Eheim Canister Filter Comparison

[RenesisTurbo]

I've recently picked up one of these. They're quite good, especially in the tank where I feed zucchini and cucumbers to my plecos. Great at filtering out the larger pieces of wastes and food too


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I wash the 2 pieces of sponges every week during water change though

[RenesisTurbo]

Asking this because I am curious.....

Someone recently blessed me with a full box of Pro 3 Eheim sponges which consists of a piece of blue and 4 pieces of white sponges.

Happened to look behind the box and there was a chart stating the intervals of when we should change the sponges and filter media.

The chart stated that we should change two thirds of the Substrat Pro,Bio Mech and Mech Pro every 12 months.

I have been running my Pro 3 for 2 years and Ecco Pro 300 for 1 year.Never replaced anything on those 2 units except the Mech Pro for Seachem Matrix and monthly change of white sponges.

Is it really necessary to change two thirds of the filter media every 12 months?

[mincedmeat]

Well, I would believe they state those information for the following reasons

- Aquarists don't rinse their filter media from the waste and muck that's build up and over time, any media would be ineffective
- As a business entity, better for consumers to come back to you regularly to buy filter media
- Instructions given are as such so that at least 1/3 of the bacteria colony remains and 2/3 of the waste are disposed, which should not hinder the efficacy of your filteer


I would recommend that on a yearly basis
- Remove your filter media and rinse them with your tank water to remove any waste/muck that might be present
- Wash your sponge filters with de-cholorinated water every 3 months. Change a new set every 12 months


In times of timeline and procedures, it may differ from some - since there are kiasu people, and then there are the kiasee people. You should decide the maintenance schedule based on your own personal schedule as well.

[Urban Aquaria]

Yeah, thats the strange part about different bio-media brands... some like Eheim will recommend to partially replace their Substrat Pro media every year, yet others like Seachem will state that their Matrix media no need to replace at all, can keep using for long term (personally i have been using and re-using the same batch of matrix bio-media in my various filters for the past 8+ years without issues).

I guess it just depends on the brand recommendations and the user's preference.

[mincedmeat]

But if you do recall, Seachem's purigen has to be renewed every 6 months by bleaching...

UA, you wash your Seachem media during maintenance then?

[Urban Aquaria]

But if you do recall, Seachem's purigen has to be renewed every 6 months by bleaching...

Seachem Purigen is considered more of a synthetic adsorption resin used as chemical filtration (rather than bio-media). Hence its designed to be recharged once "full", different usage from bio-media.

UA, you wash your Seachem media during maintenance then?

Yup, i wash and rinse all my bio-media with old tank water during regular filter maintenance (usually every 3-4 months). That clears out most of the trapped dirt and debris that would otherwise clog up the media, yet still retains the majority of the beneficial bacteria living inside the media.

[RenesisTurbo]

Hi,I have 2 filters which are 2075 and 2236.

Filter arrangements for 2236 are...

Top tray-white filter wool
Eheim Bio Mech

Middle tray-Eheim Substrat Pro
Seachem Purigen

Bottom tray-Seachem Matrix

Media arrangements for 2075...

Top tray-white filter wool
Eheim Bio Mech

2nd tray-Eheim Substrat Pro
Seachem Purigen

3rd tray-Seachem Matrix

4th tray-Seachem Matrix

I am getting interested in Eheim Lav and considering the possibility of putting them in my 2236 and 2075.Which filter media do I need to phase out if I decide on putting the Eheim Lav in my filters?

Is the Eheim Lav good enough to replace any of the filter medias in my Eheims?

[Urban Aquaria]

Hi,I have 2 filters which are 2075 and 2236.

Filter arrangements for 2236 are...

Top tray-white filter wool
Eheim Bio Mech

Middle tray-Eheim Substrat Pro
Seachem Purigen

Bottom tray-Seachem Matrix

Media arrangements for 2075...

Top tray-white filter wool
Eheim Bio Mech

2nd tray-Eheim Substrat Pro
Seachem Purigen

3rd tray-Seachem Matrix

4th tray-Seachem Matrix

Perhaps you can re-adjust your current tray arrangement for better efficiency.

Since those filter models you have run on a flow path from bottom up... the bottom tray should be the one which contains the eheim bio mech, since its more of a mechanical media designed to trap larger debris. The Seachem Purigen should ideally be placed at the top tray and on top of the fine white filter wool pad, so that only debris/particle free water flows through it (purigen only adsorbs dissolved organic compounds, its is not meant to trap visible debris and particles).

Just a quick reference chart on the recommended media arrangements on a 2075:



Photo from Google Images.

[RenesisTurbo]

So how should I arrange the filter media for the Ecco Pro 300?

Correct me if I am wrong about the arrangement for the 2075....

Top tray-Substrat Pro with Purigen pack and white filter wool.

Second and third tray-Seachem Matrix

Bottom tray-Eheim Bio Mech.

[Urban Aquaria]

So how should I arrange the filter media for the Ecco Pro 300?

Correct me if I am wrong about the arrangement for the 2075....

Top tray-Substrat Pro with Purigen pack and white filter wool.

Second and third tray-Seachem Matrix

Bottom tray-Eheim Bio Mech.

Similar arrangement for the Ecco Pro 300...



Photo from Google Images.

Basically larger type media at the bottom, and progressively smaller and finer media in the upper trays.

[BFG]

That Bio Mech looks like a good media housing for marine copepod to thrive in !

