# JBL inset/outset or Eheim installation set... Or something better



## parotet (26 Aug 2014)

Hi all

I want to change my Eheim green shepherds crook and intake by something 'less green'  but also for something easier to manage when cleaning the tubing. I don't want glassware, I've broken an intake, it is expensive, not easy to clean for dumb people like me and I don't want to mess with boiling water and so each time I want to clean the tubing. I want something easy, safe and as nice as possible. I'm quite limited with DIY difficult projects and bending acrylic is not as easy as it looks... At least that's what I've read.

I like Eheim and JBL inlet and outlet sets, both in black... It is not clear plastic but at least not bright green. What I like the most is that in both cases the tube is attached to the crook/inset with a threaded hose connection. That makes it easier to manage. Eheim is a bit expensive IMO and with the outlet set you have to buy a spraybar which is useless to me (I lost quite a lot of time to adjust my clear spraybar to my setup, so I doubt this one is going to do the job. Moreover to cover the whole length I need I have to buy additional fittings, so still more expensive).
JBL looks nice and much cheaper.

I suppose lots of people here do use these JBL filter connection as I think these are the ones coming with JBL CristalProfi filters, isn't it? 
Any problem to report? Any better option for me?

Jordi


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## pepedopolous (26 Aug 2014)

Hi,
I have the JBL filter but I recently bought the Eheim sets because I needed a shorter spraybar (the Eheims have 3 or 4 short sections). They're transparent grey and the quality is a lot better than the JBL ones. They even have o-rings for each connection. There is also a cap at the top which you can remove to clean the tubing.  Unless you buy glass or steel pipes, I don't think you can beat the Eheims.

The JBLs should do the job perfectly well and they are much cheaper though. Both types have some right angles which I guess might slow the flow compared to lily-pipes.


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## Julian (26 Aug 2014)

I'd recommend the All Pond Solution Intake/Outlet. It's cheap, the intake has an included (optional) surface skimmer which works really well, it's black so you don't notice the crap that grows on it.

I've had the Eheim and JBL sets before but they weren't anything special, not for the price anyway.


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## tmiravent (26 Aug 2014)

Hi Jordi,
the glass is perfect for looking but as you said: it breaks (and it's easy)!
I had the same green eheim inlet/outlet and also, not very happy.
So decided to go for stainless steel. 
Some DIY...
Made a prototype in aluminium to see how it looks. 
Bought 'marine' stainless steel and made my own tubes (first for CovaMoura with 8mm tubes)
The fine details are not the same quality but very nice to cut the pipes in right measure!
It's a option
cheers


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## parotet (27 Aug 2014)

pepedopolous said:


> Both types have some right angles which I guess might slow the flow compared to lily-pipes


Do you think they seriously affect the flow?



pepedopolous said:


> I recently bought the Eheim sets because I needed a shorter spraybar (the Eheims have 3 or 4 short sections).


It looks like 9 cm sections can be used with both inlet and outlet sets, isn't it? I've seen on the pictures and spare parts catalogues that short sections included in the inlet kit have also tiny holes, so they look like the ones in the outlet kit. Another important question: are the sections for the spraybar drilled or just pre-drilled?
I agree that hose-to-tube connectors in Eheim look much better than in the JBL kit.



Julian said:


> I'd recommend the All Pond Solution Intake/Outlet. It's cheap, the intake has an included (optional) surface skimmer which works really well, it's black so you don't notice the crap that grows on it.


Thanks Julian. They look very nice but they cost like JBL ones and I am not interested in a surface skimmer for the moment.

Jordi


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## sciencefiction (27 Aug 2014)

As far as quality goes, having used both JBL and Eheim inlets/outlets, I'd go with the Eheim.  And APS for that matter.
The JBL one is low quality and I especially wouldn't recommend the spraybar unless you want to restrict the flow and get more velocity instead. It has tiny holes in it I suppose to give the illusion that flow is great with their filters.
 Mine cracked under an Eheim filter flow despite the hose/outlet attached being the same 16/22 as per the Eheim filter specs. But I suppose if you are not getting the spraybar version then it should be fine though mine started spitting out water from where the outlet attaches to the sprabar, that section cracked under higher flow that couldn't come out through those midget holes they've drilled.

