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If you need them the Stainless Steel reducers are nice. The wall thickness is thinner than the plastic ones.

I’ve cut quite a few bits of foam on the bandsaw but not edge on, so to speak. I’m not confident unless I can support the foam on both sides somehow during the cut? I may try knocking up a quick plywood support jig of some sort.

Ha Ha! We often bake our own bread and I sometimes cut it into even slices on my bandsaw. 😆 Maybe after freezing I could do the same with the foam? Edit: I’ve actually cut circular foams for my Eheim’s on the bandsaw, but it’s easy with a circle cutting jig.

How did you find that out?! 😆

Looking at the pictures you posted earlier it looks like it wouldn’t be that easy if you were to ever try it.

This was my understanding many years ago. Sometimes though it’s a compromise between staight as possible and short. I’ve always tried to avoid sharp bends like those shown earlier in this thread. Not doing something because it’s difficult probably means a poor installation, and this should...

Have any of you seen the top, half height, foam filters in anything other than 30ppi? I ask as I use the top foam to hold a bag of Purigen in place. Just wondering if another 20ppi might be better?

I use Eheim double taps on all my hoses so they are easy to remove to clean them. The hoses themselves are easy enough, not so much the stainless steel inlet/outlet pipes due to the bend. Some fancy multi part stainless pipes would be good if anyone would like to invent at set and get them...

I’ve had a variety of filters and they all worked, albeit some better than others. I’m inclined to the keep it simple principle now.

The only thing I find a bit strange about Biomaster loading is that the flow goes through fine *45ppi pre-filter first, then hard plastic “bio media” (I know the foams are also bio media) then it goes through coarse foam and then through a finer foam again? Anyone else find this odd? * Yes, I...

I’ve found this does over time reduce the flow on my tanks. Using clear hoses I can keep an eye on just how dirty they are. They generally get a clean every 12 months or so as needed. Not so important on the 16/22 hoses on the Biomaster but definitely on the 12/16 hoses on my Eheim.

I’ve not yet found the perfect canister filter. I wonder if it’s the ADA Superjet? It would be just my luck to buy a noisy example! 🤣

Those hoses must be a nightmare to clean. I use Eheim double taps on all my hoses so they’re relatively easy to disconnect to clean them.

Biomasters it seems have their *issues. Build quality (thickness of parts etc) is much better than the Fluval 207 I have though and it’s also much quieter. * I’ve not experienced some of the common ones folks speak of like sucking in air etc.

Bends in the hoses are inevitable in most setups but I try to avoid tight bends like that. I use standard clear hose so I doubt I’d be able to get a bend as tight as that in it even if I wanted to. I like clear hose (or pale green/grey) because I can clearly see when they need cleaning.

When I bought my first canister filter, an Eheim 250, in the 1980’s I took the design for granted. It was housed in a home made cabinet that had a suitable hole in the back for the hoses. The angled outlet pipe and ability to angle the inlet on the Eheim made it easy to position the filter to...

I seem to have been unlucky as my Fluval 207 was noisy. Not now though, it’s in the loft!

Looking back, none of the plastic media I’ve used in the past has discoloured much if at all. In fact when I used ceramic media many years ago any obvious discolouration largely washed off that as well. I took out the Ziss media that was in the Biomaster (along with the Siporax) and replaced...

You might assume that but if that was the case why is the aquarium not suffering high nitrite or ammonia levels? I strongly suspect the brown stuff is just detritus. Edit: Just to add, when the Biomaster had plastic media in it as well at the same time, it was not covered in brown detritus. I...

I think the reason in this case is that I have a foam “pre filter” on the inlet pipe for the Eheim. I believe that some of the flow on the Biomaster bypasses its internal pre filter. This could be checked I suppose by doing the same on the Biomaster inlet.

I don’t think it’s specifically Eheim equipment, but rather the design. On an Eheim Classic, or an ADA Superjet (and the copies), the water can’t really bypass the media in the canister. It has to flow through it. On various other designs the water has other routes it can take. I found this...

I’ve just done some maintenance so took a couple of pictures. The Siporax is still pretty clean in the Eheim. The stuff in the Biomaster has been in there a lot longer but I remember being disappointed at how quickly it got dirty. I’ll monitor how things go in the Eheim as time goes by.

Thanks for the heads up. Luckily I have several spare canisters in the loft should I need one. I have actually been thinking about replacing my Biomaster 350 with an Ehiem Classic 600 at some point. Far less to go wrong.

