28 replies to this topic

[Wet Dreams]

Hi All,

I'll be getting a new tank soon and am working out all the bits and pieces i'll need for it. Have been looking at filters and the Eheim 2180 seems pretty damn fancy, so want to know from people expierences with it is it worth the money? Or is there another filter you would reccomend instead?
The features I like are its sheer size, built in heater and 2 intake's. Dislikes are the price tag, trying to justify it haha.



Basic run down of the tank:
Was originally going to be a 6x2x2.5 (2.5H) but am now swinging towards 6x2.5x2.5 instead.
Will be stocked with malawi haps and peacocks only.
Will be plumbed from the bottom so no pipes or cords will be seen on the outside. (Like Oliver's planted tank and Tim's Tankzilla tank)
Probably going to run an external UV some how.

Any help would be awesome.
Cheers Sam.

[Krystal]

Cannot recommend them enough....they are brilliant. I can speak from experience because I deal with filters all day and get to see the best and worse points of all brands and models.

The good thing about Eheim is that parts are always available, we have had a very good run with these units and we run a 2180 on our 6'x2.5'x2.5' display tank. They are not suitable for marine tanks but fine for fresh.

The media provided with them is great and more then adequate for what you need to do.

[golden_dase]

Cannot recommend them enough....

You say that to everything, even a $3 bag of fluro coloured gravel! LOL!!!




Just messin!

[Krystal]

So want me to cancel your order of 80kgs of coloured gravel for your 4x new lethrinop sp. tanks?

Sam, next time your in the shop your welcome to have a look/inspect ours running and make up your mind from there

[Wet Dreams]

Haha better watch out Kev.

Cheers Krystal, will be in next week to pick up some goodies and have a chat with the Doc so will suss it out then.

[golden_dase]

So want me to cancel your order of 80kgs of coloured gravel for your 4x new lethrinop sp. tanks?

I dont think my Leths will like fluro gravel!

[Mr_docfish]

hey Sam....

I even have one of those 2180 units on my tank - planted 7'x30"x32"
One of the best new units Eheim have designed.

btw:
Got two of the better fish on hold you were after...see you soon...

[Sinbad]

G'day Sam,
I've got a 2180 doing the job on my 6x2 planted tank plumbed through the bottom, as per your intended setup (tank built for me by Docfish).
The 2180 is an absolute ripper of a filter and I'd recommend them very highly to anyone considering investing in one. Like you say, they are expensive, but if you can afford one I reckon you'll be very happy with it if you go ahead and get one. The built in heater is first class and is the most accurate heater I've ever come across; switches on and off at 0.1 of a degree from the temperature it's set to. I've also checked it against a scientific/technical grade thermometer and it's spot on.

[Wet Dreams]

Cheers for the feedback Oliver and Kim, appreciate it. About time that someone invented an accurate aquarium heater haha.
Looks like i'll be getting one then, sounds like it definately worth the money.
And decided i'll be going a 6x2.5x2.5 instead

[Neakit]

carfull with the 2180 on a hard water tank, i had one and the heater corroded through, it was covered by warrenty but they changed the head unit to a 2080 and gave me 2 250 jager heaters.

[Wet Dreams]

Oh bugga thats not good at all then. That really throws a spanner in the works then.

Krystal how long has the one in the shop been running for?

So maybe i should go the 2080 instead and run inline heaters?

[Neakit]

Mine was on a tang tank and that happened. it was great when it was running but i wouldn't get it with the intergrated heater. Im a big fan of the jager heaters anyway and they are orsom.

[Mark93]

worth the money personally i would say no at the end off the day there are other brands that cost half the price or less and will do the same job. and yes i have had one with heater and without i have a pro3e as well and also a classic i like the rena xp4 better and my fluval xf5 one off the best filters i have ever had was the cheapest resun china crap gos like a champ for that matter have a aqua one 1200 going 5 years strong no problems at all cant say the same for the eheim leaked beeped my wood floor the only filter that i have ever had leak. at the end off the day people will say will lust 20 years blah blah blah but your paying for a name and where it's made get a rena or fluval xp5 a in line heater and save some money.

[werdna]

Do us a favour Mark, use the full stop, comma and enter buttons! Makes it easy to read!

I dont like any cannister filters, every time you turn them on after they have been off for a few mins they spray crap all through your tank, then take hours to filter everything out again.
And they are all a pain to clean out, and you always hear of faulty o-rings causing leaks.
And cost a fortune considering they are just a sealed bucket with a power head attached.

Build a sump, they cost 1/10th as much, you can hide your heater in them, get 5x the filter media, have as much flow as you want, turn them off for as long as you want and when you start them again the water stays clean, don't get blocked and you hardly ever have to wash them out.

