# foam for an Eheim 2262?



## noddy (Nov 20, 2006)

Does anybody here use a piece of foam inbetween the ehfimech and the substrat/matrix in their large canisters? I want to set up a 2262 the same way as the 2217's etc. are set up but I'm not sure where to find it or which type to use. Thanks for any help.


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## zimmy (Aug 13, 2010)

I've set mine up this way but haven't run it yet, so I can't tell you how effective it is. I bought one of these from BA and cut it to size.

http://www.bigalsonline.ca/Fish_Filter- ... ml?tc=fish

I've heard others mention that they use foam from here:

http://www.swisstropicals.com/Poret%20F ... elist.html

More expensive but you can get much thicker sheets of foam.


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## noddy (Nov 20, 2006)

Thanks zimmy. The poret foam (10mm) is probably what I'm looking for, I'm not sure if I can find it here and the shipping costs from that site make it a little costly.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

Nice find Zimmy, that looks to be the perfect size to trim down for the 2260/2262.

Noddy, I'm using the Poret foam in one of my 2260's and it works well though I think the link zimmy posted would be better since it's a bit thinner.

I also use a large capacity Tide H.P. Wash bag to hold my Substrat/Pro for the 2260. The bag measures 15" x 18" and it uses a plastic zipper to close. I bought it at Walmart/Target.

Dee


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## noddy (Nov 20, 2006)

Hey Dee.
Tide as in the laundry detergent guys? That sounds like a great idea.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

Yes, that's the one. It's normal use is for delicate clothing but I find it works just great as a media bag.


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## zimmy (Aug 13, 2010)

Deeda said:


> Noddy, I'm using the Poret foam in one of my 2260's and it works well though I think the link zimmy posted would be better since it's a bit thinner.Dee


Dee, just to clarify you're saying the one from BA is probably better than the Poret? I posted links for both so am unclear which one you're saying is preferable.


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## KaiserSousay (Nov 2, 2008)

noddy said:


> Hey Dee.
> Tide as in the laundry detergent guys? That sounds like a great idea.












If the bag idea sounds good to you, take a look at paint strainer bags.
Available at HD/Lowes/etc..
Nice mesh size, cheap to buy, locally available.


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## noddy (Nov 20, 2006)

Hey John.
Are those an actuall bag or is it a cone shaped thingy that you would sew together?
Either way, it's another great idea.


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## areuben (Jul 17, 2003)

Nice find on the bags. I run 2 of the large cannisters and I use Effi-Fix between the mech and the bio layer - it does a nice job picking up lots of material and rinses in seconds. I felt with the high flow from these cannisters that this would be a better alternative than foam. When I set mine up I followed Geoffs advice posted here from a few years back and used Bio Bale in one of the set-ups and it seems to work very well - great bio capacity from what I can see after a few years in well stocked tanks - with Bio Bale I don't have to worry about bagging anything and the stuff weighs nothing which to me can be an issue when you have to move that 2260 full of regular media. The one cannister is a lot easier to move than the other and the BioBale is also a snap to rinse - a lot easier than my BIG bag of seachem matrix. The biobale was also pretty cheap versus the cost of filling a 2260 with eheim, seachem, or whatever. So I layer with effimech, effi-fix, bio (biobale or seachem) and a couple of bags of purigen. Works very well and I'm very happy with it. Great simple filters.

http://www.cprusa.com/products/biobale.html


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## noddy (Nov 20, 2006)

Hey Al.
How you doing bud?
Thanks for the tip. I have allready ordered my matrix and purigen and a friend had some mech for me, so I will have to go that route, but thanks for the tip on the bio bale, something to keep in mind for the next time. I just went to Wallmart and Lowes and couldn't find the tide bags, so I went to Canadian tire and found some that seem to be the same thing. They were two bags for $4.99 so I picked some up.


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## areuben (Jul 17, 2003)

All is well Paul. Can't go wrong for 5 bucks if they're half decent - a lot cheaper than buying a "media bag" from one of the branded aqurium supply companies, for sure. Give that Ehfi Fix a rip if you're looking for a layer between mech and bio - I think you'll like it and price isn't bad. My concern with foam was flow in the cannister - foam on a 2217 at 200 whatever gph is cool - but I figured (right or wrong) at 900 + gph on the 2262 it was little much - think how fast that foam would get dirty on your 2217 if water was flowing through it at 4 times the rate it is now - at least that was my take.
Hey, there are lots of Ottawans and Torontonians going to OCA next week - great show, great speakers, good party and some great fun. See you there if you are going.


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## AnThRaXx (Apr 21, 2008)

personally for foam use, u can use any number of solutions. i personally get the bags of filter foam at the LFS and just kinda play with it until i get a rough shape that will fit the filter. works great for polishing out all sorts of stuff and i only change em every month or two. the bags of foam are also under 5$.. last for 6 months at least. well GL with ur ideas


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

Zimmy, the Poret is a minimum of 1" thick and it's a bit difficult to clean out if you don't have a hand held kitchen sprayer. It is not recommended to squeeze and twist the Poret per Swiss Tropicals website.

The 3/4" foam you recommended from Big Al's looks like it may be easier to clean. I haven't bought any yet but will in the next few weeks.

I will also be going to the OCA Extravaganza next week and am really looking forward to it. There will be a lot of equipment & decor sellers there and there should also be quite a few good deals on products.

As far as I've seen, the paint strainers are cone shaped so there is no way to seal the top unless you install a zipper, Velcro closure or tie it shut.


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## zimmy (Aug 13, 2010)

Thanks for clarifying, Dee.


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## noddy (Nov 20, 2006)

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. I would love to go the the convention and meet up with some of you guys but I can't do it this year, hopefully next year.


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