As a point of interest I found a skimmer either didn’t work or was a danger to shrimps. As a result I followed advice on here and introduced air diffusers in both of my Nano’s and it’s cured the problem. I make my own Limewood diffusers. They produce nice fine bubbles for a couple of months...

When I put some Siporax in my Biomaster 350 they went from white to brown in maybe six months. I put some in my Eheim Classic about six months ago and they are still pretty white. Due to the design, bypass on the Eheim isn’t really possible. On any other canister I’ve had, including the...

I took a screen shot of the relevant part when I first saw it but didn’t book mark it. I’ve found it though. https://www.sera.de/en/service/info/how-does-sera-siporax-professional-work-in-aquarium-filter/ I only started using the stuff as it came with a Sera canister filter I bought some years...

It was in Sera’s advertising blurb for Siporax.

I don’t take much notice of marketing when it comes to Aquarium Technology, including media etc. I came across this recently though, I wonder if a copy of this university study is available? Not for me I might add, as I doubt I’d understand it! :D

I use lime wood air diffusers in both of my Nano’s. I originally started doing this to stop surface film and it works really well. Before that I was using an Oxydator but I’m not sure it was needed. I read they were quite good for shrimp though. I have 6 Sterbai a bit over 2” and 2 Pandas that...

I’ve never actually checked whether I’ve had enough Bio media. Given my 350 is on a 60L with 8 Corydoras and some shrimp I think I have more than enough bio media. In fact with two trays, plus the sponges I suspect it’s overkill. I used to run an Eheim 250 on a well stocked 50 gallon community...

I made a mistake of using Ziss ZM-11 in my filters. It’s rather small and as it floats gets all over the place come filter cleaning time. Now all replaced with Sera Siporax and some Substrat Pro I already had. I’m a big fan of the Siporax. It’s lighter than ceramic rings, appears to have a...

Or the tap needs to be opened. :happy: I say this because on more than one occasion I’ve done the opposite and not closed a tap before disconnecting a hose. Excessive moisture ensued …

As a point of interest, the central heating at our old house had a three or four speed circulating pump. It seemed to make little to no difference in noise level whichever setting you used.

Good to know. ;)

This is the sound level from my 350 at the moment.

Sorry, I thought you were talking about the head plate when you mentioned concave.

Another picture, old at the back, new at the front.

Old and new.

Have you got this part as well? https://riverwoodaquatics.co.uk/product/oase-concave-motor-upgrade-plate-kit/

As far as the plate is concerned it’s just to allow any trapped air to be more quickly expelled. The description says: “This newly crafted concave filter head plate is designed to effectively direct air bubbles towards the motor head. This reduces air pocket build up and raises the water level...

It’s an interesting thought. All I can say is that my 350 became noisy and adding a bit more pressure on the pump housing by adding that little bit of soft plastic made a noticeable reduction in the noise. I would say it was back to when it was new.

One thing I’ve never understood about canister filter design is placement of the impeller housing. Every canister filter I’ve owned has had a flat underside on the head. Perhaps I’m wrong but I always thought the underside should be at least slightly conical, with the impeller at the highest...

It’s a piece of soft plastic from some type of container, can’t remember where from. There were complaints about impeller noise so Oase Introduced the modified head with a plastic bar to add pressure to the impeller mount. My 350 was quite quiet to start with but then became noisy so I added...

I jammed that little piece of white plastic arrowed in the picture. It stopped most of the vibrations coming from the impeller.

Mines fairly quiet but I did have to do a small mod.

I’m using the standard 45 ppi it came with. They get a bit clogged though so I either need to get the *new input pipe or maybe switch to 30 ppi? * Are these available in the UK yet?

I can’t say the actual flow rate from a given filter has ever bothered me. I do understand though why some are disappointed with the performance of their purchase. If I got anywhere near the quoted flow from my Oase 350 on a 60L I’d probably end up with fish soup! 😆 same with the Eheim 350 on...

I’m guessing the flow figures quoted are theoretical? Back when early canister filters had a separate pump fitted on top of the canister I expect would have been easy to hook it up to a couple of hoses and check the output. I’m not sure though how they can do that now though as the pump is...

The guy in the video I linked did another one in which he drilled extra holes (or made them larger) and it made no difference. It’s good to see Oase say not to expect an increase in flow because others have said it must. I can see it might alleviate the problem I’m having with my pre filter...

