Product Review Living with an Oase Biomaster

[Bradders]

Part fitted no more leaks. Took the time to clean the in/out pipes and some other general maintenance.

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.

Yep, this looks to be a weak point of the Oase design. Two separate units and the same issue. I am genuinely a 'kid-gloves' kinda guy, so I really don't think I was heavy-handed.

 

[Bradders]

Overall learnings:

• Keep some spares on-site (o-rings, in/out unit etc)
• I am sure cleaning my pipes (which were not that dirty, but certainly could see the green) has improved the flow.
• Oase units get noisier the more 'hard' media you put into it. (tried with 800ml of HELX-13, and 1500ml and the noise difference was noticeable).
• [The bleeding obvious] If your intake tube is anywhere near a bubbler, your Oase unit will burp as it takes in the air!

 

[bazz]

I am sure cleaning my pipes (which were not that dirty, but certainly could see the green) has improved the flow.

I certainly wouldn't doubt that!

 

[Superpuma1]

Any tips as best place to buy the spares mate?

 

[Bradders]

I have been using the below for the last couple of orders (pre-filter pipes and the Oase inlet/outlet head), and delivery has been prompt and reliable. (Order before 14:30 and it's next day). Products turned up in good condition.

Pond Pumps, Aquarium Filters, Liners, Fish Food - Aquatix-2u

Top Branded Garden and pond supplies from Aquatix-2u, suppliers for all things Pond, Aquarium and Pet. Offering great discounts and Free Delivery on many items.

www.aquatix-2u.co.uk

I don't think they are the cheapest, but when you have a reliable supplier, you tend to stick to them!

 

[Bradders]

P.S. you can also search their website for the specific Oase part number and that always comes up trumps!

 

[John q]

Any tips as best place to buy the spares mate?

Best advert for Oase ever. 😆

 

[Superpuma1]

Hi Bradders
Excellent thread you’ve made for prospective purchasers👍.
In one of the threads on this forum l’m sure you’ve stated that the 350 pump / head assy is quieter than the 600, is that fact? I’m getting irritated by the noise from my 600 and l’m prepared to buy a 350 pump / head assy to give it a go. The difference in flow rate is negligible ( 1100 / 1250 ) and it won’t make any difference on my 160 liter set up.

 

[Mitchabbots]

I have been using the below for the last couple of orders (pre-filter pipes and the Oase inlet/outlet head), and delivery has been prompt and reliable. (Order before 14:30 and it's next day). Products turned up in good condition.

Pond Pumps, Aquarium Filters, Liners, Fish Food - Aquatix-2u

Top Branded Garden and pond supplies from Aquatix-2u, suppliers for all things Pond, Aquarium and Pet. Offering great discounts and Free Delivery on many items.

www.aquatix-2u.co.uk

I don't think they are the cheapest, but when you have a reliable supplier, you tend to stick to them!

Gonna get me one of those Oase inlet/outlet head spares for my 850. Is it worth considering pre-filter pipes or other easily perishable/breakable parts, just in case? If so which ones would you consider essential/high priority?
Apologies if I've missed this elsewhere. There is sooooo much excellent stuff to read on this site 😎

 

[Bradders]

In one of the threads on this forum l’m sure you’ve stated that the 350 pump / head assy is quieter than the 600, is that fact? I’m getting irritated by the noise from my 600 and l’m prepared to buy a 350 pump / head assy to give it a go.

No, it's not a fact I can back up, sadly. I know that from anecdotal research, a higher proportion of people with the 600/850 complained about the increased noise compared to the 250/350 users. When I looked, I noticed the impeller and motor were larger, so I attributed the noise increase to this. However, I cannot say with my hand on my heart that I can provide you with a recommendation based on personal experience.

That being said, I would be interested to hear what media you have in your 600 and also how high the top of the water line is compared to the head of the Oase.

 

[Bradders]

Gonna get me one of those Oase inlet/outlet head spares for my 850. Is it worth considering pre-filter pipes or other easily perishable/breakable parts, just in case? If so which ones would you consider essential/high priority?
Apologies if I've missed this elsewhere. There is sooooo much excellent stuff to read on this site 😎

In my personal experience, the part of the Oase that I have had issues with two times was the inlet/outlet heads - I now won't be left without a spare sitting around!

In terms of other spares, I would always have a spare heater (not so much of a problem if you are buying two units for redundancy - which I think you. are looking at) but that's about it. I do keep spare 16/22 pipes and pre-filter media for quicker maintenance but that is not an absolute essential. Again, if you have two Oase units then the urgency to replace immediately becomes less.

 

[Superpuma1]

No, it's not a fact I can back up, sadly. I know that from anecdotal research, a higher proportion of people with the 600/850 complained about the increased noise compared to the 250/350 users. When I looked, I noticed the impeller and motor were larger, so I attributed the noise increase to this. However, I cannot say with my hand on my heart that I can provide you with a recommendation based on personal experience.

That being said, I would be interested to hear what media you have in your 600 and also how high the top of the water line is compared to the head of the Oase.

Cheers for getting back Bradders👍
I think l’ll buy a 350 pump / head assy anyway, worse case scenario it’ll give me a bunch of spares….
I use the original media and a pouch of Purigen, it’s 80cm from the head of the filter to the water line.

