Eheim vs Filstar my opinion

[JMLenke]

Both Canisters are used. I got them both 2nd hand at least.

Jeebus a 2013 is a PITA to get primed, even my little crappy HOB Magnum 250's would be able to expel the air left over after I filled the canister with water.

I have yet to have a single canister that couldnt evacuate the bit of air left over after that.

until the 2013...

OTOH, the Filstar worked just fine when I did that with no issues. The 55 was a murky mess when I got done replanting and within a few hours it was clear and clean.

Both canisters are filled with Floss and either a sponge (XP2) or ceramic rings (2013).

The filstar puts out a decent flow and I regret not having picked one up earlier. The Eheim would be awesome on a 10g but a 20L I feel I need 2 on.

Maybe because the 2013 is much older or something, I dont know but I am not that impressed with it vs the Filstar.

[mab]

Advantage to the Eheim is that once setup with biological media (not mechanical) it will run for six months without any attention and then only requires a backflush to get back in service. Filstars are designed to be run with mechanical media - this requires diligence in servicing every couple weeks. You can run strictly with bio media; however, you cannot backflush. The Filstar is also prone to air infiltration where somehow it pulls air into the canister, then starts expelling it thru the spraybar - my solution is the liberal use of petroleum jelly on the seals.

They both serve a different niche.

I run three Filstars (XP2 & XP3) and two Eheims (Classic 2215 and 2217).

[krisw]

Michael, "backflushing" is interesting. I currently run mechanical media in my 2213, but that's what often obstructs the flow. How do you do the back-flushing? Do you hook up a powerhead to outtake and put the intake in a bucket? I'm sure I'm missing something obvious!

[ingg]

If you are seeing air in a Filstar, check your hoses.

They are not meant to have slack in the hoses, and it puches on the housing that attached to the main body f there is slack in them, which forces an air infiltration point.

I honestly run them both the same way, Eheim 2215 and Filstars - I don't run the Eheim the Eheim way

[mab]

Michael, "backflushing" is interesting. I currently run mechanical media in my 2213, but that's what often obstructs the flow. How do you do the back-flushing? Do you hook up a powerhead to outtake and put the intake in a bucket? I'm sure I'm missing something obvious!

I put it in the utility sink. Connect the outtake to the faucet and just drain the intake into the sink. The Eheim website gives no guidance nor do the barebones manuals. I noticed on the Eheim comparison chart that you can backflush so I experimented until I figured out a method that worked for me. I know tap water is a no no; however, I generally always have a sponge filter running so I always have something cycled.

Try the powerhead method - you could do it as part of a water change and not kill the bio!

[John G]

I’ve had an Eheim 2026 filter on my 75 for a number of years. It developed a leak near where the electrical cord comes out, and I was unable to fix it. I replaced it with a Rena xP2, which was much less expensive that it would have been to replace the Eheim.

I couldn’t be happier. On the plus side, the Rena much, much easier to start. I always hated the pump that you have to use to prime the Eheim. The Rena has a clever set-up: unscrew a cap from the input tube, fill it with water using a funnel they include, and the water siphons into the filter and after a couple of minutes you are ready to start the filter. In general I have found taking the Rena apart and reassembling it is much easier than it was with the Eheim.

I had been worried about the noise, but the Rena is nearly as quiet as the Eheim. I don’t think it would be a bother even in my bedroom.

The Rena comes with a variety of pipes, nozzles, pipe extensions, etc. It was easy to set it up to fit my particular aquarium arrangement, and I can’t imagine anyone having a problem in that regard.

As far as maintenance, I don’t see any significant difference between the 2026 and the xP2. I expect the Rena to go as long between cleanings as the Eheim. With both filters it is necessary to wash some filtration pads, and replace others.

My only worry now, and it is a small one, is long term reliability. Eheims are famous for their reliability. It will be several years before I know how the xP2 is in that regard.

[RTRJR]

Eheim Classics are the oldest canister design on the market. Now labeled 22xx, the original water cooled Eheims were 20xx, but the only difference was the impellers. Their first canister was air-cooled (with small internal fan).

There are no, repeat no, bells and whistles on this basic, workhorse design. If you want easy access, use one of the Pro series. If want 30+ year operation and total silence, use the classics. But never ever over-pack the units. Excess mechanical medium will make it harder to clear.

For more detail on the bio-only Eheim classics, see:

http://www.badmanstropicalfish.com/foru ... n.html#new

I came up with that variant a very long time ago to be able to have low nitrate tanks without having to open the classics weekly. Eheim does not approve, as I do not use their media, plus I have said pubically that ehfisustrat was a waste. But I still use their filters.

[DelawareJim]

Michael, "backflushing" is interesting. I currently run mechanical media in my 2213, but that's what often obstructs the flow. How do you do the back-flushing? Do you hook up a powerhead to outtake and put the intake in a bucket? I'm sure I'm missing something obvious!

I put it in the utility sink. Connect the outtake to the faucet and just drain the intake into the sink. The Eheim website gives no guidance nor do the barebones manuals. I noticed on the Eheim comparison chart that you can backflush so I experimented until I figured out a method that worked for me. I know tap water is a no no; however, I generally always have a sponge filter running so I always have something cycled.

Try the powerhead method - you could do it as part of a water change and not kill the bio!

The backflushing only works well if you're using biomedia. If you're using mechanical you have to clean the filter material. So if you set one up as recommended, backflushing would only clear out what settled in the bottom with the ceramic noodles and some of the coarse green mesh.

I run a pair of 2217's in my 110 and completely break one or the other down and thoroughly clean it every 3 months. Between a light bioload, tons of plants, and all the bacterial in the substrate, etc. I don't even worry about killing off the beneficials in the filter. I just rinse everything in the sink under a lukewarm tap until its clean, reassemble and go. Never noticed a spike in any part of the N cycle.

Also, priming's never been a problem for me. After cleaning, I fill the canister at the sink, clip the top back on, hook the ballcocks on the hoses back up, wait a couple of seconds for the air in the outlet to rise to the top of the tank, and turn them on. What little air was left in the intake hose blows out in a couple of minutes.

Touch wood, they've been running strong on this program since 1987.

Cheers.
Jim

[DelawareJim]

I came up with that variant a very long time ago to be able to have low nitrate tanks without having to open the classics weekly. Eheim does not approve, as I do not use their media, plus I have said pubically that ehfisustrat was a waste. But I still use their filters.

Never used Ehfisubstrat myself. I chose Biochem Stars for the improved water flow. The original "ceramic" stars started to crumble, so I switched to the new foam stars and see no difference in performance.

Cheers.
Jim

[maddog10]

Am I the only one who uses Fluvals?