# Eheim external - when to renew media?



## AndrewH (3 Jan 2013)

Hi,

Over the last 2 years Ive run a Eheim 2126 and its been great.

However I have never once replaced the physical media within it (i.e. the substrate stuff that looks like Wheeto crisps!!) 

Every 6 months I open the filter up and take everything out.
The fine white pad is binned, new one put in its place.
The 2 "tubs" within the filter are removed and I wash off about half the brown "gunk" that is on the filter media (washed in tank water)

And thats it.

Ive never understood the science behind replacing the actual media, because surely once my bacteria are happily living there, they go on doing so. The physical media wont deteriorate or erode over time.

Am I in need of a brain overhaul, or does this sound about right?

180L tank, fish stock is at max I think. Quite heavily planted with java fern and anubias (some crypts)
Thanks guys


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## AndrewH (3 Jan 2013)

P.S. forgot to say that I rub Vaseline all round the seals when I am doing a filter clean.
This seems to help keep them supple and not harden.


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## Alastair (3 Jan 2013)

I would have thought that you'd be ok to continue using it with out the need to replace the substrate pro. I know a few people who run the classics with this in and have never changed it although I'd imagine over time even with rinsing that the tiny pores on the media will be come blocked so maybe replace some of it a little at a time??? 


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## ceg4048 (3 Jan 2013)

Hello,
		 The science behind the media changing is mostly illusory and  has to do with the science of selling you more media. This is exactly the same science behind telling people to replace their light bulbs every year.

The only reason to change media is if the media becomes clogged with debris, which reduces the available surface area for bacteria to populate. If the media is washed regularly, and if there are pre-filters to prevent clogging then there shouldn't be any issues. Sometimes the media becomes discolored due to Iron precipitating out of solution and staining the media but this is just a visual problem.

Cheers,


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## dw1305 (3 Jan 2013)

Hi all,


> ve never understood the science behind replacing the actual media, because surely once my bacteria are happily living there, they go on doing so. The physical media wont deteriorate or erode over time.


Like Clive says it isn't diamonds, but Eheim Substrat Pro aka "coco pops" that is for ever. I wouldn't bother with the filter wool pad, but I like a sponge pre-filter on the intake, much easier to clean and lasts for ever .





> forgot to say that I rub Vaseline all round the seals when I am doing a filter clean.


Supposedly you shouldn't use vaseline, as it will "degrade the rubber" and you need silicone grease, Eheim sell it, but you can get much cheaper elsewhere. I've no idea whether this is true or not.  I had a large supply of silicone grease (we use it for the microscopes) so I've never tried vaseline.

cheers Darrel


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## AndrewH (3 Jan 2013)

Thats awesome feedback guys, Im so thankful.

@Clive - I thought it was probably a marketing spin!
I'll keep my eyes on the pores at the next clean and see how we go from there.

@Darrel - cheers mate. NEver thought about the degradation of the rubber, fair point. Ive got some silicon based grease for some RC cars I race (how many hobbies!?!) so will use it next time.

Thanks guys


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## John S (3 Jan 2013)

dw1305 said:


> ........and you need silicone grease, Eheim sell it, but you can get much cheaper elsewhere.
> cheers Darrel


 
Darrel could you use this?   FloPlast Silicone Spray 400ml | Screwfix.com


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## dw1305 (4 Jan 2013)

Hi all,


> Darrel could you use this?


 Yes you should be able to.

cheers Darrel


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## John S (4 Jan 2013)

dw1305 said:


> Hi all,
> Yes you should be able to.
> 
> cheers Darrel



Great. It's fairly cheap compared to the Eheim one.


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## O'Neil (12 Jan 2014)

dw1305 said:


> forgot to say that I rub Vaseline all round the seals when I am doing a filter clean. Supposedly you shouldn't use vaseline, as it will "degrade the rubber" and you need silicone grease, Eheim sell it, but you can get much cheaper elsewhere. I've no idea whether this is true or not. I had a large supply of silicone grease (we use it for the microscopes) so I've never tried vaseline. cheers Darrel


 
I do know that jointing compounds that contain oil used in the plumbing industry cannot be used with plastic or rubbers as the oils they contain will slowly eat away at it.
The may or may not be true for vaseline.
As suggested above silicon grease will be safe, I would get it from a plumbing merchant if i were you a small tube would last years.


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## Nathaniel Whiteside (12 Jan 2014)

Everbuild P19 Plumbers PTFE Super Concentrate Silicone Spray 200ml


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## criptic (18 Feb 2014)

Thanks to forum help I hear good things about the Eheim classic filter. 

My tank will contain shrimp but I don't think that alters what I put in (not planning g on chemical/copper inserts).

I'm going to use purigen to combat starter cloudiness and tannins for my low tech lightly planted tank.

