Pimp My Filter #61 - Eheim Pro 5e 600T Canister Filter

Biohome filter media: www.filterpro.co.uk
What on Earth has happened to Eheim?
The Pro 5 series of canister filters was Eheim's chance to restore their reputation after Oase (another German company) pounded the Eheim Pro 4 filters into obscurity with their fantastic Biomaster range of filters with an easy clean pre-filter system, great build quality and a respectable media capacity.
Even the '07 series of filters from Fluval (Eheim's historical main competitor) had sensible upgrades to the '06 series....and they come with foams and media (in the correct place).
How did Eheim respond? By making a quality filter with a great capacity for media? NO...
They responded by producing an crazily over-priced, poorly constructed filter which comes with no filter media and a host of useless features which do not help with the filtration at all.
This is truly a filter designed by a committee and not by fish keepers or anyone working toward delivering a quality product.
What makes it worse is that Eheim DO make great quality filter media and have proved in the past that they can make great filters - their Substrat Pro filter media is tried and tested and is genuinely a good media.....but this £500 filter comes with none of it.
I'm throwing a prediction out now that this is the last canister filter Eheim will make (unless the company is taken over) as the Oase Biomaster filters or the '07 series from Fluval are 100% the filters of choice for anyone wanting top quality without having to remortgage their house to buy one.
I can only assume that when Oase got into the Aquarium market after decades of manufacturing pond equipment that some of the Eheim designers and main thinkers jumped ship to Oase to work on the Oase filters?
Choosing between the Eheim Pro 5e 600T and the Oase Biomaster 850 is not even a choice and that could be why there are so few reviews for the Eheim filter online - they've done themselves in with the Pro 4 series and the Pro 5 is the last nail in the coffin....and it brings me no pleasure to have to state that fact as I have always championed Eheim as being a solid company producing great filters up to and including the Pro 3 filter range.
Another prediction - Oase buys out Eheim in the near future.....?
TIME STAMPS:
00:00 Intro
00:33 Filtering facts and figures from Eheim
03:09 Technology facts and figures from Eheim
06:33 Looking at the filter construction and function
11:01 Where's the media??
11:55 Rant mode ON
15:15 Suggested set up
16:59 Recommended tank sizes for filter
18:54 How much more media could fit in the filter?
21:26 Who designed this? List of problems
23:45 Apology to the Eheim fanboys
24:40 A filter designed by a committee?
25:57 It would have cost pennies....

[@pondguru]

Biohome filter media: www.filterpro.co.uk What on Earth has happened to Eheim? The Pro 5 series of canister filters was Eheim's chance to restore their reputation after Oase (another German company) pounded the Eheim Pro 4 filters into obscurity with their fantastic Biomaster range of filters with an easy clean pre-filter system, great build quality and a respectable media capacity. Even the '07 series of filters from Fluval (Eheim's historical main competitor) had sensible upgrades to the '06 series....and they come with foams and media (in the correct place). How did Eheim respond? By making a quality filter with a great capacity for media? NO... They responded by producing an crazily over-priced, poorly constructed filter which comes with no filter media and a host of useless features which do not help with the filtration at all. This is truly a filter designed by a committee and not by fish keepers or anyone working toward delivering a quality product. What makes it worse is that Eheim DO make great quality filter media and have proved in the past that they can make great filters - their Substrat Pro filter media is tried and tested and is genuinely a good media.....but this £500 filter comes with none of it. I'm throwing a prediction out now that this is the last canister filter Eheim will make (unless the company is taken over) as the Oase Biomaster filters or the '07 series from Fluval are 100% the filters of choice for anyone wanting top quality without having to remortgage their house to buy one. I can only assume that when Oase got into the Aquarium market after decades of manufacturing pond equipment that some of the Eheim designers and main thinkers jumped ship to Oase to work on the Oase filters? Choosing between the Eheim Pro 5e 600T and the Oase Biomaster 850 is not even a choice and that could be why there are so few reviews for the Eheim filter online - they've done themselves in with the Pro 4 series and the Pro 5 is the last nail in the coffin....and it brings me no pleasure to have to state that fact as I have always championed Eheim as being a solid company producing great filters up to and including the Pro 3 filter range. Another prediction - Oase buys out Eheim in the near future.....? TIME STAMPS: 00:00 Intro 00:33 Filtering facts and figures from Eheim 03:09 Technology facts and figures from Eheim 06:33 Looking at the filter construction and function 11:01 Where's the media?? 11:55 Rant mode ON 15:15 Suggested set up 16:59 Recommended tank sizes for filter 18:54 How much more media could fit in the filter? 21:26 Who designed this? List of problems 23:45 Apology to the Eheim fanboys 24:40 A filter designed by a committee? 25:57 It would have cost pennies....

[@Josh-oh2zq]

What kind of aquarium medications can safely be used with fully cycled biohome?

[@sage6336]

Is eheim a US company

[@pondguru]

@@Josh-oh2zq There are notes about which chemicals affect bacteria negatively and positively on the Q&A page of the FilterPro website: www.filterpro.co.uk Ring me any time no worries.

[@captainwin6333]

@@sage6336 German.

[@53WRX]

Only decent thing eheim make now is the 2260 and substrat ☹ I bought the pondair 1000 which is the worst air pump I've ever had. When I invested in the 2260s in 1998 they were amazing and the pumps have never failed in all that time. It's a tragedy what eheim have become.

[@courtneycole5143]

Love how honest this man is when it comes to things like this!! Much appreciated 👌🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@naturaleza-viva]

I was considering to buy this filter but not anymore. Thank you for the great and truthful review. Eheim should change their designer team for people like you or at least have you on the phone as a consultant.