One of mine has been running for over 4 years and I only have to clean out the first layer of filter wool once every 6 months.
And there are plenty of ways to make them quiet, especially if you have the tank drilled and plumbed.

Andrew

[Wet Dreams]

Mark93- I had actually considered going down that path as i have an Eheim 2213 now and its the worst filter i have ever owned by a long shot. All my aqua one cannister have been running for years and no trouble what so ever.

Andrew- Im a complete noob about sumps and dont have a clue in the world haha. If it will save me a decent chunk of money i would highly consider going down that path as there is alot of pros with using a sump. Only thing is can they be made quiet? And will the pipes/return pipe be seen in the tank? Only reason i ask is i wanted to go with bottom plumbing just so there was no pipes and what not to be seen in the tank. But i am considering a sump now haha.

[werdna]

They can be made quiet, my last one is pretty similar in noise to one of the larger eheims, there is heaps of info on them.
Pipe to the sump can be plumbed up to a float valve purchased from bunnings.
Return pipe will need to be above the water level to stop water flowing back down the pipe if there is a power cut...

Andrew

[Krystal]

Sumps are great, dont get me wrong but i honestly a sump is not ideal for a planted tank.....if your injecting CO2 then you will end up wasting a lot.....also consider the amount of money for filter media, a pump, heaters and then the sump it self.

The 2180's are not to be used with marines, the heaters are not designed for it....this would also apply to hard water to a certain extent as well.

Sam, ours has been running since they came out, which is almost 2 years if memory serves me well....This was on the African Cichlid display with a pH of 8 and a KH of around 12 and GH around 17.

Its now on the same tank with Emperor Cichlids and the water is even harder....still going strong! Your wont have an issue on a planed tank because the water is going to be moderately soft, especially injecting CO2 and concentrating on certain plant species.

Every product has faults....do you know how many Aqua One and Fluval spare parts we sell? Around 80% more then Eheim and we dont even stock those filters!

The good thing with the Eheim is the large media capacity (Fluval FX5 is about half!) and the quality of the parts on it....Fluval use Askoll pumps which are the same as the Laguna pumps - Our washing machine at work uses these pumps and they're sh*t.

Again, just my opinion and what i deal with 6 days a week.

[Wet Dreams]

Hrmm well thats good its been running on that tank for roughly 2 years.
Its not going to be a planted tank though, its gonna be a all male hap and peacock display tank.

Im just looking for a reliable quality filter that wont pack it in as im now going to be working away at times so when im not there i need to rely on it 100% thats its gonna do it job. It was just the heater corroding that put me off it.

Bloody confused as what to do filter wise haha.

[Krystal]

Sorry....its been a LONG day...

If your that worried about it then go a 2080 Pro 3 and Hydor Inline Heaters....It will cost you the same either way

[werdna]

Where does the planted tank come into it?
I thought it was for Malawi Haps and Peacocks, which like hard water.
I must have missed a post somewhere...
If it is planted then I agree Krystal, sump is no good.
However if I read correctly... that isnt the plan.

And you get more surface area with a sump than any cannister filter.
And I have been in houses with eheim cannisters that are noisy, more so than my sump. Particularly the larger ones.

And the cost is tiny in comparison
S/h 3ft tank ~$70
Extra glass for baffles ~$20
Silicone $8
Silicone gun $2
Filter wool $15
50L of Hydroponics Clay $50
2 x 300w Heaters $30-160 (depending on quality)
5000lph pump ~$150
Total $475

How much is the Eheim?

And how often do cannisters need to be stripped and cleaned? Like I said, my sump hasnt been cleaned out in 4 years, I do 30% water changes straight from the tap and have never had a tank crash.
How much is a replacement Eheim heater? In my personal experience the $30 ones last just as long as the $100 ones, but I may have been lucky.
In a sump if anything fails, throw it out and buy another one. Easy. You dont need to find a shop that has brand parts in stock, anything will do.
You can even buy the water pump from bunnings if you are like me and live 30 mins from the closest decent lfs (until Tucunare opens his anyway).

And if cannister filters are so good, why dont lfs use them on all their tanks? I have seen more sump setups in shops.

But I am basing this from my personal experience, I have never worked in a lfs.

I have a 3ft tank with 3 peps in it filtered by a small eheim cannister, it gets clogged up atleast every 2 months. There is only 3 little catfish in there. What is it getting clogged up on? I dont even feed them anything so it isnt from over feeding.
And the stupid thing doesnt have a plug in the top like other brands, so the lid is really difficult to get off because of suction, and 1 in 5 times it breaks a plastic clip in the process.
I have to spray silicone spray on the o ring every time to try to stop it from happening.

I personally think cannisters have their place too, they are a good for a tank that needs more filtration than an internal filter wth someone who doesnt know any better.
I only use air powered sponge filters for tanks up to 4 ft, anything bigger, I go sumps.

Andrew