My question is: if I use finely cut up foam from those wash ball things for bacteria. Do I also need a layer of differently dense foam (the sort with holes in) to capture debris and other layers? 

Eheim sell hugely expensive starter kits but are the cheaper DIY solutions ok or do they require more replacement? 




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## dw1305 (18 Feb 2014)

Hi all, 





criptic said:


> Eheim sell hugely expensive starter kits but are the cheaper DIY solutions ok


 I love Eheim Classics. I just half fill the filter body with ceramic rings, alfagrog, floating cell media or hydroleca (hydroleca and floating cell media float, so you need to use the internal container), and put a big sponge on the intake. Eheim sell a pre-filter which is good, but for shrimps I'd like an open PPI10 sponge. 

cheers Darrel


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## NattyAntlers (19 Feb 2014)

John S said:


> Darrel could you use this? FloPlast Silicone Spray 400ml | Screwfix.com


 

Slightly cheaper but a grease rather than a spray (if that makes sense)

 Silicone Multi Purpose Plastic and Rubber Grease 20g [XSG020] Water Repellent | eBay 

Dont know how 20g compares to 400ml though.
Not used it on my filter seal yet but will, got some for my daughters skateboard bearings that we changed together with me giving a lesson on car etc wheel bearings as well


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## Edvet (19 Feb 2014)

I never used any lubricant on the eheim seals, and i never had any problems. I've used eheims that have been in the attic for a few years without any problems.


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## roadmaster (19 Feb 2014)

I run two of the 2217 eheim classic's on 80 U.S. gallon low tech.
I place about two or three cup's of the eheim substrat pro on the bottom and then four of the blue coarse pad's followed by  fine filter material(found at craft store) cut to fit ,by tracing around one of the blue pad's with marker.
I bought some extra substrat pro and maybe once a year,,I remove half from the filter's and replace it with some that has been washed.
I then wash that which was removed and save it . 
Have used vaseline on O ring's for a couple year's now or sometimes,,vegtable oil without any issues.


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## criptic (19 Feb 2014)

dw1305 said:


> Hi all,  I love Eheim Classics. ..... and put a big sponge on the intake. Eheim sell a pre-filter which is good, but for shrimps I'd like an open PPI10 sponge.
> 
> cheers Darrel



Thanks Darrel - how do you secure your sponge over the intake pipe? Presumably in a way you can take it off as needed to rinse?


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## dw1305 (19 Feb 2014)

Hi all,





criptic said:


> how do you secure your sponge over the intake pipe? Presumably in a way you can take it off as needed to rinse?


I either use a drilled sponge (Mainly the 12" x 4" x 4" blocks they sell for Koi ponds), or I sew them from foam sheets (PPI10 or PPI20), details here: <British Cichlid Association • The place to talk about the Cichlids in our Aquaria>. Only differences I've stopped siliconing the 4" sponges to the tiles, I just sit them on top now.

The "EHEIM PREFILTER for External Canister Filter" is EHEIM part no. 4004320.

cheers Darrel


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## sorin marius (11 Mar 2014)

hello,
can you please help with something? I dismantle my old aquarium rio180 and go to rio 240. I also buy an used eheim 2073 professionel 3 filter.
It is necessary to replace filter material? if no, if i will let the filter not used for about 4-5 months (untill i make the new one), can i reuse the media or buy new ones?
And if i replace all media with Sera Siporax it is ok?
thank you


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## Mihai Boldor (12 Mar 2014)

ceg4048 said:


> The science behind the media changing is mostly illusory and  has to do with the science of selling you more media. This is exactly the same science behind telling people to replace their light bulbs every year.


I have seen tests made by people on tubes and they really lose their brightness in time. I agree with you that you don't have to change bulbs every year but unlike media, bulbs can be changed every year.


sorin marius said:


> hello,
> can you please help with something? I dismantle my old aquarium rio180 and go to rio 240. I also buy an used eheim 2073 professionel 3 filter.
> It is necessary to replace filter material? if no, if i will let the filter not used for about 4-5 months (untill i make the new one), can i reuse the media or buy new ones?
> And if i replace all media with Sera Siporax it is ok?
> thank you


Bio media can be reused over and over again, you don't have to replace it, even if it gets dry and sits in your cabinet for a while, as soon as it is back inside a filter it start's housing once again beneficial bacteria.


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## ceg4048 (12 Mar 2014)

Mihai Boldor said:


> I have seen tests made by people on tubes and they really lose their brightness in time. I agree with you that you don't have to change bulbs every year but unlike media, bulbs can be changed every year.


Yes, you can change bulbs every month if you want to, but it won't help you to grow healthier plants.

Cheers,


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## Sacha (12 Mar 2014)

I use Arcadia Plant Pro T5s. They are the best light tubes I have ever used. On the instructions, it says to change them every 3 years. So they are being honest. 

