Duke3d Posted February 12, 2005 Report Share Posted February 12, 2005 I want some people to jump in here with some opinions on their filters and how well they are working for them. I personaly own a Shark4 Internal filter, find it works well but would say I don't like it. They clog up very quickly and to me seem weak in regard to everything including clips are plastic - now I have to say this hasn't been a problem but it strikes me as a flaw. What I am looking for is a filter for a 400+ Tank. My reading is saying Aqua Clear are OK but also of this plastic type. Fluvals are also rated well but some think they are possibly over-priced compared to other models on market. Jebo?? Come on pros get in here and start name dropping - which filters are doing the job? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pies Posted February 12, 2005 Report Share Posted February 12, 2005 Have tried just about everything, come visit my garage of spare parts if you want to see the range. Everyones opnions will vary, here is mine. Ehiem make the best filters, they go forever, rarely break and don't loose power of time. Ehiem have a great and well deserved reputation. They are also very expenive NZ retail, think of these as the Mercedes of filters. Fluval are very good, and I think probably the best fit for reliability and dollar. My next filter will either be another fluval or an Ehiem if I can get a sharp deal. Think of these as the Holden/Ford/Toyota of filters. Jebo, Resun. Aqua One et al. Cheap, often 1/4 of the price or cheaper than the ehiems. There is a reason for this, they are not of the same standard IMO. Now there are some users who have had some success with them, however on average you are more likley to have problems with these low-end filters. Ultimatly you end up like me, owning the Ehimes/Fluval and have dozens of 'bargin quality' equipment sitting around. Think of these as the Dihatsu cars, cheap and good when new and shiny, very short life span. So do you buy something cheap now knowing its not going to last or buy something that will see you right for 5+ years but cost more? YMMV. Pie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke3d Posted February 12, 2005 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2005 Thats what I want to read. Honest Testimonies. Don't hold back people as I am sure everyone has had different experiences but wouldn't it be good if a conclusion could be drawn from the end of this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucid Posted February 12, 2005 Report Share Posted February 12, 2005 I have a Jebo and am more than impressed with it, I admit it has only been running couple of months now. But also know of people who have been runing them with no problems. As pies has said it is a price driven thing and that was the reason for going with a jebo, cos I could get a new one with a warranty for the less than the price of a 2nd hand fluval with no warranty. So it just pays to do some research and then make an informed decision before buying. B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt. Dodge Posted February 12, 2005 Report Share Posted February 12, 2005 I have had an external jebo for about 3 years and for the first 18 momths it ran in a 3 foot tank with 2 turtles no probs at all, and now it is running a 3 foot tank of fish and still running as if it was brand new. So I guess it really comes down to the fact that yes they are cheaper but then, how far have thety come since they were first marketed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiverJohn Posted February 12, 2005 Report Share Posted February 12, 2005 I have got an Ehiem 2226 Pro canister filter that came with the tank ( I bought the whole setup 2nd hand for $500) from trademe. I havent been doing this long enough to have had experience with other brands but one of the reasons I bought the setup was because i looked at an Ehiem in the LFS (similar model now in Pro II range) and it was about $350!! + it had an awsome reputation! All the posts and articles i read before getting a tank indicated that filtration was perhaps one of the most important things in keeping a good tank. I would like to upgrade to a larger (approx 500l) tank and am considering buying a second Eheim. IMHO within reason you cant "over filter" a tank. I think the general rule is that you filter should be able to turn over 3-4 times the tanks volume per hour? To use Pies analogy, if you buy a merc' that says it can do 200kph, you can be assured it will probably do it all day, and up a reasonable hill! Whereas you dihatsu might do 180 (on paper!) but in reality... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted February 13, 2005 Report Share Posted February 13, 2005 I have an AquaClear that has been running for about 10 years and still using the original sponge! They just keep going, are easy to maintain and clean and go forever. The only Eheim I have experience with is a wet/dry and I wouldn't touch them with a barge pole. Stopped running as a wet/dry after 6 months. Found many other owners say the same but no-one has come up with a fix it that works. Works ok as an ordinary filter and doesn't need cleaning very often. Fluval 404s work well but are buggers to clean. Even the new one (the one before they came out with ribbed hoses) is a nuisance to pull apart and trying to prime it to start is a right pain. I have 3 internal Sharks and find they work well but I wouldn't use them on their own in a tank your size. They are handy to have in your tank as a spare. Friends bought a Jebo and love it. It has been running for 6 months on a 6ft tank and they say it does a better job than the Fluval 404 they had before (which broke twice). On their recommendation we have bought one for ourselves but haven't set it up yet. They say it rarely needs cleaning and was very easy to do so then get going again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KM Posted February 13, 2005 Report Share Posted February 13, 2005 Hey Duke I have ViaAqua's on all four of my tanks, two being discus tanks, one being a medium cichlid tank, and the last being a 500l big messy cichlid tank! I was actually going to buy Eheim's, but someone at Hollywood FF, who I have a good amount of respect for, recommonded ViaAqua's to me. They were quite a bit cheaper than they are now, but they are still well priced. They are a bit of a bugger to prime, but other than that, I have been more than happy with them. I don't always think that more expensive is better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo1 Posted February 13, 2005 Report Share Posted February 13, 2005 I can't recommend Eheims enough either but I would go for the cannisters rather than the Professional series. The 2213 operates better without the baskets, you can still buy the bottom & top grills and the 2215 and larger do not have the baskets. We dropped off a small Aquaone to a lady today who had a Shark going and was having problems with cloudy water. The AquaOne was the smallest internal but operated much better. The old Tournados really moved the water around well. The Fluval internals & externals are good - didn't like Eheim internal (new model) much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo1 Posted February 13, 2005 Report Share Posted February 13, 2005 And another thing. I can't understand why the Eheims are so much more expensive retail when Fluval & Eheim have very similar wholesale prices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HummingBird Posted February 13, 2005 Report Share Posted February 13, 2005 I've never used any other type of canister filter but my two Eheims that I have are great, never had any problems with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke3d Posted February 13, 2005 Author Report Share Posted February 13, 2005 i hope all you other newbies are reading this. Isn't it great? Keep it coming people. We seem to be seeing the Eheim name come up a fair bit what other pluses minuses have people experienced with this or other brands. I know there are more brands out there than this. What about the Atmans which I believe are an imitation of Eheim ......? