Cannister Filter Experience

[psw]

I'm interested in using a cannister filter on my next aquarium set up. The
Eheim Classic Plus 2213 or Eheim ECCO 2233 look like they would work well
for me. If anyone would share their experiences and/or preferences, I'd be
grateful.

Paul

[2pods]

> I am rather attatched to my Eheim. Low maintenance, super quiet, easy
> to prime, (just push the thing on top a couple times) 2 trays for a
> myriad of media, plus the chamber at the bottom which I fill with
> Bio-balls. However, they're spendy. Fluvals are cheaper, and have
> come quite a ways in the effort to remove the negative rep they
> had\have. The actually make some nice units.
>
Any opinions on the rena filstar XP3 ?

Peter

[Rick]

"2pods" > wrote in message
...
> > I am rather attatched to my Eheim. Low maintenance, super quiet, easy
> > to prime, (just push the thing on top a couple times) 2 trays for a
> > myriad of media, plus the chamber at the bottom which I fill with
> > Bio-balls. However, they're spendy. Fluvals are cheaper, and have
> > come quite a ways in the effort to remove the negative rep they
> > had\have. The actually make some nice units.
> >
> Any opinions on the rena filstar XP3 ?
>
> Peter
>
I just hooked up my XP3 yesterday. I have had the thing for 2 years sitting
in a box waiting until I got around to building a 180 tank. So now I am
cycling the filter. I like the set up better than my Fluval 404 which is
about 4 years old however the new Fluvals as someone else pointed out are
much improved. This Filstar was recommended to me as the next best filter to
the Eheims. It runs nice and quiet, has a huge area for media so I think it
will work out just fine.

Rick

[2pods]

> I just hooked up my XP3 yesterday. I have had the thing for 2 years
> sitting
> in a box waiting until I got around to building a 180 tank. So now I am
> cycling the filter. I like the set up better than my Fluval 404 which is
> about 4 years old however the new Fluvals as someone else pointed out are
> much improved. This Filstar was recommended to me as the next best filter
> to
> the Eheims. It runs nice and quiet, has a huge area for media so I think
> it
> will work out just fine.
>
> Rick
>
Can you get spare hose, elbows, etc for the XP ?

Peter
>

[Rick]

"2pods" > wrote in message
...
>
> > I just hooked up my XP3 yesterday. I have had the thing for 2 years
> > sitting
> > in a box waiting until I got around to building a 180 tank. So now I am
> > cycling the filter. I like the set up better than my Fluval 404 which is
> > about 4 years old however the new Fluvals as someone else pointed out
are
> > much improved. This Filstar was recommended to me as the next best
filter
> > to
> > the Eheims. It runs nice and quiet, has a huge area for media so I think
> > it
> > will work out just fine.
> >
> > Rick
> >
> Can you get spare hose, elbows, etc for the XP ?
>
> Peter
> >
>
this thing could be hooked up and run using clear hose and pvc adapters
available at any hardware store or you could pay a premium and no doubt
order them from the company .

Rick

[2pods]

">> Can you get spare hose, elbows, etc for the XP ?
>>
>> Peter
>> >
>>
> this thing could be hooked up and run using clear hose and pvc adapters
> available at any hardware store or you could pay a premium and no doubt
> order them from the company .
>
> Rick
>
Do you have a link to pvc adaptors ?
I want to know what they look like, as I'm not sure we can get them in UK ?

[Trapper]

"Rick" > wrote in message >...
> "2pods" > wrote in message
> ...
> > > I am rather attatched to my Eheim. Low maintenance, super quiet, easy
> > > to prime, (just push the thing on top a couple times) 2 trays for a
> > > myriad of media, plus the chamber at the bottom which I fill with
> > > Bio-balls. However, they're spendy. Fluvals are cheaper, and have
> > > come quite a ways in the effort to remove the negative rep they
> > > had\have. The actually make some nice units.
> > >
> > Any opinions on the rena filstar XP3 ?
> >
> > Peter
> >
> [Rick extols the virtues of his XP3]

Howdy,

I'll chime in about my experiences with the XP3, an example of which
is running on my 75gal plant tank.

