# Oase biomaster 850 Pros / cons



## Jonnywylie (11 May 2021)

Hello,

I am looking for filter options for my 90p tank. I've been back and forth and keep returning to the biomaster 850 simply due to their prefilter and heater.... I am seeing a lot of threads in regards to their noise but it would be good to hear from those who have had one for a while..is the flow good -  much different to the 600 ? Air issues etc ?

Many thanks


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## Deano3 (11 May 2021)

Jonnywylie said:


> Hello,
> 
> I am looking for filter options for my 90p tank. I've been back and forth and keep returning to the biomaster 850 simply due to their prefilter and heater.... I am seeing a lot of threads in regards to their noise but it would be good to hear from those who have had one for a while..is the flow good - much different to the 600 ? Air issues etc ?
> 
> Many thanks


I have heard they are stronger than the 600 but not massively if look at the figures, i keep debating upgrading on my aquascaper 900 as only have a 600 but all tanks in aquarium gardens only have oase 600 and they look amazing, i have the 600 woth a eheim skim in one side for a bit extra flow.

Thanks dean 

Sent from my SM-G970F using Tapatalk


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## Sjp_aquascape (11 May 2021)

I have biomaster 850 thermo on my 120p tank. It is not silent but I do not have an issue with the low hum. But do think the filter is fantastic


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## Jonnywylie (11 May 2021)

Deano3 said:


> I have heard they are stronger than the 600 but not massively if look at the figures, i keep debating upgrading on my aquascaper 900 as only have a 600 but all tanks in aquarium gardens only have oase 600 and they look amazing, i have the 600 woth a eheim skim in one side for a bit extra flow.
> 
> Thanks dean
> 
> Sent from my SM-G970F using Tapatalk


Thanks mate! Yeah I noticed aquarium gardens run the 600. It seems most people do on the aquascaper 900 / 90p etc... I think the 850 is at the top of the list so far. Thanks for your input


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## Jonnywylie (11 May 2021)

Sjp_aquascape said:


> I have biomaster 850 thermo on my 120p tank. It is not silent but I do not have an issue with the low hum. But do think the filter is fantastic


A low hum wouldn't bother me either as long as it's not too excessive. How do you find the flow on the 120p ?


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## Sjp_aquascape (11 May 2021)

Jonnywylie said:


> A low hum wouldn't bother me either as long as it's not too excessive. How do you find the flow on the 120p ?


It's good but I have added a wave maker to try and increase flow as I have a bit of hair algea


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## Ian61 (11 May 2021)

Hello Jonny. I have recently installed a biomaster 850t and unfortunately it is unacceptably noisy. You can literally hear it in an adjacent room. The noise emanates from the motor and is not air or vibration, and it is unaffected by cleaning and re-siting the impeller or running with no media. I sent a video to Oase and they are sending me a new impeller to try. Fingers crossed. If that fails I may ask them to replace the 850 head with a 600 as there seem to be fewer reports of problems with that model and I am informed that the 600 head will fit the larger 850 canister. I would have to sacrifice some flow capacity but , given the tank is in my lounge, it does need to be quiet.

Good luck, Ian


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## Jonnywylie (12 May 2021)

Ian61 said:


> Hello Jonny. I have recently installed a biomaster 850t and unfortunately it is unacceptably noisy. You can literally hear it in an adjacent room. The noise emanates from the motor and is not air or vibration, and it is unaffected by cleaning and re-siting the impeller or running with no media. I sent a video to Oase and they are sending me a new impeller to try. Fingers crossed. If that fails I may ask them to replace the 850 head with a 600 as there seem to be fewer reports of problems with that model and I am informed that the 600 head will fit the larger 850 canister. I would have to sacrifice some flow capacity but , given the tank is in my lounge, it does need to be quiet.
> 
> Good luck, Ian


Hello Ian,
Be good to see wether it fixes the problem. It is a concern for myself as my tank is in my living room also! I cannot cope with something that emits such noise. Its a bit disappointing to hear as the filter isn't exactly cheap and you should not be needing to be changing parts to make it satisfactory. I have been thinking the 600 could be a option as like you say there's not as much reports of them being noisy. Appreciate your feedback! 

Cheers!


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## Paulus (12 May 2021)

Same here. Still looking for a new filter for the coming 120P and i would like to give the 850T a new try (the one i had was returned to the store). But on youtube, fora etc it still doesn't give me a good feeling and the noise/air issues keep popping up


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## Ian61 (12 May 2021)

Hi. It is difficult to be objective about the actual noise level but despite the subjective element there does seem to be a lot of variability between individual filters. If any one wants to see/hear my video send me a message as I can’t load it on this thread.


