Eheim Canister Filter Comparison

[cosworth]

I took out the 1260 from a 2260 and placed it in a 633 FGT to push water out to 2260 green bin intake; 1 1264 on top of the FGT draws the output from top of 2260 and outputs into a series of 3 Eheim rainbars and it flows like a mutha. Reason why I do this is for higher flow rate, and also in case any pump fails, the cannister will run nonetheless... Works like a charm. Second reason is there is no need to prime anytime haha.

[RenesisTurbo]

I always do my monthly cleaning/servicing on my Pro 3 600 on the 15th of every month for my 90 x 45 x 45 tank which is based in my living room but I have since ordered another 90 x 45 x 45 tank from Seaview yesterday which is meant to be placed in my study room.

Planned to give the living room fish tank to house the missus's 7 pieces of goldfishes with Ecco Pro 300 as the life support system and the newly ordered tank will be using the Pro 3 600 housing 25 platies, 6 sailfin mollies, 10 corydoras and 24 black phantom tetras with 5cm sealed off with a removable plastic cover with holes to serve as a fry enclosure.

So my questions are-

-Can I skip the monthly servicing for my Pro 600 just this once so that I can move the community fishes into the newly ordered tank after 2 weeks of recycling?I do use OF's 8000 bacteria in the course of cycling the tank.
-Can I mix the water from the old tank(50%) and tap water(50%) in the new tank and cycle the tank from there for 2 weeks with OF's 8000 bacteria added?Or can I just empty out all the water from the old tank into the new one and cycle the tank for 2 weeks from there?

[Urban Aquaria]

For your case, just transfer a portion of the seasoned bio-media from your Pro 600 to the new Ecco Pro 300, that will seed it with a starting beneficial bacteria population.

Transfer a portion of the old aquarium water into the new tank so that the parameters don't change too much for the existing fishes, let the Pro 600 run in the new tank for a day, test that the water parameters are okay, then transfer the existing fishes to the new tank.

As for the older tank that is intended to house goldfishes, let the Ecco Pro 300 (which is seeded with beneficial bacteria in the form of transferred seasoned bio-media) run for a day too, test that parameters are okay, then slowly introduce in the goldfishes one by one in stages.

Dosing the bottled bacteria can help in supplementing the workload of the cycle before the actual beneficial bacteria multiply enough to handle it.

Do note that beneficial bacteria need ammonia to consume and multiply, so there should be an ammonia source (ie. from livestock or active aquasoil) to sustain them. Just leaving a tank running empty with no ammonia source will just result in beneficial bacteria dying off and having to re-cycle the tank again when livestock are subsequently added.

[RenesisTurbo]

For your case, just transfer a portion of the seasoned bio-media from your Pro 600 to the new Ecco Pro 300, that will seed it with a starting beneficial bacteria population.

Transfer a portion of the old aquarium water into the new tank so that the parameters don't change too much for the existing fishes, let the Pro 600 run in the new tank for a day, test that the water parameters are okay, then transfer the existing fishes to the new tank.

As for the older tank that is intended to house goldfishes, let the Ecco Pro 300 (which is seeded with beneficial bacteria in the form of transferred seasoned bio-media) run for a day too, test that parameters are okay, then slowly introduce in the goldfishes one by one in stages.

Dosing the bottled bacteria can help in supplementing the workload of the cycle before the actual beneficial bacteria multiply enough to handle it.

Do note that beneficial bacteria need ammonia to consume and multiply, so there should be an ammonia source (ie. from livestock or active aquasoil) to sustain them. Just leaving a tank running empty with no ammonia source will just result in beneficial bacteria dying off and having to re-cycle the tank again when livestock are subsequently added.

Do I need to add a pack of Purigen and Renew in the Ecco Pro 300 as well for the goldfishes?I currently have 2 packs of Renew and 1 pack of Purigen in my Pro 3 600 as well cos it really keeps the water in my community tank super clean and clear as well.

[Urban Aquaria]

Do I need to add a pack of Purigen and Renew in the Ecco Pro 300 as well for the goldfishes?I currently have 2 packs of Renew and 1 pack of Purigen in my Pro 3 600 as well cos it really keeps the water in my community tank super clean and clear as well.

