# External Filter recommendations ?



## kellyboy47 (20 Mar 2012)

Hi,
I have quite a densely planted Juwel Vision 180 tank and I know I have overstocked my tank with fish to the extent that the the bioload is having a noticeable effect on my plants having been informed that I have an algal film growing on the plant leaves causing a build up of carbonate "chalk" deposits probably with GSA (Green Spot Algae) and Diatoms. 
I know the Juwel internal filter is not that powerful even though it produces 1000lph but I was wondering whether an external filter / powerhead would help my cause and would be grateful if anyone could suggest any decent ones

Cheers
Trev


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## Radik (20 Mar 2012)

Try JBL e1500, very good, quiet and reliable.


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## kellyboy47 (20 Mar 2012)

Thanks Radik....bit out of my price range though   

Trev


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## hinch (20 Mar 2012)

tetratec ex1200 is suitable for that size tank should be able to pick one up 2nd hand for about 60 quid check on aquarist classifieds


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## Calzone (20 Mar 2012)

kellyboy47 said:
			
		

> Thanks Radik....bit out of my price range though
> 
> Trev



Don't know what your price range is, but if you buy from the zooplus website in Germany (zooplus.de) as a first time customer (5-10% discount) it will probably land in the uk less than £100 and includes media.  You will struggle to find a better deal for any filter of tHat capacity and flow for less other than second hand.

If you budget is less than that, second hand, or all pond solutions.    Cheap, but they work.  Chinese knock offs of tetratec.  However, they are not very resilient to flow drop off and blockage and have poor head so if your tubes are LNG or aquarium high, flow won't be great in my experience.


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## Calzone (20 Mar 2012)

Apologies for the double post - iPad playing up with tapatalk


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## kellyboy47 (20 Mar 2012)

Thats OK....blimey its been years since I bought an external filter ...didn't realise they were so expensive...what do you think of Eheims ?...BTW like your latest project....must of cost you a fortune


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## Antipofish (20 Mar 2012)

kellyboy47 said:
			
		

> Thanks Radik....bit out of my price range though
> 
> Trev



Try a second hand one then.  Still better than a brand new cr4p filter.


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## Antipofish (20 Mar 2012)

Calzone said:
			
		

> kellyboy47 said:
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And for only £35 more you can get an Eheim 2075.


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## darren636 (21 Mar 2012)

stick the big eheim ecco pro on your tank. I have two on my 260 litre. Very quiet and cheap to run. Very cheap on ebay too. I saved well over 150 pounds buying pre used.


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## Antipofish (21 Mar 2012)

darren636 said:
			
		

> stick the big eheim ecco pro on your tank. I have two on my 260 litre. Very quiet and cheap to run. Very cheap on ebay too. I saved well over 150 pounds buying pre used.



Wont get a lot of flow with a small filter like that though.  Rated pump output is 160gph/720lph so actual flow after media, head, tubes etc is likely to be about half that which is what, 80gph/360lph ?  And as you say, he would need two like yourself, and even then would not be achieving the 10x flow that seems to be the magic number (though probably not essential for many tanks).  For the biggest ones, the cheapest I have seen them go is about the 35 quid mark recently, plus postage so would be looking at around the 90 mark.  For ten quid more he could get a JBL e1501 or even a second hand FX5 (although thats taking flow to the other extreme.  Cannot deny they are quiet little filters though, I used to run one on my two footer.  But then ALL Eheims are quiet.  So one of the larger pro2's would be a good buy also.

I think kellyboy you need to decide what your priority is.  

Way I see it you need plenty of flow if you are going to be adding CO2 (or are likely to want to in the future if not now... may as well be future proofed if budget is a concern).  So that needs to be your main concern.  If a filter says 1500lph then its likely to be more like 800 in truth once its got media in.  By buying an oversized filter you can put LESS media in it and still achieve the biological filtration you require whilst increasing flow a bit.

You may then want to buy one that is easy to maintain (G6, megabucks lol) or one that is practically silent (maybe tank is in bedroom like mine) in which case Eheim beats everything though JBL and Sera are quiet and even my G6 is pretty damn quiet too.

Cabinet size has a bearing on some people too.


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## ghostsword (21 Mar 2012)

I would say buy good and buy once. JBL's are superb, I replaced all my eheims with jbl's, silent, and powerfull.  Bought them second hand. Got two e900's and one e1500.


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## ian_m (21 Mar 2012)

Radik said:
			
		

> Try JBL e1500, very good, quiet and reliable.


The JBL e1501 which I have, takes only 20Watts for 1400litre/hour, compared to e1500 @ 35Watts for 1500litre/hour, thus saving 131KWhr (15W x  24hour x 365 days), which at say 15pence/KWhr is 0.15p x 131,000 = £20 a year cheaper to run than e1500.

