# I hate Eheims



## Paragon (May 24, 2010)

There's nothing like buying a filter for almost 300 dollars and then spending over an hour each time I clean it trying to prime the ******* thing. Even if I hand-fill the canister by making sure to pour the water into the intake tube down the side and then manually fill the tubing with water, I still get to wrestle with it as it is completely incapable of blowing air bubbles out on its own.

Oh, and I don't see any sort of filtration improvement over the Rena Filstar XP4 that it replaced. This is a 2075. It's supposed to have the same filtration. It's supposed to be better. The only difference, other than it being wildly overpriced, is that it's quieter than the Rena.


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## GTZ (Apr 21, 2010)

Your post would work better in the Reviews Section.
This will get buried eventually, after all of the Eheim fans finish, lol.


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## Sub-Mariner (Dec 7, 2011)

I had the same problem with both of my 2217s. I had the intake up high in my 90g tank so when the water would fall below the intake when doing water changes and broke the siphon it was a pain to restart it. I even bought Eheims universal kit that has the screw on top (intake / spraybar) that was suppose to make re-priming easy. BS!

I went with a FX5 and never looked back. Never had one problem re-priming.


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## bcshepard (Sep 20, 2011)

I had the handle break off mine (and no I wasnt forcing it).. hence that eliminates the ability for it to seal and instead spill water all over floor. I took a wratchet and carefully use it to force the motor housing down on the housing... Then I tape the strap into place.

So your not the only one that has to rig an eheim into place. But outside of that.. it works pretty well. Oh the impellers like to break easily. Thankfully the MFG replaced them no questions asked.


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## noddy (Nov 20, 2006)

Sub-Mariner said:


> I had the same problem with both of my 2217s. I had the intake up high in my 90g tank so when the water would fall below the intake when doing water changes and broke the siphon it was a pain to restart it. I even bought Eheims universal kit that has the screw on top (intake / spraybar) that was suppose to make re-priming easy. BS!
> 
> I went with a FX5 and never looked back. Never had one problem re-priming.


I'm not sure how you managed to break the syphon. I have five 2217's running, and I drain the tanks below the intakes on all of them every weekend without ever breaking the syphon. Did you leave them running and drain out the cans?


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

Suggest the the main solution would be to go back and read the instructions fully. There are some steps you have skipped. For one, I would assume that the output line is not set up correctly. When you say you are filling the canister manually, you have skipped some instructions. Sorry for your trouble but they are good canisters when used correctly.


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## des (Mar 30, 2011)

I currently have two of the Eheim 2075 and have mixed feeling about them. I'm some what on the fence. I would like to say they are the best filters except I have had my share of times frustrated with the prime. Some times it works perfectly and odd times I'm sitting there fiddling with it, scratching my head wondering what I did wrong :-? ("clum clum" is the sound of that prime button over and over again). However, I think I have it figured out. It's the positioning of the intake tube. If you have the intake tube too long and saggy, your going to have a heck of a time priming. Try straightening the tube so that the water flows straight down/vertically. It may require you moving the canister filter to straightening out the tube. You don't want excessive length of tubing, so you could try shortening it (do at your own risk). You want to make sure the water level in your tank is full to the max before you start pressing that prime button.

Once primed and operating it really is a peaceful filter. If I knew the prime works every time, I wouldn't hesitate to clean the canister often.


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## jrf (Nov 10, 2009)

I have no problems with the three 2015's I'm running. All of them work well and prime easy in my experience.


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## Sub-Mariner (Dec 7, 2011)

noddy said:


> I'm not sure how you managed to break the syphon.


Id remove the hose to clean it out or I would re-adjust the hose or was messing around with the Hydor in which I had to remove the hose. Regardless those filters were crappy for mechanical anyway so I moved on to better things. :wink:


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## ezrk (Aug 22, 2010)

There is a known issue with the impeller on some of these that make restarting the filter impossible without a full reprime. Consider contacting Eheim, there customer support is pretty good.


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## smitty (May 7, 2004)

It amazes me how after 15 years I have never experienced 99pct of the problems others have had with Eheim. I also don't think you are really trying to compare a Eheim to a Rena. Do you have the unit below the tank at the specified level. These are gravity type filters.


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## des (Mar 30, 2011)

After my reply last night, I decided it was time to do a clean up. The prime worked perfectly!


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## fubu56 (Aug 23, 2008)

I have had my Eheims running for years with very minimal problems if any at all. I would recommend the Eheim Classic series without hesitation. It is a shame that the instructions are in such broken english as long as these filters have been around. Seems like someone on the other end could have interpreted them much better for the American market !


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## Narwhal72 (Sep 26, 2006)

I think the older Eheims (Classic Series) were much simpler, reliable, and easier to prime and maintain. The Pro series (2222-2228) were pretty good too. The ProII series were just too darn big and heavy to be easily serviced. But the two I ran were very reliable with little maintenance issues.

