# Best external for 125?



## Sacha (30 Jul 2014)

I am sick of my crappy APS external filter. It's rated at 1400 lph. I calculated the actual flow a while back, it was more like 400 lph! 

I need a lot better flow than that. At the moment I run the external alongside a Juwel internal with 1000 lph pump. I am looking for a good reliable external that won't leak, and will provide very good flow, reliably. 

Bear in mind the flow will be slowed down by an inline atomizer, and a coarse sponge wrapped around the intake. 

Any recommendations welcome.


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## Ian Holdich (30 Jul 2014)

Ehiem 2073, is a great filter...I had a jbl 900 running alongside my jewel internal in a trigon 190 and that worked well also.


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## Sacha (30 Jul 2014)

Thanks Ian! What lph is the eheim rated for?


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## Andy Thurston (30 Jul 2014)

1050lph

+1 for eheim definately the best, great flow but you do pay for it. Cant comment on jbl because i haven't owned one but they seem highly rated on here. All the rest that I've seen/used pretty much suck, fluval have good flow but dont feel like there made well enough for the money.
Before you buy a new filter make your hoses as short and straight as possible this will gain you lots of flow without spending any money


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## Edvet (30 Jul 2014)

+1 for Eheim. the classic models though, no experience with the square new ones, loads second hand around, always parts available.


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## Sacha (30 Jul 2014)

What's maintenance like on the Eheims? Are they self- priming?


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## Andy Thurston (30 Jul 2014)

Classics aren't self priming don't know about the square ones i just leave the hoses full of water or suck the outlet if i've cleaned the hoses during maintenance. You can buy a priming kit too though


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## Sacha (30 Jul 2014)

I am more inclined to get a professional because of the integrated heater. 

My current filter sometimes takes 30 minutes of hard pushing to prime.


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## Andy Thurston (30 Jul 2014)

Maintenance wise undo 5 clips and the head comes off then its just a simple canister full of media, some have media trays others don't. The impeller cover just twists and lifts off giving easy access to clean the impeller and housing
Easy


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## Edvet (30 Jul 2014)

Maybe i am to old, but i never saw the use of priming. Keeping tanks means sucking up tank water. Just have a eheim hose coupling on both in and out, easy peasy.


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## Sacha (30 Jul 2014)

How exactly does that work Ed?


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## Edvet (30 Jul 2014)

Turn the things with the red EHEIM letter a quart, thus closing the flow. Then you can unscrew both parts in the middle. This way you can disconnect the filter from the hoses without a drop spilled. Take away the filter, clean it, connect in hose first, suck on the out part from the filter to get flow going, connect out part let it fill, turn on power, voila it runs.


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## EnderUK (30 Jul 2014)

You don't have to suck the water to prime a filter. Just detach the pipe at inlet bend and fill that tube with water from the tank using a funnel.

I'm impressed with the Aqua Vital AVEX1000 but only had it a month so don't know what it will be like long term.


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## Andy Thurston (30 Jul 2014)

If you can manage to put pipework togeather without opening the taps(my cabinet holes are not big enough) or spilling any, you can just fill the inlet pipe with water screw the pipes back togeather and open the taps to restart the siphon easy peasy just make sure the filter has no water in it first or this wont work[DOUBLEPOST=1406719980][/DOUBLEPOST]





EnderUK said:


> You don't have to suck the water to prime a filter. Just detach the pipe at inlet bend and fill that tube with water from the tank using a funnel.
> 
> I'm impressed with the Aqua Vital AVEX1000 but only had it a month so don't know what it will be like long term.


Funnel? I must be lazy. Open tap,submerge in tank, close tap, remove from tank, reconnect and open tap.


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## Humbert (30 Jul 2014)

I also consider self priming not to be an indispensable feature.
it's perhaps useful for the first time one installs the filter - I remember having problems starting an eheim 2224 cca 6 years ago, but at the same time I was a beginner back then.

2 useful tips:
- always have water in the hoses (either leave it there while cleaning the filter or fill the hoses with water before installing them) 
- always fill the filter with water before connecting it

gravity does the rest.


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## Sacha (30 Jul 2014)

Oh dear. Didn't realise the Eheims were so expensive. I'm looking at at least £200 new. 

Before I do take the plunge with a new filter, I think it's worth one last shot at trying to squeeze a bit more flow out of the APS. Is there a list somewhere of all the steps one can take to fully maximize flow from an external?


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## Andy Thurston (30 Jul 2014)

Yes they are expensive but when you get one you'll be gald you did and as edvet says you can get spares everywhere and they run forever

In simple terms
Use minimal media, your plants will use ammonia and nitrite
Reduce the head height
Reduce the length of the hoses
The hoses should be as straight as possible
Keep hoses, taps etc clean

I have used these with a diy spraybar and a co2 ceramic diffuser under the inlet
http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/261278827789?nav=SEARCH
Which works very well if you dont mind lemonade and can be hidden behind a big bush quite easily


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## dw1305 (30 Jul 2014)

Hi all, 
I agree with "Edvet" and "Big Clown", Eheim filters with double taps and lung power, and most of the time I just clean the hoses, without losing the siphon. 

Whenever any-one talks about filters or I contemplate too much of an investment in one, I remember Clive's description of them as "_a pump in a bucket_".

The trouble with all the other external filters that I've owned is however good they are when you get them, a few years down the line you can't get spares or parts for them and have to throw them away. 

All my external filters are now pre-owned Eheims. I really like Eheim Classics and the 222n series, they are simple and robust, but I'm not so keen on the Ecco's, lower build quality, too many seals etc and I won't buy any more of these. 

I haven't tried any of the newer Eheim filters, but I'm not keen on anything too complex or electronic. 

cheers Darrel


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## Andy Thurston (30 Jul 2014)

Might be a bit of overkill but
http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/...bits-from-dismantled-setup.33782/#post-360501


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## Sacha (30 Jul 2014)

Thanks for all the advice and interesting discussion guys! 

I was thinking today. It's theoretically possible for me to connect the outlet pipe from the internal Juwel filter to the spray bar of the external. What would happen if I did that? Would they both function as one filter or would they be working against each other? As the flow from the internal would be coming in the opposite end of the spray bar as the flow from the external.


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## Edvet (30 Jul 2014)

Never connect to filters in series. Did i mention never?. Never. Never comes anything good of.


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## Sacha (31 Jul 2014)

I think I'm going to buy a second-hand Eheim Pro 3 600 (2075). Been reading a few horror stories about the older models leaking. Just wanted to get people's opinions on this?


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