Crepe
Aquarium Advice Addict
Just to clarify the X stands for a random number Eheim has designated.
A few notes on this review:
This is just a quick look at these filters from my brief and somewhat horrifying experience with these filters. The Eheim ecco is the Ecco Pro 2336, the fluval is a 305.
Eheim Ecco 2236:
Eheim has traditionally made the best or reputed best filters out there. The ecco series is the newest in their line, usurping the much beloved Eheim classic series.
Design: The set up with simple enough, very standard ball valve, quick disconnect design. Same green Eheim hose and inlet/outlets. The special multi-use handle is pretty neat. It both primes and opens the canister.
The 2236 is rated for 70 gallons and has a flow rate of 198 gph. To me this seems very insufficient for a tank of 70 gallons. Then again I have a nearly 20 times turn over rate 20 gallon. I'm a big fan of flow. Anyways. The insides are pretty neat they have this very odd coarse sponge ring as the pre filter and then below, room for 3 whole trays of bio media they provide. It has LOTS of room for stuff in it. However The smaller models I feel are lacking in room. If you get this filter get one size bigger for your tank size. You're going to enjoy having lots of media.
Function: The bugger is loud. Very very loud and I'm certain it's not from cavitation as I filled it up all the way and there is absolutely no air in it. I might have gotten a defective unit but it seems to me that the company's charging 40 dollars for such a crucial part that is really only worth maybe 10-20 dollars suggests to me that they know for a fact the impeller has some issues. However the actual filtering part of the filter is decent. There was a lot of loose dust in my aquarium after diddling around with the filter so much and it cleared it up in half an hour.
Hagen Fluval 305
Since the constant sound from the Eheim was just driving me mad I oped for the equivalent: The Hagen Fluval 305. I use Hagen's GLO T5 HO fixture so I thought maybe they would be just as good with a filter.
Design: They have this thing called an 'Aqua-Lock' which is like a quick disconnect on steroids. There are no screws attached, just a lift of the lever. This design scares the crap out of me. No screws, no securities. In hydrophobia I slathered all the o-rings and gaskets in silicone grease. Overall the design is pretty standard, regular locks. Inside is a combination of a hamburger mat filter and standard baskets. there are three baskets in there, each basket is divided into 2 compartments. I have filter floss in the bottom from my old filter and Fluval ceramics for everything else.
Function: I'll add more to this later. But it's doing okay right now. Still two to three times noisier than my cascade 500 but this one has double the flow rate so it's expected. I just set this thing up. I did however find out just 10 minutes ago that you DO NOT want to stuff the bottom levels filled with thick filter cotton. It maybe increases the noise by 25%. For some odd reason.
Overall. Both of them are noisy. Realistically if you want really quiet filtration you're going to want to get a series of smaller canister filters. The bigger you go the more ridiculous things get. I'll add more details to the fluval review in the future. I'm keeping it.
A few notes on this review:
This is just a quick look at these filters from my brief and somewhat horrifying experience with these filters. The Eheim ecco is the Ecco Pro 2336, the fluval is a 305.
Eheim Ecco 2236:
Eheim has traditionally made the best or reputed best filters out there. The ecco series is the newest in their line, usurping the much beloved Eheim classic series.
Design: The set up with simple enough, very standard ball valve, quick disconnect design. Same green Eheim hose and inlet/outlets. The special multi-use handle is pretty neat. It both primes and opens the canister.
The 2236 is rated for 70 gallons and has a flow rate of 198 gph. To me this seems very insufficient for a tank of 70 gallons. Then again I have a nearly 20 times turn over rate 20 gallon. I'm a big fan of flow. Anyways. The insides are pretty neat they have this very odd coarse sponge ring as the pre filter and then below, room for 3 whole trays of bio media they provide. It has LOTS of room for stuff in it. However The smaller models I feel are lacking in room. If you get this filter get one size bigger for your tank size. You're going to enjoy having lots of media.
Function: The bugger is loud. Very very loud and I'm certain it's not from cavitation as I filled it up all the way and there is absolutely no air in it. I might have gotten a defective unit but it seems to me that the company's charging 40 dollars for such a crucial part that is really only worth maybe 10-20 dollars suggests to me that they know for a fact the impeller has some issues. However the actual filtering part of the filter is decent. There was a lot of loose dust in my aquarium after diddling around with the filter so much and it cleared it up in half an hour.
Hagen Fluval 305
Since the constant sound from the Eheim was just driving me mad I oped for the equivalent: The Hagen Fluval 305. I use Hagen's GLO T5 HO fixture so I thought maybe they would be just as good with a filter.
Design: They have this thing called an 'Aqua-Lock' which is like a quick disconnect on steroids. There are no screws attached, just a lift of the lever. This design scares the crap out of me. No screws, no securities. In hydrophobia I slathered all the o-rings and gaskets in silicone grease. Overall the design is pretty standard, regular locks. Inside is a combination of a hamburger mat filter and standard baskets. there are three baskets in there, each basket is divided into 2 compartments. I have filter floss in the bottom from my old filter and Fluval ceramics for everything else.
Function: I'll add more to this later. But it's doing okay right now. Still two to three times noisier than my cascade 500 but this one has double the flow rate so it's expected. I just set this thing up. I did however find out just 10 minutes ago that you DO NOT want to stuff the bottom levels filled with thick filter cotton. It maybe increases the noise by 25%. For some odd reason.
Overall. Both of them are noisy. Realistically if you want really quiet filtration you're going to want to get a series of smaller canister filters. The bigger you go the more ridiculous things get. I'll add more details to the fluval review in the future. I'm keeping it.
