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Aquael ultramax or Oase Biomaster external filter

Joined
13 Nov 2018
Messages
93
Location
Gillingham Kent
Hi,
I'm rather interested in these two makes of external filters,mainly because I like the idea of a prefilter that can be removed for cleaning without removing the whole filter from the aquarium.

I have a Juwel Rio 125 which has a capacity of 125 litres, it's heavily planted and filtered by a Eheim Classic and the original Juwel internal filter, altogether the two filters supply 1150 l/h which seems about right.

The Eheim Classic is a good filter but a bugger to clean so either of these two filters seem like a good investment but am I going to buy a filter that hasn't got the same quality and reliability of the Eheim brand?

I would really appreciate some feedback from people that have been running these filters on their tanks, I know that there are pro's and con's with everything we buy but to have comments from owners is more useful than manufacturers ratings.

Thanks in advance for any replies
 
Both filters get good reviews and both would work fine on your tank.

The oase has a good prefilter that's easy to access and clean, and if you opt for the thermo version you can remove the heater from the display.
 
Thanks for replying Nick,the built in heater is a good addition to the thermo version as I would remove the Juwel internal completely as I wouldn't need the enclosed heater which is included with the Juwel internals.
Most probably mean I would need the Oase 350 model as it's rated at 1100 l/h.
 
Thanks for replying Nick,the built in heater is a good addition to the thermo version as I would remove the Juwel internal completely as I wouldn't need the enclosed heater which is included with the Juwel internals.
Most probably mean I would need the Oase 350 model as it's rated at 1100 l/h.
The 350 would be ok, the 600 even better, never listen to the stated flow rates on the box, there are usually a lot less.
 
The 350 would be ok, the 600 even better, never listen to the stated flow rates on the box, there are usually a lot less.
I know,very misleading,price of the 600 is quite expensive, I'd want to be 100% sure that this was my best option so plenty of research needed,thanks for your suggestions Nick, I'm hoping to get some input regarding the Aquael filters so as I can compare, although they don't do a thermo model so I would need an inline heater which adds to the cost.

I'll have to wait and see if I get some more input from forum members.
 
I'm in the exact same position, I can't decide between the ultramax 2000 or biomaster 850

This is where I am right now
Aquael
+very good price
+high flow rate
+very convenient prefilter
-I'm worried about parts
-I feel like I see a 50/50 on the reviews with 50% having some sort of failure and waiting weeks if not months for parts
-virtually no customer service

Oase biomaster thermo
What can I say its oase.. Built in heater is beautiful, Brilliant customer service and just a decent filter but iv seen lost of posts regarding issues which I don't expect from a top brand but I guess we can't all be perfect

Other than these two filters I can't find anything that will satisfy my requirements for high flow, easy to access pre filter, and not over 300 pound
 
I'm favouring Oase to be honest Ollie,for the same reasons that you mentioned,spares and aftercare.
I was quite happy carrying the big Eheim Classic to the sink every time I cleaned it and then I see a video of the Oase and I was sold,and then I see a video of the Aquael Ultra and now I'm in limbo.
 
Hey,

I can't make the decision for you but if it were me I'd get the Oase. My reasoning is based on exactly what you said; aftercare. If it were cars for example, I'd rather have a slightly less powerful and more expensive car knowing that any problems I may have will be resolved well than a beast that is going to be headache should I need help. I also tend to look at resale value, which is likely to hold its value better should I no longer want this item.

Having said that, I can't pretend like price isn't a major driver. For instance, if the Aquael was £30 more and came with a heater inside I'd be very tempted. These days though I default to peace of mind. It's the same reason I yo-yo'd from Android to Apple and finally settled with Apple. But that's a whole different argument I'm not willing to start .
 
I've just put an oase thermo 600 on my 90L. It's very quiet, the flow is good and I like the pre filter and the fact the heater is in the filter.
 