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## arcturus (12 May 2021)

Have you considered as an alternative to the Oase 800 installing two Oase 350? You would get more flow (2200 l/h vs 1550 l/h) and more media volume (11.2 l vs 8 l) for about the same energy consumption (36W vs 32 W). The overall noise would likely be less perceptible since the 350 is not a loud filter. The dual filter set up also gives you more flexibility, especially if you want to install a inline CO2 diffuser or reactor or a UV-C device since the flow of one of the two filters would be unaffected.


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## Nelson Marto (17 May 2021)

Hi,
Because of this bad received "inputs" from people with oase 850, and because one big local store with a lot experiencie in maintenance that sell's oase and eheim and ADA, simply told me: "if you want the most silent filter with internal heater and high capacity, just go for eheim 1200xlt". 
The store of this guy have maintained a lot aquariums for the last years, and they are not supported by any brand. 
Also told me "The best thing in oase is the price for a filter with integrated heater! Not the silence or the flow of it". "If the filter will be stored in an office or in "an not silent" part of you house oase is good option"

Just the opinion of someone I trust that also sells oase, and build beautiful scapes with OASE, But if the budget allows, he always choose eheim.
Regards


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## arcturus (18 May 2021)

Nelson Marto said:


> Hi,
> Because of this bad received "inputs" from people with oase 850, and because one big local store with a lot experiencie in maintenance that sell's oase and eheim and ADA, simply told me: "if you want the most silent filter with internal heater and high capacity, just go for eheim 1200xlt".
> The store of this guy have maintained a lot aquariums for the last years, and they are not supported by any brand.
> Also told me "The best thing in oase is the price for a filter with integrated heater! Not the silence or the flow of it". "If the filter will be stored in an office or in "an not silent" part of you house oase is good option"
> ...



The high capacity Eheim Professionel 3/4/5 filters are certainly excellent options. Note that the models with internal heater have a fixed heating element whereas the one in the Oase is removable and can be replaced if needed. Moreover, the heating element in the Eheim filters is on the bottom of the canister. So, you need to remove the media to keep the heating element clean. But the big advantage of the Oase Biomaster filters is the pre-filter design, which can be easily accessed and cleaned without disassembling the whole system. So, until Eheim adds a similar pre-filter design to their filters, the major trade-off is the time spent on filter maintenance.


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## Nelson Marto (18 May 2021)

arcturus said:


> The high capacity Eheim Professionel 3/4/5 filters are certainly excellent options. Note that the models with internal heater have a fixed heating element whereas the one in the Oase is removable and can be replaced if needed. Moreover, the heating element in the Eheim filters is on the bottom of the canister. So, you need to remove the media to keep the heating element clean. But the big advantage of the Oase Biomaster filters is the pre-filter design, which can be easily accessed and cleaned without disassembling the whole system. So, until Eheim adds a similar pre-filter design to their filters, the major trade-off is the time spent on filter maintenance.


Hi,
You are correct in some points for sure.
But eheim professionel 3 have the heating element on the TOP.
I my opinion the main cons of the eheim is the pre-filter, and price of the spare parts.
But flow and silence... Eheim beats Oase for a long distance.
And I was talking about Oase 850 vs Eheim prof 3 1200xlt. In the small ones maybe the silence and flow will not be so different.

regards


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## arcturus (19 May 2021)

Nelson Marto said:


> And I was talking about Oase 850 vs Eheim prof 3 1200xlt. In the small ones maybe the silence and flow will not be so different.


The 1200 xl is still Eheim's largest filter. It is the only remaining filter available from the "older" professional 3 series. The current models have lower capacity: the 4+ series has a maximum capacity of 7 liters and the recent 5e series of 8.6 liters. The Oase 850 also has a volume of 8.6 liters, so ~45% less volume than the 13.5 liters of the Eheim 1200. So, you are comparing different realities. It makes more sense to compare two Oase 600 vs. one Eheim 1200. In this case, the two Oase 600 filters provide the same filtration volume as one Eheim 1200 and deliver a higher flow.



Nelson Marto said:


> But flow and silence... Eheim beats Oase for a long distance.



Silence is subjective and greatly depends on how the equipment is installed, aquarium cabinet, insulation and other factors. You can pick virtually any filter on the market and you can be sure you will find users complaining about how noisy that filter is.

