Eheim and sumps
- Thread starter jft
- Start date
I have my two eheim 2260's plumbed into my sump, what you need is a check valve between the intake and the sump. I have also modified my eheims to have the pump on the bottom like you find in the Fluval FX5 pushing the water into the canister rather than pulling the water from the top of the canister. I'll post a pic of it when I get home (currently at work). This also makes the eheim shorter so you don't have that much of a clearance issue in shorter stands. Now you want to use swing check valves not the spring type because the force of the water in the canister will slam the valve close so you don't have leaks when the power is off. Of course the pump relocation will only work on models which have a pump head that's removable.
I've had it running for at least 10 years this way, if you use don't use a pump rated over 1100 gph then you should be fine. I'm running QuietOne 4000's on my eheims.
Some teflon tape works wonders with thread leaks. I use brass swing checks since the tank is freshwater, but if you were going to use it in saltwater then I would use the pvc type, just make sure there isn't any metal in the swing check for saltwater applications.
Some teflon tape works wonders with thread leaks. I use brass swing checks since the tank is freshwater, but if you were going to use it in saltwater then I would use the pvc type, just make sure there isn't any metal in the swing check for saltwater applications.
Honestly I don't know why you would ever want to do this, they have module filters like Ocean Clears that are IMO better than Eheims for this application, more customizable, and cheaper (especially since you can always find them used). Eheims are great because they are standalone filters that are basically ready to go out of the box since they come with a pump and tubing, but with a sump I would go with OCs.
dennisdeng2002;4548979; said:
Have you ever used OC filters? And if you have, how often did you clean out the mechanical filter? The reason why most people use eheims and other larger canister filters is the interval of cleaning. That little clean out valve that's on the bottom of the filter helps to reduce the build up of humus and detritus that gets trapped before your filter becomes a nitrate factory. I would much rather open the valve than to tear apart an OC to clean it and then you would have to bleach the pleated cartridge. One other point in using the bigger eheims is their volume, a row of OC sure does take up a lot of real estate under your stand. And if you bought your eheim 15 years ago, it wasn't that expensive and they are built to last.