Also, especially in your case with a Vision 180, the e1501 fits neatly into the cupboard under the tank and you can shut the door, no problem   

The e1501 is not silent, the internal Juwel pump possibly makes more noise. It does have rubber feet but I have placed mine on a rubber sheet to lower the noise further. You also have to make sure it doesn't touch the cabinet side else it makes the cabinet "hum".

I have had to open mine a couple of times in the last month or two, despite instructions saying you only need to clean every 2 or more months. This has been required as I noticed the flow rate dropping. Upon opening, the first coarse filters (there are two) are covered with plant bits, quick wash off to remove debris and full flow is restored.

I also purchased further JBL spray bars (and attachment suckers) and have extended the spray bar all the way across the back of the Vision 180. You actually only need 3/4 of one of the two in the pack to do this. I did this as I found if the e1501 was openned all the way it was washing away my sand substrate at the front and causing the "grass" at the front of the tank to collect the blown sand and grow at 45 degrees. With extra spray bar all plants now gently waft in the breeze, all along the tank. 

I have also angled the internal filter to output down and along the back of the tank as I found detritus was collecting along the back.


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## dw1305 (21 Mar 2012)

Hi all,
I have Eheims for external/internal filters, and Maxijets power-heads, all bought second hand. I would always look on the money spent on an Eheim as an investment.

The reason for this is that they supply spares for all their models, and they are mechanically robust, the same applies to the Maxijets, they run and run. 

I have Eheims Classics that are 20 years old, that I can still get spares for and they still run quietly.

cheers Darrel


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## Antipofish (21 Mar 2012)

ghostsword said:
			
		

> I would say buy good and buy once. JBL's are superb, I replaced all my eheims with jbl's, silent, and powerfull.  Bought them second hand. Got two e900's and one e1500.



Yes but you did have a good source for two of them Luis   hehehe.  Hope they are running well


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## kellyboy47 (22 Mar 2012)

Hi Darrel,

Do you think the Eheim Ecco 200 2034 would be suitable



			
				dw1305 said:
			
		

> Hi all,
> I have Eheims for external/internal filters, and Maxijets power-heads, all bought second hand. I would always look on the money spent on an Eheim as an investment.
> 
> The reason for this is that they supply spares for all their models, and they are mechanically robust, the same applies to the Maxijets, they run and run.
> ...



Cheers
Trev


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## dw1305 (22 Mar 2012)

Hi all,


> Eheim Ecco 200 2034


 These are OK, they would be under-powered for your tank in terms of flow, but you could supplement this with a powerhead (Koralia or similar) or add extra biological filtration as well with a Maxijet and sponge. I use an Ecco 2034 and an Eheim Aquaball in this tank, filter is on right of the small tank. 





People tend to have trouble with the closing/opening handle with the Eccos so you can pick them up cheap on Ebay.
<http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?rt...pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Fish&_trksid=p3286.c0.m301>.

The set up for the Maxijets in this link <http://www.ukaps.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=12412>, and you can buy big sponges here: <http://www.ketteringkoi.com/acatalo...ck-4in-x-4in-x12in--Drilled-10in--309115.html>.

cheers Darrel


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## kellyboy47 (22 Mar 2012)

Hi Darrel,

I have the chance to buy a Eheim Pro II off of EBay...would this be better ?

Trev


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## Ed Seeley (22 Mar 2012)

I've just bought an APS 2000 filter to supplement the Ehiem 2128 I run on my 5ft tank and the APS is brilliant.  It's almost as quiet as the Ehiem and a lot more powerful, larger and it even came with media, unlike the Ehiem.  The only downside is the inlet and outlet pipework but I've fixed that by switching it to different parts once in the tank.

For £63 I wouldn't buy another filter at this point again.  I have heard of a number of people who've been running them since they came out (and other versions of them previous to that) and they've not had any other problems.  With my Ehiem I've had leaks from the seals, the locking clips have broken, the heating controller has broken and boiled some fish and an impellor has broken in normal use.  I wouldn't pay the extra for them again.


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## kellyboy47 (22 Mar 2012)

Hi Where did you get the APS2000 from ?



			
				Ed Seeley said:
			
		

> I've just bought an APS 2000 filter to supplement the Ehiem 2128 I run on my 5ft tank and the APS is brilliant.  It's almost as quiet as the Ehiem and a lot more powerful, larger and it even came with media, unlike the Ehiem.  The only downside is the inlet and outlet pipework but I've fixed that by switching it to different parts once in the tank.
> 
> For £63 I wouldn't buy another filter at this point again.  I have heard of a number of people who've been running them since they came out (and other versions of them previous to that) and they've not had any other problems.  With my Ehiem I've had leaks from the seals, the locking clips have broken, the heating controller has broken and boiled some fish and an impellor has broken in normal use.  I wouldn't pay the extra for them again.