Regarding the flow. There is no agreed testing procedure to measure the flow of an aquarium filter pump. So, the advertised numbers represent some sort of maximum theoretical power at the pump head. The out flow of a filter is always (much) lower than the advertised value. The final value will depend on your individual system setup based on installation height, pipe diameter and length, filter media quantity and type and so on. So, I am not sure how you can claim that Eheim "beats" Oase in terms of flow. Note that if you are just looking at the advertised flow rates, then the Eheim filters also "beat" the flow of the ADA Super Jet filters, and by a very large margin


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## Nelson Marto (20 May 2021)

arcturus said:


> The 1200 xl is still Eheim's largest filter. It is the only remaining filter available from the "older" professional 3 series. The current models have lower capacity: the 4+ series has a maximum capacity of 7 liters and the recent 5e series of 8.6 liters. The Oase 850 also has a volume of 8.6 liters, so ~45% less volume than the 13.5 liters of the Eheim 1200. So, you are comparing different realities. It makes more sense to compare two Oase 600 vs. one Eheim 1200. In this case, the two Oase 600 filters provide the same filtration volume as one Eheim 1200 and deliver a higher flow.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Hello,
I'm also not sponsored by any brand. And I like Oase also, I have been in the shop and got it (850) in my hands.
Anyway the thread was the noise of Oase 850, I just share my "findings" because I was about to buy it 1 month ago.
The propose was comparison of Oase 850 (1500 l/h in theory) vs Eheim 1200xlt(1700l/h in theory). Not all filters from the brands and multifilters.....
Because me and a lot other people don't mind to spend more money if we get more silence with that.
You can keep Oase, the others can read one more opinions, mine and from my local shops (now there is two shops with same opinion). 
One Big thermo canister filter (>1300l/h) more silent = Eheim. 
Or the cabinet can be isolated and changed and... bla bla bla.

Regards


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## Sjp_aquascape (20 May 2021)

Ian61 said:


> Hi. It is difficult to be objective about the actual noise level but despite the subjective element there does seem to be a lot of variability between individual filters. If any one wants to see/hear my video send me a message as I can’t load it on this thread.


This is a video of my biomaster 850 for noise comparison it's only 3 seconds due to upload limits


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## Sjp_aquascape (20 May 2021)

Sorry won't let me upload


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## Ian61 (20 May 2021)

Hello. Got my new impeller today. Unfortunately, perhaps predictably, it’s made no difference. Will contact Oase tomorrow. I’m thinking my best course of action is to try to swap the 850 head for a 600 as I can manage with reduced flow but would like to keep the existing canister, heater and pipe work. I believe the 2 heads are interchangeable.We have got to the stage of turning the filter off if we’re using the living room. Hardly ideal!


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## Courtneybst (21 May 2021)

Yikes, that's not ideal at all


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## Paulus (21 May 2021)

hmmm hearing the sound/noice stories all over the internet i think i'll skip this filter for now  . Tank is located in the living room. So it must be a silence filter here.


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## Nelson Marto (21 May 2021)

Paulus said:


> hmmm hearing the sound/noice stories all over the internet i think i'll skip this filter for now  . Tank is located in the living room. So it must be a silence filter here.


I have done the same, to many people saying the same, biomaster 850 was my initial preference...


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## Ian61 (21 May 2021)

It’s a pity because really like the filter otherwise. Have agreed with Oase and retailer that I’ll buy a 600 head (£59.99) to replace the 850 head, and return the latter for a refund. That way I’m not having to ship the whole lot back and be filter/heater less whilst awaiting a replacement. To my mind the 850 motor is a step too far in what is otherwise essentially the 600 filter. I wonder if that’s what causes the air ingress issues, which I also am experiencing. 
Fingers crossed.


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## Paulus (21 May 2021)

But does the 600 have a beter sound/noice level compared to the 850?


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## lazybones51 (21 May 2021)

Ian61 said:


> It’s a pity because really like the filter otherwise. Have agreed with Oase and retailer that I’ll buy a 600 head (£59.99) to replace the 850 head, and return the latter for a refund. That way I’m not having to ship the whole lot back and be filter/heater less whilst awaiting a replacement. To my mind the 850 motor is a step too far in what is otherwise essentially the 600 filter. I wonder if that’s what causes the air ingress issues, which I also am experiencing.
> Fingers crossed.


From this thread it seems the 600 has the same issues you're suffering with using the 850 head Oase BioMaster Thermo External Filter 

That thread put me off buying a Biomaster completely, ended up going down the DIY route instead.