I have a 2215 that has been running for years and other than the suction cups getting old and brittle and not staying it has worked pretty flawlessly and is easy to prime and maintain.

Andy


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## nlui220 (Feb 2, 2010)

Pretty easy from my experience. I own three 2075's, three 2217's, and a 2215 currently.

The key is keeping the suction in the intake tube when you shut off the valve and turn off the motor. (this means the tank water line must be above the intake tube) Disconnect the hoses, clean out the canister.

Reconnect all the hoses and before you plug in the motor, open the intake & output valves to let the water fill up the canister first (you'll hear it rush into the canister). After you hear the water has rushed into the impeller, plug it in.


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

Too many people don't read the instructions as they are somewhat weird for the way we read things in the US. Then they go into all kinds of things like filling the canister rather than doing what the instructions say. If the instructions are followed there is no way the canister will not fill properly. Water still runs downhill even in the US!


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## noddy (Nov 20, 2006)

Sub-Mariner said:


> noddy said:
> 
> 
> > I'm not sure how you managed to break the syphon.
> ...


LOL, well let's not let the truth get in the way of a good story then eh? :wink:


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## thebigman65 (Jan 3, 2008)

noddy said:


> Sub-Mariner said:
> 
> 
> > noddy said:
> ...


I vote that Sub-Mariner be the official spokesperson for the FX5 fan club!.... :lol:


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## Sub-Mariner (Dec 7, 2011)

opcorn:


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## nodima (Oct 3, 2002)

The only time I have issues priming my Eheim's is on my planted tank, where the output does not go directly into the tank - but rather through a CO2 reactor. It was really frustrating the first time, but then I realized that the issue was not the filter, but the user. (or at least the way the user routed tubing under the tank)

To the OP - I'll gladly take that hated filter off your hands for say $20.00?


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## neutrino (May 4, 2007)

Never had a problem with mine (Eheim classics). They've been quiet and reliable. To my way of thinking it's only common sense not to break the prime. First of all you should have your shut-off valve set up down close to your filter. Close it to keep the tube primed when you take the filter apart for cleaning, then open the valve back up after you've closed the filter back up. The canister refills without having to mess with repriming the thing and you're ready to go. Nothing could be simpler and I would do the same with any other canister, whether it had a priming mechanism or not.

How to prime an Eheim classic initially or if you break the prime? Just immerse the intake tube to fill it with water, exactly like you would a water change siphon, close the shut-off valve at the filter end of the intake tube, then attach the tube to the filter, open the valve back up and let the canister fill with water and you're primed and ready to go. I don't need an instruction manual to tell me that.

As far as bio vs. mechanical filtration, imo the Eheims are geared more for bio but like most filters you can customize the media to suit what you want out of them. As far as Eheim vs. competitors, pretty much a matter of opinion or personal preference imo, but I don't know how many times I've seen people get an FX5 then say it does a better job than their old Eheim 2217 or 2028 or 2075, etc. That's like saying I got an Eheim 2262 to replace a Fluval 405, therefore Eheims are better than Fluvals. If you want to compare an FX5 to Eheim, compare it to a comparable beast of an Eheim. (Yes, you can get an FX5 for less $)


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

> . To my way of thinking it's only common sense not to break the prime. First of all you should have your shut-off valve set up down close to your filter


I have to say this makes a lot of sense. Apparently there are way too many people keeping fish that never made the basic discovery that water does, in fact, run downhill. Combine that with not reading the instructions and they have trouble so blame the filter! If the output line has more water in it than the input line, the water in the input line will not push it out to refill the canister. :roll:


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## areuben (Jul 17, 2003)

Someone saying they hate Eheim or Eheims are crappy to me is like saying I hate delicate fish because I can't keep them alive - they're stupid fish anyways?? why would anyone keep them.
Priming an Eheim? any filter? keeping them primed?? please, pretty simple stuff as suggested by PfunMo, neutrino and others. I prime my filters once and very rarely have to reprime a filter. But its really pretty simple - Classic or the new Pro's or any other filter because yes, water flows downhill. New Classic - set it up ready to run, all valves open. Disconnect the output dual-tap and suck on the outlet hose section connected to the filter - in 3 seconds the cannister will begin to fill and will take around 20-30 seconds to fill, plenty of time to reconnect the dual-tap beacuse the output hose is at the top of the cannister and it needs to completely refill before any problem would occur - remember, leave all the valves open. If you lose your prime at anytime for whatevert reason, same procedure starting with an empty cannister. If you're using a newer style Eheim with the newer spraybar /connectors - same deal - initial set-up, set everything up ready to run, disconnect the outlet hose from the spraybar connector (newer screw connector) and suck on the hose - this is a lot quicker than wasting your time trying to fill water into the cannister from the connector that holds the spraybar - the newer ones have a screw cap that you can remove.
As to Eheim quality - first off I am a 20+ year Eheim man - I have been very well served by any of the Eheims I have had until recently. I have 2026/2028, 2217, 2175, 2180, 2260, 2262 - and several of each of these fine filters. Never, ever had a problem with leaking - I correct myself, once I bought a second hand 2026 and the primer gasket was toast (issues with gasket silicone reported) and there was leaking in the head area. I fixed that up pretty quickly with free parts from Eheim, (not Atomic Rice for those who have had this problem) and all was fine and should be forever as I never ever intend to have to use the primer. On the last 2 2217 I purchased (in the last 6 weeks), I noticed immediately on set-up that they were noisy, noisier than what I experience with any of my others. In fact I told Eheim I had one of these newer 2217's besdie a 2262 and it was noisier than the large can. It has been reported that the newer Classics (not the 2260/62) are made in China? - is that the issue I don't know, maybe there was a small production problem - Eheim couldn't tell me. The filters have gotten a little quieter in the month since set-up with some slime probably responsible for this. Anyone experiencing the same?


