FishProfiles.com Message Forums

"please unless u have a lot of time to do maint stay away from the magnum,s eheims are great if your rich the best all around rena filstar xp3 a little nosiy but great proformance i got a jebco off ebay a few weeks ago the tubing is kinda cheap but i make a lot of my own spray bars and get farm grade tubing from tsc so that was no prob the jebco was only 72 bucks for a 4 tray with media and it runs great please research and use your best judgement "

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Actually, maintanence is very easy! There are these cut-off valves(to stop water from being siphoned all over the floor) and you can remove the canister from the power source to bring it to the sink or bath tub and wash everything out. Takes about 5 minutes.

If you get the 350 Pro's then you'll also have bio-wheels which supplies your tank with even more beneficial bacteria. With 2 of those suckers on your 150 gallon, you're in good shape. Better price too. Just because people have had bad experiences with them, doesn't mean they're bad filters!

Of course, I'm not saying that Magnum's are better than Eheim's, but the price is much more convenient and they do a fine job.

The only difficulty is the initial setup. Maybe you could hire a reliable LFS employee to do it. He'll probably cuss you for it though, lol. Nah, just kidding.




Last edited by fishnewbie at 04-Aug-2005 01:31

please unless u have a lot of time to do maint stay away from the magnum,s eheims are great if your rich the best all around rena filstar xp3 a little nosiy but great proformance i got a jebco off ebay a few weeks ago the tubing is kinda cheap but i make a lot of my own spray bars and get farm grade tubing from tsc so that was no prob the jebco was only 72 bucks for a 4 tray with media and it runs great please research and use your best judgement

Eheim 2213 Classic and Eheim ProII 2126 Thermofilter here.

For the price you cant beat the classics (and they arent hard to prime if you do it right especially since all the new Classics come with quick disconnects)

If you have the cash I'd just go with an eheim. Houston's posts are the only time I've heard complaints about an eheim aside from price. They sell some new on ebay with all the media and I think all now have a primer button. I'm paying for my aquariums out of my change jar until next week so I went with the jebo. Time to paint more apartments this weekend so I can pay for my fish hobby

The eheim classics are a real pain to get started the first time.
Took me over 3 hours just to get it going when I set mine up, not including the hour and half it took to put it together. User friendly they are not, best filters they are.
Sometimes you dont mind sacrificing ease of use for quality of filtration, but if I could swap mine for a rena xp3, Id do it anyday!


Come Play Yahtzee With Me!
http://games.atari.com
Http://www.myleague.com/yahtgames

I dont see how it could take so long to set up a Classic. It took me 20 min. to set up my 2213 on my 29gal and was including installing my Hydor inline heater.

Maybe it because I researched it for a month or 2 before I bought it. I got some real good tips on priming on www.plantedtanks.net

On my 120 I am running 2 Ehiem 2028's. Super easy to operate and to prime. They are also whisper quiet. These two things together make about 1/4 the noise that my airpump does. The price is a bit steep, but you do pay for quality. There is no point going cheap if you have to replace the filter every year or two. I highly recommend these filters

For those who found it so easy to prime and start the eheim classics, i really wish you would have bothered to stop and help me when i was busy cussing and screaming at mine for about 3 months. I know I created 2 threads about how do you start it...and sneaky pete was with me the whole way, with a few others who had had trouble (Keith, you to were there, thank you) Now maybe I am a blonde, and sometimes I do catch on rather slowly, but I still would not buy another eheim just due to the sheer torture of setting it up the first time. I mean I drained half the tank one night when it wasn't set just absolutely perfect, and I still don't know exactly what went wrong And yes the eheim is quieter than most airpumps, but I find the one I have to make an annoying ticking sound, that the jebo/oddysea does not...