They also attached two graphs of PAR/ LUX to show how it deteriorates over the course of 3 years. It loses about 1/2 of its effectiveness in that time


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## Mihai Boldor (12 Mar 2014)

Let's not go too far, I was talking about changing bulbs every year witch is a bit of time, and if light output drops to 50% you should consider changing them. The guys who made this experiment saw that bulbs lose about 30% of intensity in the first half year or so and then gradually lose some more until a point and then a constant value was measured


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## ceg4048 (12 Mar 2014)

Mihai Boldor said:


> o too far, I was talking about changing bulbs every year witch is a bit of time, and if light output drops to 50% you should consider changing them.


No you shouldn't.



Mihai Boldor said:


> The guys who made this experiment saw that bulbs lose about 30% of intensity in the first half year or so and then gradually lose some more until a point and then a constant value was measured


And so what? People use too much light to begin with. That's why there are so many problems in the hobby. It all stems from the fact that there are too many Klingons out there preaching about how they need more PAR. So everyone gets programmed to worship at the temple of Megawatt and their plants melt into oblivion or the tank becomes an algae farm only suitable for bio-fuel research.

Then the Klingons blame their problems on totally unrelated issues such as nutrients, or ratios, or water parameters, or on other nonsense.

Plants have a very simple adaptation to reduced lighting. They just increase the density of their light gathering pigments. As long as they have adequate access to nutrients and CO2 they really don't care that the lighting is reduced and it actually helps them. So you will not see any reduction in the health of the plants and you might actually see an increase in health because the plants are not having to defend themselves from mindless bombardment of photon torpedoes from the Klingon Bird of Prey.

So, while the Klingons were busy measuring the PAR reduction, did any of them think to measure the growth rates? Or was any data collected regarding the health of the plants? No, probably not, because they were too busy finding excuses to proliferate weapons of mass destruction. I did just the opposite, and instead of looking at PAR, I looked at how the plants responded to old bulbs. Some information is shown in the thread www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/two-new-tubes.8273/

Cheers,


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## Mihai Boldor (12 Mar 2014)

Ok, let's leave it at that, I see you are getting worked up for nothing so I apologize if I insulted your opinions.


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## roadmaster (12 Mar 2014)

I believe plant's are very good at collecting /utilizing what light is available.
Don't believe sunlight dropping by 50% such as on cloudy day's,or near dusk/dawn has adverse effect on plant growth outdoor's.
Considering many prolly use more light than is needed,a slight drop off in performance would mean less CO2 needed in high tech,and same old same old in low tech.
I change mine out when they quit.

I see I was too slow on the draw,and clive beat me to the point.


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## Sacha (12 Mar 2014)

So based on Clive's previous comments, reflectors are always a bad idea?


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## roadmaster (12 Mar 2014)

Sacha said:


> So based on Clive's previous comments, reflectors are always a bad idea?


 
If you think maybe lighting is too much, then reducing it could do no harm however one achieves the reduction.
Some relector's better than other's .
Don't believe reflector's are ALWAY's a bad idea.
In low tech ,low light,they are great benefit.


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## TOO (12 Mar 2014)

Sacha said:


> So based on Clive's previous comments, reflectors are always a bad idea?



No, reflectors are just a way of maximizing the effect of the bulbs you have, i.e. with reflectors you can go with a less powerful bulb and get the same effect as with a more powerful and no reflectors = you save on your electricity bill.

Thomas


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## Puntius (12 Mar 2014)

Mihai Boldor said:


> Ok, let's leave it at that, I see you are getting worked up for nothing so I apologize if I insulted your opinions.


No he is not getting worked up he is talking pure truth dude, everyone just want to slam as much lights on their tanks. I used to have 428watts over my 155 gallon tank and now I am down to 160-200watts and my plants are still growing very nicely and more healthy then before. I am doing the ramping up and ramping down method and it works very well.


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## dw1305 (12 Mar 2014)

Hi all,
You can find actual figures for the decline in out-put of the different types of discharge lighting, it is "lamp lumen depreciation" or "lamp lumen maintenance": <http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/when-do-i-replace-halide-lamps.9600/> .

The figures for electronically ballasted linear T5 lights is about 95% maintenance over 20,000 hours, and realistically the only time they produce less light is after they've failed. 

How do you know when you need to change your lamp? when it won't come on.