[@pondguru]

Dislikes are from Eheim fanboys, lol

[@Jean-Jaures]

We Eheim fanboys pay for good filtering not for trays that feel good. 😜

[@charlie10tango39]

Richard... When are you just going to create your own line of filters?

[@steveamcfarlane2726]

My thoughts exactly, how great would that be. I know many people have asked this but have you considered it 🤔 seriously ??

[@steakbake1287]

Really wish he would

[@jascarty3503]

I would buy one straight away!!!!

[@kjetilmedhus7363]

I would love to se this happen, and buy it as soon as I could

[@vapendragarn]

he has explained in a previous video why he does not.

[@CapitanValdes]

Great video. The series "PIMP MY FILTER" is excellent all of it, and very helpful for those of us who have to buy a filter for the aquarium. Anyway, I miss a video about the modern JBL Cristalprofi series 2 (e702, e902, e1502 ...). Thank you so much for your work.

[@MysticTerra]

Thank you ... I will consider and check your details in detail, your work must be taken into account and I appreciate it, I wish you continued success with this channel.

[@TrixieDevani]

Braw, welcome back son. At that price, out of the box I'd be wanting so much more in terms of construction quality. Poor Neil, must feel like he's been taken for a bit of a ride.

[@AQUAGUYUK]

Come on Richard do a "best filter of the year" video three category's internal ,external and heated also have you ever considered making a filter

[@stucody]

Richard mentioned in one of his videos that he would make one but couldn’t afford the hassle of getting it patterned when the Chinese would only go and copy it and make a cheaper version

[@stoneysscapes7544]

Great video Richard & I 1st want to say thank you Sir for the best videos that havh a huge difference in how and why I do it exactly like a Guru !! There is no better feeling than knowing what , when , why etc to do and to know it's clear to see with good old fashioned healthy & happy fish .That's my kind of a smart filter!!!! Cheers to you Richard , looking forward to some more heavy hitters 🍺🍺

[@simplifygardening]

Never been a lover of Ehiem pump Richard but has some good features there and I like the idea of the connection to the head rather than the cable. Good video mate

[@craigsmith3291]

After seeing this video, I'm even happier I have migrated to Oase with the addition of 3 Oase filters. Eheim priced like a top tier filter but competing in the bargain Chinese made market in terms of design and quality. Great video mate

[@AquaNoxLTD]

Oase is also a over priced filter yeh made well but the heatersinthems crap n fail the filter as a terrible head height for the pumps they pump more then less what there ment to and IV saw people say they keep geting air stuck in them better of with a sunsun fluval or aquael ultramax

[@dgleitaocontratos]

What a review, that's what I was looking for! Thank you so much, you helped me decide my purchase! Your pinned comment with some historical context brought even more info to me. Thanks from Brazil. I'll just check if the model that I'm looking for come with or without filter media, because I checked in their site and it seems that it does.

[@ThousandYardStare]

(my other channel) I'm glad you found the video useful. Thanks for watching and best of luck with the tank.

[@radek0cz]

4:08 AquaEl Ultramax 2000 pumps 2000 l/h and its a pretty good filter.

[@FavaFilms]

Great honest & thorough review ! Just subbed !

[@ThousandYardStare]

(my other channel) No worries and I'm glad you found the video useful.

[@CrazyAquariumGuy]

Got to love the rant! Your videos are the best mate. 👊

[@SonnySkye]

I love these reviews!

[@Les-OZZYTHEOSCAR]

Just watched this one again after 2 years. This pimp my filter video certainly is a classic.

[@pondguru]

I would have shot this filter if it was mine, lol

[@Les-OZZYTHEOSCAR]

😂😂😂😂😂😂@@pondguru

[@AquaPeet]

Thank you for a great video and your honest opinions! I'm still super happy with my Oase BioMaster (I wanted to type BioHome, lol) though the flow rates could be better (even after modding). Much looking forward to the next video!! Cheers!!

[@caseypeploe1273]

Does the pre filter work good on the oase ??

[@AquaPeet]

@@caseypeploe1273 in my case it works like designed, using the fine foam rolls. And then you have to clean more often. I also cut the big foam block to rolls but it mostly bypasses then.

[@markneedham2287]

Bin off the pre filter and stuff your Oase with bio media, install an all pond solutions filter booster on your inlet side and stuff that with sponges instead.

[@AquaPeet]

​@@markneedham2287 That's a good suggestion! Though my aquarium has its outlet through the bottom and I don't have much room to do this. An Oase Highline 200.

[@shuggiemcg1]

The lad needs to send it back he has 14 days under UK law to do so with no reason given

[@calinmihailrusu6923]

I just teste a 5e 700. I do understand the design of the cornes but and I do like the volume and power but: WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE NOISE OF THIS EHEIM FILTER??? For me is incredible to pay this mich and have a filter that produces 59 dB when running in full power. On 700 l/h it goes to 49 dB and I think this is also high noise. In the past I had a 2224 also from Eheim. That filter was amazing for me. I was getting very close just to make sure is working. No sound at all.

[@lifeactionaquatics3501]

another great Pimp my Filter video. love this series. has anyone ever tried to send you a tank that has a built in filter chamber like a Fluval Flex? would love to see how you would pimp out a filter of that type. thanks for all the great content.

