Richard Posted September 28, 2003 Report Share Posted September 28, 2003 Ok...need help in a decision here... I want to buy an external filter for my tank.... have been looking around...very expensive.... found a 2nd hand one for sale.... Eheim 2260 Cannister Filter.... I am thinking to buy this off someone...he wants $300 for it.... what do you guys think? About $359 would get me a brand new Fluval 404 at the moment... so how do they compare? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oscar Sheila Posted September 29, 2003 Report Share Posted September 29, 2003 I've only ever had Fluvals, and the 404 is much better then the 304. It is a dream to prime and certainly gets the water moving. Lots of people rave about Eheims but I'm happy with my Fluvals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted September 29, 2003 Report Share Posted September 29, 2003 I have both Eheims and Fluvals. For ease of use and cleaning the Eheim beats the Fluval 404 hands down. Sorry I have no experience with other brands of external canister filters but I know they are a lot cheaper than those two mentioned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert Posted September 29, 2003 Report Share Posted September 29, 2003 hi richard would this be the filter on the trade me site that you are taking about,i have bid on this filter myself but i see he has put it back on the acution again.i have both fluvels and ehim filters,the ehims are streets ahead of fluvel.$300 for the filter does not sound to bad,but i saw a 304 yesterday at animates at papanui for $365,they have ehim classics 2113 and 2115 for $179 and $260,i paid $275 for my 2115 about 4 years ago so they are good value as you never really know what you will get with a second hand filter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted September 29, 2003 Report Share Posted September 29, 2003 I think I'd go for the eheim despite being used. If I remember right they're about 1900 liters/hour which is a hell of a lot more than a 404. They're in the $700+ range new though, which is why I prefer 404s Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted September 29, 2003 Author Report Share Posted September 29, 2003 yes robert that is the one i am looking at... I am really desperate for one at the moment... because my wet/dry trickle filter is broken... the propeller part of the pump keeps coming out of place and stopping.... and the only other filter I have in my tank is a small internal Rio filter... which would not be good enough for the fish I have in there... so i need to get something really soon...hope i can get the eheim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Posted September 29, 2003 Report Share Posted September 29, 2003 Ive been in this hobby for quite some time now and all I do is look around my place and all I see are Eheim's running strong, The reason for this is that all other brands have died a sad death from one thing or another. I have had many different filter's over the years. Ive had Eheim's run for 15 years and then bust an impeller shaft, Now with most other brands that I can think of this would be the end of the filter! But with Eheim spare parts are available right off the shelf still, not bad for anything that's 15 years at all. You do pay for it tho no denying this fact Eheim's cost! Long time commitment look strongly toward the Eheim short term look for what ever gives you what you require for the best bang for buck. Don't just look at flow rate this is the flow of max unimpeded water flow, With a strong motor flow rates are still kept high even with the restriction of filter medium, weaker motors have a noticeable drop in flow rate when the going gets tough and the pump has to work to pull the water through. So what might look like a high flow rate on the packaging might not be the case in operation on your set up. Only my own experience on the above and someone may totally disagree. Could always look at the fact that you could purchase two or three no name type brands for the cost of a Eheim, but I like to not worry about a filter dieing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warren Posted September 29, 2003 Report Share Posted September 29, 2003 Eheim is more expensive because its better. If you want long-term reliability and zero maintenance (other than cleaning) go with Eheim. I've had several Eheim's and several Fluval's. I'll never buy a Fluval again... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted September 29, 2003 Report Share Posted September 29, 2003 I pulled my Eheim wet/dry 2227 or 2229 (can't remember which) apart the other day as it wasn't running properly. Turns out we had a pipe in upsidedown and it was sheer luck it had kept going as long as it had before it blocked. Anyway, I was surprised at how little buildup was in it and it has been running since the beginning of April. Pulling it apart was so simple compared to the Fluval 404 - which is supposed to be easy but isn't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert Posted September 30, 2003 Report Share Posted September 30, 2003 richard i have a spare 203 that is not doing anything at the moment,if you need it for the time being call me tonight in chch 3861555 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted September 30, 2003 Author Report Share Posted September 30, 2003 Thanks for the offer robert... but I am still managing at the moment...will give u a call when i need it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert Posted September 30, 2003 Report Share Posted September 30, 2003 richard there are two fluvel 403 in the trade me site that you may want to take a look at. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted September 30, 2003 Author Report Share Posted September 30, 2003 saw the fluval 403...the starting bid is $200 !!! which is too much in my opinion... 404's selling for $350 brand new... anyway... I am bidding for the Eheim at the moment...hope i get it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted October 1, 2003 Report Share Posted October 1, 2003 If that's the auction I'm thinking of it also comes with a bag of Instant Ocean, some test kits and bits. Still, asking FAR too much like many auctions are. Like the ones with a starting bid near the new price for a half empty year old container of fish food. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pies Posted October 6, 2003 Report Share Posted October 6, 2003 For freshwater i've tried several different types of filter including Ehiem and Fluval (only 404s). There is no doubt in my mind that the Ehiems are 'better', but they sure are expensive... For saltwater I am ONLY using Ehiem. Bugger the cost, reliability is more important than anything else, and I know of a guy in Wellington, that has about 7 Ehiem filters running his reef, 4 of which are submerged in saltwater for the last 7 years and still going. Can't beat that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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