Eheim Thermofilters

Just wondering if anyone is using the eheim thermofilters and what do they make of them, any potiental problems or pitfalls using these?

Thanks folks

Biggest problem........PRICE!! Only messing, a friend of mine runs one and hasn't had an ounce of trouble with it, touch wood. They seem to be pretty good from what I've heard, but then again I only have second hand experience.

Thanks Sushi

Yeah big bucks when you get into the Pro II and the new Pro 3, I'm looking at the original of the Pro series the 2324 and at €165 delivered inc media it ain't too bad when you consider a Hydor inline external heater is about €60 without delivery online, so €100 for a filter ain't bad IMO.

I was more wondering about the fact that these use a heating element underneath the filter rather than an actual removable heater in them like some of the other thermofilters, basically wondering what effect the 200 degree heat clicking on and off would have on the biological media built up in the filter, would it affect it in any way. I'm sure they work fine just wondered anyway.

cheers anyway

good price including delivery.

I've set up a tank recently (still cycling) and I'm running an Eheim 2329 Wet/Dry thermo filter and so far I think it's great. But I've only been running it a week or so....

I agree. Eheim are the most expensive on the market, they have been the leaders for years, but now there are more brands available. Tetra Tec ex 1200 for instance turnover 1200ltrs p/hr . The only prob with the heating in the Eheim is a failure in the heating element. I would always advise to have a seperate heater in the tank set a couple of degrees lower just incase of a failure!!!

There is no issue with the heating coil under the filter media effecting it. Since you have a constant waterflow over the heating element the heat from the coil is dispersed rapidly.
Personally I wouldn"t get one. Don't get me wrong, they are probably excellent filters. Eheims tend to be top of the class but they are simply too expensive for what you get. For the same money you could built yourself a sump and all that goes with it. Have a look as Russels one. Bigger filer volume than any external canister filter and a lot less maintenance.

There is no issue with the heating coil under the filter media effecting it. Since you have a constant waterflow over the heating element the heat from the coil is dispersed rapidly.
Personally I wouldn"t get one. Don't get me wrong, they are probably excellent filters. Eheims tend to be top of the class but they are simply too expensive for what you get. For the same money you could built yourself a sump and all that goes with it. Have a look as Russels one. Bigger filer volume than any external canister filter and a lot less maintenance.

Try Hoover or Bosh? THey do them to

We are talking filters here as the forum name suggests not kettles or hoovers :?

O.K lets get things into perspective regarding filters. We all know what they do .they remove the waste from the water and through a biological action break it down returning clean water to the tank.
What size do I need. all depends on size of tank & stocking levels, as well as type of stock .e.g: Tetras guppies and smaller fish will need less food and therefore produce less waste than say Plec's, who eat like mad and churn out waste by the bucket load. The more fish the more waste.
Most fish keepers starting out with say a 3 foot tank buy the eq't for this set up, thats fine, it's when we upgrade the tank and keep using the original eq't that the probs arise. I always advise buying the biggest you can afford. or you can end up having to purchas another filter. false ecconomy. if it's to powerful for your present system you can always reduce the out flow with restrictors. the bigger the internal mass the better the filtration.
For those with the room why not use a second tank as your filter, say a 3 foot tank will hold about 20 gl's, think of the filtration this will give you, more water volume for the whole tank. more filtration and less water changes although you should keep them up & the water is more stable.
They are simple to construct and will also house your heaters giving the occupants more room.
Another trap thats easy to fall into is the Tank capacity, we buy a tank that holds say 20 gal's, If we have a gravel base how much water does this displace, if we add rocks etc for the Cichlid tank, then this also displaces water, so suddenly our 20 gal tank comes down to 15 gal's or even less. a problem when we use medication. do you allow for water displacement ? it's no good treating for 20gal's capacity when in fact we only have 12- 15 gal's overdosing!!!
Do we clean our filters correctly? I have heard of some that clean them religously every week. Wrong The best way to to clean them is when you notice a decline in the output. the base filter medium say ceramic rings should be left untouched, the next medium say a coarse sponge may need a light rinse if you have a fine sponge this should be squeezed gently until it looks clean and the last medium the filter pad or floss should be replaced. all the rinsing should be done with some tank water. cleaning to often is destroying the build up of the beneficial bacteria that breaks down the waste. you shouln't change the base material for about 6 months or unless you can't remove any deposits with a gentle rub, and then only a third at a time.
All this may be obvious to seasoned fish keepers . and is a guide to new commers, every one may have there own opinions and all I can say, if it works don't fix it. but then don't waite untill a problem arrises. prevention is better than cure.

