# Right media setup for Eheim 2078?



## Sonnyarba (16 Jul 2011)

Hi guys,

I just purchased a filter for my new upcoming 90p tank, and since it was without media I had to buy them separately. Eheim suggests 2l of media for each basket, in the lowest basket "Eheim Mech" and in other 3 "Substrat pro". So, I did it that way, but it seems it might be maybe too much of media since in one or two baskets media goes over the top for a few mm's. I'm pretty sure there is no reason to worry about, but it's always better to ask   

Since this is gonna be the filter for cca 150l of water maybe I could remove some media to have better flow? What do you think about that?

Pictures below might help you, of course   












Cheers


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## Tom (16 Jul 2011)

As long as the baskets sit flush when stacked, I'd say that was fine. As you say, cramming it with media will reduce your flow. Might be interesting to experiment removing a basket (or only half-filling them) and seeing how much difference it makes.


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## Sonnyarba (16 Jul 2011)

Tom said:
			
		

> As long as the baskets sit flush when stacked, I'd say that was fine. As you say, cramming it with media will reduce your flow. Might be interesting to experiment removing a basket (or only half-filling them) and seeing how much difference it makes.


That would be interesting to see, but I have no idea how to test it   

Also, with the filter I received a small bag with some "Spezialfett". Now, I suppose it's some kind of grease, but what is it's purpose? I guess it's not for seals, because they recommended some silicone spray.


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## Tom (16 Jul 2011)

Run the filter full of media, from the tank into a bucket and time it (how many liters in a certain time). Then try it half full. You should then be able to work out liters per hour for both ways and see the difference.

Not sure about the Spezialfett. 

Tom


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## ceg4048 (16 Jul 2011)

It's the silicone grease used for the o-rings and any other rubber seals as I recall.

Cheers,


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## Sonnyarba (16 Jul 2011)

ceg4048 said:
			
		

> It's the silicone grease used for the o-rings and any other rubber seals as I recall.
> 
> Cheers,


Thanx


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## Sonnyarba (31 Jul 2011)

Hello   

I'm back again within the same topic   

I finally tested the filter with the media setup as on the photos above, and since the flow isn't as "monstrous" as I expected, I am considering the option of removing some BIO media. It is still the filter for my 180l tank (cca 150l of water), so if I'd remove 1/2 of biological media, it would still be enough for this tank. Mechanical media (Mech) at the bottom would stay as it is, to remove as much dirt as possible.

 So, are there any advices how much media can I remove? Would 20-30% be too much, and would the filter produce more noise because of free bio balls floating in free space in their baskets?

Cheers


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## ceg4048 (31 Jul 2011)

Hello,
         The flow you measured should have been approximately 40%-50% of the filter rating listed in the specification. This is typical of all filters, and that's exactly why we developed the 10X rule. If you want more flow, simply empty one of the baskets or substitute any foam product for the ceramic. You'll find that the biggest impact on flow through that setup is actually the Effimech in the bottom tray. That product was specifically designed to slow down the flow in order to allow the suspended detritus to fall out of solution so that the dirt does not clog the pores of the little balls.

AS Tom suggested, just try different combinations of empty trays or foam filled trays to see how much the flow is affected. Some people remove all the "Efi" media and replace it with chopped up pieces of pot scrubber foam.

Cheers,


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## Sonnyarba (1 Aug 2011)

Thank you for the answer  

So you think it's better to remove the whole media from one basket, than to remove 20 - 30% from all of them?


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## ceg4048 (1 Aug 2011)

Well, the impact on flow rate may or may not be the same, but emptying a tray makes it easier later on to add different media for different purposes, such as Purigen or carbon if you need to without physically interfering with the other media. Plus, it's one less tray to clean. 8) 

Cheers,


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## Bobtastic (1 Aug 2011)

I have a Eheim 2078 Pro3e and I initially had it setup the why you have it, but probably not as full. I wasn't happy with the flow so decided to empty 2 of the trays, leaving the Mech at the bottom, then an empty basket, then a basket of Substrat pro, and then the final empty basket. I must say that I didn't see any improvement in the output through my DIY spray bar...  I have mine running through a AM1000 so assumed that this is limiting the flow rate. 

I also have a Fluval 405 (with full media) and that is running through a Hydor ETH 300 and the flow from the Fluval spray bar is much higher than the Eheim... 

I've gotten a UP Atomise to swap out the AM1000 to see if that improve the flow any.


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## Sonnyarba (1 Aug 2011)

Hmmm, intersting point...  :?  But the flow on E 2078 should be better than on F 405, so it's probably because the AM 1000...  

But the most important thing is the fact that you didn't notice any improvements with almost 50% less media...   So it seems it's better not to remove any media, when the flow stays the same...


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## Bobtastic (1 Aug 2011)

Worth a test tho, it may highlight an issue with my unit!


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## Sonnyarba (1 Aug 2011)

I'm a bit lazy and busy at the moment to do such kind of test, but I will do my best to perform it in few weeks


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