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New filter - which one?

Kayne said:
considered outdated?
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They really work and I am outdated, still think silicon glue is magic. As @dw1305 pond stuff is worth looking at for aquarium use. Usually more keenly priced. Some pond sponge filters will take a 3/4" plastic tube, many power heads will push into that diameter and a demijohn cork bung will fit the other end. (Drill lots of holes in the pipe)
 
Oldguy said:
They really work and I am outdated, still think silicon glue is magic. As @dw1305 pond stuff is worth looking at for aquarium use. Usually more keenly priced. Some pond sponge filters will take a 3/4" plastic tube, many power heads will push into that diameter and a demijohn cork bung will fit the other end. (Drill lots of holes in the pipe)
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I think as long as things work and your fish are healthy and the tanks happy (which yours looks to be really clean) thats the important thing regardless of the filtration method used and clearly the comments ive seen previously that UG are no good for planting is incorrect as your plants look great.

I know the filter sponge in my old external all came from sheets of pond sponge that I'd bought super cheap for the pond filter (moved house now so dont have the pond) and used the excess for the external.

Looking at the link @dw1305 posted for the foam blocks they look pretty similar to whats in my internal so I might see how much a replacement one is to compare with those not sure on the ppi of it though but might be able to check that on the packaging.

Thanks guys, appreciate all the help
 
Haven't read the whole thread yet, but just thought I would chime in. I have changed my oase biomaster 600t for a jbl e1902 and the flow rate is night and day. The water has never looked clearer as I can now have a big wad of floss in one of the trays. What I don't like is that the jbl sounds fairly loud hum in comparison. The hoses are a lot bigger which isn't a bother for me, but if you any anything inline then it will be an issue.

Ideally I would have taken a punt on the new aquael filter as it looks really good, but it was a couple of cm too big to fit in my cabinet 🙁
 
fishbro said:
Haven't read the whole thread yet, but just thought I would chime in. I have changed my oase biomaster 600t for a jbl e1902 and the flow rate is night and day. The water has never looked clearer as I can now have a big wad of floss in one of the trays. What I don't like is that the jbl sounds fairly loud hum in comparison. The hoses are a lot bigger which isn't a bother for me, but if you any anything inline then it will be an issue.

Ideally I would have taken a punt on the new aquael filter as it looks really good, but it was a couple of cm too big to fit in my cabinet 🙁
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Hi Fishbro. Looking at the specs as i've been doing to try and help decide the jbl 1902 has a higher stated flow rate than the oase to start with being 1900l compare to the oase's 1250l

Thank you for the input - appreciate hearing real world experiences of the various filters that have been mentioned so far
 
Kayne said:
Hi Fishbro. Looking at the specs as i've been doing to try and help decide the jbl 1902 has a higher stated flow rate than the oase to start with being 1900l compare to the oase's 1250l

Thank you for the input - appreciate hearing real world experiences of the various filters that have been mentioned so far
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Yeah the flow rate is night and day! While I feel the build quality and noise on the oase is better, the flow was just dire and that meant running minimal media so the water was never that clear. I am on a 200L tank, fairly heavy stocking with fish. Have only cleaned it once since I got it and it really didn't need it as there is plenty of media, could probably get away with cleaning it every 3 months.

If oase would make a 2000lph filter with the dimensions and design of the existing biomaster, that would definitely be my go-to, but for now the jbl wins for those of us with minimal cabinet space 🙂
 
@fishbro wonder if you can verify the dimensions for the 1902 as jbl list 2 different sizes on their site and I'm not sure which is right. As you have the filter you will be able to confirm

240/584/385 mm l/h/w
or
200/564/235mm l/h/w

Oddly they do the same on their 1502 as well and actually depending on which is correct will depend whether I can get the jbls in the cabinet or not.
 
Kayne said:
@fishbro wonder if you can verify the dimensions for the 1902 as jbl list 2 different sizes on their site and I'm not sure which is right. As you have the filter you will be able to confirm

240/584/385 mm l/h/w
or
200/564/235mm l/h/w

Oddly they do the same on their 1502 as well and actually depending on which is correct will depend whether I can get the jbls in the cabinet or not.
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Hi mate, I just checked mine and it roughly matches the second set of diamensions. Couldn’t check to the mm as pulling it out is a nightmare lol. I really like the filter, just wish it was quieter.
 
Think ive got down to the JBL e1902 the eheim pro 4 600 or the aquael utlramax. Found all of them for pretty much the same price. The jbl and the aquael have the better flow rates of the bunch.

I watched the pondguru videos for the eheim and the aquael and i'm skeptical about the issues he ranted about on the eheim as the damage was already done so of course it would be harder to fit the baskets together. If careful from the start I dont think it would present much of an issue.

If anyone can find some other reviews whereof any of the filters would appreciate it. Dont plan on spending on a filter for another 5 years so want to make the right choice now.
 