All in all it's not my tank, or my money but I wouldn't go there again...enough said...heidi

ps monkeyboy if you do decide to get the eheim, and do have trouble priming them, 1. don't yell at us who warned you 2. come back and ask, I have a very detailed list somewhere out here on what it finally took me to get it going...best of luck on your decision, hml

"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." Thomas Carlyle

The eheim filter that Heidi hooked up to my 75g tank seems to be working fine, but it makes noise. Kind of like clicking or a ticking noise. With a 75g I hope it never backs up or floods.

man this is like the coke vs pepsi of the eightys]]

I'd go with 2 Magnum 350 Pro's.

I've got one on my 90 gallon and it's doing a great job. Completely silent and keeps the water clear.

True, they are a PAIN to set up but they work great. You can even switch out the filter media to micron for 24 hours if you want your water crystal clear.

check Big Als for a good price.

Something no one has mentioned is modular system buy rainbow lifegard. I like mine works great [link=http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewItem.asp?idproduct=RB5113]http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewItem.asp?idproduct=RB5113" style="COLOR: #0000FF[/link]

thanks all. i'll review all i have when it comes time to get the filter.

Fish tanks are an expensive addiction

filter found. i'm going with dual filters, i got the Jebo Odyssea CFS 4 on ebay for $65. since the site recommended hasnt had any for a while i went with this.

and since i heard the magnums can do good at water polishing. i'm going to get one to run as the backup/polisher.

Fish tanks are an expensive addiction

and i just got my hands on a Eheim 2028 as a secondary filter so that way i have one intake and out on each side of the tank

Fish tanks are an expensive addiction

monkeyboy,

Glad you get at least one Eheim. I have the 2028 and I have to say that so far (3 weeks) I am very happy with it. It is soooooo quiet. I believe it would even be sufficient as the solemn filter for your tank, if it would be heavily planted.

But having 2 filters is always good, as “There is no such thing as over-filtration” . Except if you should have fish that can’t stand any current.

Good luck,

Ingo

---

Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Let me ask you this, why is it so much better to have the canister? Personally, I can't stand them. I have had all the makes of canisters in the past. And all of them are relatively the same these days. They all have some kind of priming system now, so they are easier to start up. They all have multiple filter systems in them etc etc.

IMO, the best filter out there, is the Emperor. The HOB filters these days, can do most everything the canisters can. They have spaces to add any kind of extra filterization you want. I only use Emperors on any of my tanks that do not use sponge filters. For a 150 gal tank. 3-4 Emperors will more than do the trick. Heck, for several years I ran just 2 Emperor 400s on my 150 gal. Though when it became highly stocked, I ended up going to 3, and then to 4 Emperors. The maintenance is a thousand times easier with a HOB. The water surface is much more highly moved for oxygenation. The current is created in a circular motion, bringing the bottom "stuff" right up to the intakes. etc etc.

In the end, a good HOB will do everything a canister will, and somethings much better, and is much easier and quicker to maintain.

_____________________________________________________________

There is always a bigger fish...

fish, i decided on an eheim because of the price honestly lol. plus i know of peoples reviews of them... i love ebay

i went with the canisters on this because of how much space i have. i have alot more free space below the tank, than behind it. i have less than 2 inches of space between the wall and the tank.
and honestly, because of the difference in how they look, i'm thinking about switching my 55g and 40g over to canister too.

Fish tanks are an expensive addiction

ACIDRAIN,

What makes them easier to maintain? The 2028 has quick release valves for the hoses and inserts for the individual media. Also, a ball valve will visually show you when it is time for maintenance (which is required much less frequently than with any HOB). Priming is a breeze if you pre-fill the filter before closing it. The filter has space for 6 liters of media. All you see on top of your tank are the intake and output pipes (for the people that don’t like the look of 4 HOBs hovering over their top).

Plus:
“The water surface is much more highly moved for oxygenation”

Herein lies one of the problems as this is not a goal of tanks with CO2 injection (Pressurized or DIY).

Just curious, maybe you can convince me

Ingo

Last edited by LITTLE_FISH at 17-Oct-2005 11:27

---

Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

fish.... also as far as planted, nope no plants in this one (at least for now) just rock base, 2 pvc pipes (4inch) with rock on them for caves and a very nice piece of drift wood.

Fish tanks are an expensive addiction