Are these filters any good ?????

[DRJplec]

Im starting a group of zebra pleco and im allready finding my 63l tank abit small so im looking at getting a 123 l tank and i was just wondering if this external filter was any good
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1000L-Aquariu ... 3616wt_929

Any surrgestions would be helpful ?????


Thank you


Rhys

[MatsP]

The power consumption of 50-75W is MUCH higher than for example the Eheim Classic series.

For example: http://www.charterhouse-aquatics.co.uk/ ... p-342.html
is drawing 20W for similar pump capacity.

--
Mats

[DRJplec]

The one i showed you has got an 18 w power cumsumption


Thanks


Rhys

[MatsP]

I'm very confused now. The main page says 51-75W, then there is the data sheet for the filter itself that says it draws 18W and runs 1400 lph. Then there is a table showing that the 1000 lph runs 18W, the 1400 lph runs 35W and the 2000 lph runs 55W. I'm not at all sure which is correct [if any!].

Since I haven't got one of these filters, and probably won't get one, I can't comment on the actual workings of it. I will buy Eheim Classic series filters if I'm buying new ones. If a filter comes up at auction for £20-30, then I may well buy it even if it's not an Eheim. I do have two TetraTec filters, and I eblieve the filter you are showing is a "copy" of the TetraTec [may well be produced in the same factory as the TetraTec]. A problem often encountered when buying "non-brand" filters is that there are no spares available after a few years, and I certainly expect [and have experienced] filters to run for 10+ years. Given that lifespan, it's only a couple of quid per year for a quality brand than it is for the "cheap, non-brand" filter.

--
Mats

[DRJplec]

Fair comment but when money is tight you have to make best with what you can afford right ?
And for 39 deliverd with filter media and everything worth a go dont you think ?

Thanks

Rhys

[sidguppy]

a bargain is almost always a money pit in the end than a more expensive brand A product

as filters go, Eheim is the best.

then there's a long swap of nothing and then a whole range of electrickery hogs with fragile parts

yes, it's a wallet bomb to buy one.
but after 10 years you realize that youre still running the tank with an oldie filter....

and using as much energy as a small energy saving reading lamp.

they pay off. really.

[DRJplec]

Could you suggest any filters for say max £80 has to turn a 123 L tank out minimum 6 times an hour because zebra need fast flow


Thanks


Rhys

[sidguppy]

i don't think so.

another option: save money first, then buy filter + tank, then save more money then buy fish

if you reverse that and first buy the fish while not having adequate equipment to take care for said fish, reality will bite you in the nether regions
;)

[DRJplec]

Very good point considering the fish a wild caught zebra pleco and cost me £300 a pair


Thank you


Rhys

[MatsP]

Sorry, but I don't understand the logic of spending LOTS of money (£300 is more than I've spent in one LFS except when I've bought a large tank or 7 smaller ones... I've come close to £300 when I went to pier a while back - but I came home with about two dozen fish... ), and then not spending good money on the filtration system "because money is tight"... Seems like false economy to me.

No matter what filter you buy, it won't be immediately cycled, so it's not an instant solution either way.

--
Mats

[MatsP]

Could you suggest any filters for say max £80 has to turn a 123 L tank out minimum 6 times an hour because zebra need fast flow


Thanks


Rhys

How about:
http://www.charterhouse-aquatics.co.uk/ ... p-340.html
and
http://www.charterhouse-aquatics.co.uk/ ... -3471.html

Using ONLY the filter for water flow tends to be a poor idea in general, since it's often poor flexibility on where you can stick the filter outlet, where a pump like the Hydor Koralia is much more flexible in where you can put it (as long as it's on a tank-wall, pretty much anything goes). And it gets expensive, as larger filters tend to cost a lot more than just a "pump water around" gadget.

900 lph in a 123 liter tank is just under 8x, and the filter should easily cope with a 120 liter tank, as it's rated for 250 liter tanks [but that is probably assuming fairly light stocking], and flows about 400 lph (so about 3x your tank volume). If you can find a tenner or so somehow, then getting the Eheim 2215 would of course not hurt. But buying a filter that copes with 3-5x more volume of water just to get a bigger pump so you get more flow seems lika a poor excuse to me.

(My oldest Eheim is 6 years old this christmas [present to myself/the fishes], and it's only needed a replacement connector so far).

--
Mats

[christiansen]

the filter on ebay looks like the sun sun models i saw on some tanks here in romania.

the ones imported here came with no media , except for sintetyc wooll . as for fiability can't say much, they have been imported for 1- 1.5 years and haven't heard complains about leakings or mallfunctions.

MatsP also had a good point, about the long run service parts , i don't know for sure if the tetratec parts will fit on the sun sun models.
here is a review on the sun sun model HW 302 that u're interested in . http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/equip ... er-hw.html

[Mod edit: fix my username, as it was a different user's name, and could confuse people --Mats]

[xingumike]

http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/fish/filt ... heim/13352

problem solved?

[2wheelsx2]

I can't see the image to see the brand, but is it one of those made in China ones (Sunsun or Jian loong or something like that)? If so, they have had some decent reviews on various forums I've been on (most of the are on plantedtank.net where many have tried them). Build quality is not the best and power consumption is higher than equivalent filters of the same size, but apparently pretty good bang for buck. Not much detail on reliability though, as no one has used it for more than one year.

