[HockiumGuru]

Hello, I'm looking at picking up one of these for a CRS breeding tank (20g at present), and was wondering which would be the better choice.
Both are more then enough for a 20g i know, but i anticipate increasing the G size at a later date.

Your opinions are greatly appreciated! (and needed urgently)
Thanks.

 

[hoppycalif]

I wouldn't recommend a Fluval filter for any application, except as a book end. The better option to an Eheim filter is the Rena Filstar XP series. It is cheaper and works fine.

 

[Bunbuku]

Ehiem all the way!

 

[goalcreas]

I actually LIKE and prefer Fluval, then Eheim and can't really stand the Rena's but I use them because they used to be super cheap.

You can get a Fluval 304 (older model, but just a bit older, it was the last 304 before the 305 was released) for like $74.95 shipped off ebay.

I have NEVER had a problem with ANY of my Fluvals, I rarely clean them, have gotten more then a year out of one before, and they are very quiet, at least IMO, but most do prefer Eheim's or Rena's and blast me for liking Fluval's, but I do.

 

[jazzlvr123]

i prefer fluval over ehiem ive owned both and the fluval kept a good flow rate over time as the ehiem flow started to die out after prolonged use.

 

[wes.pastor]

I have heard the argument from both sides of the fence Eheim vs Fluval. It would be tnice o know which one was better without the personal opinion part. Don't take that to heart though, I have some personal opinions too about a lot of things that go against the grain of conventional thinking. But hey, that's what makes the world an interesting place. If we two thought exactly alike, one of us would be irrelevant

:whip:So which one (Eheim vs Fluval) is truely the better choice and why? I' m planing a 75G natural tank.artyman:

 

[tfmcder]

If it were not for the leaking issue with the Fluvals, I would say they were better than the Eheims. I have always had noise with my Eheims. I have only had the classics though (2213, 2217). All of my Fluvals have leaked (103, 104, 304, 404). It stops eventually, but everytime you open it up and reclose it, it leaks for a few days....rather annoying. And for the record, I only purchased two of the Fluvals, so no need to point out that I do not like them yet have 4 of them.

 

[wes.pastor]

If it were not for the leaking issue with the Fluvals, I would say they were better than the Eheims. I have always had noise with my Eheims. I have only had the classics though (2213, 2217). All of my Fluvals have leaked (103, 104, 304, 404). It stops eventually, but everytime you open it up and reclose it, it leaks for a few days....rather annoying. And for the record, I only purchased two of the Fluvals, so no need to point out that I do not like them yet have 4 of them.

OK So the Fluval in all likelyhood will have a leaking problem. Thank you for being so candid. And I also understand that overall they may be the better filter .. Why?8-[ BTW I have no preference to either.

 

[pitabread]

I had a Fluval 304. Twice it leaked, the second time leaking about 10 gallons into my carpet. I immediately replaced it with an Eheim.

 

[hoppycalif]

My Fluvals never did leak, but repriming them after cleaning was always a major problem. That problem alone makes them unacceptable to me. By contrast, the Rena Filstar reprimes very easily and dependably. I used to get blisters on my fingers from trying to prime Fluvals.

 

[tfmcder]

I used to get blisters on my fingers from trying to prime Fluvals.

LOL!!! I thought I was the only one to get a blister from that dumb prime valve!!! It only takes about 50 -75 pulls on it to get it going. Incidentally, that is why I never take both hoses out of the water.

 

[wes.pastor]

Well, I guess it's quite settled then. I'll go with the fluval because I like blisters and leaks. Just what my living room needs; to smell like a swamp in about two days. My 75G will be empty by the time I get back from my gallavanting and I'll have that nice swishy sound under my feet for some time to come NOT!!!!!:biggrin::roll:

:supz:So much for the humour. With all this in mind I sure a 2215 will serve me well. BTW does someone still make your basic diatom filter anymore? I had one about 30 years ago it worked well for me until I had to move and sold all my stuff on the cheap.

 

[goalcreas]

My Fluval's have NEVER leaked.
For that matter, I have NEVER had ANY filter leak, might be operator error

Hoppy, were you using the older Fluval's like the 303's instead of the 304 or 305's (just using the 300 series for reference, could be 203 or 403?).

the older models were harder to prime.
the new models are the easiest filter to prime there is IMO and IME

 

[Squawkbert]

Well, I guess it's quite settled then. I'll go with the fluval because I like blisters and leaks. Just what my living room needs; to smell like a swamp in about two days. My 75G will be empty by the time I get back from my gallavanting and I'll have that nice swishy sound under my feet for some time to come NOT!!!!!:biggrin::roll:

:supz:So much for the humour. With all this in mind I sure a 2215 will serve me well. BTW does someone still make your basic diatom filter anymore? I had one about 30 years ago it worked well for me until I had to move and sold all my stuff on the cheap.

Vortex and certain members of the Mag lineup still fill the bill for "polishing" filters.

For a 20g, I'd go w/ an Eheim 2213. 2215s are great, but a little overkill for a 20g tank. Either way, get a coarse sponge, pot scrubbers or a prefilter for the intake, or you'll wind up w/ a shrimp canister.

