# Eheim Pro III Reports??



## DallasTx

Anyone have a Pro III? I've been hoping to hear more about that filter, anyone have experience with that big boy? Sounds like it would be a good fit for my 125!
As I recall, there were a few who were thinking about getting one. I'd love to hear the pros and cons, any and all details.


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## DallasTx

Nobody?


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## vanilla__gorilla__

I have one I also have a Fluval FX5 and I think the flual is a much better buy


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## Lonely Raven

vanilla__gorilla__ said:


> I have one I also have a Fluval FX5 and I think the flual is a much better buy


Why though? You can't just throw something like that out there and not have a good reason why.


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## DallasTx

Lonely Raven said:


> Why though? You can't just throw something like that out there and not have a good reason why.


I agree :lol: :lol:

vanilla gorilla, what do you like and dislike about the Pro III other than the price?
Can you pull the lid off without spilling water, to clean/change the prefilter?

Its a large unit so it has to be heavy, is there any way of removing water from the unit "before" you have to pick it up and carry it to another room? If there's no drain on it, could you possibly siphon the water down so you wouldn't need a crane to move it? :lol:

What does it use for a prefilter?


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## 2wheelsx2

Yeah, I think we need a full blown comparison here.


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## Gilmore

I just started up my Proffessionel 3 this weekend. I have 180 gal. And I think itÂ´s doing great job, easy to prime and setup. It has a very strong outflow and the tank has plenty of movement in it. the only flaw I is the green hoses and tubes. It does not look good in the tank (really stands out ) and the connection possibillities are limited. I think the tubes on the RENA xP are much better. But part from that the filter works great. ItÂ´s a bit louder than the pro II wich I have in another tank, but ItÂ´s not a big deal just a low heavy sound. Anyway I wasnÂ´t expecting such a large filter to be dead silent. 

I would recomend this to anyone, but it costs alot. ItÂ´s cheaper to buy 2 pro II, but I think itÂ´s easier to maintain if you have one filter rather than 2 on one tank.

I donÂ´t know why Eheim has these cheesy hoses and tubes, I would rather have black or gray tubes and clear hosees. Mabye I will replace them later with some that are more attractive in the tank.

This filter gets 9.5 out of 10. It looses half point because of the hoses and tubes. 

One other thing!! This filter takes a lot of space, so you have to have plenty of space in your cabinets, needs to be rather high.


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## Lonely Raven

Thanks for that heads up Gilmore.

Eheim does make "upgraded" spray bar and uptake tubes. The used Eheim 2028 I picked up
came with them, but they aren't that much better. Just larger diameter and grey rather then
green.

Under my actinic lights, the green looks neon green, and the grey looks ghost grey.
I've not seen any company make nice simple black bars. The closest would be the Magnum 350.
Now THAT is a well designed filter...just feels very cheaply made.


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## JackieO

Mine sucked ass, felt cheaply made and broke numerous times. I did use the bio-wheels for awhile hooked up on the end of my Filstar XP-2 (great filter, IMHO). It felt like a cheap piece of ****, then it proved itself to be one. At least, the biowheels worked out with the replacement XP-2.


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## Gilmore

What sucked?? The Eheim pro 3???

ItÂ´s doing a great job on my 180 gal, all by it self!!


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## DallasTx

Hey Gilmore, does it take the same 5/8 size tubing as the Pro 2 does on both intake and outlet?


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## Gilmore

yes it does.


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## Gilmore

yes it does.


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## DallasTx

Well I made the plunge! Ordered a Pro 3, should be here in 6 or 7 days! Can't wait to get that big guy set up and running! :lol:


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## that'samoorii

I saw one at a local store..it is a beast!! they wanted $500 for it


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## DallasTx

Marine Depot has Pro 3 for $399 
http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewItem. ... uct=EH2080


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## that'samoorii

thanx Dallas let us know how you like it..did you see that the eheim bio/substrate kit was $108..yikes


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## The Kapenta Kid

that'samoorii said:


> thanx Dallas let us know how you like it..did you see that the eheim bio/substrate kit was $108..yikes


I don't want to get into the Eheim filter debate but brand-name filter media is indeed ripp-offsky territory. You can buy Chinese-made ceramic noodles for 1/10th of that price. Porous ceramics are porous ceramics, this is not Shuttle tile technology, save yourself some money.


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## DallasTx

The Kapenta Kid said:


> brand-name filter media is indeed ripp-offsky territory. You can buy Chinese-made ceramic noodles for 1/10th of that price. Porous ceramics are porous ceramics, this is not Shuttle tile technology, save yourself some money.


I'll second that! :wink:


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## Doctor Colossus

Hmmm.
I may be overly cautious, but I just ordered the pro3 for my 60 gallon.
But I'd rather over filter than under.
What are Chinese Ceramic Noodles and where can I get them?


