Fx6 vs used 2262
- Thread starter BigTex
- Start date
I clean my 2-2262's once every year or so. The last time I opened them I changed the Matrix out for Poret foam. I couldn't believe how much cleaner (clear) my water is. I do hook a hose every few months to the bottom drain and flush sediment out.
The FX 6 is on a 150 planted with a Fahaka and Poret. I doubt I need to clean for a couple years. The FX5 is on another lightly stocked 150 and it needs cleaned every 3 months.
I much prefer the Eheim. You can rebuild the motor if it fails. Also it has the motor on top so it can't eat sand and grit. The FX is a throw away and can eat sand and snails pretty easy.
The FX 6 is on a 150 planted with a Fahaka and Poret. I doubt I need to clean for a couple years. The FX5 is on another lightly stocked 150 and it needs cleaned every 3 months.
I much prefer the Eheim. You can rebuild the motor if it fails. Also it has the motor on top so it can't eat sand and grit. The FX is a throw away and can eat sand and snails pretty easy.
I bought a bunch of scrap from the distributor, Swiss Tropicals. It is lots of different PPI. I just stuffed as much as I could and crunched in. I also have Poret Mattenfilters in a 100 & 125. 4" thick, air powered. I love those also. Had those in about a year.
You will need approximately a 12" diameter circle to fit snugly in the canister, similar to a normal filter pad. Since the Poret isn't sold in a round shape, you will need to buy the rectangular shape, cut it to fit with a sharp knife (use the smaller diameter filter lattice screen as a template) and use the scraps in the filter as needed.
I use the 2" thick Poret in 10PPI and/or 20PPI in my filters. The number of pads I use varies depending on how much other media I use. Here are how mine are set up
This is how I use the 10 and 20PPI Poret in my Eheims. Remember the water flows into the bottom of the Eheim and then is pulled up through the various media layers to the top of the filter and then pumped back to the tank.
Eheim 2262 #1
Bottom media is 5L of EhfiMech
One 2" thick 10PPI Poret foam, cut to fit
1/2" of Premium Polyfil
One 2" thick 20PPI Poret foam, cut to fit
5L of Ehfi Substrat Pro in a mesh bag
Eheim 2260 #2
Bottom media is 5L of EhfiMech
One 2" thick 20PPI Poret foam, cut to fit
Double layer of Polyfil Traditional Batting
Ehfi Substrat, Seachem Pond Matrix and 1/2" spiky bio balls that came with the filter used, all in a mesh bag
Eheim 2260 #3
Bottom media is EhfiMech, about 3" deep
One 2" thick 20PPI Poret foam, cut to fit
One 1" thick layer of Mountain Mist Smart 100% Polyfoam
1 layer of blue bonded filter pad
5L of Ehfi Substrat Pro in media bag
Scrap pieces of 20PPI Poret foam left over from cutting round pads for the Eheim
I use the 2" thick Poret in 10PPI and/or 20PPI in my filters. The number of pads I use varies depending on how much other media I use. Here are how mine are set up
This is how I use the 10 and 20PPI Poret in my Eheims. Remember the water flows into the bottom of the Eheim and then is pulled up through the various media layers to the top of the filter and then pumped back to the tank.
Eheim 2262 #1
Bottom media is 5L of EhfiMech
One 2" thick 10PPI Poret foam, cut to fit
1/2" of Premium Polyfil
One 2" thick 20PPI Poret foam, cut to fit
5L of Ehfi Substrat Pro in a mesh bag
Eheim 2260 #2
Bottom media is 5L of EhfiMech
One 2" thick 20PPI Poret foam, cut to fit
Double layer of Polyfil Traditional Batting
Ehfi Substrat, Seachem Pond Matrix and 1/2" spiky bio balls that came with the filter used, all in a mesh bag
Eheim 2260 #3
Bottom media is EhfiMech, about 3" deep
One 2" thick 20PPI Poret foam, cut to fit
One 1" thick layer of Mountain Mist Smart 100% Polyfoam
1 layer of blue bonded filter pad
5L of Ehfi Substrat Pro in media bag
Scrap pieces of 20PPI Poret foam left over from cutting round pads for the Eheim
Blue bonded filter media is very thin and does trap a lot of smaller particles, hence I don't use a very thick layer to avoid clogging too quickly.
I love the Poret filter media as it does a great job on catching particles also, it's reusable indefinitely, very easy to clean and holds its shape perfectly, no shrinkage over time. Once you buy it, it will last for years!
The filter will take approx. 11" of media height.
If you aren't considering buying the Eheim Ehfi Mech (tubular shaped media) as the bottom layer, you could use 2" of 10PPI then 2" of 20PPI Poret, filter floss to take up space and then your 10L of Substrat Pro in a bag. There are infinite ways to use various filter medias to fill the canister relatively cheaply.
I love the Poret filter media as it does a great job on catching particles also, it's reusable indefinitely, very easy to clean and holds its shape perfectly, no shrinkage over time. Once you buy it, it will last for years!
The filter will take approx. 11" of media height.
If you aren't considering buying the Eheim Ehfi Mech (tubular shaped media) as the bottom layer, you could use 2" of 10PPI then 2" of 20PPI Poret, filter floss to take up space and then your 10L of Substrat Pro in a bag. There are infinite ways to use various filter medias to fill the canister relatively cheaply.