-I'm worried about parts
-I feel like I see a 50/50 on the reviews with 50% having some sort of failure and waiting weeks if not months for parts
-virtually no customer service

Got the Aquael Ultramax 2000 last year; won't prime after just 2 months of use, still waiting for customer service solution...never again. Plus the flow wasn't better than my 1250l/h Eheim. Even worse; they now made an v3.0 version of it with 19/25mm hoses instead of the traditionnal 16/22mm.

My advice? Go for something with good customer service and good availability of the parts like Eheim, Jbl or Oase. ;)
 
I've just put an oase thermo 600 on my 90L. It's very quiet, the flow is good and I like the pre filter and the fact the heater is in the filter.
That sounds like you get a good amount of circulation in your tank, that's what I'm looking for,always possible to throttle it back a bit if it's too much.
 
Got the Aquael Ultramax 2000 last year; won't prime after just 2 months of use, still waiting for customer service solution...never again. Plus the flow wasn't better than my 1250l/h Eheim. Even worse; they now made an v3.0 version of it with 19/25mm hoses instead of the traditionnal 16/22mm.

My advice? Go for something with good customer service and good availability of the parts like Eheim, Jbl or Oase. ;)
I'm taking your advice, I've always had Eheim or Fluvals and in all honesty I've never had any problems with either although I do favour Eheims.
I think that the availability of spares and a good customer service department is very important just in case things go wrong.

I think I'm going to follow my heart and go with the built in heater and easy maintenance route.
 
I always used Eheim, just choosed to move to oase biomaster 850, the flow is great everything is great, except the constantly air purging, which I can't fix and the canister is still few months old.
 
I have switched Oase Biomaster 250 to Aquael Ultramax 1500 in my malawi tank after 2 years. Oase turned to have too many air bubbling issues with terrible noise.
Aquael is so far the most silent external filter I've ever seen, the noise level is literally zero (Juwel internal filter produces more noise). Prefilter is not so convenient as for Oase: you need to detach all hoses + the canister is too large to be opened inside a cabinet but I cannot blame Aquael for that. On the other hand, you can place something like Purigen inside of that prefilter which is not possible with Oase. Priming of Aquael is also a bit more complicated, but due to prefilter design it got clogged not so fast as Oase's one (like monthly cleaning instead of weekly).
I'm using Aquael for about 1 month so far, so some issues might be still uncovered, however, I'm quite impressed with it's value for the price.
 
It seems that the air bubbles and purging is quite a common problem with a lot of canister filters,I've never experienced it with my Eheim Classic 2215,most probably because there are so few parts to go wrong,no self priming,no prefilter,no media baskets,and I always have the hoses as short as possible,so it seems that simple is best.
 
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Hey,

I can't make the decision for you but if it were me I'd get the Oase. My reasoning is based on exactly what you said; aftercare. If it were cars for example, I'd rather have a slightly less powerful and more expensive car knowing that any problems I may have will be resolved well than a beast that is going to be headache should I need help. I also tend to look at resale value, which is likely to hold its value better should I no longer want this item.

Having said that, I can't pretend like price isn't a major driver. For instance, if the Aquael was £30 more and came with a heater inside I'd be very tempted. These days though I default to peace of mind. It's the same reason I yo-yo'd from Android to Apple and finally settled with Apple. But that's a whole different argument I'm not willing to start .
O no you did start it and it has to be android... 😂😜, that is the problem life is expensive and keeping bills down in the hobby helps with that aswell as the missus on our backs, the only reason I keep bouncing back to aquael is up untill looking for a new filter I had never realised how many aquael products I own and to be totally honest I can't fault any of them but once reading the reviews on the ultramax it put me off, too date iv never needed a replacement part so never knew what the customer service was like

Totally different subject but I'm struggling with a light, 100x40x63cm tank will have (maybe 6mm polycarbonate cover) due to kids, I'm stuck between twinstar 900sa v3 or chihiros wrgb 2

Cheers guys
 
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