75 G. PLEASE, I NEED HELP choosing Eheim canister ASAP!
- Thread starter petspoiler
- Start date
My filter list includes
Used Fluval 404
Used Rena XP3
Used Magnum 350
Purchased new Eheim 2075
Used Ocean clear Cartridge filter
Penguin emperor 400
Diatom D-1
Hayward EC40 DE pool filter
Some commercial sump.
Of the canister filters the Eheim 2075 is the nicest... but it isn't that much better than the Fluval or the XP3. Definitely not worth the extra I paid for the Eheim. The XP3 is just as capaible the 2075. The 404 is nearly as good, just not as much capacity. I ike the Magnum 350at first... but it is aelectricity hog, noisy and a pain to service.
Nothing compares to the Diatom D-1for water clariety... except of course the Hatward EC40 DE pool filter which is the same filter as the Diatom D-1 but with 25 times the filter area. The Hatward is the last filter I ever foresee buying!
The sump is the best bio filter hands down. With the sump and huge DE filter I find all the canister filters pretty much useless. I run the Eheim 2075 along with the sump mainly because I paid too much for the stupid thing to let it sit idle like the other cans. I figure the 2075 is good backup but doesnt realy contribute much. When I first added the sump to my tank I immediately noticed that my fish became much more active. I attribute this to the huge amount of oxygen the sump adds. Canisters add pretty much no oxygen in comparison.
If something gets out of wack with the tank I immediately go to the Emperor 400 for chemical filtration. It is quick to deploy and add media. During an ammonia spike ammo chips remove the immediate symptom and peter out gradually while the bacterial colony reestablish themselves. Other than this I just think the HOB's are ugly. i have a clear back tank. With a painted tank or background a HOB might not be that bad.
By far the best bang for buck filter is the free Pothos clippings the hang over the rim of my tank. I keep getting lazier and lazier with water changes but never have any detectible nitrates.
Used Fluval 404
Used Rena XP3
Used Magnum 350
Purchased new Eheim 2075
Used Ocean clear Cartridge filter
Penguin emperor 400
Diatom D-1
Hayward EC40 DE pool filter
Some commercial sump.
Of the canister filters the Eheim 2075 is the nicest... but it isn't that much better than the Fluval or the XP3. Definitely not worth the extra I paid for the Eheim. The XP3 is just as capaible the 2075. The 404 is nearly as good, just not as much capacity. I ike the Magnum 350at first... but it is aelectricity hog, noisy and a pain to service.
Nothing compares to the Diatom D-1for water clariety... except of course the Hatward EC40 DE pool filter which is the same filter as the Diatom D-1 but with 25 times the filter area. The Hatward is the last filter I ever foresee buying!
The sump is the best bio filter hands down. With the sump and huge DE filter I find all the canister filters pretty much useless. I run the Eheim 2075 along with the sump mainly because I paid too much for the stupid thing to let it sit idle like the other cans. I figure the 2075 is good backup but doesnt realy contribute much. When I first added the sump to my tank I immediately noticed that my fish became much more active. I attribute this to the huge amount of oxygen the sump adds. Canisters add pretty much no oxygen in comparison.
If something gets out of wack with the tank I immediately go to the Emperor 400 for chemical filtration. It is quick to deploy and add media. During an ammonia spike ammo chips remove the immediate symptom and peter out gradually while the bacterial colony reestablish themselves. Other than this I just think the HOB's are ugly. i have a clear back tank. With a painted tank or background a HOB might not be that bad.
By far the best bang for buck filter is the free Pothos clippings the hang over the rim of my tank. I keep getting lazier and lazier with water changes but never have any detectible nitrates.
I am running both Eheim 2217s and Fluval FX5. I think they both are good filter choices. In this case, I think you made the right choice to go with two smaller filters rather then one larger one.
Great process there - will definatley be following that when it comes time to clean out my 2217
Read this. Made cleaning these filters even easier when there pictures and steps. I love my classic, best investment I've made on a filter.
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?265051-How-I-clean-Eheim-2217-Filter
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?265051-How-I-clean-Eheim-2217-Filter
Thanks for all your replies! My pkg 'should' arrive today, and we got a big fresh snow dump. The UPS guy will have to trudge thru it on our long uphill driveway. He is gonna be really aggravated 
Maybe I could let the dogs out to escort him to the door 
I don't know why he's so grumpy, my big dog greets him so enthusiastically 
@monstermonkee & deeda, I've been doing it wrong and sucking filth all these years? Lol, I'm still alive.
@Mavrick813 I considered the 2075, but read lousy reports.. leaks and floods being the eliminators.
@Oughtsix you sure have lots of variety there. I dunno how big your sump is, compared to the tank, but sumps' additional water volume decrease spikes and increase the amount of bio-load a tank can have. for oxygen I can increase surface turnover w/bubble airstones etc. Emperor 400, I have on a 20G, it's OK but I hate the finicky impeller. Pothos clippings & such-like are a no go with a canopy (even tho I leave it off half the time, lol).
@Eupterus ya, two is better and more flexible than one for sure. have to admit, planning to start a bigger tank played into my decision.