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## 501scionxb

that'samoorii said:


> I saw one at a local store..it is a beast!! they wanted $500 for it


 what tha f**k why did they upgrade it or something they are out of their minds for that one.


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## Doctor Colossus

Got my Eheim Pro3 in the mail yesterday.
Wow.
I think I may have been overzealous in buying this thing.
It's so big and hold so much media.
It's likely way more than I need for my little 60gallon.

It's pretty cool.
But I'm kicking myself for not getting the Eheim pro 3E instead.
It's a little cheaper in cost, but way more bells and whistles.
But I was kind of weary of buying a filter with a lot of electronic parts. The long term reliability for electronics seems so short nowadays. I didn't want to risk spending a bunch of money on it, and have the internal computer malfunction in a year.
But perhaps I should have just gotten it.


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## Doctor Colossus

I wonder if there's something wrong with my pro3.
I got it after hearing how quiet they were.
Well I set it up, and plugged it in to hear a pretty loud hum.
It seems to be working fine. But the hum drones pretty **** loud.


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## phill

Did you install the rubber feet, most Eheims have them ? Or possibly is it resteing against the side of your stand?

Both situations will give a noticeable hum. Eheims are DEAD quiet, i have 3 of them (2028 Pro II, classic 2013 and 2017). Also make sure it's not sucking air, from bad o-ring placement or loose fitting on the suction hoses.


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## Doctor Colossus

The pro3 doesn't have rubber feat.
And it's not resting against the cabinet walls.
The hum is definately coming from the canister head.
I've tilted and gently shook the canister to see if I could dislodge any air bubbles.
The hum still persists.
It's about as loud as an air pump. I don't think it's trapped air.
The hum is a consistant drone.
Pretty annoying.
After having spent so much money on this thing, thinking it would be dead silent, I must say I'm dissapointed.
Is anyone else having this problem with the pro3?

I'm almost thinking of returning it and getting a pro2.


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## pancake1

I have 3 fx5s, 1 on a 125, 2 on a over crowded 150 burundi colony, they work good, but I would have to say my 2 eheim 2080 ROCK ! They hold almost 3xs the media of a fx5, and by the way you cant hear them running :zz: . The Eheims are so quiet, a whisper is 3 times louder!!!!!!


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## MojoDex

i have 3 eheim pro 3's and a fluval fx5 and IMO the fx5 is ****! it cannot hope to hold a candle to the eheim they filter better hold more media dont block up easily at all and they even have a prefilter somthing the fx5 is sorley lacking. eheims are always worth the extra money the filter is the basically the kidney of your tank kidneys are needed to live :thumb:


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## Doctor Colossus

pancake1 said:


> I would have to say my 2 eheim 2080 ROCK ! you cant hear them running :zz: . The Eheims are so quiet, a whisper is 3 times louder!!!!!!


You can't hear your 2080 at all?
Jeez.
Maybe mine is broken.
It makes a loud constant hum.
May be I should try to exchange it.


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## AnDr3w

You guys know you can take a bottle of Krylon Fusion and spray paint the intake and return lines in the filter black, right?


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## pancake1

Doctor Colossus said:


> pancake1 said:
> 
> 
> 
> I would have to say my 2 eheim 2080 ROCK ! you cant hear them running :zz: . The Eheims are so quiet, a whisper is 3 times louder!!!!!!
> 
> 
> 
> You can't hear your 2080 at all?
> Jeez.
> Maybe mine is broken.
> It makes a loud constant hum.
> May be I should try to exchange it.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I would talk to Customer Service :thumb: from where you purchased it! It should be DEAD quiet!


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## areuben

You can now get the Pro III 2080 at Kens Fish for $319 - that's a pretty good price if this is the filter you want. I still have a preference for running a couple of smaller cannisters on a large tank rather than one mega cannister, for example, on some of my larger tanks that aren't plumbed, I run 2 or 3 Eheim 2217's which I buy at $119, icluding the media. I can then alternate cleanings and never be in peril should something unlucky happen to the filter - there is always a back up. What I always do anyway as a back-up is keep 2-3 litres of media in my sump (in a couple of strainers), so should I need a cannister immediately, I can fill one up with media that is fully charged, ready to go.


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## ricoishere

I just picked up a used Pro3. THis this is as big as a small shop vac! Nevertheless, here goes.

1) The wheels should not be in the back, but in the front. If the filter is being used, once you disconnect the hoses, you'll wnat to lean it forward and out of the cabinet or from its location.

2) The Priming Pump is inadequate. It should be a lever, not a knob. I've worked on generators that require pumping, all have a lever. Even a small one will do. These is no speing needed on a lever.

3) This animal is dead silent! End of story. I thought it was off!

4) As a consequence of the weak pump, I filled up manually. With all the media, and I have extra pads, it drank up close to 4 gallons! That increases you tank capacity a bit! This is going to my 47G planted. Great, I appreciate that. Iâ€™ll add more as I go along.


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