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## Ed Seeley (22 Mar 2012)

My friend bought it along with one for him direct from the company with a 10% discount voucher he had.  Normally they're about £70 for the version without UV.


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## darren636 (22 Mar 2012)

all pond solutions also have an ebay shop. Please be aware that identical filters are being sold on ebay for a a much higher price.


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## kellyboy47 (22 Mar 2012)

Checked out the All Pond Solutions filters and they looked great....trouble is none of them or the Eheim Pro 2 or Eheim Ecco Pro 200 will fit in my Juwel Vison 180 cabinet...I need to find a slimmer model because 'she who must be obeyed' will want it out of sight


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## m_attt (22 Mar 2012)

the ecco pro300 fits in a rio180 cabinet, just take shelf out to get the height. i would use two 300's on a 180 one isn't enough.


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## kellyboy47 (22 Mar 2012)

Its not the height thats the problem ...its the width and being bow fronted makes the width smaller and measures max 205mm


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## Antipofish (22 Mar 2012)

kellyboy47 said:
			
		

> Checked out the All Pond Solutions filters and they looked great....trouble is none of them or the Eheim Pro 2 or Eheim Ecco Pro 200 will fit in my Juwel Vison 180 cabinet...I need to find a slimmer model because 'she who must be obeyed' will want it out of sight



Why not get an extra bit of wood the same colour of the cabinet (or have one cut to size), bung some magnetic catches on it, remove the shelf in the middle portion of the cabinet and put the filter in there behind the "new door" you just made ?  Or you will end up with ugly powerheads in your tank to get the flow you need


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## ian_m (22 Mar 2012)

kellyboy47 said:
			
		

> Checked out the All Pond Solutions filters and they looked great....trouble is none of them or the Eheim Pro 2 or Eheim Ecco Pro 200 will fit in my Juwel Vison 180 cabinet...I need to find a slimmer model because 'she who must be obeyed' will want it out of sight


I had the same 'she who must be obeyed...' so had to go for the JBL e1501 which does fit in the Vision 180 cupboard and allows the door to be shut.


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## Antipofish (23 Mar 2012)

ian_m said:
			
		

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And thats a bloomin good filter too


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## kellyboy47 (23 Mar 2012)

Would I not be able to get away with the JBL E900 as its considerably cheaper and suitable for tanks up to 300l :?


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## darren636 (23 Mar 2012)

kellyboy47 said:
			
		

> Would I not be able to get away with the JBL E900 as its considerably cheaper and suitable for tanks up to 300l :?


depends on what you want the filter to do. If it is just to increase bio filtration then yes. If you desire greater water circulation to catch suspended matter then get as big a filter as you can. How about powerheads?


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## kellyboy47 (23 Mar 2012)

What instead of or as an addition ?


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## darren636 (23 Mar 2012)

you can get 900 litre per hour powerheads for less than 20 for a good brand. They will up your tank flow but of course, will not provide filtration.


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## kellyboy47 (23 Mar 2012)

Hi Darren, this type of powerhead   

ttp://www.aquatics-warehouse.co.uk/kora ... -pump.html


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## darren636 (23 Mar 2012)

sorry. I cannot access that link. I used a 900 l nano powerhead. They work well at moving water in a calm manner. If you have dirt settling in your tank you probably need the filter. Although a powerhead can increase flow to help move any dirt to the filter intake.


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## kellyboy47 (23 Mar 2012)

Sorry about the link it was a Hydor Koralia NANO 1600 Circulation Pump for £31 or a Hydor Koralia NANO 900 Circulation Pump for £24 so do you think one of these and poss the JBL E900 could do the trick for my 180l Juwel tank with its own internal filter ?


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## darren636 (23 Mar 2012)

sounds good. What is the issue with your tank?


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## darren636 (23 Mar 2012)

get the filter. That is always going to help you might not need the powerhead once you have the filter going


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## ian_m (23 Mar 2012)

As I said before, the JBL e1501 fits nicely in the Vision 180 cabinet, no problem. With the spray bar extended across the whole back of the tank all the plants are gently "wafting in breeze".


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## darren636 (23 Mar 2012)

yeah. Think the big jbl is the way to go. Nice filters.


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## kellyboy47 (23 Mar 2012)

Thanks guys.....I'll see if I can get the E1501 a bit cheaper otherwise will go for the E900...thanks for your advice
Trev


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## ian_m (23 Mar 2012)

The e1501 in UK is available from Charterhouse and Zooplus.