The three baskets have tremendous amounts of room for filter media. I
am not even fully utilizing this space. I should think it one were
really judicious about packing the filter, then plenty of filtration
goodness could be had.

My unit is pumping at, oh, probably over 4 feet of head, and the flow
rate is quite solid. Were I so inclined, I could use it to create a
goodly amount of current in the tank.

The downside is that keeping air out after a filter cleaning is an art
as yet beyond my ken. After a week or two in operation after a
cleaning, though, the filter is quiet indeed.

The design is not particularly well-suited to CO2 injection into the
intake, as some people are fond of doing. Your mileage may vary.

Price is a good selling point of this filter. Big Al's offers them
for something like US$90, about the same as the Fluval 404, and of
course lots less than the Eheims.

Downsides:

1.) no ability, a la magnums, to achieve micron filtration with
diatom powder. I don't consider this a big deal, since I only rarely
use my diatom filter.
2.) priming. I find myself doing a nervous maneuver of sucking on
the output hose of a high-capacity canister filter to get it going.
Definitely there's no fancy priming mechanism a la the fancier models
out there.

Hope this is useful.

--Trapper

[2pods]

> 2.) priming. I find myself doing a nervous maneuver of sucking on
> the output hose of a high-capacity canister filter to get it going.
> Definitely there's no fancy priming mechanism a la the fancier models
> out there.
>
> Hope this is useful.
>
> --Trapper

i thought they were self priming ?
http://www.rena.net/cgi-bin/trans.pl/en/products/rena_range/rena_filstar_xp.shtml

Peter

[Trapper]

"2pods" > wrote in message >...
> > 2.) priming. I find myself doing a nervous maneuver of sucking on
> > the output hose of a high-capacity canister filter to get it going.
> > Definitely there's no fancy priming mechanism a la the fancier models
> > out there.
> >
> > Hope this is useful.
> >
> > --Trapper
>
> i thought they were self priming ?
> http://www.rena.net/cgi-bin/trans.pl/en/products/rena_range/rena_filstar_xp.shtml
>
> Peter

Nope. I think the self-priming to which that webpage refers must be
some concept other than my idea of self-priming.

For me, self priming means that you can install the dry, empty filter,
plug it in, and expect normal water circulation in short order. And I
can assure you that no such operation is possible with the XP3.

What RENA may mean is that there's a way to pop off the hoses after
powering down an already-running filter. There *is* a nifty lever for
pulling the hose attachment point ports off, but I'm not sure whether
it's leakproof (I use ball valves).

Caveat: I bought this filter 2nd hand, and don't have a manual.
There may well just be some non-obvious way to do self-priming. I
just haven't discovered it, if it exists.

--Trapper

[Rick]

"> > i thought they were self priming ?
> >
http://www.rena.net/cgi-bin/trans.pl/en/products/rena_range/rena_filstar_xp.shtml
> >
> > Peter
>
> Nope. I think the self-priming to which that webpage refers must be
> some concept other than my idea of self-priming.
>
> For me, self priming means that you can install the dry, empty filter,
> plug it in, and expect normal water circulation in short order. And I
> can assure you that no such operation is possible with the XP3.
>
> What RENA may mean is that there's a way to pop off the hoses after
> powering down an already-running filter. There *is* a nifty lever for
> pulling the hose attachment point ports off, but I'm not sure whether
> it's leakproof (I use ball valves).
>
> Caveat: I bought this filter 2nd hand, and don't have a manual.
> There may well just be some non-obvious way to do self-priming. I
> just haven't discovered it, if it exists.
>
> --Trapper

On my XP3 after cleaning (although I have not done so yet) you can get it
going in one of two ways. My unit on the input tube where it goes over the
edge of the tank there is a valve. You unscrew the cap and using the
provided funnel you pour water into the canister until the water is seen at
the top of the clear hose. Plug it in and away you go. When I clean mine I
will replace the media baskets, fill the canister and reinstall the lid and
then simply top off using the funnel. There is no sucking on tubes required
for my XP3 canister to get it primed. If the thing is full of water and you
plug it in it should be a done deal. At least it work flawlessly when I set
it up. These filters are not designed to be used with diatom powder. I would
think you would have to have a pleated type cartridge ala HOT Magnum for
that to be possible.