The eheim sets have lots of options if you want to spend the money, different outlet connection can be purchased, you can extend both the spraybar or inlet section tube, etc..and they are solid quality but they are grey and transparent. I personally prefer black inlets and outlets myself.



parotet said:


> Another important question: are the sections for the spraybar drilled or just pre-drilled?


 
The spraybar that comes with the installation set 2 is drilled
There are two versions, extension for the inlet(installation set 1) and extention for the outlet(installation set 2) so if you are buying extension for the spraybar it will be drilled as below(that's the seller I got all my eheim parts from)

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/EHEIM-400...6?pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Fish&hash=item233ecd07ac

And this are the extensions for the inlet section, not drilled but can easily be converted to a spraybar section by drilling on the indicator spots

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/EHEIM-400...6?pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Fish&hash=item2337c6371c


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## Sacha (27 Aug 2014)

The APS kit is great but the spray bar has loads of holes meaning the velocity is weak


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## parotet (27 Aug 2014)

Yup, I think a spraybar in a high tech planted tank is something very special to be made by someone else. Well at least I am not sure that the drilled spraybar from the Eheim kit is going to deliver the flow I want. And the length of spraybar I need makes it quite expensive (3 sections in the kit plus 3 additional sections)... Very expensive to be just drilled plastic. If I finally buy the Eheim kits I will simply attach my clear homemade spraybar to the outlet.

Jordi


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## pepedopolous (27 Aug 2014)

Jordi, the Eheim intake sections don't have any holes in them. For the spraybar, the holes are bigger than the JBL ones.


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## parotet (5 Sep 2014)

Hi all

I forgot to mention that I finally purchased the Eheim installation kit 1 and 2. In the shop I was able to compare JBL and Eheim, and as mentioned in another post, they just cannot be compared. JBL is fine (just a black tube vended with a thread) but Eheim is superb in terms of quality: solid materials, good tube fittings (very useful for maintenance) and some other details such as o-rings between sections or a wise system to prime the filter. Of course prices cannot be compared... both Eheim sets cost 30 euros (15€ each) which is 3 times what the JBL sets cost.

I also tried the spraybar with the 3 short sections provided with the outlet kit (9 cm each, so 27 cm). The diameter of the spraybar is very large and there are probably too many jets. As a result they cannot reach the front of my tank (a distance of 30 cm) taking into account that I use an Eheim 2215 with 1/3 of media and also that when I use my 1 cm diameter DIY spraybar which is much longer all the jets splash in the front glass quite hard. I think that to be able to achieve powerful jets, much more muscle from the filter would be needed.

Cheers,
Jordi


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## kylumi (6 Sep 2014)

parotet said:


> Hi all
> 
> I forgot to mention that I finally purchased the Eheim installation kit 1 and 2.
> 
> ...



Hello Jordi,

Can you give me the thickness dimensions of the flat parts which overhang into the tank...thank you


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## parotet (6 Sep 2014)

kylumi said:


> Hello Jordi,
> 
> Can you give me the thickness dimensions of the flat parts which overhang into the tank...thank you


Hi Kylumi

Not sure what you mean. If you mean the space between the part that is outside the tank and the part inside, there is a gap of 7 cm. If you mean the thickness (height?) of the black pieces it's is 2 cm in the medium part and 2,5 cm the thickest part (although the part with the cap is thicker).
Does it help?

Jordi


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## kylumi (6 Sep 2014)

That is the exact info I needed....It means I don't have to cut holes into my tank, those bad-boy's will fit perfectly through that back of the lid without being visible.
Thank you my friend


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