foreveraddicted Posted January 27, 2004 Share Posted January 27, 2004 ok peeps, im still going on the topic of cannisters hehe... just wanting to do a quick comparison between a Fluval 404 and an Eheim 2217... the price differences are around $70, is that reflected in their quality. now i know that Eheim are generally regarded the better product, but are they that much better than Fluvals? dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart74 Posted January 27, 2004 Share Posted January 27, 2004 Hi Dave I have fluval's on all of my bigger tanks and have been more than happy with their performance,Ease to clean and very easy to re-start. Ehiem's IMO are over priced but im sure their are people who will tell you otherwise Stuart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nornicle Posted January 27, 2004 Share Posted January 27, 2004 im on the other side of the board. my cousin used his 403 (they are now in *04 range) for nearly 7 years. I used a 104 or 204 or whatever it is for about 2 months before I junked it. I now use only eheim, the price cost is minimal in the number of years you get out of them. Problems I had with fluval a) seal leaked b) quick release system leaked c) did not believe the water flowed through the filter catridges properly d) clogged too quickly so I had to clean it nearly every week Good things about the fluval a) it HAD quick release b) reasonably built (nice looking) Problems with eheim (i've had/have 2213/2215/2217's) a) wish flow rate was faster b) cleaning can be a pain (fluval has lift out catridges) good things about eheim a) flow rate never seems to change b) cleaning is done infrequently (every 1 or 2 months) c) rock solid build d) no leaks! e) excellent quick release mechanism. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mazimbwe Posted January 28, 2004 Share Posted January 28, 2004 for $70...I'd get the Eheim. HTH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart74 Posted January 28, 2004 Share Posted January 28, 2004 just to add i have 7 fluvals 4 x 404's and 3 x 304's and have never had one leak and the quick release system work's a treat not that im saying your's was okay Nornicle just i've never had any problems with mine. I also got mine new for $219 - 404's and $145 - 304's which was what swayed me rather than the Ehiem's Stuart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Other Ed Posted January 28, 2004 Share Posted January 28, 2004 Fluvals for me too, never used Ehiem because of the price. Have had 1 motor fail in 5 years. just had to get parts (impeller and magnet) easy cleaning, never a leaking seal, or leaking quick connect. HTH, one eyed Ed P.S. I have a 204 and think the flow rate is low. BUT the 404 never slows down, just needs better clips (on the suction cap inside the tank) on the hose. Sometimes the outlet unclips and water runs across the inside of the tank lid. just clipped it back on and all is ok. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foreveraddicted Posted January 29, 2004 Author Share Posted January 29, 2004 thanx heaps everyone! great replies, exactly what i wanted! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BengaBoy Posted January 29, 2004 Share Posted January 29, 2004 Problems with eheim (i've had/have 2213/2215/2217's) a) wish flow rate was faster b) cleaning can be a pain (fluval has lift out catridges) I think it is a misapprehension to think a fast flow rate is desriable on canister filters whose main aim is biological filtration. I have Eheim 2217s and others and I find them easier to clean than my Eheim 2228 with the baskets - the baskets are fiddley whereas with the others I just stick my hand in to hold in the blue sponge (and therefore the noodles) and tip the media out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nornicle Posted January 29, 2004 Share Posted January 29, 2004 i only wish flow rate was faster because i couldn't afford 'the next up' the line, but would rather go a smaller eheim then a fluval (personal choice) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oracle Posted January 30, 2004 Share Posted January 30, 2004 I have got both Fluval 404 and Eheim 2217. The thing I don't like about Fluval 404 is that even though the instructions claim that the filter can self prime, it doesn't work 99.999% of the time (worked only for the first few weeks). Luckily I have a powerful pump that I use to pump water through the filter intake everytime I clean it. Even though Eheim 2217 doesn't have self priming features, the taps on their own act pretty much as self primers. Personally, I would buy Eheim filters next time. Having said that, Fluval filters have been quite good to me so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ageofaquariums Posted January 30, 2004 Share Posted January 30, 2004 Hi Dave, I know this is off topic but a bloody good alternative to a fluval or eheim would be the highly over looked OTTO brand. Here is a link, OTTO PF-450G Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chorrylan Posted January 30, 2004 Share Posted January 30, 2004 hi, I don't have any experience with eheims so can't comment but do use a range of fluval 304 and 404 canisters. Generally speaking I'm happy with them but from experience and anecdotally you have to be conscious of air bubbles forming around the pump. I run them in quite borderline situations on ground-level tanks (ie I'm running them in situations they're not designed for) so there is only a few inches height difference between the water surface and the top of the canister. The fluval design of having the pump horizontally mounted at the highest point in the canister makes this a bit precarious as it collects bubbles easily and has difficulty clearing them whic in turn reduces the flow and can make it noisy (and probably ain't very good for the pump and motor). This is even more of an issue with the 404 unit as it's higher than the 304's. Of course if you run them the way they're designed, with the canister well below the tank height they work much better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discusdude Posted January 30, 2004 Share Posted January 30, 2004 Just a quick question: How many liters an hour would you recomend a cannister filter needs to pump for a 3ft tank? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EcHo2134 Posted February 9, 2004 Share Posted February 9, 2004 i own 3 ehiems and 1 fluval. The fluval is just as good as the eheim, if u can afford to get the eheim by all means, otherwise the fluval still does the job and is reliable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.