 

[hoppycalif]

My Fluval's have NEVER leaked.
For that matter, I have NEVER had ANY filter leak, might be operator error

Hoppy, were you using the older Fluval's like the 303's instead of the 304 or 305's (just using the 300 series for reference, could be 203 or 403?).

the older models were harder to prime.
the new models are the easiest filter to prime there is IMO and IME

I used a 304 and a 204 and neither was at all easy to prime. Some days I had to work that little plunger dozens of strokes before it would start to pump at all. I hated it with a fury! By contrast my Rena Filstar XP3 primes just by plugging in the disconnected hoses. I do have to vent the top of my CO2 inline reactor before it will prime, but that is easy to do.

 

[jeff5614]

Gee, my fluvals must be counterfeit. In over 20 years of using them, I've never had a leak or any priming issues. I think a lot of the complaints are mainly user issues.

 

[mott]

Eheim ecco 2234.

I have the 2236 and just cleaned it yesterday after 6 months and it took all of 5 minutes.
I love this filter, it's soooo damn quiet, NO fluval is as quiet as Eheim.

 

[tfmcder]

Gee, my fluvals must be counterfeit. In over 20 years of using them, I've never had a leak or any priming issues. I think a lot of the complaints are mainly user issues.

That was why I bought two of them...a friend of mine had three of them, 2 on fish tanks and 1 on a turtle tank. He swore by them! Mine always leak after a media change from the area where the motor meets the housing. After a day or two it stops itself. It doesn't leak much but I do have it sitting on a plastic plate to catch the water. I have greased the gasket, changed it, and even had the filter guru at my LFS look at it. He had heard of the issue and informed me that they "supposedly" fixed it with the newer ones. Something with the plastic being slightly warped and the back pressure pushing the gasket into place. This also led to the priming issues. When you were using the primer thingy you were sucking in air as well, leading to...you guessed it more priming.

I will firmly say that this case is not user error. I have used eheims without ever experiencing a leak and I have an old marineland canister that never leaked. I built a 20,000 Gallon pond and plumbed that thing without any leaks (summer project 2005, for father-in-law). I think(thought) I could handle a 260gph Fluval. I think it is the luck of the draw. I think some of them were made with faulty parts or questionable craftsmanship while others are the great filters some rave about.

Jeff, don't read that as an attitude, it most certainly is not in that context. I am just trying to clarify any misconceptions someone without experience may have if they read this topic.

 

[jeff5614]

No attitude taken, tfmcder. I know these filter debates can get a bit heated and I was just trying to inject a little humor into the thread. If APC had been around 20 some odd years ago I'd probably have an Eheim myself. If my fluvals ever die or I just get tired of them I am going to have to try an Eheim and see what all the fuss is about.

 

[Diana K]

I have (or have had)
(3) Fluval 304
(2) F 204
(1) F 303 (old, cylinder shape)
(1) F 302 (also the old cylinder shape)
(6) F 404 (more or less, a couple were for parts, not complete.)
Any filter can have problems, but hopefully I have enough that some parts would be interchangeable, so that if one broke the parts would be worth salvaging.
FORGET IT! Even filters with the same model number are NOT interchangeable. There are enough changes made to each model they ought to be numbered like computer programs!
Then I would have
(1) 304.1
(1) 304.2
(1) 304.3
(1) 204.1
(1) 204.2
and so on...
The internal baskets are interchangeable, but they do not break down! It is the parts where the clamps anchor to that have broken on several of them, and NONE of the top (motor) sections fit the bottom (box) sections, because they keep changing the clamp style. The way the hoses attach are slightly different. Some are interchangeable, some are not.

I have
(2) Filstar XP2
(4) XP3
There are problems here, too.
Where the hose from the tank lets the water into the filter, on top of the internal lid, inside the filter there does not seem to be much room. A couple of the XP3s slow down and will quit when a Malaysian Trumpet Snail cannot make the turn out of the hose and into the filter, then more debris gets stuck. I have removed as little as 1/2 teaspoon of rather fine debris, sitting on the lid where it probably fell out of the hose when I opened the filter, and the filter works fine after that.

I have one Eheim. (Smaller, Ecco of some sort).
It is very quiet (quieter than the others, but even the other filters are quiet as long as they are inside a stand). It is not a very strong filter, though. It doesn't plug up very often, but this is because it is not picking up as much debris.
For a while I had this one and a Fluval 404 on the same tank, opposite corners. The corner with the Fluval intake was clean, and the Fluval needed frequent cleaning, it was picking up a lot of the debris from the tank. The corner with the Eheim intake was dirty, I was frequently removing dead leaves from the area. The Eheim did not need cleaning; it had very little dirt in it.

Perhaps the Eheim would be a good filter for a shrimp tank: The flow is very gentle.

I have problems priming any of these. I get a strong pump and prime any of them by pumping water into the intake, then plugging in the filter when the water from the pump is coming out through the filter outlet and all the bubbling has stopped.