# Tetratec replacement advice?



## Vanish (13 May 2013)

I've finally had enough of my Tetratec EX1200. I only replaced the large O ring a couple of months ago, and today after a water Change I couldn't get it to seal. It chucked a load of water all over the floor. And to top it off, the impeller decided to fall apart!
I've got it running again. Sealed the top with PTFE tape, but with the busted impeller it sounds like a coffee grinder. 
Anyone with experience of Tetratec will know these filters are difficult to prime, and messy whilst doing so. And having to shell out on replacement parts regularly is a necessity. 
When funds allow I'm going to get a replacement filter. So who can recommend a damn good filter with a similar LPH (or even more) Points I'm interested in are
Easy to prime 
Not messy
Easy to maintain 
Reliable (tried and tested)
Not to bothered about the cost. 

Cheers.


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## Henry (13 May 2013)

I've no experience of using them, but I'm pretty sure you can't go wrong with Eheim Classics. I don't think I've ever seen a single bad review on them.


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## Vanish (13 May 2013)

Ok that's one for consideration. Any particular model?


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## Alastair (13 May 2013)

Theres also the jbl cristalprofi range which are great, super quiet and come with full media and are cheap ish too. 

Sent from my GT-I9305 using Tapatalk 2


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## NattyAntlers (13 May 2013)

I have an Eheim 2213 and a JBL Crystalprofi E700 both filtering my 90l
They are both good filters imo but with the classic Eheim I found the addition of 2 double taps a necessity for filter cleaning and maintenence the upside of this is an easy way to drain water from the tank and to prime the filter, I supose you could get away with a single tap and 1 double.
The JBL has a primer, and its very easy to clean as the taps and hose unlock from the body and it is very quite.
I suppose the JBL e1500 would be the direct replacement to a ex1200


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## sanj (13 May 2013)

I used to keep Tetratec 1200s, but had issues with one leaking and the other was ok for 18 months. I prefer to use the Eheim despite the extra expense. High quality and high efficiency. I am talking 2080/2180 league though.


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## samboco (13 May 2013)

Eheim all the way


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## Alastair (13 May 2013)

sanj said:


> I used to keep Tetratec 1200s, but had issues with one leaking and the other was ok for 18 months. I prefer to use the Eheim despite the extra expense. High quality and high efficiency. I am talking 2080/2180 league though.


 Agreed, im in the 2080 premier league too now 

Sent from my GT-I9305 using Tapatalk 2


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## Vanish (13 May 2013)

Eheim certainly do seem to be the Rolls Royce of filters. Just looking at the electronic range they're pretty smart. But is a micro processor a step too far for a filter?


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## BigTom (13 May 2013)

Eheim definitely aren't infallible, possibly due to moving much of their production to China. I've got a 2213 with an unfixable buzz in the head unit and a 2324 which made an awful racket until I replaced the Chinese made impeller with a German spare. I know they have an amazing reputation but they're not perfect, at least from my limited experiences.


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## fish fodder (14 May 2013)

In defence of the tetratec I have had one running pretty much non stop for around 7 years and have only had to change the impeller once. Never misses a beat .... In regards to any that leak it's a flaw in the head unit that pushes water back up or overflows slightly thus making people think it's the O ring. Tetra do replace the part FOC if the filter is in warranty.


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## mafoo (14 May 2013)

BigTom said:


> Eheim definitely aren't infallible, possibly due to moving much of their production to China. I've got a 2213 with an unfixable buzz in the head unit and a 2324 which made an awful racket until I replaced the Chinese made impeller with a German spare. I know they have an amazing reputation but they're not perfect, at least from my limited experiences.


I too have a Eheim 2213 with an unfixable buzz in the head unit. Sounds like an air pump 

I currently have it under 3 towels and it still makes a racket.


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## Vanish (14 May 2013)

I suppose you can get faults with anything. It's when faults develop the vast majority of the time a brand gets a bad name. 



mafoo said:


> I currently have it under 3 towels and it still makes a racket.


Lol at least you don't have three towels under it to catch the water


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## biffster (14 May 2013)

may i ask why you had the filter open to do a water 
change my filters only get opened every 6 to 12 months 
or when the flows slows i found something out about tetratec 
1200 maker sure the arrows on the trays are pointing the right 
way and dont over pack the media trays other wise it wont close 
properly


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## jojouk (14 May 2013)

I also have nothing but food things to say about tetratec, especially their customer service. I urge you to contact the customer service department if you are having a problem, they are fantastic, and will help you all they can.


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## NattyAntlers (14 May 2013)

biffster said:


> may i ask why you had the filter open to do a water
> change


Not sure if you were asking me but I clean the filters once a month, the JBL has the most media for bio filtration and the Eheim just has a small amount
of Substratpro in a bag and has the co2 coming in via a diffuser and the filter intake.
Having 2 filters definitely sorted out an issue with BBA that I had.
It does not take long and I would rather be on the safe side, maybe I could leave it longer but would then possibly forget.