This is the video I saw.

Yes I saw something like that. Much depends on the media used as well. I used to get good flow in one of my tanks years ago until the filter floss got dirty. I no longer use floss and like open bio media like Siporax.

I’ve been led to believe the Biomaster heads and canisters are all interchangeable. If I ever get a bigger tank I’ll buy the 850 head and impeller as the canister is more than big enough for any tank I’m likely to buy. I just don’t understand why the 850 head is currently cheaper?!

The last time I looked the part number for the impeller was the same for the 250 and the 350. I wonder if the head is really any different? I’d like to see a comparison test to see if there is a difference in flow between the two. The 600 impeller has bigger blades but still fits the 350. I...

Many years ago I used an Eheim 250 on a 50 gallon community tank and I had no problems with the fish. Plants were impossible to grow but that may have been the hard London tap water.

I have eight Corydoras and probably about 100 shrimp. The shrimp breed readily in both tanks.

Yes, it’s on a 60L Dennerle Cube. I must admit I only clean the pre filter every couple of months or so? I don’t have a regular regime so sometimes more often. Maybe that’s the reason? When I do clean the main filter the remaining water in the bottom is very mucky. The Siporax Bio media is...

I used to think the Pre filter on my 350 was ok, although not particularly effective. But the foams are now getting clogged badly and more difficult to clean. A price I’d be prepared to pay except they don’t stop the main body of the filter from getting dirty. Or a least more dirty than I would...

Since this thread was started I’ve stopped using floss. I’m now using 30ppi foam and that’s working well for me at the moment. I got the last batch of foam from Amazon.

It says in the instruction manual the filter volume is 2.3L and much of that will be taken up by foam. I’d just stick with the included bio balls. If you do want to use some other bio media 1L would be enough for a canister that size. I’ve been using Ziss plastic bio media in one of my filters...

70L isn’t that large for an internal filter, I’m thinking aesthetics here. As you have fish as well I’d go for an external.

Is the 70L just plants or are there fish in it as well?

One other mod I made was to stick a small piece of rubber sheet to the underside of the cover while it was off. I’ve no idea if it’s made a difference but I had the materials to hand anyway.

My new 350 has also had the same treatment. Thankfully it’s no noisier than the 250 and may actually be a bit quieter? Different handle but just as solid.

My Biomaster 350 isn’t the quietest external I’ve ever had, that honour goes to a Tetratec EX400. It wasn’t too bad when I first installed it though. After a couple of months it did become noisy, with the usual “impeller hum”. I fitted a small piece of soft plastic (from a container that was...

I don’t know anything about fluid dynamics but I’ve used hoses that were larger than supplied on an external and it didn’t appear to have a detrimental effect. It didn’t appear to make it any better either except I didn’t need to clean them as often.

They still are judging by the number of externals that come with them. I have several unused bags of them somewhere.

A 303 showing the media baskets.

I came across this picture on the net. An old Fluval 403. I had an Eheim 250 in the 1980’s but a friend of mine had a Fluval 303 or 403. Although cheaper than the equivalent Eheim at the time I never liked the look of the Fluvals, and it wasn’t just their strange choice of colours! 😆 Later...

The filter arrived today, several days early. All good, no damage. I’ve done a couple of small mods like the 250 I’ve got. Just waiting for some mesh now to make a media basket.

The first one came from France. The replacement was shipped from Germany and is currently in Belgium. Fingers crossed it arrives in one piece. 😉

I like the stainless steel inlet and outlet pipes. I also introduced air stones in my two nano’s to stop surface film. I make my own from Lime wood.

The 16/22 hoses on one tank are fairly dirty but it doesn’t seem to affect the flow too much. The 12/16 hoses on another tank has a sponge pre filter like Zeus so the hoses do stay a bit cleaner.

I can’t say I’ve noticed it, I clean my hoses about every six months. Double taps make the job easier. What size hoses are you using?

No, brand new. 😉

I saw an Eheim Classic 350 for a good price online so I ordered one. It took five days to arrive from France and the outer box didn’t look too bad. When I took out the inner box containing the filter there was an ominous rattle of small parts. The box itself was also ok but when I took out the...

I have a bag of Purigen under the top orange sponge in my BM350

I have one very similar and haven’t installed it for the same reason! I’ve had mine for quite a few years, still in the box somewhere. I’m pretty sure I posted a picture of it on here at some point. Edit: I found a picture of mine. I bought it for a smaller filter so it doesn’t go high enough now.