[@feldartillerie1620]

Filling the filter baskets with the stuff is no real achievement and is not made for all aquariums! I have the Flex 123l and 34l I first converted the 132l to an external filter and later removed the filter chamber during operation. It takes up a little less than 1/3 of the AQ. In retrospect, a bad buy because I put so much money into the pool to change it that I could easily have bought a large one which is already as I imagine it to be like an oasis or Eheim / juwel aquarium kzbin.info/www/bejne/ppSrZqiQhdtjm9U the filter chamber is still equipped with an external filter and the chamber is covered with a grid where moss is over it

[@highroller8877]

How does the part with the hose on it. Lock and unlock to the filter.? They used to have that red button under the flow control lever. I didn’t see anything on this unit

[@thomasheight4164]

Good to see you mate good advice

[@deanfagiano7591]

How’s the big pond filter working! Any video of how it’s clearing up the water! I’m looking to build a 1 acre pond and I’m still trying to decide what to do with filtration. Thanks

[@goldiel4664]

1 acre pond! A good idea would be to have a Naturally flowing water source to feed the pond and a Naturally flowing exit.

[@Les-OZZYTHEOSCAR]

Wowsers Richard . That's a pretty damming review there. . Just keep a look over your shoulder for any possible hit men, sent on a mission by Mr Eheim who could be lurking around in the bushes 😀

[@mattbee4091]

Thanks so much. You just helped me not to make a VERY expensive mistake!!!

[@donricardo9322]

In the US this is being rebranded as a TOP FIN sold in PetSmart for $345. But i just bout this filter for $110 on ebay. I cannot find any of the filter pads anywhere. Ideas ?

[@Andrew-fr3bp]

Buy generic sheets of foam from Amazon from the brand Aquaneat and cut to fit the baskets.

[@donricardo9322]

@@Andrew-fr3bp thank you

[@OriginalMindTrick]

I wonder if the heater on these are better than the previous heated Eheim canisters because they used to have an alarming failure rate.

[@Spruikermania]

I’ve been using these Eheim Pro filters with built in heaters for many years. Never had a failure or hiccup. I’ve compared the energy heating efficiency (with a power meter) against a similar sized stick heater and the Eheim heater element was about 20-30% more efficient.

[@ernie548]

Back in the hobby after 20yrs. Nice reviews btw. Perfect ending here. I had two Eheim's back in 90's-2003, one classic and their new (then) rectangular ones like you reviewed here. Those filters were great. I can tell in your review, from 1000's of miles away, I will sadly not be purchasing a new Eheim. Oh well, everything changes it seems.

[@pondguru]

It is s shame to see the direction that Eheim has chosen to go and it has to have resulted in a steep drop in sales for them when other manufactures are making true improvements and innovations to canister filters.

[@frickinchube]

Hi Richard, excellent videos you made!!! I have a question What do you think about seachem matrix? Thanks a lot

[@mattphillips6714]

Everyone and anyone knows this channel and it has a very big outreach. Ehiem will see this and the picture this video has will have an impact on sales in the Uk or any local aquatic store that focuses on Ehiem products, I’m gobsmacked at the amateur mistakes made from the design of this product. Heaters break a lot quicker than filters and the glaring mistake here is you can’t replace this style so you either run the filter with a broken heater and replace with an in tank one or buy a new filter.. Oase have the right idea by making everything removable and replaceable so the filter becomes future proof... your honesty on the review is excellent, I hope the gentleman who purchased this product returns it for a full refund and buys a better make.

[@liamwalters5029]

There still sell loads it’s a shame a company as good as this has sold its soul but it the way of the world now

[@goldiel4664]

The problem with eheim is their filters were too fantastic. Anyone can tell you their filters are running 20 years or more and have been sold and resold and in terms of making some money then they'll probably have to add a default and the ignorance is theirs.

[@neilmick6778]

They don't care about the UK market. I tried to buy one of their aquariums and couldn't because basically they've pulled out of the UK market.

[@stevemitchell1280]

Love these videos, I’m running an FX4 at the moment. Is there a better filter on the market in your opinion?

[@NittanyFins]

What canister filter do you rank as "best" or "at the top" for a 150 gallon cichlid tank? I want to look into pimping it and putting on my tank. I have two sunsun 3000's on it now and I'm just not happy with them. Thinking of trying to get something with more flow.....fx6? something else?

[@roj1660]

Would love to know this, too.

[@OriginalMindTrick]

Ehem 2260/2262 and ADA 2400 are the best out there in terms of filter capacity and durability. If you can take the noise is the FX6 a pretty reasonable filter for the price. It's a lower tier though.

[@paulbolton1071]

Hello I’ve just been watching your video on the Eheim pro 5 as I wanted to know your opinion of the Eheim filters, plus what you recommend regards to media and how to set it up ? I’ve just bought a very nice second hand tank which came with everything even a Eheim pro 3 canister filter and the lot cost me £130 , there is some media in this filter with the bottom tray being little brown balls about the size of a pea with some foam on top , in the middle tray I would describe it as miniature black pot noodle black plastic and personally I just cannot see what on earth this actually does ? and the top tray is empty . On the inside of the lid it says Typ 2073510 series 13053 L/std 1050 and each tray seems to be around 3” in depth please can you tel me how much bio foam ultra I would need to put in the middle tray and the top tray and we’re can I buy the course medium and fine foams from ? As for the bio foam how do I order from you and can I pay over the phone I hope this information helps and I look forward to hearing from you regards Paul from bolton Lancs

[@diagonallycuttoast2438]

EFX 600 is the one you were thinking of! Maidenhead still sells them! They are an absolute unit of a filter, planning on getting one for a 90gal community tank

[@pondguru]

That is great to hear as they are beasts of filters.

