paekakboyz Posted October 28, 2008 Report Share Posted October 28, 2008 my current filter is causing me issues so I've decided to upgrade. However I see this as a good chance to think about the 'bigger' tank that I'd like to get in the next couple of years. Currently have 4ft 360L and would like to move up to a 5-6fter or so. The options are the FX5 (going for 499 at a LFS in wellies) or getting 2* Eheim 2213's for a slightly cheaper price overall... I like the arguments about redundancy etc with two filters and that Eheim are a primo brand (esp for parts etc). However the 2213's are spec'd for 250L tanks - I'm sure two would be fine on my current tank but wonder if they would provide enough grunt on a 500+ tank... advice? personal exp with either of these filters? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wok Posted October 28, 2008 Report Share Posted October 28, 2008 Both Good filters. Eheim option good because or redundancies. Fluval good because it has the flow. If it helps Purple Catfish has 3 x FX5's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paekakboyz Posted October 28, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2008 thats what makes it a hard decision... good arguments for either option... I do prefer planted tanks and while I may get into cichlids etc in the future for now I like my tetras. Perhaps the flow of the FX5 would be a bit much? I know you can turn it down but how well does that work? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmsmith Posted October 28, 2008 Report Share Posted October 28, 2008 I run Eheims, and they're great. I've got 7 2213's and some 2215's. Maybe you would be better getting 2 2215's - they'd be fine on a 500L tank. You can get them at the yellow shed for 1/2 price every month or two (the mark up makes me sick! ) You can get them at about $150 - $170 ea on special, so that's still cheaper than the FX5. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paekakboyz Posted October 28, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2008 the yellow shed? man I'm sure I'm missing something here!! (standby for realisation as soon as I hit submit!) yeah I think 2* the 2215 would be the better option - more pipes and plugs but 1 on its own would be fine for the current tank anyways and would still have the grunt for a (much!) bigger tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted October 28, 2008 Report Share Posted October 28, 2008 its v hard to compare eheim vs. fluval.. you will get a lot of contradicting info.... do you have a certain model of eheim and fluval filter in mind? for those of us who have seen the FX5 in action, few will dispute how good it really is... the 2213, 15 and above (2222, 2224) are V good filters, but not in comparison to an FX5. THe "big-daddy" of filters are: the eheim pro 3e (2076,2078), and the FX5. an eheim professional 3e (2076, 2078) is comparable to an FX5 and many would argue that they are far better... (you can link them to your computer to program the filter!). There are many advantages to having 2 smaller filters instead of 1 big filter - personally I like the idea of having 1 filter to clean instead of 2. hope this helps..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paekakboyz Posted October 28, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2008 linking them to your pc!! that is tech! I guess the 2 versus 1 decision comes down to how reliable the model is... Eheim seem to have the best rep for that but I'd imagine the FX5 has been around long enough for any really serious issues to surface. Have to admit having to clean only 1 filter is appealing tho! I wouldn't be able to afford a top range Eheim so thats why the decision is between the FX5 and the two smaller Eheims. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farmchick Posted October 29, 2008 Report Share Posted October 29, 2008 my sister is running an FX5 on her 8.5ft and it does a fantastic job, crystal clear water and only gets cleaned when the flow starts to slow (which is not very often) The tetras love playing in the flow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paekakboyz Posted October 29, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2008 8.5ft tetra tank!! man we really need a drool icon!! Has anyone out there with a FX5 needed to reduce the flow at all? if I can get a sense of how easy/effective that feature is it'll help with the decision Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted October 29, 2008 Report Share Posted October 29, 2008 linking them to your pc!! that is tech! I guess the 2 versus 1 decision comes down to how reliable the model is... Eheim seem to have the best rep for that but I'd imagine the FX5 has been around long enough for any really serious issues to surface. Have to admit having to clean only 1 filter is appealing tho! I wouldn't be able to afford a top range Eheim so thats why the decision is between the FX5 and the two smaller Eheims. given a choice between 2x 2215's or 1 FX5; I would choose the FX5. But as someone said before, the 2 eheims will be cheaper than that FX5. so if you can forsee yourself getting a larger tank, get the FX5 (make sure you get it on special though, lol... ive often seen it sold for $500 from retailers). It also has a higher resale value than the eheims. If not, you can get away with 2x2215's... which are also good... i was contemplating getting a 2215 as well... but i just didnt like how hard it was to clean compared to my fluval 405... (thinking of running both)... and if you do ever have warranty related issues both fluval and eheim have excellent after sales service... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paekakboyz Posted October 29, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2008 yeah there is a great deal on FX5's ($499) at the moment - having only 1 filter to worry about does appeal and I've got my old clunky jebo as short term backup if req. omg that almost sounds like a decision!! thanks for the advice all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted October 29, 2008 Report Share Posted October 29, 2008 :bounce: That's good to know... congrats on the new purchase, lol... =) ask the people you buy it off, to show you all of its features.... the FX5 helps with water changes etc... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evil_elmo Posted October 29, 2008 Report Share Posted October 29, 2008 i would get the eheim, two filters is always better than one and eheim is better built than fluval my eheim 2080 blows my fx5 out of the water in media capacity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paekakboyz Posted October 29, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2008 oh no contrary advice! I'd just about committed to a FX5! I did a bit of surfing during lunch and there is a really, really strong Eheim v Fluval debate out there. Heaps of reasons to choose one or the other but I did notice many comments that the FX5 had less issues than previous Fluval filters... The FX5 will easily handle any tank size increase I make given I'd be maxing out at 5-6 feet. I still have a jebo that could run alongside or take over in case of issues and a 3 year warranty is pretty sweet as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evil_elmo Posted October 29, 2008 Report Share Posted October 29, 2008 fx5 is good for non messy fish, it works great on my discus tank but not that well in my arowana tank or overstocked tank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted October 29, 2008 Report Share Posted October 29, 2008 FX5's are great filters you do get alot for the price.. Yes if you compare it with the eheim that has similair spec's (but almost twice the price) the eheim comes out on top but you have to pay twice as much for it? I have one on my heavily overstocked tank that I also feed alot http://www.fnzas.org.nz/fishroom/1-vt31 ... sc&start=0 That tank has been surviving with my wife doing water changes every 1-2weeks and feeding without the filter being cleaned for the last 4 months so definately recommend them.. I don't notice the flow decreasing much over 3monthly cleanings either. And yeah it has all the attachments for putting water change pipes, draining it etc and also shuts down every 24 hours to let air out. Well worth the price esp if you can get them second hand like I did for $300odd.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catfish Posted October 29, 2008 Report Share Posted October 29, 2008 I love my Eheim's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted October 29, 2008 Report Share Posted October 29, 2008 Honestly, I don't think I'd go with either. I'd probably go with something like an Aquaone CF2200 or two, be cheaper than both and they seem to work just fine. There isn't that much too them that needs super high tech and build quality, all cannisters are is just a bucket with stuff in them. As long as they pump and don't leak the cannister is working perfectly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purplecatfish Posted October 29, 2008 Report Share Posted October 29, 2008 I've got a CF2400 a CF 2200 and 3 FX5's and I wouldn't recommend the AquaOnes to anyone. I've put the 2400 on my ouside pond because it's too noisy, and I find that they're a pain to start after maintenance (by comparrison). I'd ditch the CF2200 if only I could fit a FX5 in it's space. People who visit are amazed at how quiet the FX5s are and I've had no problems with any of them. But I haven't had any Eheims so I can't do a comparison. All I can say is that I'm very happy with my FX5s and i have no hesitation in recommending them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted October 29, 2008 Report Share Posted October 29, 2008 My CF1200s are perfectly silent(Especially compared to my pos fluvals), I'd assumed the 2200s would be similar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paekakboyz Posted October 29, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2008 FX5 it is! off to lfs this arvo and home to install afterwards... asked for a demo from the one setup in the shop as well. thanks heaps for all the advice etc folks - will report back once its been running etc for a bit. cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wok Posted October 30, 2008 Report Share Posted October 30, 2008 Don't forget to buy media for the FX5 As far as I know... It doesn't come with media.... and you need a lot of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo1 Posted October 31, 2008 Report Share Posted October 31, 2008 Eheims last a long time - we have one that is 28 years old! The media for the fluval will also add to the price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suphew Posted October 31, 2008 Report Share Posted October 31, 2008 The flow isn't really an issue, you can aways add a spray bar or direct the flow into a corner. But in reality people far underestimate how much flow fish can handle and even like, remember most fish either come from flowing streams or lakes with tides, currents etc, very few fish come from stagnant, still, water. Personally I would go for two filters over one, I think that cleaning of one filter is actually a reason to go with two. All things being equal you wont be cleaning filters any more often since your cleaning is based on the filtering capacity not on the number of filters, but by having all your eggs in one basket you run the risk of crashing your tank every time you clean a single filter. And if your really worried about cleaning filters add a mechanical pre-filter (filter wool over the intake) and just change that with each water change, then your filter wont need cleaning for months, if not years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R32GOTMLK Posted October 31, 2008 Report Share Posted October 31, 2008 i love my Fluvals ive got 3 204 and a 205 and they are quiet as 2 of them are in my bedroom lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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