Measuring flow on an existing setup wasn’t very easy the last time I did it. Trying to exactly time how long it takes to fill a container of a known size without getting water all over the floor is not easy. Some type of flow meter should be much more accurate.

It does indeed look much better than the original intake pipe, which to be fair is probably the worst part of the whole unit.

But will it make a difference? A guy on YouTube drilled extra holes in his pipe and it made no difference to the flow rate. I fitted a larger pipe with more holes and found the same thing. Edit: I’ve recently noticed that my pre-filter sponges are getting clogged, and significantly more...

I have recently carried out some small modifications on my Classic 250. I’m tempted to get a 350 or even a 600. https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/eheim-classic-250-upgrade.73301/#post-740103

The bio media in one of the top trays gets very dirty. Exactly the same media in the Eheim stays relatively clean. When you have a basket system it’s obvious that water can travel outside as well as through the baskets. With something like the Eheim or Superjet this obviously can’t happen...

I’ve had quite a few external canister filters and I don’t think you can beat the original Eheim concept that’s still available as the Eheim Classic series and the ADA Superjet. All the others that I’ve seen can leak water in unseen places in and around the head. The classics have three seals...

I’m running external canister filters on a 37L and a 60L and the flow is hardly excessive. Just a thought. 😉

What got me back into it was the aesthetics of the Dennerle and Eheim Nano tanks with the rounded front corners. They look so much better than siliconed tanks to me. I’d like a bigger tank but I’d really want mitred corners and I’m not sure anyone here in the UK make them?

The 60L is a Dennerle, and the 37L is an Eheim. Other filters I’ve used on the 37L are Tetratec - very quiet but one leaked and the other had a damaged impeller. A Sera 130+ UV which was noisy, and more recently a Fluval 207 which was also noisy. The vertical manifold on the Fluval also made...

I’m currently running an Eheim Classic 250 with stainless lily pipes on a 37L and it really isn’t anywhere near being overkill in my view. I’ve actually had filters with a higher output on the tank. Only inhabitants on this particular tank are cherry shrimp so I use a fine sponge on the inlet...

While I had the cover off I also filled a void with RTV rubber to help damp out vibration from the impeller. Not sure if it helps but I think maybe a little?

I popped off the top cover of the head, drilled a couple of holes and bolted it on. This is the inside. I bought the 140mm plastic handle on Amazon.

Filter cleaning was so much easier today 😉

He said somewhere on the site not to add the salt directly to the tank, but also this. Have a look at the website for more information. 😉

I saw this as well. https://aquariumscience.org/index.php/5-5-3-3-conditioner-chemistry/

You can buy (or make your own) Aluminium Profile stands. https://www.aluminium-profile.co.uk/product-ranges/fish-tank-stands/48-fish-tank-stands

That’s very helpful John, thank you! Seachem say: “Rinse well, then soak for 8 hours with a solution containing 4 tablespoons of Prime®, or equivalent dechlorinator per cup of water.” On the basis that one cup is 237 ml and one tablespoon is 15 ml, I can work that out now.

I’ve ordered some sodium thiosulfate, anyone know how much I should use to dechlorinate the Purigen after regeneration?

I’m not suggesting anyone else try this but as an update I heated some bleach in the microwave to warm it up a bit as it was quite cold. I think it was about 40 or 50 seconds on full power. I would describe it as very warm rather than hot and the Purigen regenerated in under 10 minutes. I’ve...

I did try that with the Siporax once but I quickly got bored! Good on you though, wish I had the patience.

An empty canister may well indeed work from a biological aspect but judging by the amount of detritus my two collect it wouldn’t do much for water *clarity. The Siporax has worked well enough in the past so I’m sure it will be fine. * In addition, since I’ve been using Purigen both tanks have...

When I’ve had those mesh bags I’ve used them. Some Siporax came in a bag like that. The Ziss ZM-1 though is pretty small, not sure it wouldn’t go through the mesh. I like the idea but I’ve not seen that type of bag for sale. Edit: I forgot to mention but I made this mesh container for my...

I got some Eheim Substrat Pro with one of my filters and it seemed to work ok but it’s not as open as the Siporax so it got clogged a bit more. I’m loath to get rid of stuff but I’ve got several bags of those awful ceramic hoops. Any ideas of what to do with them? 😂