[@nicksavage4763]

How are the Kingfishers doing at your home pond?

[@Vaivai371]

I've been a huge fan of this series but I was wondering if you are gonna do a review or PMF on any of Penn-Plax products. I've been following your videos as a general guideline for my filters for my turtle but I would like to know your opinion on Penn-Plax.

[@menasherosenberg4415]

I do maintenance for a business. Get your issues with lack of included media etc but I find they are simplest to maintain and never leak when set up correctly. Replacement parts are easy to get if needed and they last for life

[@woltergrant]

Just got a brand new Pro3 for $100. You liked that one. 10 year old filter. Good deal or no? What do you think?

[@petroman-cg8tt]

except for Eheims 2213, 2215, 2217, 2260 and 2262 all the rest of there filters are made like shit now a days, it's really sad. I own 4 - of the 2217's and 2- 2262 filters which i just bought a ton of your biohome ultimate and super biohome Gravel. Bought from Don at Great Wave Engineering.Love the Biohome products but Eheim needs to start building better filters, the Germans were always know for great filters, it's really sad. Joe H Navy Seabee

[@woltergrant]

What about the 2270 Professional 3? I just got a brand new 10 year old one for 100$. Was it a good score or did I get another lemon like this one?

[@PauloGLA]

If I was looking for a canister filter for a 300L tank with an included heater, what would you recommend?

[@OriginalMindTrick]

That sorta depends on local prices and what you are after. It also depends on how risk-averse you are with leaks and stuff breaking. Tetra EX1200 Plus for example can be had pretty cheap, is an absolutely excellent filter, and is one of the most silent filters for its size but have a higher leak rate than some other filters. Eheim Classic 600 is also a great option. A bit louder (still acceptable) but just goes and goes. If money isn't a concern and you want your children to have your filter when you die get an ADA canister.

[@st1flersteve]

Sorry might sound silly but what about calcium build up on the element.

[@srf6161]

Great info...I love biohome for my mbuna tank

[@JulianRedwood]

Great review, you should expect more from German made. I owned an Ehiem 3e and loved it - lasted me 10 plus years before it started leaking. I bought the 500e 700 and it's identical to the 300e apart from the colour(yay, I have spare parts). Ehiem has simply rereleased the 3e with no design updates in 10 years (apart from wifi) and so kept manufacturing costs down.

[@OriginalMindTrick]

You usually can fix the leak by changing rubber gaskets. A few of them on these pro filters though.

[@OriginalMindTrick]

@Kushal Bhattacharjee Just buy the Eheim 2260 and put a Jebao MDC 8000 on top which you can adjust the flow and power rate. I would try to mod the outflow somehow so the 16mm outflow pipe isn't strangling the pump too much, otherwise, it's kind of a waste to put such a powerful pump there.

[@Steve0272.]

I like these filters have on old 3 series I like the 2 inlets on those, but totally agree the price is a joke especially with no media that's taking the piss and they defo seem to have cut corners on material costs aswell as not utilise the possible space, says made in Germany but sometimes the parts are made elsewhere and simply built in the country named allowing them to claim " made " when it should be built in Germany for accuracy , great update as usual bud 😀👍

[@ndmutube]

Hi Richard, great series of videos in PimpmyFilter. I wondered if you could have a look at the Askoll Pure family of filters and give your views on those? Many thanks, Nick

[@2tardi]

Richard, thanks. I’m not offended. My 1 and 3 series of Eheim is still running. After they die, I exchange them with Oase or Jbl (resp Hamburger Mattenfilter).

[@devonfriskie3744]

PLEASE. You forgot the black valve. Then you pull to off position click button. Under there is a loose piece! In lid. Looks like a cone. How do I put it together???? Please help

[@Chris-vc6bn]

Oh Jesus there was me thinking of selling my Ehiem 3e pro XXL for one of these. After this I will be keeping the XXL. Great review I hope ehiem don’t become Apple just thinking people well pay anything for the latest product. Great reviews as always 👍

[@SUM1SLY83]

I’ve had two with the heaters in them and both stopped working.

[@Sean3D2Y]

Should do the Fluval C series as well. Would like to see what you could do to it.

[@richhead1999]

Ill be sticking with the sunsun 404bs for $100 each. Sunsun filters have never failed me...except one of the couldn't keep up with my turtle tank. Except the cord coming out of the bottom I don't see any improvement over what I have now.

[@maaddaawg3568]

I miss my Eheim Wet/Dry Canister and I liked the series with the dual intakes too, they both lasted a long time. Everything after those have been cheap replicas to be avoided. Never saw this one in the States though.

[@grahammanning5226]

Had many Eheims over the years and all the electronic models have developed software issues after warranty. The only model I recommend is the 2260 tub filter body but even with that I have replaced the pump with a Jabao pump controlled by a separate wifi controller to reduce flow to 10% for Nitrate removal.

[@OriginalMindTrick]

What model of Jebao is that and how is the noise level compared to stock eheim? In my mind, a DC pump should be quieter and perhaps use less power as well.

[@Mrtom40]

Whats your Recommended filter for say a 300l

[@traderpete007]

Based on the way you look at this it seems like the best option is just to make your own filter with a 5 gallon bucket and just fill it with bio media without trays whatsoever. Maybe a second small pre filter canister.

