Eheim ecco pro 130 flow

**cosmico** · 25th Jun 2013, 01:42

Hi anyone knows how do I get the flowrate lower correctly? I adjusted the in and out taps they seem to flow fine at the start but after awhile the filter stops flowing and gets filled with air. Is this due to unequal adjustment from the taps in and out? Or do i open the taps fully for inlet and adjust outlet accordingly to slow down flow?

**RoyKoh** · 25th Jun 2013, 02:08

Inlet could leave it open 100 % . just adjust the outlet ..

**qngwn** · 25th Jun 2013, 08:53

there shouldnt be air going in unless your inlet allows for air to go in.
if your inlet is below the surface of water, and air is still entering, there might be a chance that the seal is not good and thus air is seeping into the filter.

If the filter is working fine, either way, inlet or outlet air shouldnt be going in.

**Urban Aquaria** · 25th Jun 2013, 12:51

Never adjust the inflow tap lower during usage, as that will restrict water entering the canister filter (i made that mistake before too).

If less water goes into the canister (compared to coming out) it will gradually reduce the water level in the canister and allow a large air pocket to build up inside, eventually the impeller will be running dry. Thats why you see the flow stopping due to too much air buildup over time.

Always leave the inflow tap 100% fully open at all times during operation, this keeps the canister full and prevent air pockets... only adjust the outflow tap to control the flow rate.

**josephogk** · 25th Jun 2013, 13:14

Originally Posted by Urban Aquaria

Always leave the inflow tap 100% fully open at all times during operation, this keeps the canister full and prevent air pockets... only adjust the outflow tap to control the flow rate.

had the exact same experience. controlling the flow on the outlet totally solves the problem.

**cosmico** · 25th Jun 2013, 23:34

Thanks guys followed the advices and it worked.

**seeyoudownthere** · 3rd Jul 2013, 13:36

Originally Posted by Urban Aquaria

Never adjust the inflow tap lower during usage, as that will restrict water entering the canister filter (i made that mistake before too).

If less water goes into the canister (compared to coming out) it will gradually reduce the water level in the canister and allow a large air pocket to build up inside, eventually the impeller will be running dry. Thats why you see the flow stopping due to too much air buildup over time.

Always leave the inflow tap 100% fully open at all times during operation, this keeps the canister full and prevent air pockets... only adjust the outflow tap to control the flow rate.

I must have been very lucky since I put both in & out's reduced. I guess i just balanced it correctly so there wasn't any water level reduction.
I'd wonder if there is additional stress on the motor by restricting the in/outflow?
My guess is that there is.

**Urban Aquaria** · 3rd Jul 2013, 15:56

Originally Posted by seeyoudownthere

I must have been very lucky since I put both in & out's reduced. I guess i just balanced it correctly so there wasn't any water level reduction.
I'd wonder if there is additional stress on the motor by restricting the in/outflow?
My guess is that there is.

Yeah, if your intake flow is adjusted but its still larger then your output flow, then there is still more water going in than coming out, so the canister will be kept full... but only while the output flow is still optimal.

The problem i've encountered is over time when the canister media gets clogged up, the output flow will naturally reduce too. Once the output flow becomes less than the input flow and becomes imbalanced (which occurs earlier since both were adjusted, not just the output), the water level will still gradually drop in the canister, then one day you'll hear grinding noises from the filter and discover the impeller running dry. This was actually what happened in my case.

Keeping the canister filter regularly maintained would help to avoid this situation, but you'll never know when it'll occur (especially if you happen to be busy and skip filter maintenance), so its still better not to adjust the input flow to reduce the possibility of that happening.

Restricting the outflow does put abit more load on the motor, but from what i've read the filters are designed to be able to handle the adjustments and load, it'll be a similar effect to increasing the head height of the in/out (whether the tank is positioned higher or lower relative to the filter), basically creating abit more flow resistance. Of course if the flow is reduced too low and the motor starts making noise then have to ease up on the adjustments.

One of the benefits of a lower output flow is the water circulates for a longer time inside the canister filter, so to a certain extent it could allow the beneficial bacteria to work abit more efficiently too.

On the other hand, although restricting the inflow doesn't put load on the motor, but it does increase the risk of in/out flow imbalance and possibly causing the impeller to run dry.

**Urban Aquaria** · 3rd Jul 2013, 18:24

Originally Posted by Urban Aquaria

... over time when the canister media gets clogged up, the output flow will naturally reduce too. Once the output flow becomes less than the input flow and becomes imbalanced ...

Oops, spotted a mistake in my explanation, it should be:

"... over time when the canister media gets clogged up, the flow inside the canister will naturally reduce too. Once the flow through the canister becomes less than the output, it becomes imbalanced ..."

Hope that clarifies the post.