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Whats better: 2 little ones or 1 Big one?

Willard

Member
Joined
22 Oct 2011
Messages
46
Location
Merseyside
Hello folks

I have at last realised my eco pro 300 doesnt do the job for my 180 litre juwel vision.....:sorry: My tank has dead spots where gunk gathers & when I disturb the gunk it doesnt seem to get sucked up, it just settles back down. Also the flow has been drastically reduced by the tubes getting gunk in them.

I thought I had a brain storm ( beginning to think its was more a brain fart now though) and ordered a eheim 2224 which arrived today. The plan was to have 2 filters drawing from each end with the flow going outwards the front of the tank. Total combined flow = 1450 lph.

Is this a good idea? Or would I be better placed sending the 2224 back, stick the eco pro on ebay & get one bigger filter like a eheim 2075 with 1250 lph? Would the more powerful filter suck up more of the the gunk & eliminate the dead spots more effectively than the 2 small ones I already have?

any pointers would be much appreciated

Cheers

Willard
 
HI Willard, the vision tanks are a bit of a pain regarding getting flow right anyway, I eventually worked the right set up out flow and filter wise in my jungle journal which was a vision 450. Tended to find the dead spots being the rear corners of the tank.
As for filtration I always think two filters give you more flexibility. However getting rid of the two filters and having just the one slightly bigger filter won't necessarily rid you of the dead spots. You may benefit from a powrrhead running along with the 2075 if you do opt for that one.
I found with the bow front that flow was best by using the outlet of the filter placed at the back right or left blowing down and across then a power head at the front corner blowing the opposite way.
If using spray bars a lot of flow seemed to head into the centre of the tank due to the curved front.
 
An option I am considering in my 4 footer is to use an external pump like an eheim compact or Newjet. It may be worth considering if you dont need the filter for actual filtration.
 
I have a JBL1501 (1500litres/hour) on my vision 180, being the biggest filter that will fit in the cupboard, along with the internal @ 600litres/hour (and 3000litres/hour powerhead) and don't appear to suffer from "dead spots". But I have rather well exercised fish when powerhead is on.

I also found putting air on at night, I have a bubble tube running across the back of the tank at substrate level, also helps shift around deposited debris to be sucked into the filters.
 
An option I am considering in my 4 footer is to use an external pump like an eheim compact or Newjet. It may be worth considering if you dont need the filter for actual filtration.

A narrow output powerhead is relatively inefficient in moving water - you're much better off putting up with an in tank streamflow type of pump - it's much more efficient.
 
A narrow output powerhead is relatively inefficient in moving water - you're much better off putting up with an in tank streamflow type of pump - it's much more efficient.

I was going to connect the pump to a spraybar :)
 
Thanks for the replies everyone. Im still undecided. One of the niggling doubts I have about keeping the eco pro is the way it got bunged up with goo & the flow plumetted. I assume a bigger filter wont get clogged up as fast and keep its flow for longer?

That said if I have 2 filters then the gunk will be split between the two & they wont get bunged up as quickly. Also if one dies I have the other to keep me going.....

Something else that is The 2075 will need to go into the centre of the cabinet as it wont fit into the cupboards. This would mean i would need to drill through the cabinet back to feed through the pipes & power. Is this wise with 180 litres of water & 30kg of gravel sitting on top ofthe cabinet? Could I weaken the structure of the cabinet?
 
Drilling a hole through the rear centre piece is fine I did it on my vision 450

I second that, you wont have a problem doing that. I also drilled through the side section on one of my tanks. If you imagine the size of the hole compared to the overall structure of the panel it wont make any measurable difference to the strength. Remember to smear some clear silicone on the open cut though just to protect against water splashes. I had an Ecco Pro once. Hated it. Pain in the rear to prime as well. I dont think you will regret the 2075. But wouldnt a JBL e1501 fit in your cupboard section ? They are good filters too.
 
Thanks for the assurance about the cabinet folks. If I get the 2075 I will get the drill out...
Im still unsure if i should stick with the eco pro and 2224 though. Will the flow from the two be less than the flow from 2075 or Jbl 1501?
 
Not sure about the ecco or 2224 but I know the jbl and 2075 both produce around 900 litres an hour once full of media

Thanks for providing that bit of info Alastair. I imagine the power of the flow would also be a bit higher too? I have done a crude calc with the ecco pro & I worked out Im getting around 415 litres per hour. The 2224 I assume will be around the same - so I will have 830ish if I hook both up.

What would you do? Should hook up the eheim 2224 to run with the eco pro or get the 2075?
 
I was going to connect the pump to a spraybar :)

It's not the way the water is spread that causes the inefficiency it's the actual design of the motor itself. Streamflow type pumps have a large propellor type impellor that shifts a lot of water at low pressure and never restricts the water in pipes meaning huge amounts can be shifted short distances easily. Pumps and pipes mean more frictional head so your pump has to work harder for the same flow and is therefore less efficient. Also with a spraybar you're just getting lots of little jets of water rather than a broad stream of water so while the spraybar might be better than a single outlet (though I like single larger outlets personally) it still would match the other type of pump for efficiency. Don't get me wrong it'll still do the job and means there's no pump in the tank but I'd go with a koralia type pump everyday.
 
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