 

[Bradders]

I think l’ll buy a 350 pump / head assy anyway, worse case scenario it’ll give me a bunch of spares….

Agreed - it's always good to have something on tap for emergencies.

I use the original media and a pouch of Purigen, it’s 80cm from the head of the filter to the water line.

Yep, it's about the same setup as mine (bar the Purigen). I only ask as I noticed the noise levels increased with non-foam media, so I thought that could be one contributing factor. The likelihood is the change in the design as you move toward the 600/850 sizes.

 

[Mark12345]

Just an update to this review: I thought I would post about a recurring issue with the Oase and a recommendation for you to avoid getting into trouble if you are an Oase Owner.

I have two Biomaster 250s, one from June 2023 and one bought after that one leaked and needed an urgent replacement. Both have had the same failure on the inlet/outlet head; replacing that part has resolved the issue. As you can see from the image, there seems to be a weakness in some of the head units (or caused by the locking mechanism) that damages a tube and renders the unit leaky. This happened to me last night, and thanks to the previous issue, I immediately knew where to look and why it was leaking.

Luckily, I have two filters running for redundancy, so I am now waiting for a spare part. (Still not great as all my bacteria is just sitting in a bucket of water with no flow going across it). I am careful with all my equipment, never force anything and always ease things apart. So, it's a surprise to see two of these issues occur.

Many people do not have the option of running two filters. But for the cheap cost of ordering one of these parts and keeping the spare on-site, I highly recommend it. Once it fails, it is so disabling that you just need to be able to quickly replace it.

View attachment 217110

Mine has done exactly the same thing, unfortunately I didn't notice until the following day, by which time it had damaged my cabinet, and my laminate floor.

 

[Bradders]

Mine has done exactly the same thing, unfortunately I didn't notice until the following day, by which time it had damaged my cabinet, and my laminate floor.

There is definitely a design flaw here. I am VERY careful with my filters and therefore I don't think this is caused by force.

I have reported this to Oase, but sadly, there has been no reply to my escalation.

 

[Mark12345]

There is definitely a design flaw here. I am VERY careful with my filters and therefore I don't think this is caused by force.

I have reported this to Oase, but sadly, there has been no reply to my escalation.

I am going through the process with oase at the moment, this filter is under 12 month old, and I've probably only removed the hose adapter 3 times. I'll post again with any feedback I get.

 

[karentheot]

I have had the oase biomaster /heater (although I dont use a heater) 600 for several years now, never had any issues. Cleaned the filters regularly. I only have a 90lt aquarium with only one huge goldfish and two japanese sucker fish. Last week we came home to see it had been leaking - so I have changed the main gasket thinking this might be it, but no, the leaks are coming from the hinges. So then I read a feed on here about the inlet and outlet pipe housing, so ordered a new one and changed that.....still leaking. I have checked that the power cable is seated correctly, but the water seems to be filling the top chamber which I am sure it didnt before. anyone got any clues? I don't really want to go out and buy a new one seeing as I have just purchased all these extra parts and as I say up until now I have been extremely happy with the unit.

 

[Aqua sobriquet]

Hi Bradders
Excellent thread you’ve made for prospective purchasers👍.
In one of the threads on this forum l’m sure you’ve stated that the 350 pump / head assy is quieter than the 600, is that fact? I’m getting irritated by the noise from my 600 and l’m prepared to buy a 350 pump / head assy to give it a go. The difference in flow rate is negligible ( 1100 / 1250 ) and it won’t make any difference on my 160 liter set up.

As a point of interest the 350 and 600 impellers appeared to be the same overall size apart from the blades themselves. As a result I bought a 600 impeller to see if it might make a difference in the flow of my 350.
It didn’t seem to make much difference though? I’m wondering though if fitting a 350 impeller to your 600 may make a difference to the amount of noise it makes? Just a thought. 😉

 

[Aqua sobriquet]

I have had the oase biomaster /heater (although I dont use a heater) 600 for several years now, never had any issues. Cleaned the filters regularly. I only have a 90lt aquarium with only one huge goldfish and two japanese sucker fish. Last week we came home to see it had been leaking - so I have changed the main gasket thinking this might be it, but no, the leaks are coming from the hinges. So then I read a feed on here about the inlet and outlet pipe housing, so ordered a new one and changed that.....still leaking. I have checked that the power cable is seated correctly, but the water seems to be filling the top chamber which I am sure it didnt before. anyone got any clues? I don't really want to go out and buy a new one seeing as I have just purchased all these extra parts and as I say up until now I have been extremely happy with the unit.

I’m not aware of any seals inside the head unit itself but I think I’d take it apart and have a look inside.
If you do find anything amiss let us know how you get on and take some pictures for reference! 😉

 

[Superpuma1]

As a point of interest the 350 and 600 impellers appeared to be the same overall size apart from the blades themselves. As a result I bought a 600 impeller to see if it might make a difference in the flow of my 350.
It didn’t seem to make much difference though? I’m wondering though if fitting a 350 impeller to your 600 may make a difference to the amount of noise it makes? Just a thought. 😉

The noise issue has resolved itself with a little time, it was never excessive, just something l could have done without.
Thanks for your thoughts👍.