Remember, unlike some other filters in this price range it comes with media, so it really is wash media, plug it all in and away you go.  

Zooplus are also available via Top Cashback, you get 5.05% (on ex VAT price) cashback.
http://www.topcashback.co.uk/zooplusmy-petshop/

I didn't realise this when I got my e1501.


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## Aqua sobriquet (23 Mar 2012)

What do we think of the Fluvals these days? The 306 looks reasonable for around a ton.


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## Antipofish (23 Mar 2012)

kellyboy47 said:
			
		

> Would I not be able to get away with the JBL E900 as its considerably cheaper and suitable for tanks up to 300l :?



Are you looking to buy new or used ?  You can buy an e1500 from Ebay.de for 35 quid plus about 12 to 15 quid shipping !  Doesnt come much cheaper than that for a decent filter Trev.


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## ian_m (23 Mar 2012)

Antipofish said:
			
		

> Are you looking to buy new or used ?  You can buy an e1500 from Ebay.de for 35 quid plus about 12 to 15 quid shipping !  Doesnt come much cheaper than that for a decent filter Trev.


Remember to factor in the fact that the e1500 uses £20 electricity per year more than the e1501.


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## Antipofish (23 Mar 2012)

ian_m said:
			
		

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Assuming thats a factor and you dont mind the lower bill but at the price of a slightly lower flow rate.  Its swings and roundabouts.  You cannot get an e1501 for the same price of an e1500 as its a relatively new model. Second hand, its rare as Hen's teeth whereas everyone seems to be selling their e1500's to upgrade at the moment so they are rich for the picking.  What you save in power you pay extra for the filter probably twofold, meaning it will take you a couple of years to recoup that energy saving.  Of course that pays itself back over time if you keep the filter long term


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## kellyboy47 (23 Mar 2012)

Unfortunately there are 2 on offer one of which is 'Buy it Now' but both state they will not post to UK   



			
				ian_m said:
			
		

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## Antipofish (23 Mar 2012)

kellyboy47 said:
			
		

> Unfortunately there are 2 on offer one of which is 'Buy it Now' but both state they will not post to UK
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Keep looking they come up every day or so, I have seen at least 4 in the past week as I have "aussenfilter" set up on my notified listings.  Also dont assume that just because it says Germany on the shipping section, that they will not send to you in the UK.  4 out of 5 of the people I ask are happy to, and it ranges between 20 to 30 euros.  I have google translate set up on my browser toolbar so I just click on it and it translates the page (into very strictly translated English which can be very funny sometimes).  Many German people speak English but my pigeon translation for "How much would shipping be to the UK" is  "Guten Tag! Wieviel kostet versand nach Grossbritanien bitte ?"  No doubt my German teacher from schooldays would have put me in detention for such a poorly structured sentence. If you ask you can only get a yes or a no.  If you need to know what their reply is, ask me or do a translate search.  They are free on the net and you cut and paste their reply into one box, click on "translate" and hey presto you can see what they said 

Good luck.


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## Spacehooter (6 Apr 2012)

I have a "technically" overloaded tank as well. (mate gave me his fish when he moved house) I use a Fluval FX5 I paid £200 for it. I also use Alfagrog and have no measurable readings in my tank. (even nitrate-read my other posts). you can buy a 15KG bag of Alfagrog on ebay for £17.95 inc postage. maybe lower your lighting a bit and check how much calcium carbonate is in the water as bacteria need it. also Golden loaches are great at cleaning my tank. Have a look at the "Fritzzyme". http://www.fritzzyme.com/resources/
I found this to be the best info on keeping a biological system running.


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## Markmark (6 Apr 2012)

I'll second Ed's opinion on the APS externals. Currently running a 2000ef on a 180 ltr tank and for the £ 60 I paid it is superb. Yes it may feel cheap to the likes of the bigger brands but its got all the media included and it gives one hell of a flow rate. Only draw back is the filter hose size. Mine came with 25/21mm so it wasnt possible to attach anything inline so am running my old Fluval 205 for this and the APS alongside.


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## Ed Seeley (14 Apr 2012)

Markmark said:
			
		

> I'll second Ed's opinion on the APS externals. Currently running a 2000ef on a 180 ltr tank and for the £ 60 I paid it is superb. Yes it may feel cheap to the likes of the bigger brands but its got all the media included and it gives one hell of a flow rate. Only draw back is the filter hose size. Mine came with 25/21mm so it wasnt possible to attach anything inline so am running my old Fluval 205 for this and the APS alongside.



I was thinking I was the only person who could read my post for a while!!!  For the tubing you can get fittings from horticulture suppliers that will fit and allow you to step down to smaller pipe; I just haven't played around yet to find which ones will fit tightly.


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