Excellent post, Russell. Especially your point about false economy. You can also hide your filter tank underneath the main tank. This way it will be out of sight assuming the tank is sitting on a cabinet and takes up no space. And as a plus, heaters don't have to be placed in the main tank which just looks nicer. Especially true for bug tanks where one heater won't do or if like a lot of people you are running two filters just in case one heater packs up and you want the other as a back-up.

Thank's
I invested in a heater contoller. I think was 12 pound stirling. you connect all your heater/stats to it and set them to max. then set the controller to the temp you want, this means all the heaters come on and off at the same time. if you have say two or three heaters in the tank with the conventional heater stats, they will cut in at different times one before the other so to speak. With the controller the water Temp only fluctuate .5 of a degree. has a LCD display and combines a timer for lights. well worth it.

[img][img]http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p18/russellie/temp.jpg[/img]
A quick pic of temp cotroller[/img]

Just hope the heater controller never gets stuck. Would be an awfully expensive fish soup

I agree but as with all things electrical the contacts can stick on a heater stat. this runs via a seperate temp sensor so is pretty reliable. Sods law!!!!!

Hello all,
Can anyone tell me what is best place in the net to buy this Eheim Thermofilter? I'm from Ireland.
Thanks in advance.

Hi Snorg,
where in Ireland are you based?

Fins and Things in Midleton can probably get it for you.
Or check this link
www.zooplus.ie/shop/fish/technic_and_acc...ies/canister_filters

Holger<br><br>Post edited by: apistodiscus, at: 2007/07/17 16:42

Hi Holger,
I'm in Dublin. Thank you for the link, I'll check it out. Are there any others?

No worries. Zooplus have a special at the moment. I should think they are the cheapest around. All their filters come with a complete set of media.
Personally, I think these filters are over-engineered anyway

I've checked that link but there is no Eheim III 2081. Where can I find that one?

Eheims are expensive and don't justify the additional amount when compared to Fluval or Tetratec. That's probalby why none of the Dublin based LFS stock them.

The only Eheim dealer I've seen in Ireland is Grosvenor Tropicals in Lisburn.

www.grosvenor-tropicals.co.uk/

I have a couple of Tetratec 1200's that I got in Aquatic Village, but I wanted to try Eheim, but could find no one here selling them, so I bought them from

stores.ebay.co.uk/Hellesdon-Barn-Aquatics

I bought a regular wet 'n' dry and a thermo wet 'n' dry. They are only running about a month, so far no problems, but will have to wait a little longer to see if they are any better than the much cheaper tetratec 1200.

This seller was very good. Next day courier delivery was £24.

Hi Daragh,
zooplus.ie sell them and they also have a special offer on at the moment

Holger

apistodiscus wrote:

Hi Daragh,
zooplus.ie sell them and they also have a special offer on at the moment

Holger

I don't see any special offers on filters at Zooplus atm, these are the prices they always are, the last 6 months or so the prices have remained the same. Also the Eheim filters do not all come with media included, some do some don't.

just had a closer look at the zooplus site. Most Eheim filters have the filter media included except the 2213-2217 range and the professional I and II with heater.
Still the cheapest I could find though.

I can't find Eeim wet n dry filters listed on Zooplus.ie at all, whether thermo or not.

They also do not seem to stock the Ecco range.

I can not find a 2081 that someone mentioned, but there is the Pro III 2080 which Zooplus.ie has for €375 inc media, but yo can get from eBay for £213 (plus delivery)

cgi.ebay.co.uk/Eheim-External-Filter-208...QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem <br><br>Post edited by: Daragh, at: 2007/07/27 00:36

apistodiscus wrote:

Hi Snorg,
where in Ireland are you based?

Fins and Things in Midleton can probably get it for you.
Or check this link
www.zooplus.ie/shop/fish/technic_and_acc...ies/canister_filters

Holger&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Post edited by: apistodiscus, at: 2007/07/17 16:42

Thank you for the link, I've just ordered Eheim 2080.