My Impression of the Ehiem 3e Electronic External Filter

[David]

Hi everyone

I bought this filter about 4 months ago and here is my impression of the Ehiem 3e

According to Ehiem, this is this first electronic control external filter in the market today. The first think anyone who has this filter will noticed the build quality. Better baskets, A new water flow guiding top down system that prevents water seeping as it flows within the filter and media provided. Next up the new LED control panel. In the conventional filter, flow rate is control manually via a lever which adjust the water flow by opening or closing the inlet and/or outlet valve while the impeller is still spinning at full speed. In the 3e, the flow rate is adjusted electronically by slowing down the impeller via the control panel at the top of the filter.

8 different setting from the slowest to the maximum and a new Turbo Flow rate which I have tried and it has the power to turn my whole 330 liter tank into a washing machine.







According to Ehiem the new electronic interface offers the following:

Constant Flow:

Once the flow rate is selected, the setting is stored electronically. Even if I turn the filter off for whatever reason, it will remember the desired preset. This filter is able to maintain the preset flow rate by regulating the impeller electronically through the months as the filter clogs up with muck, or an increase of filter media volume.

Streaming Flow:

Flow rate setting can set by the user to crate a stream flow as it would be in nature. Once set, it will increase and decrease the flow rate according to the presets. On this part, if anyone want to use the control panel to set, anyone will give up. I know I did as looking at the manual my head spun. It is better to use the PC interface which is more straight forward. Basically to me the Stream Flow is a customized 12h bio function.

12h bio Function

This is a fixed preset that cannot be adjusted. What it does is that it increases and decreases the flow rate in a 12 hour cycle. I get to choice slower flow during lights on period and faster flow during lights off period or vise versa. This in my opinion is a good function to have as you want less flow during lights on and faster during lights off.

Service Monitor

Basicallly it tells me when I need to service my filter and it is pretty accurate. ignore it and your filter starts blowing out air pockets due to the auto air out correction in its electronic system.

PC Connectivity and Ehiem Interface

This would be the pinnacle of filter control. I have to buy the interface separately and I think it can control up to 2 filters. The program is free and more possibilities of filter management opens up. If I am not wrong, it can also be program for smart phone warning. I have yet to receive my interface so I cannot comment on that at the moment.





The only irritating bit about this filter is the electrical brick. I really dislike bricks is that I always have to find a place to put it....on the other hand, it has its advantage is that you can separate the wire when you need to do filter head cleaning.



In a nutshell, a good electronically controlled filter to buy if budget permits with future expension possibilities as the program improves.

What ever you do, don't ever drop the head and to be very careful when the head is inverted. Water does get to the electrical female jack point.

[milk_vanilla]

How bout the white and blue sponge filter, do they compatible with professional 3 series ?

In long run, the original eheim media quite expensive considering you'll end up with repeated purchase


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[David]

The white and blue sponge is different. The media for the rings are much thicker then the ones purchased separately while the Professional 3 is the black plastic conduet thingy. Use it lowers the initial cost but I can safely say the black thingy is quite sucky.

The 3e bio media is also different from the Pro 3. It seems to be the newer and smaller sinister glass. Similar to BioHome.

[milk_vanilla]

Looks awesome, probably will aim that if my pro 3 broke off one day...

[Navanod]

I'm using 2 units, without the PC connection.

The Cons:
The stream function is interesting but the noise of the motor changing speed every 2-3 mins is quite irritating. It's like someone using a power drill on pulse mode.
The filter auto calibration mode to determine the cleaning time will cause the light to scroll up and down the indicator. This normally takes only a few minutes but if the unit is connected to a chiller, then this can take HOURS if not FOREVER as the chiller's restriction to flow causes the filter's sensor to go nuts. While calibration is going on, NOTHING can be done or changed.
The only way is to shut off the filter, restart, and quickly do the settings and changes before the auto calibration kicks in...roughly about 3-5 mins time.
The brick (power adaptor) is NOT WATER PROOF. I had fried one before and its not funny getting a replacement.
The place where we plug the power cable into the filter head is also NOT WATER PROOF. I once saw and heard a spark go off because a drop of water went there. Didn't short or fry though.
Replacement sponge expensive and "OEM" versions not readily available. DIY is trickier.
Many many O-rings to grease and replace.

