Filter Recommendation

hfjacinto · Post by **hfjacinto** » 19 Jun 2007, 17:08

Hi all,

Hellocatfish, I agree with the filtration on the ecco not being as fast as the classic or the pro, but for the price of 1 classic, I can get 2 ecco's which provide more filtration than 1 classic.

If budget was no option I feel a professional would be the best filter, but the question is: Are 2 to 3 ecco filters better than 1 of the others and to that I don't have an answer.

hellocatfish · Post by **hellocatfish** » 19 Jun 2007, 20:29

LOL, I was asking myself a similar question--would two 2213's be better than one 2215--or one Pro2? I'm looking only at the prices on Drs.FosterSmith's website for the Classic series. So far I have bought most of my gear only if I could get it through special deals or discounts.

I get online discounts in my e-mails by signing up for them. So far I haven't been spammed as a result, as I have stuck to only trusted vendors with policies of not sharing e-mail addresses.

I don't just go for lowest listed price. I have to factor in taxes, free shipping deals and promotional tie-ins for other supplies I use that can help lower my overall expenditures.

Getting back to two Ecco's vs. one Pro2 or Classic. Well I don't know anything about Pro2 firsthand. But seeing as how my Classic doesn't let anything get past it and the Ecco filters only the water and not debris so much, then I would rather have one Classic than two Eccos. But that's based only on what I have seen of how my filters are set up now. To make a more accurate comparison, I should have my Ecco set up internally and externally exactly the way my Classic is. Meaning take put in some Ehfimech noodles in before the blue coarse filter pad. Position my intake tube in the middle of the tank and put a spraybar on the outtake.

It is Ehfimech, not Ehfisynth--don't know what I typed previously but if I typed Ehfisynth that was a mistake.

Costs to operate--Classic is preferable to Pro2. I'm also really on a kick to watch my energy consumption. So you do get a lot of filtration per watt with a Classic vs. what I've seen out of Ecco so far or what I surmise is available via Pro2.

hellocatfish · Post by **hellocatfish** » 23 Jun 2007, 11:03

As you can see by my updated signature, I ended up ordering two Eheim Classic 2215's. They're not hooked up yet, actually they are not even here yet, but I know I won't be around the forum for awhile so I figured I'd better update my signature now while I'm logged in. LOL--I actually have no way to edit my profile as specified in the FAQ. I had to figure out the html for the control panel myself via Google and using my brain. I didn't even know I still had a brain.

I was sorely tempted to give one of the new Marineland C cannisters a try. I'd read some really glowing reviews on them. But I hesitated because they're not listed at all in Marineland's site. There is just this one promo page for them but they're not part of the regular lineup. So I had reservations about their commitment to legacy support for this filter when it inevitably becomes discontinued. And the size I would have wanted consumes 30 watts. And I have already had two 2213's put to the test and they are so awesome, as long as you don't drop one off of your counter.

. I just needed to go up a size. I get to stay under 20 watts per filter so I'm happy about that. Our electricity rates are rising again soon and every little bit I can scrimp on power consumption helps.

Running 2 filters per tank is a bit of a luxury, but I've got an emotional investment in my wet pets as well as a financial one, so I feel safer having a backup at all times. As my accident with the 2213 illustrates, poo happens. I went with a 2215 instead of a 2213 for the cory tank, because I felt I might need it when the cichlid reaches her full growth.

hellocatfish · Post by **hellocatfish** » 29 Jun 2007, 09:53

HF, don't know if you're still following this thread, but just wanted to say that I was able to set up one of the 2215's and it is AWESOME. There's a learning curve to setting up and operating the Classic series, but once you set up one and learn the best way to prime it, the rest are easy. The 2215 does NOT come with the internal media basket unlike the 2213, but I did what Larry once advised me to do and put the media into large pore bags. I had one very large bag that I put EVERYTHING into, including the bottom strainer thingy--that strainer helps the bag keep its shape when I have to pull the whole shebang out of the canister. And then I put the Ehfisubstrat Pro bio balls into a smaller Eheim bag so that I can easily set them aside when I go to change or rinse the pads.

It runs like a dream and consumes only 15 watts of energy.

