Yes, they do pump uphill. Each pump will tell you the lph and how the maximum height it can pump to. I use a Maxijet which has adjustable flow, although I'm not sure if the Eheims do. I've got mine situated in the water vat which holds my R.O. water. I drilled two hole in the lid, and siliconed the power lead out of one, and a rubber hose, with a hose pipe attachment on the end siliconed onto the other. I can't remember the name of the hose pipe attachment, but it keeps the hole sealed. When I do a water change, I remove this attachment and replace it with another, which fits onto another attachment on the end of a rubber hose. I then plug in the power lead next to the fish tanks, and it has a switch plug on it (from Tesco), so I can just aim the hose into the tank, and press the switch to start pumping water and the flick the switch to stop pumping water. It's really easy. I'll ask my fiance for the name of the attachments when he gets home.