Pros:
2078 has the most powerful head pressure in all of Ehiem's range...even more than 2080.
The Pro3e's head pressure is better than the Pro3.
The auto air-purging function works pretty well.
The manual hand-pump priming button is 1000 times better than the Pro2's and last a lot longer too.
The overflow/first coarse filter "tray" is at the top of the filter, just under the pump head. Most crap will get trapped here first, so cleaning is much easier because there's no need to remove the rest of the media trays under until its really dirty.
Small fishes and shrimps will also be caught at this top tray first (depending on what sponge one uses there though) instead of ending up at the bottom of the canister. Given time, some may eventually get flushed to the bottom, but I guess some is better than all since it easier to retrieve.
The "down pipe" for the water to bypass all the trays to get to the bottom (before coming back up through all the media trays) is at a corner and is a single piece. Many other models (eg. Pro1 & 2) have this pipe going through the middle of the trays, requiring a hole in each tray with a short pipe sticking up and a rubber O-ring that always gets damaged or wore out quickly.
The constant flow rate is really constant flow rate, because it'll auto compensate for dirt buildup.
12 hour bio is useful for reducing noise at night or increasing aeration during lights-off (depending on purpose).
Very solidly built and designed, no leakage issues even after prolonged use, unlike the Pro2.

The cons may seemed more than the pros but don't get it wrong, its a powerful canister filter that does its job well and can last a long time. I'm very happy with it and will gladly use this range above all others.
The cons is mainly encountered when using chiller or due to accidents, so just be aware of these limitations and it'll be fine.

Sorry for the wall of text, but quite tired at the end of a long day and I'm just letting whatever comes to mind flow.

[David]

Good input. Yes I agree that the calibration can be quite irritating but to what I know is that it should not take more than 30 seconds.

My is also attached to chiller and I do not have this problem. Perhaps my preset is at 4?

I am using the 12h bio function. I don't really hear the impeller much. Perhaps it's in a cabinet?

Agree that the brick is irritating and not waterproof. The up side is that the wire can be detached from the head.

Just that the female jack point when inverted gets water into it.

[David]

@Navanod...the biggest con is the instruction manual.... The text print is so small I have to use reading magnifying glasses just to read it and trying to correspond that to the huge amount of diagram is worse than studying Calculus....hahaha!!!!

[Navanod]

Solution to that? Download the instructions and blow it up big big on your monitor or print A3! LOL!
https://www.eheim.com/resources/prod...electronic.pdf

[bennyc]

Hi David aka tech addict,
always like to read your review, very informative and detailed, hope to own an ehiem someday, together with navanod's inputs, it gives me a better understanding in what i am getting myself into and what model to choose!

[BFG]

The stream function might be replicating the wavemaker effects by the sound of you guys describing it.

[David]

@Navanod....good idea technically...tried that done that does not work because printing big it all becomes blur.....long sightedness is a sign that I am almost at the bottom of the hill rolling down...hahahahha!!!!

@Bennyc....you are welcome but I am pretty sure that Navanod provided more insight to the Pro 3e than I did.

@BFG...yes and no situation. Wave makers current is vortex while with the Ehiem standard rainbar it is more pulse. Unless it is connected to the Installation Kit where the rain bar holes can be adjusted in different angles.

[Oliverpool]

Any new updates on this filter? Is it still working well? Is it true that you can clean it only every 6 months or so?

[David]

Working very well....cleaning every 6 months depends on your bio load but ..yes I believe you can....besides, the filter will 'tell' you....