If you share seasoned bio-media between your filters, they will contain established beneficial bacteria populations to grow and handle the bio-load. Its also fine to add Purigen and Renew packs to help further adsorb and reduce excess organic compounds too (especially if your tanks have few or no plants to do those jobs).

[RenesisTurbo]

Just to check again cos I am getting my filter right now....

I am keeping 5 to 7 pieces of goldfish and planning to just use 1 unit of the Eheim Ecco Pro 300 in my 90 x 45 x 45 tank.So is it suitable for the goldfish and tank of my size?

[Stuart Phoon]

I also had the same query about whether my filters will be overkill for my 60x60x60 tank. I am currently using a 2nd hand pro 3 600 and ecco pro 300. It doesnt cause a whirlpool and my plants r swaying SLIGHTLY only. I think the flow also weakened due to the lily pipes and the very long distance the water needs to get pumped through.

Oh ya and i just remembered that yesterday when i put my snails into the tank, they were swirling slowly around the tank perimeter, which means that even with two filters, it will not be overkill

[RenesisTurbo]

So sorry to ask this question again.....I did not get a unit of the Ecco Pro 300 on Sunday cos I wanted to make doubly sure that it is suitable for my 5-7 Ryukins or Bubble-Eyes and they are housed in my old 90 x 45 x 45 tank.

I just plan to use one unit of Ecco Pro 300 with the original filter media and 1 packet each of Seachem Renew and Purigen.So is this filter set-up enough for my goldfishes?A guy at Y618 commented that I should have used the Pro 3 600 instead of Ecco Pro 300 for the goldfishes.

[Stuart Phoon]

if i am you i will get pro 3 600. MUCH more space for filer media

[Dscheng]

My opinion is that Pro 3 600 is overkill for your 90cm tank. 1250 lph flowrate, do you really need so strong flow rate? Not to mention Pro 3 600 should be at SGD$500+ range?
I will suggest you look into Pro 3 350 instead, 1050 lph , ample space for you to hold the bio media, price range should be SGD$300+.

Ecco Pro 3 - SGD$280 , 750lph
Pro 3 350 - SGD$300+ , 1050lph
Pro 3 600 - SGD$400+, 1250lph
Classic 2217 - SGD$280+, 1050lph

Hehe, my overkill 2 canister for my 94L and 64L tank.

[Stuart Phoon]

pro 3 600 is 400 at seaview including media.

[Dscheng]

Thanks for correcting me. The price initially i had mention is taken from website Fresh N marine. Hehe just a guideline, it could be cheaper.

[Urban Aquaria]

Yeah, the Fresh N Marine website listed prices tend to be more inflated compared to actual prices at most LFS, so the cost of those canister filter models are actually not that high. Just have to shop around to find the better deals.

[Urban Aquaria]

So sorry to ask this question again.....I did not get a unit of the Ecco Pro 300 on Sunday cos I wanted to make doubly sure that it is suitable for my 5-7 Ryukins or Bubble-Eyes and they are housed in my old 90 x 45 x 45 tank.

I just plan to use one unit of Ecco Pro 300 with the original filter media and 1 packet each of Seachem Renew and Purigen.So is this filter set-up enough for my goldfishes?A guy at Y618 commented that I should have used the Pro 3 600 instead of Ecco Pro 300 for the goldfishes.

Well, whether the filter is sufficient for your tank's bio-load will depend on many factors... like the size of the gold fishes, how much and how often you feed them, how frequent and how large your regular water changes are, how often you clean the tank and filter and the quality of bio-media you use etc.

The more time and effort you spend maintaining the tank, the less work the filter needs to do. Conversely, the better the filter the less time and effort you need to maintain the tank. So its all about time/effort vs cost.

Theoretically, the Ecco Pro 300 will be sufficient for the setup, if you stick to regular tank maintenance. But if you find that ammonia and nitrates keep spiking up, and you are already doing plenty of cleaning, water changes and controlling feeding... then it'll be an indication that you need to upgrade the bio-media or upgrade to a better filter with more filtration capacity.

Ultimately it all depends on your budget too, if money is not an issue, just get the largest canister filter you can afford, more filtration is always better then less.

