Does my EHEIM canister filter SUCK??

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
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BiggaFish

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Dec 25, 2005
23
0
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58
Iowa
Well, one thing's for sure: it leaks.

It's a 2026 Pro II, with heater module. I bought it almost 3 years ago, based on Eheim's reputation, and also the fact that I wouldn't have to clutter my tank with a heater. It's been well-maintained, regularly cleaned. Recently it began to leak, and I typically had to seal it 3 or 4 times before I could get it to run without leaking.

Last night was the final straw....couldn't get it to stop so I had to go the LFS and buy a Cascade. :swear: And a heater, of course. :cry:

I'm wondering if anyone else has had a problem similar to mine with this filter, and if I should make the effort to save the stupid thing. The water leaks from the main seal, but the seal has every appearance of integrity. Not nicked, twisted, dry, or anything. The rubber rings that bush between the baskets are another story, however. They are very stiff and crusty. But could that cause it to leak around the main seal?? That would seem counter-intuitive to me, but I guess I don't completely grasp the water flow of this system.

I could spend about 40 bucks or so to get all new rubber parts for this filter. If that solved the problem, I would be happy. If it didn't, I would be out 40 bucks or so, and still PO'ed at Eheim. Anyway, the tank is fine for now with the cascade. But if I got my Eheim working dependably, I could sell it. Or even get another tank. :naughty:

What would you do? Should a $200 canister fail after less than 3 years? My water is pretty hard, but I do have a water softener....not sure how bad that is for the rubber.
 
Do you have any other filters running on the tank? If not you could be in for an amonia/nitrate/Nitrite spike. If the eheim was the only filter you had running and you just switched it out for a brand new one all the beneficial bacteria went with the eheim. You should probably test your water daily and do water changes accordingly.
 
unknownuza13 said:
Do you have any other filters running on the tank? If not you could be in for an amonia/nitrate/Nitrite spike. If the eheim was the only filter you had running and you just switched it out for a brand new one all the beneficial bacteria went with the eheim. You should probably test your water daily and do water changes accordingly.
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I moved the bio-media from the Eheim into the new canister. Total downtime for the media was about 2-3 hours, while I messed with the filter, then went to the LFS. I think I will be OK, but will monitor the Ammonia initially. Tank load for this one is very low, too.

But thanks for the tip! :)
 
Nice job.. Just looking out. I saw that you had only a few posts and did not want you to encounter a beginner mistake and get discouraged from the hobby before you started but it looks like your on top of it.
 
unknownuza13 said:
Nice job.. Just looking out. I saw that you had only a few posts and did not want you to encounter a beginner mistake and get discouraged from the hobby before you started but it looks like your on top of it.
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Very cool. Glad there are people like you in here!

I am very experienced--about 25 years--BUT I haven't really kept up in recent years, and even if I had, I'm certainly not immune to making dumb mistakes. Thanks!
 
Woot Woot
 
I've had the same thing happen to me more than once. The problem wasn't the filter, it was me. It's important to make sure that the seal is resting on the flange in a relaxed manner. Hard to explain in words but after you put the gasket on, use your fingers to untwist any stress that it might have from initially rolling into position. After that, push the motor housing straight down onto the cannister instead of going in at an angle. I have different models of eheim cannister filters than what you have so I hope this info is compatible with your filter.;)
 
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