Feedback requested on Sera Fil 130 Canister

[erwinx]

Hi,
I am looking for a small but good quality canister filter.
Eheim Ecco Pro is $170+
but noticed that Green Chapter website is selling Sera Fil 150 for $117.

Can anyone using this filter post their experience/comments?

Thanks

[bennyc]

$170+ and $117 to me, seems like the difference not that much. Eheim is a reputable brand that is long lasting and the spare parts are readily available. My take is might as well get eheim. Unless you are comparing it with jebao, which the price jump is considerable.

By the way, i am a cheapstake, i am using jebao for 1year plus, no complains, no damages, so far so good.

[Urban Aquaria]

I checked out the Sera Fil 130 specifications online... seems its flow rate is only 300 l/ph (okay for 1ft tank but too low for larger tanks), and it uses 11 watts of power. No priming mechanism or air purge system, so i guess its requires traditional manual priming method.

Eheim Ecco Pro is 500 l/ph and consumes only 5 watts, and has priming/air purge feature. I guess those are the main differences.

Otherwise, both seem to have similar dimensions and filter media volume.

[erwinx]

Thanks.

I actually suspect that the power consumption for the Sera is lower than 11w since its only 300l/hour. Maybe European rules require them to give some sort of worst case rating or something....

Using a watt meter to measure, my Up-Aqua Canister filter rated at 800l/hr (for my quarantine/test tank) uses only 10w and my Ecco Pro 300 750l/hr uses 7w (for my main tank)

300l/hr just nice to add on to my Ecco Pro 300 to make total flowrate 1000l for my tank (10:1 ratio), and by having 2 separate outlet, reduces deadspots and allows me to hook up a UV steriliser (which is most effective when flowrate is not too fast).

I really packed the Ecco Pro 300 with Seachem matrix and I think that flow has been affected. My Up-Aqua is using less dense media so the flow rate seems stronger.

[Phillipians]

I have just obtained an Eheim 2217 classic which is supposedly an overkill for my tank (2 x 1.5 x 1.5). But so far with a lily pipe, everything is great! I rather you get 2217 which you can then use a double tap to turn down, or if you have a smaller than 2 ft tank, then prob 2215 or 2213 with double tap. That sets you back approx 120 - 180 bucks, which is great for a mercedes banz class filter.

[erwinx]

Thanks for highlighting the Classic Series....

For the Classic series, I will need to buy 2 sets of quick release double taps in order to unplug the canister and bring it for cleaning? I quick release double tap if i'm not wrong is $28? (not sure...). I like the generous amount of space in the 2213... basically its the same volume as the Ecco Pro 300, but not sure how much extra I need to spend for extras etc.

[Phillipians]

Believe it's abt 30 plus for 2 taps if you are getting the 2213 or 2215

[erwinx]

can I confirm that this is the part:
https://www.eheim.com/en_GB/products...h=double%20tap

and i need 2 (i.e. $30 x 2), one for inlet and one for outlet?

[Urban Aquaria]

Yeah, when i was choosing which Eheim series to buy for my 2ft tanks, the additional cost to purchase double taps separately for the Classic series made them total up close to the cost of just buying an equivalent spec Ecco Pro series model, so i ended up just getting the latter, save the hassle.

Though for the much larger volume/taller height 2x1.5x1.5 tank that Phillipians is using (which works out to 121+ liters, more than twice the volume of common 2x1x1 tanks), the Classic 2217 with 1,000 l/ph flow rate would then be the better choice, as the Ecco Pro series only max out at 750 l/ph.