# help with eheim 2217



## HONDO (May 4, 2008)

i am setting up a 75 and i have my filtration. i have an ac 110 which is not a problem. *** been running ac for a while and theyre easy.

however, i have never used a canister before and the eheim is very confusing to me. the directions arent great either. can anyone out there give me some advice or just basic information on how to go about getting it started? i know this is kind of a large request, i just dont want to do something wrong and break it or kill the fish.

one big question is about the media. everything they included is in big ziploc bags in the filter. i was under the impression it was supposed to go into baskets that lowered down into the filter. where do i put all the media? just throw it in there? how do i get it out to rinse it?

anyone who can throw some knowledge my way, i would appreciate it. any big no -nos as far as what not to do? i know eventually i will figure the thing out, i just dont want to learn things the hard way if i dont have to.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

Congratulations on your new filter. I know the instructions can seem a bit confusing the 1st time. It is easy if you open the instructions so you can read them AND look at the pictures at same time. Also, keep the AC110 running for a couple weeks until good bacteria is established in the new filter.

Step A describes the parts. Rinse empty canister to remove dust. Put green lattice in bottom with legs down. 
Step B/1 is Model with filter media. I rinse each bag of new media in a colander under running water to remove any dust/fines. Put EHFImech (hollow ceramic) in next. Then coarse blue filter pad. Then put Ehfisubstrat in media bag & place in canister. Then fine white filter pad. Finally you can put in carbon pad if you want or save it for future use. Now put 2nd green lattice on top with legs UP.

Step C- Ignore the 1st sentence, its only for the 2215. Put on the pump head making sure not to pinch the oring & latch it down.

Step D- Place filter beneath aquarium. Top of filter must be below water level.

Step E / F - Assemble the suction pipe (intake J tube) & strainer then push green hose onto short end of pipe. Attach with suction cups inside your tank. Decide how much hose you need to reach the fitting on the bottom of your filter, with a few extra inches 
If you have the quick disconnects(QD), decide where you want to install them. I cut off 3" of hose & attached one end of QD then pushed other end of hose onto fitting on BOTTOM of filter. Do the same on the hose that attaches to the intake tube.

Decide where you want the outlet pipe (spraybar) in your tank. Cut off a short piece of tubing & slip onto spraybar. Then push in short green elbow & push long hose on it. Attach the QD like you did with intake hose & connect hose to TOP fitting on pump head.

Step H- It's time to prime the filter. What I did the 1st time was remove the spraybar from short green elbow & suck on it until I heard water start to enter the filter. Once the filter is full of water, reconnect the elbow to spraybar & plug the filter in. Once all the air is out of the filter, install the small green plug in the end of the spraybar.

When its time to clean, unplug the filter, close the QD's the disconnect them. Carry filter to sink. Slightly turn the bottom fitting on canister so hose is in sink. Open both QD to drain water. Unlatch pump head, remove & set aside. Remove top lattice screen. Remove white filter pad. If it's very dirty discard it otherwise rinse it out in a pail of fish tank water. Remove media bag & rinse in pail of fish tank water. Dump ceramic media in colander & rinse in pail of fish tank water. Remove bottom lattice screen & rinse canister. Reassemble all parts. Do Not fill with water before replacing pump head. Put back under your tank, connect both QD's THEN open them. Canister will refill with water automatically(if you didn't drain the hoses from the tank). Plug filter back in.


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## HONDO (May 4, 2008)

wow, that is EXTREMELY helpful. thank you very much.
one question... you say media bags. are these supposed to come with the filter? do i have to buy them seperately? i dont recall seeing them in the box.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH


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## Donfish (Dec 24, 2007)

First thing you want the tubing on the filter side of the double tap as short as possible, so I size the bottom tube (intake) and the top tube (outflow) so the double tap valves meet together a few inches above the top of the filter. This way I can disconnect and carry the filter away to the sink without a lot of excess tubing dragging around. The tubing from the aquaruim should be sized so they meet equally underneath the stand or cabinet. Now you have both double valves near each other and a few inches away from the filter making it easy to service. I then then color the valve handles with blue (intake) and red (outflow) permanent markers so I can easily see what goes where.

Loadout from bottom to top, green screen feet down, ceramic noodles, blue sponge, Substrat Pro sintered glass beads (cocoa puffs), white pad and finally green screen feet up and then filter top.

To start a siphon: Make sure your canister is empty of most water, if it isn't you will have air issues, connect the outflow double tap and turn off valves. turn off the intake valves but do not connect. Get a bucket, open the valve on the tank side intake, start a siphon on the tank side intake by sucking or with a bulb baster and let the water run into the bucket, when running good shut that valve. Connect the intake double tap. Now you should have both sides connected with all valves closed and a empty of water filter in between. Needless to say both intake and outflow ends must be positioned in the aquarium.

Ok, now open the tank side intake valve and then the filter side intake valve, you should hear water running into filter until the pressure equalizes, then open the filter side outflow valve and finally tank side outflow valve, you should get air burps and see the canister filling with water and finally the outflow tube when all the burping is done you are ready to plug it in. Once it starts filtering good move the canister off axis a few times to burp any air remaining and there you are.