Rick

Rick

[Rick]

"Rick" > wrote in message
...
>
> "> > i thought they were self priming ?
> > >
>
http://www.rena.net/cgi-bin/trans.pl/en/products/rena_range/rena_filstar_xp.shtml
> > >
> > > Peter
> >
> > Nope. I think the self-priming to which that webpage refers must be
> > some concept other than my idea of self-priming.
> >
> > For me, self priming means that you can install the dry, empty filter,
> > plug it in, and expect normal water circulation in short order. And I
> > can assure you that no such operation is possible with the XP3.
> >
> > What RENA may mean is that there's a way to pop off the hoses after
> > powering down an already-running filter. There *is* a nifty lever for
> > pulling the hose attachment point ports off, but I'm not sure whether
> > it's leakproof (I use ball valves).
> >
> > Caveat: I bought this filter 2nd hand, and don't have a manual.
> > There may well just be some non-obvious way to do self-priming. I
> > just haven't discovered it, if it exists.
> >
> > --Trapper
>
> On my XP3 after cleaning (although I have not done so yet) you can get it
> going in one of two ways. My unit on the input tube where it goes over the
> edge of the tank there is a valve. You unscrew the cap and using the
> provided funnel you pour water into the canister until the water is seen
at
> the top of the clear hose. Plug it in and away you go. When I clean mine I
> will replace the media baskets, fill the canister and reinstall the lid
and
> then simply top off using the funnel. There is no sucking on tubes
required
> for my XP3 canister to get it primed. If the thing is full of water and
you
> plug it in it should be a done deal. At least it work flawlessly when I
set
> it up. These filters are not designed to be used with diatom powder. I
would
> think you would have to have a pleated type cartridge ala HOT Magnum for
> that to be possible.
>
> Rick
>


forgot to add that Rena considers this a self priming filter, likely simply
because there is no little lever to pump as on my Fluval 404 or button to
push like on some others. I like the filter, especially the amazing amount
of space available for media. I filled all my baskets without using the
charcoal bag they sent along. I substituted ceramic rings and blocks.

Rick

[Rick]

"2pods" > wrote in message
...
>
> ">> Can you get spare hose, elbows, etc for the XP ?
> >>
> >> Peter
> >> >
> >>
> > this thing could be hooked up and run using clear hose and pvc adapters
> > available at any hardware store or you could pay a premium and no doubt
> > order them from the company .
> >
> > Rick
> >
> Do you have a link to pvc adaptors ?
> I want to know what they look like, as I'm not sure we can get them in UK
?
>
>

Well I'm pretty sure that in the U.K they sell white PVC tubing, or the
common white water line and elbows and connectors. Drop into what ever your
equivalent to our Home Depot or Rona Store is and head to the plumbing Dept.
If you are thinking about buying one of these filters than all the parts
come with it along with the manual and list of parts available from Rena.

Rick

[2pods]

> Well I'm pretty sure that in the U.K they sell white PVC tubing, or the
> common white water line and elbows and connectors. Drop into what ever
> your
> equivalent to our Home Depot or Rona Store is and head to the plumbing
> Dept.
> If you are thinking about buying one of these filters than all the parts
> come with it along with the manual and list of parts available from Rena.
>
> Rick
>
Thanks for your advice Rick :-)

It was just the hose that comes with the filter is two lengths of 1.6m.
I have a Juwel Rio 400 that is 62cm high sitting on a 73cm cabinet, so by
the time I take it inside the tank, it won't be long enough :-(

Peter