Thanks @Siege my only consideration that's making me lean away from the Eheim is actually that the flow rate is less than the other two.

What makes me laugh with pondguru is that he spent ages slamming the eheim issues (as he saw them) but actually never mentions similar things on other filters nor does he review the running of the filter.
 
Yes I think pond guru and Eheim have had a falling out at some time. I’m guessing they didn’t take too kindly to him chucking their media in the bin!

One thing to consider is the Eheim will get near to the quoted flow rates. I’ve no experience if the other 2. I know people rate the Jbl filters though, but check the hose sizes on those for glassware. And also what can fit in your cabinet of course. Apologies if you’ve alreday thought about those things!
 
Thanks again @Siege not overly fussed with the hose sizes as I don't have any inline stuff or glassware to worry about. All 3 lucky enough will fit in the cabinet as well. I'm tempted by the eheim as a lot of people rate their media highly as well

With it being a low tech and it having been running fine for 5 years on a filter giving a max of 400lph but probably much lower in reality, then even with the eheim only being a max of 1250lph compared to the jbl 1900 or the aquael at 2000 then actually everything is a massive improvement on what was there before.
 
Kayne said:
Thanks again @Siege not overly fussed with the hose sizes as I don't have any inline stuff or glassware to worry about. All 3 lucky enough will fit in the cabinet as well. I'm tempted by the eheim as a lot of people rate their media highly as well

With it being a low tech and it having been running fine for 5 years on a filter giving a max of 400lph but probably much lower in reality, then even with the eheim only being a max of 1250lph compared to the jbl 1900 or the aquael at 2000 then actually everything is a massive improvement on what was there before.
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Throwing my 2 pence into the ring. I did have that eheim filter briefly but it was damaged out of the box and wouldn't prime (the little flap snapped clean off). Apart from that it did seem like a decent filter, though I wasn't a fan of the intake and outlet (I don't use glassware myself, I don't trust myself not to break things 🙂 )

The JBL does have the larger hoses which shouldn't be an issue if you are not using anything inline. It does make them a bit of a handful to manage behind the cabinet though. The flow rate is superb, I am using mine just with the right angle piece (no spray bar etc) and point slightly to the back of the tank. Having the co2 diffuser just underneath and the heater in the flow path means good distribution around the tank. Initially I was concerned that the flow rate would be too much for the fish and shrimp, but everyone seems happy and I haven't noticed any shrimp getting sucked up into the filter so far.

The JBL can be a bit hard to prime and I think this is just down to the huge hoses, you need a lot more water in the loop to get it going. I replaced one of the foam trays with bio media from the previous filter and also added a huge wad of filter floss which seems to have had minimal impact on the flow rate. Right now it's been running almost 2 months without a clean and I am not noticing any degradation in water quality, clarity or flow (with weekly 50% changes). Unlike the Oase which I had to clean weekly, I think it's fairly safe to leave the JBL a good 3 months between cleanings.

The plastics quality felt better on the eheim. The plastic on the jbl just feels that little bit cheaper, but it is still more than good enough for a filter.

I too would be skeptical about pondguru, he is obviously trying to push his filter media very strongly with his videos. He also appeared to break the oase filter from what I could tell. To remove the hose connection you need to first remove the pre filter, but he didn't and just forced the lever for the hoses with a loud snap.
 
fishbro said:
Apart from that it did seem like a decent filter, though I wasn't a fan of the intake and outlet
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Thanks Fishbro appreciate the feedback. What didn't you like about the intake and outlet on the eheim? Was it the filter end or the in tank ends?
 
Kayne said:
Thanks Fishbro appreciate the feedback. What didn't you like about the intake and outlet on the eheim? Was it the filter end or the in tank ends?
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On the tank end, I'm just not a fan of the friction fit style (fitting the hoses over the inlet/outlet without any clamps). I'm probably just paranoid, but after having a leak once before I will always prefer a solid feeling connection. The optional upgraded intake and outlet weren't that good either really, just didn't suit my tank.
 
Ah ok, thought all filters did the same with that so hadn't really considered it.

Might give up trying to decide and give the choices to the OH and see what decision gets made there.
 
Kayne said:
Ah ok, thought all filters did the same with that so hadn't really considered it.

Might give up trying to decide and give the choices to the OH and see what decision gets made there.
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I think if Oase would make a 2000lph filter with the bio master design and a 300-500w heater they would sell a lot of them. I think it’s a good designer and has plenty of media capacity but the flow rate is just too low imo
 
Decision made. Gave the 3 options to the OH with a run down of the main points of each and didn't give my thoughts and OH picked the Eheim which was where I had been leaning anyway.

Thanks everyone for the input

That said is there anything I need to change in the setup? Also cheapest ive found from reputable retailers is swell, any other places to check?
 
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