Here's one such review with lots of comments. http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/equip ... er-hw.html

This is for the HW-302.

[MChambers]

I have one of these, and have used it for about 3 years. It works fine, but if I ever need a new part, I think I'll be in trouble. For the price, however, I can't complain.

It's got a lot of room for media and a decent flow rate. I use it on a 55 gallon tank, with another canister. I don't know if it would be enough by itself on a 55, but it would probably be fine on a smaller tank.

[MatsP]

Beware of the zooplus site: They sell the canister only, with no filter media and no taps for the hoses. If you have to buy these separately, it will cost more than the price at Charterhouse (I'm not saying Charterhouse is the best placer to buy, but you do get the "plus" model of the filter, which comes with sponge filter media and taps for the hoses, so you don't have to take the hoses out of the tank. Even if you want to swap the sponges with some other media, the taps are some £10 each (and you need TWO), so I don't think you'll benefit from Zooplus' lower price.

(Sorry for the rant, but I have answered several questions on this subject on another forum, where people are disappointed with their purchase...)

--
Mats

[DRJplec]

thank you very much eveyone for your help




rhys

[Shane]

Could you suggest any filters for say max £80 has to turn a 123 L tank out minimum 6 times an hour because zebra need fast flow

Perhaps there is another thread in the making here: "Why are filters so dang expensive in the UK?"

123 liters = 32.5 gallons, pretty much a smaller tank size. The 6X turnover desired by Rhys equals a flow rate of 195 gph. In the US a Marineland 200 gph is $23.50 (15 GBP) and a similar Eheim $26 (16.5 GBP).

80 quid is $125. For that kind of money one should be able to outfit a small fishroom.

-Shane

[2wheelsx2]

Perhaps there is another thread in the making here: "Why are filters so dang expensive in the UK?"

It's not just the UK, Shane. MatsP would know that in Kanadia, an Eheim costs and arm and a leg. A 2075 Pro3 for instance is $250 before taxes in the cheapest places I know, and can be as much as $350 at other places. And the Canadian dollar is worth more than the US dollar, while the border is a 30 minute drive away for me, hence the 3 hour lineups to shop in the US.

[MatsP]

@Shane: When we are talking about the Eheim filters here, they are external canister filters, not hang-on-back filters.

Even in the US, they are quite expensive, e.g. the Eheim 2217 here:
http://www.amazon.com/EHEIM-Classic-Ext ... 045&sr=1-1
is about the same as the price from Charterhouse aquatics [within a few pence at current exchange rate] (and the latter price includes our sales-tax, which Amazon may or may not have to add to your order, depeding on where you live and where Amazon is selling from).

--
Mats

[Firestorming]

Perhaps there is another thread in the making here: "Why are filters so dang expensive in the UK?"

It's not just the UK, Shane. MatsP would know that in Kanadia, an Eheim costs and arm and a leg. A 2075 Pro3 for instance is $250 before taxes in the cheapest places I know, and can be as much as $350 at other places. And the Canadian dollar is worth more than the US dollar, while the border is a 30 minute drive away for me, hence the 3 hour lineups to shop in the US.

I searched for Eheim Pro 3 2075 in Australia,first shop is $442, second is $749.95

[2wheelsx2]

I searched for Eheim Pro 3 2075 in Australia,first shop is $442, second is $749.95

Wow, for that kind of money, every one of my tanks would have a sump....

[Shane]

hence the 3 hour lineups to shop in the US.

Which is strange from the standpoint that Canadian chain Big Al's offers great US mail order prices by transhipping their products through New York.

When we are talking about the Eheim filters here, they are external canister filters, not hang-on-back filters.

I realize that we are comparing apples and oranges (on several levels) but the OP was after an inexpensive filter, not a certain type.

Even in the US, they are quite expensive, e.g. the Eheim 2217 here:

Two key factors here: 1) Eheim is an expensive European import brand and 2) canisters are not very popular in the US. These two factors drive up price.
Although there are very few of them out there, US made canisters are much, much cheaper. Marineland's 350 gph canister is $100. Eheim's 2075 Pro 3 moves 330 gph and runs $289.

-Shane

[2wheelsx2]

Which is strange from the standpoint that Canadian chain Big Al's offers great US mail order prices by transhipping their products through New York.

Yup, especially since the Big Al's prices here are 50%+ more for the same product, and of course they won't let you use the US site, so we buy the same thing and ship to a US address and pick up across the border. When asked, you get the same blah blah spiel about volumes, shipping, etc.

[N0body Of The Goat]

Im starting a group of zebra pleco and im allready finding my 63l tank abit small so im looking at getting a 123 l tank and i was just wondering if this external filter was any good
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1000L-Aquariu ... 3616wt_929

Any surrgestions would be helpful ?????


Thank you


Rhys

Unless looks are deceiving, that is the very same brand/model filter that All Pond Solutions sell.

I have two APS2000EFs running amongst my tanks and their real life water turnover is horrifying, 1200lph is possible with no spraybar attached, but with one spraybar module this can easily drop to 900lph... For a 2000lph pump!

I came to the conclusion that the 2000 model is really only suitable for tanks in the 100-240l range, so that the water turnover is suitable for the fish. One of mine is running alongside a FX5 in my 5x2x2, while the recently opened one is far from overpowering in a 100l tub with two spraybar modules (and it is hardly a raging current).