My experience has been that if you try to shorten this by filling the canister with water beforehand you end up with a noisy filter and air problems.

To clean unplug canister close all 4 valves and disconnect double tap. Carry canister to sink, you can turn the intake tube and elbow downwards and allow the water to flow into a bucket to see if you have any little fishes in there. You will need to open the outflow valve to allow air in and be able drain the canister and remove the top.

To clean, Wash the green screens with warm tap water and a brush. white pad I toss or clean under the tap depending on the condition, cocoa puffs get washed with tank water or prepared tap water about the same temperature as the tank water, blue sponge rinse with tap water, this will last nearly forever as will the cocoa puffs and noodles, ceramic noodles I rinse in a colander in the sink.

Tips: a bag for the cocoa puffs will make cleaning much easier, just check online aquarium suppliers for these. The Eheim installation sets 1&2 also make for a nicer and neater setup see here Installation Sets


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## HONDO (May 4, 2008)

wow, sounds complicated. am i being a baby or is it really complicated if you have never used a canister before?

will i pick it up as i go?

thank you very much for all the information, this is going to be very helpful as i work through getting started.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

It's not really complicated. The power filters (HOB) are very simple as they come with cartridges or sponges. Canisters are really nice because they hold a lot of bio & mechanical media and are quiet, especially the Eheim cans. I think you will be pleasantly surprised by this filter. It is very efficient & really requires very little maintenance compared to HOB's.

I thought the 2217 came with a media bag but I think it was the 2260 came with the media bag.
You can always buy one online fairly cheap. I bought a few different sizes & micron ratings for different projects. I probably bought it from www.drsfostersmith.com and they do offer some good sales sometimes. They also will send you a catalog that has a lot of information about the equipment & products they sell. I use it a lot for reference. It is fairly accurate on sizing equipment & does offer lots of photos.

I also agree with what Donfish said. Once you set your filter up and are comfortable with the maintenance procedure, take another look at his recommendations. I actually use the bucket & siphon method when I have to clean out the hoses from the tank to the QD just to make sure the hoses are primed.

The cocoa puffs (Ehfisubstrat Pro) is a biological media. I am almost sure what you have is the Ehfisubstrat bio media. It looks like small gray pebbles or rocks & is usually what ships with the 2217. You can always upgrade to them if you want but there is no need to right now.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

Here is a photo of my 2217 set up.


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## HONDO (May 4, 2008)

deeda, thank you for the help. thats above and beyond what i was expecting. im gonna play with it this afternoon and hopefully get a little more comfortable with the whole deal.


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## HONDO (May 4, 2008)

i picked up some filter media bags. they are only 4 by 12 inches in size but i got a bunch so no biggie. i am definetely gonna put the bio media (rocks/pebbles) in bags but do i need to put the mechanical rings media in bags or just throw it in? what do you do?


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## HONDO (May 4, 2008)

ok... im working with it. its starting to make sense. i have one more question. where and how do i connect the little dark green hard plastic elbow piece? is it a necessary piece or only if i need it? thank you and sorry to keep pestering. your guys help is making an unbelievable difference.


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## Donfish (Dec 24, 2007)

The ceramic rings that came with the filter that go at the bottom *should not *be put in a bag. These grab the big stuff like moss pieces and other junk so the water needs to run directly over them. While they do add some biological filtering they still should be rinsed well when cleaning the filter. They act like a first stage "comb" to remove particulate waste.

Also they should not be confused with other bio rings that are much more porus and are intended as later stage biological filtering.


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## HONDO (May 4, 2008)

thanks, thats what i figured. just wanted to make sure.
any info on the hard plastic elbow piece? still confused about that.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

The hard green plastic elbow slips over & around the hose that connects to the spraybar. It keeps the hose from kinking when it goes over the rim of the tank. It's a bit difficult to slide over the hose, wetting & slightly flattening the hose with your fingers works well.


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## HONDO (May 4, 2008)

it goes over the hose? i slid the hose over the elbow and the other side of the hose over the spraybar. btw, with the help you gave i am pretty much 100% familiar with the filter. i havnt started it up yet as i dont have the tank totally ready, but you all helped alot. thanks again.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

I was referring to the slotted green plastic elbow piece that comes with some Eheim filters. I apologize for any confusion. I own 4 different Eheim models & mix and match a lot of parts. I am now assuming this piece doesn't come with the 2217.

It sounds like you have already figured out how the elbow connector is used.


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## HONDO (May 4, 2008)

yes, im pretty sure its good to go.

its all set up, ready to start going. i just gotta wash it out, put some old media/established filter water in, set up the tank and start cycling. i will have this thread open the whole time as a reference to make sure everything goes well.


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## HONDO (May 4, 2008)

everything is up, running and cycling. thank you all very much for the help.
i will post pictures of my new tank as soon as its ready and i learn how to post pictures. ha.


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## zazz (Apr 5, 2008)

once i realised the the cansiter was just a bucket that received syphoned water from the tank ..and the impeller just pumped it back again.....

well thats all you need to know.

i only wished the germans just said this in the instructions...

would have saved me a heap of time and mouthfulls of god knows what.


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