[@jml469]

Il stick with my aquael ultramax thanks 👍

[@pas100657]

I've been using the Ehiem 3Pro on my 120 Gal Discus tank for over 7 years. Easy to maintain & keeps the tank really clean with minimal tweaks, just added a couple of polishing pads & a bag of aragonite to the included media and a coarse sponge on the intake. It's a shame Ehiem has fallen behind the pack. Oase isn't that big of a presence here and the reviews have been mixed the Fluval 4 & 6 are by far the leading canisters.

[@OriginalMindTrick]

I still take an Eheim pro over the Oase Biomaster after using both. The FX6 is a great filter, especially for mechanical filtration but it is quite loud so if that is an issue avoid them. In general, the Fluval filters are a bit loud.

[@Simply4Aquatics]

The Eheim Professionel 3 Filter 1200XLT - 2180 had the same set up with the heater but it was on the head it’s self. The heat did fur up like you would expect in a kettle very quickly and stopped working just over a year in! The heater is not replaceable it’s a complete head replacement. I Like Eheim but the Eheim Professionel 3 Filter 1200XLT - 2180 and 2080 where the worst filters I have ever used from them. The Pro 4 and pro 5 I haven’t used so couldn’t say. The Pro 3e 700 was great! I had 2 of them running for 16 years and never let me down they even get sold on still running very well!!

[@MrRoverpilot]

How does it differ from the topfin pro 200

[@chrisbee9164]

Loving this PMF series. I used to be a total fanboy of Eheim but they've gone downhill esp in the last 10 years. Fancy gimmicks rather than quality filtration nowadays. The RRP on this is a total p-take. To fill this with their recommended media would probs be another £150. Scandalous!! Which filter do you recommend these days? Also what are your thoughts on Seachem purigen? I've not seen you incorporate into any setups. Keep up the great work

[@ianfrench198]

Glad I watch the video and haven't wasted my money

[@BonkersAboutAlice]

My concern would be the heater heating up water to a temp that makes biological filtration less effective. It may heat water to tank temp but to do that and overcome losses it must heat water far higher.

[@OriginalMindTrick]

I wouldn't worry about that. First, the flow would not create a hot spot inside the filter and even if it was doing that a higher temp would probably be better for biological filtration as it would speed up the metabolism of the bacteria.

[@goldiel4664]

@@OriginalMindTrick the heater is to maintain temperature and biological load will not be dependent on temperature at a higher temperature

[@igorverdes]

You want this to be bigger, but how do you cary this filters full of water anyway?

[@andystokes8702]

Even ignoring the quality issues here, what I find really strange is that if you compare this to a Fluval or an Oase, the main body of a Fluval or Oase canister is just a one piece moulding which has got to be much cheaper to produce than what Eheim have with a multi-part system that needs to be put together. It's as if they have gone out of their way to make a complicate design which uses far more plastic, is much less effective than it could be and reduces the capacity by 30%. What were they thinking?

[@OriginalMindTrick]

I think they were thinking of making it look good rather than saving plastics and maximizing space. The classic line sorta does that already so they wanted something new with their "upgraded" line.

[@ChinTsaiVanDeBeld]

I've had the Eheim 5e 700 for my aquarium for a while now. Eheim is not honest about the L/H. They state to deliver 1850 L/H directly from the engine head +-, in reality this is only 1065 L/H +-. I found this out by emailing Eheim and talking to people about the external filter How do you think about this? Do you know anything about this?

[@OriginalMindTrick]

This is standard for all canister manufacturers unfortunately. They inflate number by saying flow directly from the pump or with an empty canister instead of real use flow. Fluval claim 3500l/h with the FX6 but is around 1900 in reality.

[@davidparry2301]

I use an eheim eccopro 300. No issues as such but even on this some of the plastic could be a little more robust As for not putting media in, I think they’ve realised most people will switch it out for Biohome 😉

[@OriginalMindTrick]

I have tried two and both of them finally cracked when trying to open them at the plastic hinge part. They should have made that part metal as it is the part that is most under stress and as plastic tends to go more brittle with time. Otherwise, it was a pretty good filter but to have such a design flaw is not acceptable. Go with the classic, pro or experience lines of canisters from Eheim instead.

[@brianhaig1971]

Just watched this video what giggle when I needed one thanks Richard my wife thought I was laughing at a work colleague as we're in Northumberland lol .... ps I guess you didn't like the filter pmsl

[@-Gunnarsson-]

I think the Eheim filters goes thru 3 sections in manurfactoring. 1. The guy who used to like aquariums but lost interest brings the design ideas. 2. The economy unit cheaping it down the best they can for best profit. 3. The boss sends it back to the first guy and start over one more round😂

[@pondguru]

I think you may be on to something there.....considering their modern competition from their neighbors (Oase, Aquael) Eheim have lost the plot by releasing a poorly made wi-fi enabled filter which has the manufacturer in mind (profits) while their competition have released filters which have the fish keeper in mind (easy maintenance and solid construction). Eheim's R&D department should be sacked, lol It's the Hollywood equivalent of 'Get woke, go broke'. People need to vote with their wallets ..... and they are doing that.

[@yoda-5550]

@@pondguru sorry but i'm not with your opinion about the filter. i have installed an eheim 3e 600T, it's typically identical to the 5e, for over 4 years now. What is the important thing for a canister filter? It should be waterproof, silence and with no water leak. And that is all the eheim fullfills. In this 4 years i had never any problems with water leaks and it is really easy to clean(inculding the impeller). This review is superficial for me. Yes, maybe the plastic is thin, but it is good quality plastic, you can bend it. It is not hard cheap plastic. thats a hudge difference! You speak of Oase? You've checked the awful pre-filter? You talked about Aquael? You checked the leaky pre-filter? You also didn't talk about the good eheim support with spare parts for their filters. You get spare parts for filters that are 15 years or older.. sorry but your review is not fair. I could advise the guys here to make up their own opinion.