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimera Posted February 13, 2005 Report Share Posted February 13, 2005 agree EXACTLY with what pies says, eheim are da bomb. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted February 13, 2005 Report Share Posted February 13, 2005 My favorite as far as ease of maintenance, that I've used, are 404s with the connector with a lever to cut off the water. I find them very easy to clean most of the time. As far as performance 403s are my favorite, but they're a pain in the ass to clean, I hate the hose connectors, but they seem to run forever without slowing down, unlike the 404s which seem VERY finicky. The worst filter I have is an Ehiem 2213(I think) It takes a week or so before it's down to a trickle and it's still perfectly clean! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo1 Posted February 13, 2005 Report Share Posted February 13, 2005 Ira, I an amazed you have a problem with the 2213. We operate around 40 of this model on 100 litre tanks, which we clean routinely every 3 months taking 10 mins. They are still flowing well even when dirty. Do you operate with the baskets? We found that the water was not moving outside of these baskets and the water would stagnate down the sides causing plant collapse, hence going back to using the grills top and bottom with filter media inbetween. You are most welcome to give Steve a call (he is the expert) sometime and perhaps he can help you sort the problem out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimera Posted February 13, 2005 Report Share Posted February 13, 2005 user error probably :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suphew Posted February 13, 2005 Report Share Posted February 13, 2005 I run two fluval 204's both been running 4-5 years, never missed a beat. Animates in Wlg often sell them for $150 or so, can really see how it's worth going for a 'cheap' brand when you can get them for that price. I have used other brand filters (hang-on, internal etc) but no other brand cannister filters, would never go back to internal etc, what a pain they are, ugly and noisy. I have a friend with an older Ehiem, he has to reprime every time he cleans it, plus has to remove all the media to get to the sponges, which are in the bottom. 204's are great, push up the tap, pop the top, slide out the sponge, done in 5 minutes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo1 Posted February 13, 2005 Report Share Posted February 13, 2005 The sponge should not be at the bottom. Set up as follows from bottom to top: 1) The round hollow ceramic tubes ( always forget if it is call Efimech or Efisubstrate) 2) Sponge 3) The stone like stuff (Efisubstrate?) 4) Bag of carbon if you use it 5) Filter Wool Sometimes in the older models the rubber sealer comes off from the lid just use vaseline to get it back into place. Connect bottom hose and plug in. Bleed filter to get air out and connect top hose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HummingBird Posted February 13, 2005 Report Share Posted February 13, 2005 So that's what the 'Eheim vaseline' that came with my filters is for I never knew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suphew Posted February 14, 2005 Report Share Posted February 14, 2005 Thanks Jo1, I'll pass that on. As I said I have never had an Eheim cannister filter but isn't it normal to have the mechanical filter (i.e. sponges) before any of the biological which I assume the ceramic tubes are? So that the big bits of rubbish don't block the pores etc and clog the media. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo1 Posted February 14, 2005 Report Share Posted February 14, 2005 Those ceramic noodles seem to pick up the larger debris first rather than clog the sponge up quickly. All media is washed in fish water and only carbon and wool replaced. We use some other stuff when the sponge is had it which looks like a big mesh like pot mitt (I think they call them filter pads).I picked up a bargain recently. Got a 2215 for $55. The lady had the sponge sitting directly on the bottom of the cannister. My guess is she thought she had a dud, but what a great buy! Any way I was taught to assemble filters that way and never had any problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimera Posted February 14, 2005 Report Share Posted February 14, 2005 Jo1 is correct for the media layout. That is how I had my 2213 setup for years (took the recommended setup off Eheim site just to be sure) and worked like a charm. Had to clean it once every couple of months - but depended on how many and what type of plants I kept more than anything else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted February 14, 2005 Report Share Posted February 14, 2005 Mine is just empty with the grill on the top and bottom and a couple handfulls of the big noodles loose in it. Oh, and some really coarse sponge thing on the bottom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petplanet Posted February 14, 2005 Report Share Posted February 14, 2005 Atmans are AquaOnes. Just a different box. If you are going for a hang on filter the the AquaClear would have to be the best. More media room than the others and they don't use a single cartridge that you throw away. Sharks=crap. Clog way to quickly. Fluval internals are pricey but were voted the number 1 internal filter in the UK. Powerheads - Aquaclear again. I have one that is over 10 years old and going strong. Rio - weak, break impellers and stop ALL the time. A lot of the cheap brands have only been on the market for the last 3-4 years since the market got more competitive and more wholesalers started importing direct from China. Look at the price of heaters! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke3d Posted February 14, 2005 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2005 good on you pet planet. You didn't mention Eheim? What is your comment on one of them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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