Eheim Canister Filter Comparison

[ACG]

Hi All, just to update that I have manage to get the Ecco Pro 300 and run smoothly too. Thanks all for all the valuable advise and guidance.
I have another question and that is before that my canister hose is 16/22 and hence I used the ISTA Co2 reactor (L). However, Ecco Pro 300 hose is 12/16, so is it necessary to replace the Co2 reactor or I can still use that and does it affect the flow rate?

I have asked the Seaview staff and they said I can still continue use the (L) and does not affect any.

Please advise me. Thank you once again.

[mincedmeat]

Don't suppose it might be an issue though the question would be if the current hose size can fit with the reactor. If can't, head to the LFS and look for the appropriate connector

[RenesisTurbo]

Anyone knows or heard of the Eheim prefilter which is fixed to the inlet pipe of all Eheim canisters?I think it is black and round shaped with 2 pieces of sponges inside.

Does it mean I can do cleaning of the filter every 2 months instead of monthly cleaning if I fix the prefilter on my Ecco Pro?

[ACG]

Don't suppose it might be an issue though the question would be if the current hose size can fit with the reactor. If can't, head to the LFS and look for the appropriate connector

Thanks.

Hose able fit to reactor as it comes in 12/16 with connector 16/22. What I am concern is the flowrate thou.

[TheKiwi]

Maybe you could page for UA and wait for his reply.

Haha I've sorta given up alrdy I just can't decide if I wanna take the risk and buy another Ecco pro 300; was wondering maybe the motor head unit is just faulty. Going back to c328 for a exchange seems like it's gonna be a hellish experience.

Last night I even tried running the unit with all the filter baskets removed. Made no diff. So far I've ruled out airlock, excess filter media, faulty impeller, improper priming and set up.


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[RenesisTurbo]

Haha I've sorta given up alrdy I just can't decide if I wanna take the risk and buy another Ecco pro 300; was wondering maybe the motor head unit is just faulty. Going back to c328 for a exchange seems like it's gonna be a hellish experience.

Last night I even tried running the unit with all the filter baskets removed. Made no diff. So far I've ruled out airlock, excess filter media, faulty impeller, improper priming and set up.


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Bring down to Qian Hu and ask what's wrong with it.You have a 3 years warranty right?

I do understand what you are going through cos I went through that just last month.Nearly gave up on the Ecco but I gave it one final chance,looked through it over and over again and it worked for me.

Or just get the Pro 3 series instead.

[TheKiwi]

Bring down to Qian Hu and ask what's wrong with it.You have a 3 years warranty right?

Or just get the Pro 3 series instead.

Hm yeah. There was a warranty card that came in the box. However c328 didn't stamp nor sign on it, so I'm not sure how that would turn out. I do have a photo of my original receipt though. I'll do that this Saturday then!


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[RenesisTurbo]

Hm yeah. There was a warranty card that came in the box. However c328 didn't stamp nor sign on it, so I'm not sure how that would turn out. I do have a photo of my original receipt though. I'll do that this Saturday then!


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Ecco range is not bad but just that sometimes things do happen suddenly.Hope your machine will work again soon.

BTW,can you describe the arrangement of your filter media?

[mincedmeat]

Some things that you might want to look out for, even if its trivial or duh!:

- Are the hoses bent/warped in any weird shape? This would affect flow rate
- Is the intake unit in your tank blocked/obstructed?
- Do you place any other things (i.e. sponge filter, mesh guard, etc.) on the intake unit? If it gets clogged easily, there's a chance that the flow rate would be affected as well
- Did you by accident turn down the intake flow? Remember that the flow rate is also affected by this.
- How packed are your media in the cannister? If each basket is filled to the brim and packed tightly, it doesn't take very long for it to get clogged, especially the filter wool.

[jackychun]

So far I have no problem using Eheim Ecco Pro 300 for my 2ft tank. Water do slow down after about 2 months and I know it is time to do maintenance work. When the flow is strong, you can see the "dimple" on the surface water if the outflow pipe place near the surface too.

I cleaned out all the hoses, removed media if that was too pack, change the white sponge and lastly clean the impellers, white ball...etc.


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[TheKiwi]

Wub. Thanks everyone for chiming in. Let's see:

media used: I'm using the standard media that came with the unit, so I'm certain that I did not overpacked it. Additionally, removing the all media baskets made no difference to the flow. Edit to add: I also added a 100ml Purigen pack after the white floss pad

Arrangement, from bottom to top: black cylinder mech media, the flat squarish ceramic media, the round substrate pro, topped with the white floss pad, and then there's the blue pre-filter ring.

Positioning and hoses: this is how mine looks like. Slight curve. Total length of hose is about 1.6m


Intake is kept standard; no pre filter. The outtake is also standard; no attachments

Intake and outtake taps are fully open



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[Urban Aquaria]

Anyone knows or heard of the Eheim prefilter which is fixed to the inlet pipe of all Eheim canisters?I think it is black and round shaped with 2 pieces of sponges inside.

Does it mean I can do cleaning of the filter every 2 months instead of monthly cleaning if I fix the prefilter on my Ecco Pro?