[@ThousandYardStare]

@@yoda-5550 (my other channel) That's what the comment section is for - discussions. Therefore I thank you for your input. This series of videos is not about reviewing filters and any thoughts on the filters are obviously immediate and (due to the nature of the video not being a review) superficial compared to reviews from long term users of each filter. The most important thing for me is to explain how the water flows through the filter then demonstrate how to set the filter up for maximum efficiency and give an indication of what size tank each filter will service for a normal or heavy stock with the goal of achieving a full cycle. Disagreeing and discussing is how we learn so keep it up, man.

[@Snuffy_Tamiya_RC]

Love your videos, wondering if you have done pimp my filter on ocean free hydra 1800

[@justinrvarga7236]

Great review mate. Here in Australia eheim are rediculously over priced except their 2215 and 2217 filters which are still great value for money. For the life of me I still don’t know why eheim haven’t done an upgraded version of the 2260 or 62 monster cannister.

[@goldiel4664]

Because you simply don't need anything larger or more capacity. Anything more then you need to progress to sumps and a better solution to fish maintainice.

[@OriginalMindTrick]

@@goldiel4664 It becomes a real hassle to clean out a filter larger than the 2260.

[@OriginalMindTrick]

The only upgrade I would like to see is a more powerful adjustable DC pump.

[@fasthracing]

I have a 1200XLT. (The one with the built in heater) hate it, its so noisy.

[@conman20000]

Hello Richard, so why do you need bio filtration, doesn't mechanical filtration such as sponges; provide surface area for the bacteria to grow?

[@MrHoopski]

you have aerobic AND anaerobic bacteria they basically cant both survive on just sponges, you need both to create a FULL cycle of your tank

[@goldiel4664]

Yes sponges do provide mechanical filtration but also biological filtration. You're sponge is alive with biological filtration so don't worry or clean it too much.

[@conman20000]

@@MrHoopski why cant they?

[@MrHoopski]

@@conman20000 try researching it instead of asking questions, Richard has also done videos on it

[@conman20000]

@@MrHoopski if you dont know just say so.

[@dennisvanopstal7360]

Ive got 2 Eheim 4+ filters and i like them eventhough the flaws you pointed out. I agree with your opinion. But Oase is the top German brand if you ask me. I have 3 Oase Biomasters and if i have to buy a new Cannister it will be an Oase again.

[@timbo2clark823]

My god that’s a stupid price they really have lost it

[@dodexsamforna446]

I am an Eheim fanboy from Canada. This just broke my heart I am disappointed with the abysmal improvement 😞 from Pro 4+ series 😢. Oase brand is better in comparison in terms of quality.

[@OriginalMindTrick]

The trays on the Oase Biomaster are a joke. Flimsy POS design that doesn't fit together properly. Also the Oase is too loud IMO.

[@dietere.puchta9688]

"Like a Chinese build quality from the 90s" This says it all and even more in context to this shamelss price tag! Great review, like always 😎

[@Ian-qw1zb]

It does perform well but fragile trays are scary because the media gets heavy.

[@kjetilmedhus7363]

I have a lot of Eheim filters, from 2273 up to xl1200. I have only one in the Pro4-series, though, and I doubt I’ll ever get a Pro5-series one. And besides that, I’d never buy one with an internal filter or wifi.

[@Oyxopolis]

Bought an Oase to replace my Eheim. Put it in place today. Dear lord, the difference. Did you know that the vacuum pump (I'm not sure I'm using the right English for that, oh it's a Primer, thanks!) in the Eheim simply doesn't work properly? I can't manually suck in water to the filter. The Oase basically took 2 seconds to fill up, one try, and fills up into the output all the way to the top (from about 1 to 1.25m below the aquarium). Also; I'm over capacity this time, for less money. It's insane.

[@adrianpadilla1030]

I know I’m late on this but the fact that it doesn’t come with the media is ridiculous. Such an expensive canister. Almost bought one simply because of the heater. Went with Fluval instead. Turtles are happy.

[@ThousandYardStare]

(my other channel) Good one - I'm glad you're pleased with your filter. Eheim have gone crazy and priced themselves out of the aquarium market with their pro4 and pro5 filters.

[@Liz-M]

Thanks 😊

[@Alexander-rj7vo]

Eheim legend died with this review Sun Sun all the way for $150

[@ThousandYardStare]

(my other channel) Yup, I can't ague with that logic.

[@mediscusnut7994]

4 x704 b filters for the price of this EHEIM ,and left over cash for good bio media whats not to like👍

[@cecilbooyse6034]

What is your absolute favorite canister filter?

[@jaapvanderplas8175]

Eheim is an old German brand, but it's not what it used to be either.

[@Bob-vj8qu]

You might call me an Eheim fanboy, always used all Eheim canisters & adapted or modded them. Fully agree with the video. This looks like a product for people with more dollars than sense, if you know what I mean.