My Ecco has been really struggling recently. It can't pull in any debris at all, whereas the Classic keeps sucking in all my floating plants. That's a minor annoyance, but a great tradeoff considering how much poo it's suctioning in. I took the Ecco apart and cleaned the impeller chamber and changed all the pads to no avail--the tank didn't look good until the re introduction of a supplementry Classic filter. But I think it's come time to change out SOME of the Substrat Pro beads. I had a lot of fine algae floating in the tank recently and I think that's clogged up the pores. The Ecco has always run well before, so I don't fault the design. I'm just still learning how to maintain these things properly.

MatsP · Post by **MatsP** » 29 Jun 2007, 11:24

hellocatfish wrote:My Ecco has been really struggling recently. It can't pull in any debris at all, whereas the Classic keeps sucking in all my floating plants. That's a minor annoyance, but a great tradeoff considering how much poo it's suctioning in. I took the Ecco apart and cleaned the impeller chamber and changed all the pads to no avail--the tank didn't look good until the re introduction of a supplementry Classic filter. But I think it's come time to change out SOME of the Substrat Pro beads. I had a lot of fine algae floating in the tank recently and I think that's clogged up the pores. The Ecco has always run well before, so I don't fault the design. I'm just still learning how to maintain these things properly.

Lack of flow through the filter is most certainly not caused by clogged pores on the EhfiSubstrat (or anything like it). It's caused by some sort of restriction in the main flow - perhaps the filter pads at the top or bottom of the filter, or some hose or such - I've had things get stuck in all sorts of places when I had my first external filter, and of course, the stuck bits would restrict the flow of the filter.

Make sure that your pre- and post-filter pads are clean - if you can't clean them with some tank-water and a bit of squeezing, you should replace them [they are really the only "replace as necessary" bits in an external canister filter].

--
Mats

hellocatfish · Post by **hellocatfish** » 30 Jun 2007, 17:52

Ahhh....time to examine the hoses, then. The filter pads are cleaned or replaced on a regular basis. Judging from all the microscopic but gloppy goop in the impeller chamber, the hoses are probably a little clogged with the same by now, too.

hellocatfish · Post by **hellocatfish** » 04 Jul 2007, 09:43

I totally replaced the hoses and scrubbed out all of the fittings. I didn't find any blockages, just a thick buildup of gunk--algae I think. I also made the hoses a wee bit shorter. Whatever, the changes have had the desired results and the Ecco is working beautifully. I also installed the spraybar from my broken 2213 and I've got some fantastic turbulence at the surface on one side of the tank to help with oxygenating the tank. I have a spraybar coming out from the 2215 but the water pressure isn't nearly as strong as what I've got coming out of the Ecco now. However, that filter is more densely packed than the Ecco currently is now that I've removed the Boyd's ChemiPure packet. (Removing the packet was done prior to the cleaning and had no noticeable effect on the flow--only the new hoses seem to have done the trick). Thanks again Matt for the advice.

MatsP · Post by **MatsP** » 05 Jul 2007, 06:19

Whilst replacing the hoses is a good solution, I would prefer to use a piece of wire/string with a bit of tissue-papper or similar to clean the inside of the hose - just pull that through a few times.

Shortening the hoses (within reason) does help in the cases where a hose is being "flattened" or "kinked" and is getting less flow due to that, but obviously has little effect on flow otherwise [within reason, of course, a mile-long hose will have significantly more resistance than a foot-long one - I think the resistance of a (reasonably straight) hose is pretty much proportional to the length, just like electrical resistance in a wire - and in the same analogy, a change diameter will reduce the resistance by the square of the difference in size].

--
Mats

hfjacinto · Post by **hfjacinto** » 07 Sep 2007, 19:42

Hello all,

Its been 6 months since I purchased the ecco filter. Overall my impressions haven't changed.

The pluses:

Quiet
Easy to prime
Good price
Easy to clean

The minuses:

On the small side
slow outflow

Would I purchase again, the answer is no, if faced with the same situation I would have purchased an Eheim professional or the largest Fluval. The outflow is just not enough, it should move the current more.

Since I have 2 filters I don't worry too much as the pengium moves the water and the eheim does the biological filtration.

For the money the best filter is the Aquaclear, it is 13 years old and after replacing the motor, impeller and intake tub it is on my brother's 55 gallon cichlid tank and it works perfectly.

I should have listened to you Mat.

Filter Recommendation

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