[RenesisTurbo]

Well, whether the filter is sufficient for your tank's bio-load will depend on many factors... like the size of the gold fishes, how much and how often you feed them, how frequent and how large your regular water changes are, how often you clean the tank and filter and the quality of bio-media you use etc.

The more time and effort you spend maintaining the tank, the less work the filter needs to do. Conversely, the better the filter the less time and effort you need to maintain the tank. So its all about time/effort vs cost.

Theoretically, the Ecco Pro 300 will be sufficient for the setup, if you stick to regular tank maintenance. But if you find that ammonia and nitrates keep spiking up, and you are already doing plenty of cleaning, water changes and controlling feeding... then it'll be an indication that you need to upgrade the bio-media or upgrade to a better filter with more filtration capacity.

Ultimately it all depends on your budget too, if money is not an issue, just get the largest canister filter you can afford, more filtration is always better then less.

Ahh,thanks.....I guess I have to do water changes twice a week for the goldfishes and feed them only once a day if I do eventually use Ecco Pro 3.Anyway the goldfishes belong to the missus and she is only the feeding IC while I am the one taking care of the technical problems plus another 3 feet community tank with a fry sideline in my study to look after.

[RenesisTurbo]

I am a bit curious.....How does the lily head attached to the outlet pipe of the Ecco Pro 300 help in my 90 x 45 x 45 goldfish tank?Does it make the water flow out stronger or weaken the water flow instead?

Do I have to buy the original Eheim lily head or is there an aftermarket prototype of it?Or is the wide jet pipe more suitable for the goldfish tank instead?

[Urban Aquaria]

I am a bit curious.....How does the lily head attached to the outlet pipe of the Ecco Pro 300 help in my 90 x 45 x 45 goldfish tank?Does it make the water flow out stronger or weaken the water flow instead?

Do I have to buy the original Eheim lily head or is there an aftermarket prototype of it?Or is the wide jet pipe more suitable for the goldfish tank instead?

Lily pipe outflows are designed to spread out the flow so that it circulates water over a wider area (how well it works depends on the shape and width of the lily pipe mouth). The flow rate will still be the same, just that the overall current will usually be abit gentler.

In addition, it helps to generate the "mini vortex" effect when positioned slightly below the water surface, which helps to reduce surface film build up.

You can get the plastic Eheim lily pipe attachment parts, it should fit the outflow pipe of your Ecco Pro 300. Do note that its mouth design is abit narrower in shape so the outflow spread is abit less, but it has an adjustable connection point so you can adjust its flow direction.

Looks like this:



Photo from Google Images.

So far i have only seen the original Eheim attachment set available at LFS, haven't seen any 3rd party versions yet.

The alternative is to DIY your own (there are some clever examples online using small plastic bottles cut to shape)... or go for the glass or acrylic lily pipes which look much nicer.

[RenesisTurbo]

Lily pipe outflows are designed to spread out the flow so that it circulates water over a wider area (how well it works depends on the shape and width of the lily pipe mouth). The flow rate will still be the same, just that the overall current will usually be abit gentler.

In addition, it helps to generate the "mini vortex" effect when positioned slightly below the water surface, which helps to reduce surface film build up.

You can get the plastic Eheim lily pipe attachment parts, it should fit the outflow pipe of your Ecco Pro 300. Do note that its mouth design is abit narrower in shape so the outflow spread is abit less, but it has an adjustable connection point so you can adjust its flow direction.

Looks like this:



Photo from Google Images.

So far i have only seen the original Eheim attachment set available at LFS, haven't seen any 3rd party versions yet.

The alternative is to DIY your own (there are some clever examples online using small plastic bottles cut to shape)... or go for the glass or acrylic lily pipes which look much nicer.

Oh i see it is also usable for Pro 3 models as well.I am thinking of changing to lily head pipes for my Ecco Pro 300 and Pro 3 600.

[Urban Aquaria]

Oh i see it is also usable for Pro 3 models as well.

Yeah, that attachment set comes with adaptors (those green connector parts) which allows it to fit 12/16 or 16/22 pipes.

[RenesisTurbo]

Yeah, that attachment set comes with adaptors (those green connector parts) which allows it to fit 12/16 or 16/22 pipes.

So it does weaken the outflow of the Pro 3 600 right?I don't think my black phantom tetras and platies like the current strong outflow of my Pro 3 600.