[@rdh2593]

I have a Pro 4 running on my tank, it is one of the worst purchases I have ever made, it is so difficult to prime that I dread routine maintenance. I used to run Eheim Ecco filters with no bother at all, simple and reliable. I will not purchase another Eheim external

[@goldiel4664]

Well OVER the top and ridiculous because you must be special 🙄

[@nataliravn]

YES. Finally someone who says it like it is. I have said this about this brand for years 🤣 This was therapeutic to watch lol

[@pondguru]

You're probably just as disappointed as me with Eheim but sadly most channels won't criticize anything (or promote it)unless they're being paid to do so, lol

[@nataliravn]

@@pondguru yeah you have no idea (I mean you do). Seems to me not only are people unwilling unless there's money involved, there also seems to be such a bizarre cultlike following blindly praising the products, it's almost taboo disagreeing. In real life as well as online 🤣 So again, thank you, was really refreshing

[@ThousandYardStare]

@@nataliravn (my other account) True and I agree for sure. Best of luck with your system.

[@nataliravn]

@@ThousandYardStare thank you 🙏

[@OriginalMindTrick]

A tip for anyone with these filters, don't use the priming button at all or very sparingly. If you do it has created leaks in the past. Unless the engineers at Eheim have fixed that issue that is. Just fill the filter with water before turning it on.

[@goldiel4664]

If you did it correctly, these are self priming with little need for amateurs. These are pro fitters as in the name.

[@kazimahmedov6158]

Which filter best ?

[@Ranwzmn]

@pondguru , thanks to your review, i have managed to buy the exact filter at 200$ and i love it! This filter has some benefits over other filter i used , wifi function is one of them with using different dynamic flow mode based on tank requirements

[@ThousandYardStare]

(my other channel) I'm glad you think the filter is good and it is working well for you. $200 is a much more realistic price point for this filter as opposed to the crazy price it is usually sold for.

[@AmazonasBiotop]

But is there a "bypass" built in as you speculated? Then you can't SEE that "the flow is less and it is time to clean the filter". Because instead of flow going past filter media then it will bypass unfiltered and the user will not know! When the flow seams to be still OK.. (Maybe the wifi will tell you about that the bypass is enabled?) Why having a bypass! There is no problem to solve.. by it.

[@tariqnordsve2796]

Those panels is supposed to work as bumpers for the canister except they don’t. My canister got a crack on the height of the canister from corner to filter head seat when it slipped out of my hand so I had to buy the €80 canister without heater unless I wanted to pay €260 for an- in my eyes also -useless inbuilt heater. How ever I must say it is nice to be able to control all the different flow modes on my phone. I wouldn’t want to be without 👍🏼

[@adkgaladkgal1799]

I used my Eheim Pro 3 for 1 year and the plastic down water spouts split, no longer fit together. The primer pump no longer worked after one year. Now, I use a DIY top filter with a pump. Nothing like the ones I have seen made on you tube. I have been using the DIY filter for 3 yrs. The ease of use is no comparison. Ugly, yes, but so easy in every way. My fish are better off.

[@captainwin6333]

You're not even using the thing and rattling off a list of stuff you imagine will be issues. That's just opinion. I bought this filter a couple of weeks back so have experience using it. Regarding the wattage of the heater, I live in Scotland, have a Juwel Rio 350 litre tank (with the Juwel filter removed), the house has no heating on overnight and the tank sits at a solid 24C. I'll see how it goes through winter. The set up it replaced was 2 x Eheim 2017 with 2 x 200 Watt Hydor in-line externals and they couldn't maintain 24C in winter using a D&D temp controller. A possible reason the Eheim Thermo may be more efficient at heating water is the element is metal and exposed directly to the water whereas any glass heater has an element inside that doesn't touch the glass, it has to heat up the inside of the heater tube hot enough to then transfer the heat to the glass of the heater which then heats the water. That could well be a more inefficient way to turn Watts into degree C in an aquarium than the Eheim element. So 100 Watts for 100 Litres may well be the rule of thumb for glass heaters but may well not hold true for the heating element in the Eheim Thermo. Time will tell but I'll find out soon enough as the temp in this room overnight in winter can get low enough to freeze condensation on the inside of the window. There's nothing wrong with the trays either in my experience. The bottom one fits in really snugly and I thought I'd maybe put the wrong one in first and it took some pulling to get it out, no bother, no breakage. The wifi stuff, the only thing I used it for was to set up a day/night flow difference so it's set up to run about 80% through the day and about 50% at night. In operation it's far quieter than 2 or even 1 Eheim 2017. Regarding comments about the quality of Oase, I researched long and hard when looking to replace my Eheim Classics and found plenty stories about the poor flow rate of the Oase BioMasters plus lots of people having serious issues with them drawing in air which may be down to the restrictive flow prior to the pump head. Oase made a 'MKII' pump head but a number of people are still complaining on forums about air getting in and the noise it makes once into the impeller. I liked a few things about the Oase, the pre-filter looks a good idea and the fact it's also a thermo filter appealed but I was trying to get away from my Eheim classic because they were drawing air due to bagged media slowing the flow rate so didn't want to chance that again. Another option was the Aquael 2000 but they also have some reported issues with quality, water and air leaks plus there's no thermo model. So all in all I'm delighted how it's gone the last couple of weeks from set up to using it to it's performance thus far. No problem with the setup apart from some idiot, me, putting the hoses on the wrong way round but that was a two minute fix. No media with the filter wasn't an issue for me as I already had 5 litres of Eheim ceramic media that I was using in the Classics but I get how that could be an issue for someone starting an aquarium from scratch. But I'm looking forward to see how this handles winter and how long it goes without requiring maintenance. The filter is currently reporting it wont need maintenance until May but that may change as the weeks go by.