[RenesisTurbo]

Ok thanks for your feedback on the filter media.

I wanted to fill up both my filters with a little more Bio Mech and Substrat Pro to make my filtering more efficient .Bought a 1 liter of each.It seemed Eheim Lav is quite unknown among a lot of Eheim users too.

How do I introduce the newly bought Bio Mech and Substrat Pro into both my filters?Can I put them into separate pails,add water and beneficial bacteria and leave them to soak in the pails for a few days before adding them during monthly filter maintenance?

[Urban Aquaria]

Just add the new bio-media into the filter, if replacing media just do it partially in stages. Make sure there is still enough seasoned media in the filter to maintain the cycle and seed the new media.

Soaking the new bio-media in a pail of water with some beneficial bacteria solution could work too, just make sure to add a pump or air stone to circulate and oxygenate the water. Beneficial bacteria usually grow better with good flow and ample oxygen.

[RenesisTurbo]

Ok thanks for your help,UA.

But may I know if soaking the bio media for eg 2-3 days is enough?

[Urban Aquaria]

Ok thanks for your help,UA.

But may I know if soaking the bio media for eg 2-3 days is enough?

Well, 2-3 days isn't really much time for the actual long-term beneficial bacteria to establish, dosing bottled bacteria solutions can help but they are only short-term strains (hence the need to dose them regularly). Usually it takes a few weeks for bio-media to become properly "seasoned" with long-term natural bacteria colonies, as they multiply at a slower pace.

No harm soaking the bio-media though, at least they have a few days head-start in getting colonized by bacteria. It would be even better if you can transfer some of the existing old media in your filter into the soaking bucket, then the actual filter bacteria strains can start to colonize the new media too.

[RenesisTurbo]

Hi,can I just ask a question?

I filled my Ecco Pro 300 and Pro 3 600 with a little more Substrat Pro and Bio Mech over the weekend while doing monthly servicing.How do I know if I overfilled my trays with filter media?

I could lock/place all the trays and close the lids of both filters comfortably though.The outflow for both units are strong as usual after monthly servicing too.

[BFG]

I believe when the canister filter accumulate with the waste and such , knowing that you added extra media , will you see the effect when the flow start to slow down or decrease . As these waste by product start to fill in the gaps , lesser flow will get to pass through the blocked media .

[Urban Aquaria]

Hi,can I just ask a question?

I filled my Ecco Pro 300 and Pro 3 600 with a little more Substrat Pro and Bio Mech over the weekend while doing monthly servicing.How do I know if I overfilled my trays with filter media?

I could lock/place all the trays and close the lids of both filters comfortably though.The outflow for both units are strong as usual after monthly servicing too.

If the flow is still strong then it should be okay.

That being said, its also possible for slightly overfilled tray systems to still have good flow at the start, as water will find a way to channel through available gaps in the trays (ie. the path of least resistance), even though the packed media may not have get much water flowing through them. Its when those few gaps get clogged up, then the flow rate will slow down much faster. So thats something to consider.

What i usually do with my canister filters is fill the media trays and close them up, then shake the trays to listen if the media can still rattle around inside. If the media can't move, then i remove abit of them and test until they can move around freely. This allows the loose media to shift according to overall flow path, so if paths are clogged, the media can shift and balance out to free up other paths. In this way, more of the media is used efficiently and the system doesn't clog up as quickly (and hence extend cleaning intervals).

[jkcs]

I have bought an used eheim classic 2215 which is over ten years old
1）is it normal for it to be noisy? (i just switched on to test the motor).
2）when i switched off and shake the motor unit, there is no sound, so i can say the impeller is all ok (sorry new to canister）
3) I was told the canister needs to be primed and shake off trapped air, then it should be silent operation
4) how many litres of mechnical filter e.g mini type ceramic rings and seachem matrix will be nice? (seems like 2litres of matrix won't filled up the gap nicely.

Hope to hear from you guys soon, thank you

[Urban Aquaria]

I have bought an used eheim classic 2215 which is over ten years old
1）is it normal for it to be noisy? (i just switched on to test the motor).
2）when i switched off and shake the motor unit, there is no sound, so i can say the impeller is all ok (sorry new to canister）
3) I was told the canister needs to be primed and shake off trapped air, then it should be silent operation
4) how many litres of mechnical filter e.g mini type ceramic rings and seachem matrix will be nice? (seems like 2litres of matrix won't filled up the gap nicely.

Hope to hear from you guys soon, thank you

If you switch it on when dry without water, it will be noisy as the impeller is just loosely rattling around in the housing. Try not to run it dry as that can damage the impeller.

You have to properly prime the filter and make sure the canister is full of water, then switch it on to operate. It should run silently. You may hear abit of bubbling/rushing sound initially as it is clearing out the remaining air bubbles trapped in the impeller area. Gently shake the canister filter to help it exhaust out the trapped bubbles quicker.

A useful video for reference on how to prime the canister filter using the classic manual start-siphon method:



You can just put the outflow pipe over the tank after the siphon is started, so that water doesn't end up spilling on the floor.

As for the amount of media the Eheim 2215 can hold, based on listed specs it can contain up to 4 liters of filter media, so you probably need to get more media to fill it up. Take into account the coarse sponge and fine filter wool layers will also already take up some space too. Try not to over-stuff the canister too much as that will restrict and slow down flow, which will decrease the overall efficiency.