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## biffster (14 May 2013)

NattyAntlers said:


> Not sure if you were asking me but I clean the filters once a month, the JBL has the most media for bio filtration and the Eheim just has a small amount
> of Substratpro in a bag and has the co2 coming in via a diffuser and the filter intake.
> Having 2 filters definitely sorted out an issue with BBA that I had.
> It does not take long and I would rather be on the safe side, maybe I could leave it longer but would then possibly forget.


 
i leave mine for 6 months to a year or if the flow slows 
i find filters become more efficient if left undisturbed 
when i was new to external filters i used to clean them
like like i used to clean my internals but with time i have
leaned how to get the most out of them i started using
externals in the early 80s


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## Vanish (14 May 2013)

biffster said:


> may i ask why you had the filter open to do a water
> change my filters only get opened every 6 to 12 months
> or when the flows slows i found something out about tetratec
> 1200 maker sure the arrows on the trays are pointing the right
> ...



Wow 6 -12 months. Surely that's inviting problems of he BGA type. When I do my weekly water change I always give everything a swish in old tank water, the crud that comes out is enough to convince me it's necessary. If my tank wasn't planted the I would leave it longer. But even so opening the filter up every week shouldn't be considered a problem. 
I hear what you're saying about over filling with media, I noticed the problem a while back when I added some extra and had to consequently remove it. 
Ultimately any filter has a hard life.  They are the work horses of the aquaria and as such I guess we should expect to replace worn parts. I'm just fed up with the messiness, the fact the o ring failed again (proved by sealing it with PTFE tape) and the impeller decided to fall apart on the same day! That was bad timing. I almost re-enacted the fawlty towers scene, when Basil's car won't start )


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## Vanish (14 May 2013)

Admin
Why the thread name change? Someone being protective over the Tetra name.


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## biffster (14 May 2013)

Vanish said:


> Wow 6 -12 months. Surely that's inviting problems of he BGA type. When I do my weekly water change I always give everything a swish in old tank water, the crud that comes out is enough to convince me it's necessary. If my tank wasn't planted the I would leave it longer. But even so opening the filter up every week shouldn't be considered a problem.
> I hear what you're saying about over filling with media, I noticed the problem a while back when I added some extra and had to consequently remove it.
> Ultimately any filter has a hard life. They are the work horses of the aquaria and as such I guess we should expect to replace worn parts. I'm just fed up with the messiness, the fact the o ring failed again (proved by sealing it with PTFE tape) and the impeller decided to fall apart on the same day! That was bad timing. I almost re-enacted the fawlty towers scene, when Basil's car won't start )


 
why does it invite BGA my tanks get twice a week water changes
all my tanks are tested every week and the readings always come back
spot on disturbing an external filters every week or few weeks does
not give them enough time to get the bacteria built back up from the last time
it was disturbed in my eye's external filters should not be seen or heard and
should only be cleaned 6 12 or when the flow slows down and which ever
comes first


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## Vanish (14 May 2013)

Biffster if it works for you then thats wonderful. I've had issues in the past in my aquarium and good filter maintenance regularly crops up. Here's just one thread of many. 
Filter Maintenance Advice | UK Aquatic Plant Society


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## biffster (14 May 2013)

its because you dont give them time to get established its either 
that or you have big messy fish your filter will be ok if your tank 
maintenance is up to date and there is not to much phosphate
and to much lighting i dont run any high tec . all my tanks are low
tech planted tanks i find it works for me


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## Vanish (14 May 2013)

No big messy fish, but high tech here. 
I'll start a thread on this subject, as it would be interesting to have some input from others on this topic.


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## Vanish (16 May 2013)

Cheers for the info folks. 
Today I bought some epoxy glue and repaired the tetratec impeller, so the nasty buzzing noise has stopped. I'm going to hold onto this filter for a while longer as now it's working ok. But I do like the look of the eheim electronic range. The adjustable speed seems a great idea. So when I'm feeling a bit more flush I may just splash out on one.


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## Fran (16 May 2013)

JBL crysatprofi are easy to use (prime) have a good range of media and are easy to clean. Standard hose sizes and the new versions are energy saving. Great filters IMO.


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## Juliusz (16 May 2013)

Fran said:


> JBL crysatprofi are easy to use (prime) have a good range of media and are easy to clean. Standard hose sizes and the new versions are energy saving. Great filters IMO.


 
In  my experience JBL filter does not prime as good as Eheim.

JBL Crytalprofi 900:
 + good value for money
 + simple
 + good choice of extra materials (sometimes a bit expensive though; I like: JBL TorMec CPe - Aquatis Fresh water  - JBL for Amazonian tank)
 - problems with priming (maybe it is only my case)

Eheim 2075 (called 600 now)
 - price
 + built
 + good customer support (faulty motor replaced with new filter)
 + easier to clean than JBL (personal view)
 + eheim extension kit/set (can be used with other filters too of course)

Eheim 2073 (350)
 - price
 + power - it is the same motor as in 2075, good for plugging UV and in-line heater

Personally I don't get the idea of Eheim "e" series - it is another piece which can get faulty. And Eheim's filters with built-in heaters are famous for heater blowing up. Why to complicate fairly simple concept? Apparently the "e" filter shows the time remaining to the next cleaning. I wonder how it measures amount of waste getting through the filter.


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## Vanish (17 May 2013)

Thanks juliusz there's some good info there. Always a mine field choosing the right bit of kit, especially with the price tag attached. 
The thing I like about the Eheim e range was the controllable motor speed. Say for instance I wanted to use it on a much smaller tank the option is there to slow the speed without just part closing a tap. Energy saving and less strain on the impeller. I know what you mean about more parts to go wrong, but you wouldn't believe how many things that you already have just in your house are Micro processor controlled. They're everywhere. And the majority of the time it's not the circuitry or IC that goes wrong. Unless of course you buy cheap shoddy Chinese.


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