@Hot Slime thanks for link! Ya, Classic E's won out for reliability.
Maybe I could let the dogs out to escort him to the door I don't know why he's so grumpy, my big dog greets him so enthusiastically @monstermonkee & deeda, I've been doing it wrong and sucking filth all these years? Lol, I'm still alive.
@Mavrick813 I considered the 2075, but read lousy reports.. leaks and floods being the eliminators.
@Oughtsix you sure have lots of variety there. I dunno how big your sump is, compared to the tank, but sumps' additional water volume decrease spikes and increase the amount of bio-load a tank can have. for oxygen I can increase surface turnover w/bubble airstones etc. Emperor 400, I have on a 20G, it's OK but I hate the finicky impeller. Pothos clippings & such-like are a no go with a canopy (even tho I leave it off half the time, lol).
@Eupterus ya, two is better and more flexible than one for sure. have to admit, planning to start a bigger tank played into my decision.
@Hot Slime thanks for link! Ya, Classic E's won out for reliability.
PS @Mavrick813 the thought of trying to make something out of PVC *myself* reminds me of home plumbing leaks and floods. I really hope, for my sanity's sake and the hardware store mans', that I don't have to go there this week. Oh yeah, and my husband's calls home "Honey how are ya?"--> whew!
Out of curriosity, why did you end up going with two canisters instead of two hang on backs?
I run two AC110's on my 75. It's more than enough filtration, and easier to clean/service. It's also a TON cheaper.
The only thing I could think of is some people don't like the look of HOB's, but the back of my tank is painted black, so I can't even see them. So the whole aesthetics argument is out the window for me.
I run two AC110's on my 75. It's more than enough filtration, and easier to clean/service. It's also a TON cheaper.
The only thing I could think of is some people don't like the look of HOB's, but the back of my tank is painted black, so I can't even see them. So the whole aesthetics argument is out the window for me.
@seedubs1 I've never used an AC HOB and don't know how many gallons yours are rated for, but (a) the Emperor400 I have on a barely-stocked 20G is *just* OK for my taste. Part of the issue is probably due to immovable intake location. I can't imagine it on a big tank, and I do a lot of water changes.
(b) this 75G is against a wall and I wouldn't want it placed far enough away for HOB's, even if I thought they'd do enough work. The tank is on a full cabinet, and the gap behind there would just be wasted space.
(c) substrate is sugar-sized sand with eartheaters eventually blowing it all around. sand in impellers doesn't work. As it is, I HATE the Emperor impeller. If I clean it or even lift the housing at all, just for a simple flushing (reset, reset, reset.. to stop the grinding noise) for the cost of the filter, such an ESSENTIAL part should be quality-checked at factory. I don't want to send off for a little part when it came out of the box quirky. I can see that the end of it is not evenly balanced. What does the company think- everybody can just walk across the street and grab one? NO, it's snail-mail only.
(b) this 75G is against a wall and I wouldn't want it placed far enough away for HOB's, even if I thought they'd do enough work. The tank is on a full cabinet, and the gap behind there would just be wasted space.
(c) substrate is sugar-sized sand with eartheaters eventually blowing it all around. sand in impellers doesn't work. As it is, I HATE the Emperor impeller. If I clean it or even lift the housing at all, just for a simple flushing (reset, reset, reset.. to stop the grinding noise) for the cost of the filter, such an ESSENTIAL part should be quality-checked at factory. I don't want to send off for a little part when it came out of the box quirky. I can see that the end of it is not evenly balanced. What does the company think- everybody can just walk across the street and grab one? NO, it's snail-mail only.
my eheims arrived. Definitely have to replace what J-pipes do, to make them more like BRIDGES, bcuz of how FAR it is over my acrylic tank edges.
No luck searching the DIY forum for that. my search terms must be all wrong. none of the cusswords for getting a wider eheim J-pipe *immediately* have worked. yet.
I'm not a DIYourselfer. If I could pull the whole back compartment out of the SeaClear now (with fish in tank) I would be SO done already. that back edge is the only narrow one on this tank. going over it is 4+ inches, as are the sides.
I found a bunch of "ALMOST" stuff online! YAY. Look at these near-misses for running hose thru things and holding them firm, instead of asking the hardware store man for an hour of his time with a few dollars PVC purchase:
http://tradecodee.info/?s=Hose+Holder+Tube
Hubby called: "If you want to wait for me to get back, I can do it..."
No luck searching the DIY forum for that. my search terms must be all wrong. none of the cusswords for getting a wider eheim J-pipe *immediately* have worked. yet.
I'm not a DIYourselfer. If I could pull the whole back compartment out of the SeaClear now (with fish in tank) I would be SO done already. that back edge is the only narrow one on this tank. going over it is 4+ inches, as are the sides.
I found a bunch of "ALMOST" stuff online! YAY. Look at these near-misses for running hose thru things and holding them firm, instead of asking the hardware store man for an hour of his time with a few dollars PVC purchase:
http://tradecodee.info/?s=Hose+Holder+Tube
Hubby called: "If you want to wait for me to get back, I can do it..."