[@pondguru]

Excellent comment and a perfect example of how to respectfully disagree while coming back with well challenged points of information. This is probably he first time I've given a comment one of those heart things. I neglected to mention that with regard to the heater I'd be worried that although it may keep the water up to temperature on the lower end of the 'recommended' size of tanks if it was on practically all the time to do so would add a heavy cost to the electric bill. Since unfortunately so many people have smart meters now I'd love to get some sort of info on how often the heater comes on and how long it stays on for compared to a conventional heater using the rough 1W per litre guide for the conventional heater and the recommended tank size guide for the Eheim filter / heater. Since the early days of having my shop some 25+ years ago I've championed Eheim right up to and including the Pro 3 series of filters and while you're 100% correct that everything expressed in this video is my opinion it's based on seeing literally hundreds of different types of filters from dozens of different manufacturers over the years. The Pro 5 was Eheim's big opportunity to remind the young upstarts at Oase who's boss in the filter world after the debacle of the Pro 4 series and the (worldwide) success of the Oase Biomaster filters I honestly feel like Eheim dropped the ball in the worst possible way as they failed to ensure that they maxed out any of the things people look for when selecting a filter which would include the following: 1 - Capacity for foams and media 2 - Flow rate 3 - Construction quality 4 - Ease of cleaning I honestly hope that they can pull it back with another range of filters in the future but how many loyal customers will they have lost before they get their act together? If they do that I'll be the first to sing their praises but it seems like they're on a worrying business trajectory at the present time. Although I normally don't do a straight 'talk to the camera' type of video I'll shoot a video on my thoughts on Oase, Eheim and Fluval in the near future which will give some background on my relationship with Oase in the past and what I think of the current range of filters from all 3 companies compared to their previous range of filters. In Oase's case I'll mention what they saw in other people's filters and worked on improving for their own filters.

[@captainwin6333]

@@pondguru OK, It's been operating flawlessly for two years now and a few observations. It's on a Juwel Rio 350, the Juwel filter has been removed so it's just the Eheim filtering/heating the tank. It's had no problems maintaining temperatures throughout the winter months where two Eheim 600 Classics with two external 300 watt Hydor heaters struggled. The flow rate is more than enough and I've got it set around 80% of maximum, I never need to change it. The longest I've left it without doing any maintenance on it is around 6 months and the flow rate remained pretty good (I don't have any monster fish in there, just two big schools of tetras, corys, 6 rainbow fish and about a dozen Ottos, so the tank is not really heavy on 'mechanical' waste). It's still silent in operation, a big thing for me. The one issue I have is the weight of the thing dragging it out of the Juwel cabinet but other than that, I'm much happier with this than I was with the two Eheim 600 classics. I'll update this in another couple of years!

[@ThousandYardStare]

@@captainwin6333 (my other channel) That is great and I'm glad it is working well for you. Unfortunately with the bigger filters you're stuck with the weight due to the amount of media and water inside.

[@lakedistrict9450]

Thanks for the review. I like this filters features. Between this and the Oase 850, I prefer the DC motor which are quieter than AC, cheaper on power consumption , plus the feature to maintain and adjust flow rates. It seems the Oase have an easier pre filter although the Eheim isn’t too bad given the head doesn’t have cable on it, so a little longer to clean but not by much. Would prefer a user replaceable heater, so OASE wins on that front. The wobbly corners? They have no function except perhaps as impact protection for the container…and a bit of flex could act like a crumple zone on cars in case of impact. Price is a thing, but not more me. No filter media? Perfect, as I won’t be throwing away new bundled media material, when I replace with my own choice…maybe even Biohome😊👍 Nice. Never owned an Eheim before.

[@pondguru]

Good one - it is great to hear your experience of the filter. At the end of the day the best filter is whatever works well for you.

[@elgezouliabdul4973]

Thanks for the honest review as usual. The eheim is just a name now the 2080 whole canister clips broken so easy and then the only way is to get new one so new canister comes naked I mean the Coustmer has to buy the clips the side protection... no more ...... Thanks Richard

[@pondguru]

Unfortunately eheim seem to have burned their great reputation with their last couple of generations of filters and the 'profit over quality' business model which has obviously been adopted but maybe one day they'll come roaring back with a filter designed with the fish keeper and not the shareholders in mind. We can only hope.

[@elgezouliabdul4973]

@@pondguru yes I have a 2080 the whole filter is out of service because of the clips handel and not all of it just the small part that attached the clips to the canister !! I could not glue it ! Do you have any idea. To buy new spare coast 110 euro for an empty canister and to buy each part separate clips and side protections. Thanks

[@pondguru]

@@elgezouliabdul4973 If you have a broken part of the main filter body you're stuck to buying the whole filter body but they're often available used on ebay or similar sites.

[@elgezouliabdul4973]

@@pondguru the used ones is not that much Avilable qnd will have same issue hard plastic over time broke with no solid reason the new one is 95 /110 euro and new filter is 375 euro , 3 × aquael ultramax 1500 😅😅 by the way it is very solid filter for its price I mean the aquael the only issue is the spare parts are not available I did your upgrade and the filter is huge

[@ThousandYardStare]

@@elgezouliabdul4973 (my other channel). Other than picking one up second hand it looks like you're stuck to either buying a new filter or a new replacement part there. I'm glad the upgrades are working well for you and best of luck with the tank(s)

[@garyboyce6186]

It’s been said a bunch but we would all line up to grab a POND GURU filter design. Comes with Biohome

[@jw879]

I think it would be awesome with all your knowledge. That you would worked with a Company and made a canister filter Range that has the best of everything that you’ve come across and with your knowledge . It would be and extremely well made canister filter I think a lot of people would buy it if your name was backing it

[@goldiel4664]

Well there's no requirement for that as Eheim had already done it