In theory, adding a pre-filter sponge unit can help to extend filter maintenance interval by trapping most of the larger debris. You can use the cheap shrimp sponge guards or the fancy eheim pre-filter, both work similarly.

You'll still have to remove the pre-filter unit to clean regularly though, usually on a weekly basis, otherwise it will clog up quite fast. It does take alot less time to clean a pre-filter sponge though, rather than the entire filter.

The only disadvantage with a pre-filter unit like the eheim one is some people find that it looks bulky and ugly in the tank, but if you don't mind the look, its good to install a unit.

[Urban Aquaria]

Wub. Thanks everyone for chiming in. Let's see:

media used: I'm using the standard media that came with the unit, so I'm certain that I did not overpacked it. Additionally, removing the all media baskets made no difference to the flow. Edit to add: I also added a 100ml Purigen pack after the white floss pad

Arrangement, from bottom to top: black cylinder mech media, the flat squarish ceramic media, the round substrate pro, topped with the white floss pad, and then there's the blue pre-filter ring.

Positioning and hoses: this is how mine looks like. Slight curve. Total length of hose is about 1.6m

Intake is kept standard; no pre filter. The outtake is also standard; no attachments

Intake and outtake taps are fully open

Sounds like a normal standard setup... i guess if your flow rate drops alot after only a short time (ie. a few days), then most likely the debris generated in the tank is quite high, hence everything just gets clogged up much faster. In such cases, you have no choice but to just clean the tank and filter more often.

Btw, when you clean your filter, did you open the impeller housing itself and clean the impeller and all the parts? Including scrubbing inside the input and output ports using a flexible brush?

[TheKiwi]

Sounds like a normal standard setup... i guess if your flow rate drops alot after only a short time (ie. a few days), then most likely the debris generated in the tank is quite high, hence everything just gets clogged up much faster. In such cases, you have no choice but to just clean the tank and filter more often.

Btw, when you clean your filter, did you open the impeller housing itself and clean the impeller and all the parts? Including scrubbing inside the input and output ports using a flexible brush?

Yup! I pop off the cap, remove the impeller, as well as the ball-and-cage pieces. I use a little brush to reach in a scrub.

I've also tried one time when I clean the media, change the floss pad, scrubbed the impeller housing, and there's no difference to the flow. However the moment I clean the pipes, the flow is immediately restored.


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[Urban Aquaria]

Yup! I pop off the cap, remove the impeller, as well as the ball-and-cage pieces. I use a little brush to reach in a scrub.

I've also tried one time when I clean the media, change the floss pad, scrubbed the impeller housing, and there's no difference to the flow. However the moment I clean the pipes, the flow is immediately restored.

Looks like its narrowed down to the pipes and hoses clogging up with mulm and algae... but usually that takes a few weeks or months to slowly accumulate, not just a few days.

For my filters, i use transparent hoses with glass and clear acrylic lily pipes, so i can see dirt gradually coat them over time. Usually it takes around 2+ months before mulm and algae accumulate noticeably and i have to clean them. I run low-moderate lighting though, so that probably helps to slow down algae growth.

I guess if you are running a higher light tank, then just have to clean the pipes and hoses more often to maintain optimal flow rate.

[RenesisTurbo]

Thanks for the advice,UA.

Just curious...Did you used to work for Eheim last time in some capacity?You seem to know a lot about Eheim's products.

[Urban Aquaria]

Thanks for the advice,UA.

Just curious...Did you used to work for Eheim last time in some capacity?You seem to know a lot about Eheim's products.

I haven't worked in the aquarium industry... i'm just a long-time user of eheim filters and equipment. Just from personal usage experience.

[jackychun]

Recently, I have removed the purigen pack in my filter for the flow to increase better. With the purigen pack there, the flow decrease quite remarkable. Normally how much purigen shall we place in the filter?


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[Urban Aquaria]

I use the 100ml Purigen pack for my 2ft tanks... usually lasts 3-4 months before it gets brown enough to need recharging. Depends alot on the bio-load. I guess if you use more, it'll just last longer between recharges.

I just reduce the amount of media in the top tray so that there is more space for the purigen pack and it sits loosely, got abit of extra space to move. That helps to minimize flow reduction.

[TheKiwi]

Looks like its narrowed down to the pipes and hoses clogging up with mulm and algae... but usually that takes a few weeks or months to slowly accumulate, not just a few days.

For my filters, i use transparent hoses with glass and clear acrylic lily pipes, so i can see dirt gradually coat them over time. Usually it takes around 2+ months before mulm and algae accumulate noticeably and i have to clean them. I run low-moderate lighting though, so that probably helps to slow down algae growth.

I guess if you are running a higher light tank, then just have to clean the pipes and hoses more often to maintain optimal flow rate.

Yeah. I guess I was a trying to figure out if there were other issues going on, and the build up in my pipes was simply the tipping point. From what I understand it is exactly as you said: it takes weeks or even a month or so for enough stuff to accumulate and reduce the flow that substantially. My tank is really under stocked and I feed really sparingly. Oh well. I'll mess around with it a little more I guess


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