RESUN EF-2800U Canister filter Review and Test.

CWO4GUNNER said:
Your review was honest and objective and other then the noise the filter seems to perform well. I recommend you take a close look are the impeller housing to make sure there is nothing amiss like a piece of gravel , sand , a burr from improper molding, a bent shaft. :liar:
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Nothing amiss with the filter we tried another one (a EF-1600U same design but smaller and 400gph) and it was just as impossible to prime and noisy as well. I think both issues stem from the pipe that attaches to the impeller cavity. I think it traps air on prime and I think it needs a rubber oring to sit in to stop the impeller transmitting vibrations. I've sent Resun a email about it and we shall see what they say.
I agree that notwithstanding to noise and priming issues the filter indeed offers good performance. I'd say this filter (and the FX5 which gets the same flowrate as this one when full of media) offer about the most powerful output when full of media and operating on a actual tank of any canister on the market. Big flowrate and huge media capacity have to offer some value regardless of the issues so I couldn't rate it a zero and be objective.
There is another filter the SunSun CFD series (which is the actual basis for the Marineland C series) a older design then the HW series but still made in the large CFD-2600 size that might top this Resun for value and power. I'll be testing that next.
 
Just a quick update about operation of this filter. I've had this filter operating on a friends 125g tank containing about 12 large messy goldfish and a 12 inch pleco for 3 weeks now as the sole filtration. Since the tank was in a main living area the noise factor wasn't a issue. To obtain a instant cycle I filled the filter with the old filter media from the filter that was previously on the tank (Fluval biomax and Ceramic rings) and topped it off with about 4 liters more Biomax. I used the course and fine pads that came with the filter. At first the noise (and air expelled) was a as per my test at home but after 3 weeks the filter the filter has settled and now is relatively quiet (still noisier then a Eheim or FX5 or a SunSun for that matter but by no means the noisemaker it was previously). Today I opened the filter to check the pads and found them to be in reasonably good condition. The flow was very strong and no bypass could be detected so I simple rinsed them out in tank water and put them back in.
The filter seems to be doing a excellent job and certainly lives up to its massive flow.
I'm a bit happier with it now as it does do a good job and the noise is a lot better.
 
Interesting read. Thanks for the post and pictures.

Even with the GPH loss, if filtration it as thorough as it seems to appear, it might be worth it in applications where noise isn't a factor. Wondering if noise could be partial cavitation and micro-bubbles? Does this filter seem to quiet down with extended use?

Again, thanks.
 
Remember when it comes to filters the word "bigger" i.e (bigger then a FX5, bigger then a Eheim 2080 and even bigger then the old enormous Eheim 2260) Is not an objective description and if this filter has an external square dimension of 300mm X 300m or 11.8 X11.8 inches as described then we know that regardless of the number of baskets in-line or in this hydraulic series circuit, the surface areas maximum fine particle filtration capability, is only as effective in removing impurities as the 1 basket with the finest media. So this filter regardless of how "big" it may seem or how much volume it may hold has a effective filter surface are of only 140 square inches at very best, which is equivalent to a Magnum 250. This is precisely why you will not see this type of (Basket in-line) filter being used in industry except for the In-home aquarium hobby market. The truth is they were specifically designed easy and attractive to use and primarily to support a whole retail market industry of pre-packaged media choices, but effective and efficient for there displacement size they are NOT. In fact conversely the more baskets in a given footprint & displacement that are stacked in a series circuit filter, the lower the effectiveness, efficiency, and greater the water flow restriction, for a given GPH compared to a circumference parallel circuit of equal footprint & displacement for that same GPH but is exponentially more effectiveness, efficiency, and greater the water flow. This is an unequivocal hydraulic and geometric surface area law.
 
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We shall have to agree to disagree Gunner .... I've never met a circumferential filter I liked .... and you have never met one you didn't like.
 
taksan said:
We shall have to agree to disagree Gunner .... I've never met a circumferential filter I liked .... and you have never met one you didn't like.
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Well apparently you like the circumference filter in your refrigerator, auto air filter, auto oil filter and auto fuel filter and air purifier if you have one. And of the one's you find that are flat like in your AC and heating unit, you will notice that they are not stacked because it would be a waste. Often what we see all around us both man made and created, that works well, provides insight into what we have been told works better even-though it cannot be found in any other application.

V/R Gunner
 
Thank you for the in-depth review of this filter. It's very helpful when photos are presented and then a follow up with noise levels (as perceived by the user) and flow rates. Now we just need to wait for long-term reliability.

Did any part of this filter feel fragile or did you see any cause for concern regarding breaking anything too easily?
 
I own a resun 1600 and it is as quiet as the eheim 2075. Mine doesn´t have uv light, thats probably why this resun 2800 is so loud. But who cares are loud it is?! its made for very large tanks, that hardly fit on an average bedroom where silence is welcomed....
In Europe the resun 2800 cost about 130€(something like 170$ us), the eheim 2080 cost 310€(420$ us) and the fx5 360€(490$ us). Neither the eheim or fx5 come with filtering materials, while de resun comes ready to work!
Bottom line, all 3 filters are very efficient on terms of biological filtration, hardly any of them too loud for a living room, but if you have a 300 gallon tank in you bedroom, buy the eheim, cause the almighty fx5 is still too loud..
 
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