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## jamiepearson (21 May 2021)

Some of the original issues described in that thread related to the original head design, which was since updated to address that. For balance, there will be many who are happy with their filter. I am with my 600T


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## Ian61 (21 May 2021)

lazybones51 said:


> From this thread it seems the 600 has the same issues you're suffering with using the 850 head Oase BioMaster Thermo External Filter
> 
> That thread put me off buying a Biomaster completely, ended up going down the DIY route instead.


On the basis that the filter that no one has ever had an issue with is not in existence, I’m prepared to give Oase another go, rather than going completely back to the drawing board. To their and the dealer’s credit, they have accepted responsibility and are trying to resolve the issue.


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## Room101 (12 Jul 2021)

Hi all. I had a oase 850. Tried everything to stop the hum. Nothing worked. Went back to my old ehiem 350t. 
When I'm in the market for a new filter I was going to give aquael a look. Pre filter installed no internal heater though. ULTRAMAX - Aquael


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## CooKieS (11 Aug 2021)

My Oase biomaster 600 thermo is an humming machine…very bassy and thus annoyingly noisy. I got rid of it just because of that.
Back to silence with my Aquael ultramax and eheim pro4+…


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## CooKieS (12 Aug 2021)

I wanted to add that’s it’s an shame because the overall quality of the filter is very nice and this prefilter cleaning option is a must in aquascaping…I wonder if an ceramic rotor axle would make it more silent, because that would be an easy upgrade for oase and would definitely make this filters on top…


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## Gold Fish (14 Aug 2021)

Hi Ian61,
Can you try the following? 
Next time when you open the filter, remove the propeller and clean the small channel next to the main propeller pit. I think you have received a small brush with the filter, just for that job. That will help to remove the air from the propeller pit and hopefully it will reduce the filter noise. 
Also, after you place the filter back inside the cabinet under the tank (what height is between top of your filter and water surface in your tank?), try to keep it with a small tilt towards left (the hoses up and prefilter lower). Just slide a ruler or something similar under the rubber feets on the hoses side. That will improve the bubbles evacuation and hopefully also a noise reduction. 
In order for you to compare the effects, take a recording with the high noise before and another after using the same approach. If you can make a difference let us know. 
I hope that this will help you. 
Regards DG


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## Ian61 (15 Aug 2021)

Hello DG, thanks for your interest. Unfortunately thorough cleaning and ensuring adequately unhindered flow through the filter media makes no discernible difference to the noise level which, after all my experimentation, I’m pretty sure is just the intrinsic noise level of the motor/impeller. 
On a plus point I did find several baby shrimp within the filter which have now been released into the aquarium itself. Hopefully  they’ll be savvy enough to keep well hidden🤞


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## Wesley (3 Sep 2021)

Jonnywylie said:


> Hello,
> 
> I am looking for filter options for my 90p tank. I've been back and forth and keep returning to the biomaster 850 simply due to their prefilter and heater.... I am seeing a lot of threads in regards to their noise but it would be good to hear from those who have had one for a while..is the flow good -  much different to the 600 ? Air issues etc ?
> 
> Many thanks


Hello, 
 Sorry but did you find any answer's the the Air getting in problem ?.


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## Courtneybst (3 Sep 2021)

Wesley said:


> Hello,
> Sorry but did you find any answer's the the Air getting in problem ?.


I'm wondering too as my 850 is quite audible and drawing in some form of gas (I'm not using a surface skimmer).


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## Djoko Sauza (3 Sep 2021)

I had the same noise issue from my Oase 250, loud hum coming from the pump. It sits now on top of a piece of foam inside a somewhat soundproofed cabinet (walls lined with foam), and it's silent.
The biggest factor was having the foam under the filter so I'd give that a try if it's too loud for you.


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## Courtneybst (3 Sep 2021)

Diogo Sousa said:


> I had the same noise issue from my Oase 250, loud hum coming from the pump. It sits now on top of a piece of foam inside a somewhat soundproofed cabinet (walls lined with foam), and it's silent.
> The biggest factor was having the foam under the filter so I'd give that a try if it's too loud for you.


Like ecoustic foam?


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## erwin123 (4 Sep 2021)

for foam/rubber mat that sits under a canister i think its more to absorb/dampen  the vibrations from the filter (which indirectly reduces the noise produced) as opposed to absorbing soundwaves

my lowtech filter has a HOB filter. I find that with some strategically placed blobs of blu-tack, I can actually dampen the intrinsic vibrations that the motor transmits across the HOB plastic casing and reduce the noise level.


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## Djoko Sauza (4 Sep 2021)

Courtneybst said:


> Like ecoustic foam?