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## zimmy (Aug 13, 2010)

areuben said:


> On the last 2 2217 I purchased (in the last 6 weeks), I noticed immediately on set-up that they were noisy, noisier than what I experience with any of my others. In fact I told Eheim I had one of these newer 2217's besdie a 2262 and it was noisier than the large can. It has been reported that the newer Classics (not the 2260/62) are made in China? - is that the issue I don't know, maybe there was a small production problem - Eheim couldn't tell me. The filters have gotten a little quieter in the month since set-up with some slime probably responsible for this. Anyone experiencing the same?


I just set up a new 2217 last weekend. It was definitely louder than my 2262 at first but has already gotten quieter (but not silent yet).

I don't like everything about Eheim classics (I wish they were better at mechanical filtration and I always have to paint the intake and outtake parts black so I don't have to look at the green in the tank) but I seem to keep buying them. They're well made and I love the simple design.


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## areuben (Jul 17, 2003)

zimmy, agree the green sucks on the classics. The newer intake.spraybar setup on the pros (grey/black) are better but yes, I prefer jet black or blue. I use shower curtain rod covering - get it at any bathroom place and comes in black, blue for cheap cheap - cut it to length, put it over the intake and you're set to go. On the strainer, I usually have coarse black foam over my strainers which helps cut down on filter cleanings although you have to be religious about rinsing them, especially if you are using flake - less of a prob if you are using pellets only. The output/spraybar is less of an issue as you don't really see it much anyways. 
I should also add, I find the mechanical on the Eheims OK for my use but admittedly not the best. But my tastes aren't crystal clear gin like water and T5 lighting that I can do surgery under - that's a little too synthetic for me - the mechanical filtration of the Eheim is plenty good for me as I've never swam in or snorkeled in gin-like water. Along with some LED lights that are a little dimmer and offer some more realistic lighting patterns and shimmering effects like real sunlight - that's my kind of setup, but that's me.


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## zimmy (Aug 13, 2010)

areuben said:


> zimmy, agree the green sucks on the classics. The newer intake.spraybar setup on the pros (grey/black) are better but yes, I prefer jet black or blue. I use shower curtain rod covering - get it at any bathroom place and comes in black, blue for cheap cheap - cut it to length, put it over the intake and you're set to go. On the strainer, I usually have coarse black foam over my strainers which helps cut down on filter cleanings although you have to be religious about rinsing them, especially if you are using flake - less of a prob if you are using pellets only. The output/spraybar is less of an issue as you don't really see it much anyways.
> I should also add, I find the mechanical on the Eheims OK for my use but admittedly not the best. But my tastes aren't crystal clear gin like water and T5 lighting that I can do surgery under - that's a little too synthetic for me - the mechanical filtration of the Eheim is plenty good for me as I've never swam in or snorkeled in gin-like water. Along with some LED lights that are a little dimmer and offer some more realistic lighting patterns and shimmering effects like real sunlight - that's my kind of setup, but that's me.


Great suggestions on how to cover up the green!

My complaints about the mechanical filtration aren't based on a wish for gin like water. I have a similar set up to you (dim LED lights) but I get a bit frustrated when I see detritus float slowly past the intake of my 2262. I know some of the waste ends up in there though because when I've opened the canister there's no doubt it needs cleaning.

I also wonder sometimes if mechanical filtration is so desirable because if waste gets sucked into the filter it stays there until I clean the filter (a few times per year). In contrast the stuff that doesn't get picked up by the filter is vacuumed up by me when I clean the tank twice a week and is removed from the system.


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

The noise on new canisters is something that comes along with almost all new equipment unless it is the really super fine machined stuff. Even something as small as an impeller will have some small dents, nicks or flaws that are too small to see but throw the impeller slightly off. As it turns and wears in just a bit, they normally get a bit more quiet.


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## juststayinthecave (Dec 23, 2010)

If the canister is located properly below the tank, the shut off valves are located near input and output of canister and the water level stays above the intake inlet inthe tank you should maintain prime. :?


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