Details are here from Cree, who don't have any reason to "big up" the efficiency of T5 lamps <http://www.cree.com/~/media/Files/Cree/Lighting/Misc Tech Docs/LightingCalculationsintheLEDEra_Benya.pdf>.

cheers Darrel


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## Mihai Boldor (13 Mar 2014)

Ok, I will leave my lights to burn out from now on and see for myself if you were right or not.
Cheers


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## James O (13 Mar 2014)

Mihai Boldor said:


> Ok, I will leave my lights to burn out from now on and see for myself if you were right or not.
> Cheers



So using Cree's 20,000hrs and assuming an 8hr photoperiod, we look forward to your findings (in the lighting forum) by August 2020 at the latest


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## Mihai Boldor (13 Mar 2014)

I use Juwel t5 54w tubes, maybe they are not that long lasting, I don't know how long they are supposed to be running, I keep them on for 9 hours a day. The tricky part is that I have just changed them about a month ago )


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## dw1305 (13 Mar 2014)

Hi all, 





Mihai Boldor said:


> I use Juwel t5 54w tubes, maybe they are not that long lasting, I don't know how long they are supposed to be running, I keep them on for 9 hours a day.


 I think we had a thread about Juwel lamps, but it may have been the T8's rather than the T5's. Possibly because they are a strange size in the T8 luminaire the lamps were the old style halophosphate lamps which show a much faster rate of loss of brightness. <http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/hygrophila-polysperma-alternative.19823/page-2#post-201350>.

I'd be very surprised if the T5 lamp fittings weren't both tri-phosphate and electronically ballasted. An easy way to tell whether a ballast is electronic or not is at the end of life, if the tubes flashes on and off the ballast is magnetic, if it just fails and won't re-strike the ballast is electronic.

cheers Darrel


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## ian_m (13 Mar 2014)

The Juwel ballasts are electronic.

I would agree with the very short life of Juwel T8 tubes, usually about a year before light output is significantly lower than as new. Shame I never took a photo of the fixture one new Juwel T8 and a one year old Juwel T8. The old tube is really really dim compared to new tube, give away is plants stopped growing and it becomes difficult to see things in the tank.. Mind you Juwel tubes were considerably cheaper than Arcadia tubes.

As for Acadia T8 tubes, after one year possibly could judge old and new tubes, but basically little change. However after two years, obvious difference in brightness, between new and old, the light definitely a bit dimmer and yellowing on old tube. Two year old Arcadia definitely considerably brighter than year old Juwel T8 tube.

Now moved to Juwel T5 (with Juwel T5's) a couple of weeks ago, so nothing to report apart from pearling plants and monsterous growth.


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## Mihai Boldor (13 Mar 2014)

In my case I changed my Juwel T5's after one year and the difference in light output was visible.


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## ian_m (13 Mar 2014)

Mihai Boldor said:


> In my case I changed my Juwel T5's after one year and the difference in light output was visible.


Already costed up Arcadia T5 replacements, ready for next year.


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## roadmaster (13 Mar 2014)

roadmaster said:


> I would agree with the very short life of Juwel T8 tubes, usually about a year before light output is significantly lower than as new. Shame I never took a photo of the fixture one new Juwel T8 and a one year old Juwel T8. The old tube is really really dim compared to new tube, give away is plants stopped growing and it becomes difficult to see things in the tank.. Mind you Juwel tubes were considerably cheaper than Arcadia tubes.
> 
> As for Acadia T8 tubes, after one year possibly could judge old and new tubes, but basically little change. However after two years, obvious difference in brightness, between new and old, the light definitely a bit dimmer and yellowing on old tube. Two year old Arcadia definitely considerably brighter than year old Juwel T8 tube.
> 
> Now moved to Juwel T5 (with Juwel T5's) a couple of weeks ago, so nothing to report apart from pearling plants and monsterous growth.


[/quote]


Doubt that plant's stop growing with reduced lighting for as mentioned,,,they will use what light is available.
Perhap's the growth slowed,, but so long as there is SOME light,,they did not stop growing.


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## ian_m (13 Mar 2014)

roadmaster said:


> Perhap's the growth slowed


Yes plants serious slowed, rather stopped.

Before going high tech planted, I also used to get green algae after about a year of using Juwel T8 tubes, I know people say light does not produce algae (and I know that now), but I would use it as an indicator lamps were failing as algae would start appearing on substrate and plants and nothing else had changed. Change the Juwel T8 tube (especially the pinky colour-lite one) and algae would go away all by itself. In those days I would attribute it to UV given off by the tube as a new tube would quickly degrade the plastic reflector clips and any other plastic within its range.


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## James O (13 Mar 2014)

The 'Filters, Filtration and Pumps' forum is not the first place I'd be looking for lighting info.......hint hint


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## george29 (29 Sep 2018)

Hi,

Just for anyone looking at this old thread like I was, and wondering what to use on the O rings, Vaseline or Silicone Grease.

 In the Eheim Ecco filter  user guide dated 04/15 it does say to use Vaseline on the O rings.

For Eheim to state that,  think we can safely say Vaseline is  O ring rubber safe.


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