Just got my first Eheim canister filter and am confused...

Heady · Mar 21, 2003

Just bought an Eheim 2213 and am a little confused as to how to set it up. I've read on these forums how people like to fill up the canister and then just hook it up and it primes itself, but it says in the instruction booklet that you're supposed to make sure the canister does not have water in it before you hook it up to your aquarium.

Why is this? Is it a marketing ploy for their sold-separately priming pump or is there some kind of basis for their recommendation?

I have heard people here recommend using a prefilter. Any recommendations on how to do this? I was thinking about just tying a sponge to the outside of the strainer. Does this work?

How often do you have to clean your Eheim?

Also any tips on setting up my first canister filter would be extremely useful!!

Faramir · Mar 21, 2003

I presume they mean to make sure it doesn't have any dirty smelly water from elsewhere in it before you start drawing water into it from your aquarium.

Skittyfish · Mar 21, 2003

Mine is self priming, but for what its worth...fill the intake tube with water and seal it off, connect it to the pump head and then open it up, it should begin to fill your canister.

I drilled holes in the hard plastic about a 1/4 of an inch apart on the bottom 2-3 inches and then rubber banded a pre-filter foam onto it. Works for me.

Good luck getting things going.

JSchmidt · Mar 21, 2003

Here's how I prime my Eheim classics:

- Empty the canister and all hoses.
- Fill the intake hose with water
- After filling with water, close the valve on the intake hose.
- While keeping the intake end submerged, attach the other end to the canister. Make sure the outlet hose is empty, and the actual outlet spraybar (or return) is above water. Make sure the outlet valves are open.
- When the intake hose (filled with water) is attached, open the intake valves. You should see water flowing into the canister. You should be able to feel air being expelled via the outlet tube.
- Water should continue to flow into the intake until it fills the outlet tube. If you've done it correctly, there will be little or no air in the system. (There might be just a little in the end of the outlet, but don't worry about it.)
- Place the outlet in the tank.
- Turn on the filter. You should be able to feel (not hear) the pump running. Any air in the outlet tube should be expelled.
- All should be right with the world.

As for the prefilter question, check out this thread:
http://64.191.28.50/forums/showthread.php?threadid=6274

HTH,

Jim

RTR · Mar 21, 2003

Good instructions Jim!

goldfish freak · Mar 21, 2003

You can use a sponge over the intake or attach a prefilter, both ways will work. Most prefilters are cheap. As to how often to clean an Eheim, different people have different opinions on this. Some will say once every 6 months others will say once every 3 months and others once a month. That will depend on several things, how many fish you have, what size they are, how much waste do they produce, how often you feed, eating habits of the fish(are they messy eaters?) and personal comfort level. One thing is certain though, if you use a prefilter you will need to clean the filter media alot less often. Think of it this way the the less often you clean the media in your canister filter the longer the waste stays in your system. This is especially true if you do not use a prefilter. I think the bottom line is the more waste that is being produced the more often you will need to clean your filter media.

Heady · Mar 22, 2003

Originally posted by Skittyfish
I drilled holes in the hard plastic about a 1/4 of an inch apart on the bottom 2-3 inches and then rubber banded a pre-filter foam onto it. Works for me.

Why drill holes in the plastic when there is an intake strainer? I.e. why not put the pre-filter directly over the intake strainer?

Heady · Mar 24, 2003

Well guys, here is what I did.

I bought a sponge filter for an Aquaclear HOB filter. I cut off a piece about 2"x2"x3", big enough to fit completely over the intake strainer with at least an inch on all sides for filtering. Then I cut a hole about halfway down the middle that was slightly smaller than the strainer. I shoved that on the end of the strainer and voila - prefilter attached and snug.

I had a heck of a time figuring out where to put the double tap connectors. I ended up putting them about halfway up. However I am having some trouble with the hoses crimping. What can I do to fix this? I already moved the hoses around so they don't crimp as easily, but I'm looking for a permanent solution.

Then I set up the canister as best I could according to Eheim's instructions and help from people here. It was a real bear getting all the air out of there.

After all the shaking & tilting required to get the air out of the filter, I noticed a very small leak coming from the U-shaped tube at the bottom of the canister. A teeny tiny amount of water seems to be coming from the seam there. Is this normal?

I left it on all night and there was no more than a drop of water from that leak. I think it really only leaks when the canister is being moved.

BTW the home-made prefilter has already picked up a good sized portion of gunk from the tank. I am running my old filtration (an Aquaclear 150 with sponge only) and my new Eheim 2213 at the same time for 3 weeks so the new filter cycles while the old filter is still running.

JSchmidt · Mar 25, 2003

You should not have any leak from the U-shape tube at the bottom of the canister. It's held in by a threaded compression fitting, if I remember correctly. Sometimes you can get it to stop by just rotating it a quarter turn or less. You may be able to do this without disconnecting and disassembling the canister, but be ready to hit the shutoff valves in case the leak worsens. (This leak is almost always an easy fix, IME.)

Kinking hoses is one of the biggest hassles of any canister filter. Part of this can be cured by simply making sure the hoses are cut to the proper length. You want a bit of slack, but not an extra foot or two.

I also have had trouble with the hoses kinking were the return line goes over the back of the tank to the spraybar. I've tried a couple things. First, you can buy a spare part called a 'wide return pipe' (That Pet Place has 'em) that is a U-shape tube that hangs over the back of the tank. A second option is to get something Eheim markets called a 'sleeve' that fits over the hose as it goes over the tank lip and keeps the hose from collapsing. You can also get a length of semi-rigid tubing that's larger than the Eheim hose and make your own sleeve.

Nice job with the prefilter, BTW!

HTH,
Jim


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Just got my first Eheim canister filter and am confused...

Heady

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Faramir

The twit from over the pond.

Skittyfish

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JSchmidt

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RTR

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goldfish freak

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Heady

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Heady

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