Under the filter any foam works, although some better than others. Even aquarium filter foam pads and styrofoam work. I'd say try with what you have at hand and see if that helps? I had different results using different thickness and materials/densities.
Since I needed to get some foam to line the walls of my cabinet (I got the heaviest foam I could find, not labeled as acoustic) I got some firm cushion foam as well to use under the filter.

One would think the rubber feet would be enough to dampen any vibration, but unfortunately it is really quite loud as it comes out of the factory.


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## Wesley (5 Sep 2021)

Sorry folk, i have another question. 
 Is an Air pump really necessary for an aquarium?. 
 Allow me to waffle if you will pls 
Having just contacted the supplier of my Oase 850 Bio-master with heater. He tell's an Air pump Is Not needed.
 Now i have has fish for Many years, and never heard this. 
 Is It True?. 
Waffle Over. 
       Thank


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## Ian61 (5 Sep 2021)

An air pump is far from essential in a proper designed and maintained system. It will add little to circulation over and above your filter and although it will increase the effective surface area for gas exchange this would be of little or no benefit unless your tank is precariously overstocked and on the brink of disaster.


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## dw1305 (5 Sep 2021)

Hi all





Wesley said:


> Sorry folk, i have another question.
> Is an Air pump really necessary for an aquarium?.
> He tell's an Air pump Is Not needed.
> Now i have has fish for Many years, and never heard this.
> Is It True?.


Yes, I agree with @Ian61 it is slightly different in planted tanks. Plants are the gift that keeps giving in oxygen terms.

Cheers Darrel


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## dw1305 (5 Sep 2021)

Hi all,
I should have said that there is nothing wrong with having an air stone and if you feel happy with using one, just carry on. I don't subscribe to the <"too much oxygen argument">, other than in <"very exceptional circumstances"> that are never going to happen in a tank with <"water circulation">. 


dw1305 said:


> Plants are the gift that keeps giving in oxygen terms.


I'll link some threads into this now I have access to a PC, rather than the UKAPS app. on a phone. I wrote an article on <"Aeration and dissolved oxygen"> about 12 years ago for large rheophilic plec keepers, it has had a few homes, but it is still relevant, and relevant to all fish-keepers.

The <"plants and oxygen"> question has come up recently on another forum, and the general consensus was still that plants <"can't supply more oxygen than they use">, and therefore that plants are irrelevant, at best. This is even though the quickest "Google" would tell you <"that is untrue"> and that it doesn't take into account the amount of ammonia plants take up before it can enter <"microbial nitrification">.

cheers Darrel


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## Wesley (5 Sep 2021)

Nice one, Thank you Ian!.


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## Essex Peter (10 Sep 2021)

Hi All,
I ended up buying the Oase Thermo 850. I knew it was a risk, based on some of the feedback on here (noise level). My own eperience has been good so far. Not as noisy as feared (I guess everyone has a different expectation and tolerance). To put in some context, the noise/hum is less than the powerhead I have added (TMC Reef Tide 16000s Wavemaker) - even when the powerhead is only at 40% (incidentally, the powerhead is excellent). My two previous tanks were (1) Sump and (2) FX6. My Oase Thermo 850 is (so far) less noisy than both, by quite some distance.

I can't compare to an Eheim, as i've never had one, but I thought in the spirit of balance I should feedback that my experience of the OAse has been good.


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## Shuster (15 Dec 2021)

Essex Peter said:


> Hi All,
> I ended up buying the Oase Thermo 850. I knew it was a risk, based on some of the feedback on here (noise level). My own eperience has been good so far. Not as noisy as feared (I guess everyone has a different expectation and tolerance). To put in some context, the noise/hum is less than the powerhead I have added (TMC Reef Tide 16000s Wavemaker) - even when the powerhead is only at 40% (incidentally, the powerhead is excellent). My two previous tanks were (1) Sump and (2) FX6. My Oase Thermo 850 is (so far) less noisy than both, by quite some distance.
> 
> I can't compare to an Eheim, as i've never had one, but I thought in the spirit of balance I should feedback that my experience of the OAse has been good.


Awesome filter (850)

However, I bought it after using floval 407... (Two filters) 

Both were quite compering to one Oase 850 
For now I am thinking go get back towards 407.. 

ATM waiting for my new cabinet (it will be closed from the back as well ) 

Once I'll check the hummin inside the new cabinet maybe I'll consider to stay with the Oase  

There are pros and cons on every filter hihi

Sent from my GM1913 using Tapatalk


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