of the box that the standard 620 filter was in so the pipes would fit. i made the hole bigger where the powerhead used to be so the outlet pipe would go in through there and i made a hole on the other side so the inlet pipe could go through the hole in the outlet section of the box. 
 

 
I had to make it lower as the down pipe wouldnt go low enough to get under the box so making this lower it cleared the bottom of the box. i was also going to put the inlet pipe next to it thats why the whole things lower but decided to put it the other side.
 

 
Thats the inlet pipe on the other side, just cut a hole big enough so the pipe would fit and put it through the bigger hole out of the 2. 
 

 
This is taken from the left side of the tank, inlet pipes a the far end the the outlet is this side with the spray bar going right across almost to the other side. I also have kept the aqua internal 200 until the external has has produced enough bacteria etc. I might keep it there though as it does make the water move round a bit better not sure though. Cant really see it though when looking at the front.
 

 
The water looks so much better and I've even seen a difference in the fish, they seem more lively which is really good

Looking at the pictures the inside of the box looks gross haha doesn't look that bad really need to clean that up lol
 
Thanks for all the help and advice

 
Rob 

 

[Colonel Dibble]

Eheim 2213, you can't hear it at all.

 

[Welshweeks]

Rob, what you may find is that after a few months the end-cap m(at far end of spray bar) may become loose, just wrap a little ptfe tape around it and push back in and it will be secure.

 

[Nicholas1]

I have got fluval 406 exsternal very happy with it cost £139.99, i would still buy fluval if that one broke down.

 

[Boromir]

I have an APS 2000 external filter, The thing I can say good about it is that it has a good water output and good amount of space for all the filtration materials UV light, easy to clean, a good price for what you get. 
Bad things about it for mine is that it is noisy it was like living next to the star treks USS Enterprise engine room, even with the replacement part they sent me, it uses alot of energy 56w for my model, so it maybe cheap but in the long run it will actually become more expensive than more energy efficient models. 
 
So I decided to buy and Eheim pro 3 2075, good points alot more quieter than the APS filter, build quality and material is better, easy to clean, only 16w power usage. Bad points, the pipes supplied are not long enough if you have a big tank. Think the rubber studs that you stick on the bottom of filter to buffer any vibrations could be better but they still do their job.
 
As about customer service have not had to contact Eheim yet as no problems. But APS if you send them emails they would always reply last thing of the day so you'll have to wait another day for each reply, but they do try to help and do send out replacement parts.
 
I do have both running at the moment with intention of turning off the APS filter soon but in the mean time I have had to wrap it with towels and lay a stone on the top of it to minimise the noise it makes.
 
This is my view on these filters I may have just been unlucky with the APS filter but if you buy one you'll run the risk of maybe having a noisy filter.