# Eheim 2075 Pro 3 Canister Filter - Up to 160 gal.



## footballfish1213 (Apr 22, 2014)

hey this summer I will be setting up my very first tank its going too be 125gallons for mbuna I have a couple of questions about filters. I plan on running Eheim 2075 Pro 3 Canister Filter - Up to 160 gal two on each side of the tank is that a good idea? will this make the water movement I need? and also the media how often do I need rinse and clean it off? and how often should I change the media all together? I am sorry if I sound stupid but I really am a newbie .

thanks for your help!!


----------



## Gazedo (Oct 22, 2013)

Each of those filters are rated at 330 gph and I'm not sure how much head height you're talking about but with each being rated for a 160 gal tank I would think you're ok. Hopefully someone with more experience with canisters can give some input.

What I can help with are your questions about the biological media. Whenever you do a cleaning of the canister only do one at a time and do the cleaning with a water change. After you have siphoned some of the old tank water pull the rack from the canister and swish it around in the used water to remove large **** and then put it back in. That should be all the cleaning it needs. The most important things are never wash the biological media in untreated tap water, never clean both at the same time just in case all the bacteria dies by some mistake, and make sure your mechanical filtration is working properly. The biological media should never need replacing as long as it doesn't clog. If it has clogged then your mechanical filtration isn't work down to a fine enough level.

TBH this canister hasn't gotten that great of reviews on amazon, maybe someone here can give you a recommendation of a better canister or give some input on this model.


----------



## footballfish1213 (Apr 22, 2014)

so are you saying when I do a cleaning rinse the media in the old water??

if I clean one canister ever 3 weeks then do the other in another 3 weeks switch off like that would that be ok?

when will I need too put in new media?

also not really sure what u mean by head height?

and also will I get the whater movement I need?

thanks so much for input


----------



## Gazedo (Oct 22, 2013)

Most of my knowledge has to do with sumps and a major issue for pumps in sumps is correctly judging the head height and using that figure to find the correct pump for the need. Head height is a combination of the number of fitting and how far vertically up the water has to be pumped. As a canister filter is technically using siphon to help push water around I'm not sure how much impact the height to the tank will have on the canister. As such someone more well versed with canister will need to provide input on if these two will give the desired water movement.

With the media, it really depends on the media that comes in the canister. If its a ceramic then eventually it can get clogged and may need a more vigorous shaking in old tank water to clear it but for standard cleaning simply swishing it in water every couple weeks to remove large particulates that may have gotten past the mechanical filtration should be fine.

For specific time periods to clean the filter, I would start cleaning after the first month every week, do that a couple times to see if a ton of stuff comes off. If nothing comes off then you can wait longer. But be sure to leave the biological media alone for the first month or so, that lets the bacteria establish their "cities" properly. Remember, the only reason you clean the biological bacteria is to remove particles that could clog the ceramic media and starve the bacteria of their food source.

For new media, you should never need to replace ceramic media. Think of the media as a home for bacteria, each little piece has the equivalent of several square meters of space for bacteria to colonize and the old dead bacteria will be removed by new healthy specimens as long as your fish poop enough to feed them.

Be sure to keep on top of your mechanical filtration. Those pads are the key to the biological media working properly and keeping your tank water looking clean. They do all the visual stuff and the biological media does all the microbial tasks.


----------



## footballfish1213 (Apr 22, 2014)

keep on top of your mechanical filtration u mean rinse the pads in the old tank water like the rest of the media ?? sorry getting myself confused a bit


----------



## Gazedo (Oct 22, 2013)

Its ok lol, this stuff can be confusing. The process for keeping up with your mechanical filtration unfortunately will depend on the type of media used and thus I can't give much input. Start with what Eheim recommends and you can modify how you clean it from there. Usually brands recommend disposal and replacement, I would follow this for atleast the first month and you can carefully experiment after that. If Eheim recommends rinsing you can rinse the mechanical media under the tap, only the mechanical, never the biological. Tap water with chlorine will kill the bacteria in the biological media and you will have to cycle your tank all over.

When experimenting after the first month I would only work with single canister, the things to watch will be flow rate and how dirty the biological media gets. After you find something you're sure works and you are happy with, then do the same to the other canister.

I'm studying to be an engineer and thus I'm a big fan of redundancy.


----------



## footballfish1213 (Apr 22, 2014)

thanks a lot im starting to understand now a bit, maybe ill research filters more and not just get dead set on this one and see whats better out there


----------



## cichlid-gal (Apr 27, 2012)

I have a 125G tank running an Eheim 2075 with a Rena XP4 and an Aquaclear 110. Filtration is great on this tank which is stocked with 8 large adult Metriaclima's (6-7 inches) and about 10 other cichlids sized around 4 inches. I love the ease of cleaning on the Eheim's and Rena's.

As for cleaning, I rotate cleaning the filters cleaning one every 4 weeks. Sponge (mechanical media) is squeezed out thoroughly and biomedia is dipped and swished when it looks dirty. I clean all media in used tank water from the tank. I put it in a bucket and do the cleaning of the media in the bucket. Water changes are 50% every week. This routine seems to work well for my tanks.


----------



## footballfish1213 (Apr 22, 2014)

hey thanks cichlid-gal. do u see a problem with me using two Eheim 2075 Pro 3 Canister Filter ? or should I look for a better option?


----------



## cichlid-gal (Apr 27, 2012)

The Eheim 2075 is a decent sized filter but it will depend on your stocking levels in the tank. Two 2075's would accomodate a "moderate" load I would think but if you go above that you would probably want to up the size of your 2nd filter. Your filters will tell you if they are working overtime or not able to handle to the load as your water quality will deteriorate. If it ends up not being enough filtration you can always add the HOB.


----------



## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

I'd suggest stepping up one of the filters to a higher GPH. As cichlid-gal said, it all depends on your stocking. The rated gallons on a filter can be misleading, imo. For example an FX5/6 is rated for a 400 gallon tank. Unless I was stocking 200 tetras in a tank that size, I'd add additional filtration.

You may see the 7-10x turnover an hour thrown around on this site. Some will argue this. Some swear by it. I like big canisters. You can pack them with loads of media, sponges, chemical, etc. Of course, that comes with a larger price tag...

If you're planning on a lightly stocked 6' mbuna tank then the 2 2075s may be fine. As with most mbuna tanks, it's utter mayhem, with fish literally bouncing off eachother. Cichlid-gal has a lightly stocked, gorgeous tank. But still filtered like a mother.

The only disadvantage of going big at the start is the initial up front cost. Having to upgrade down the road sucks. I've been there.

Good luck!


----------



## ozman (Sep 7, 2012)

just thought id contribute re cleaning canisters. i have an fx5 and a aqua one 1400lph and my tank around just over 90 US gallon is crystal.

anyway i did a first look gentle clean on the 1400 wilst cleaning/ water changing after about 11 weeks of setup. ditched the fine filter mating that came with the filter and did not replace as the outflow suffered in that short time.

i used tank water during siphoning to fill a large container around 24l to give all my media a very light squeeze/shake and the water was suprisingly more dirty than i expected in such a short time.
the fx5 will wait another 3-4 weeks to let the other catch up! then hopefully given what i'm seeing so far i might do one filter every 6-8 weeks.

just a tip on the 24l of water with media gunk, my wife came out with a small container and watered all our potted palms with it, looking healthy too. :thumb:


----------

