Eheim 2217

[LIB]

I am the proud owner of one of these filters and so far it exceeds anything else I've ever used on a daily basis. Being the kind of person who isn't comfortable not being 'prepared', I'm in the process of acquiring everything I will need when it comes time to clean the filter, etc.

So far, I have all the pre-shaped filters. Now I need to find the right 'cocoa puff' stuff and the 'white cylindar' media. Can someone point me in the right direction? From my investigations online, apparently Efeim has some new/different stuff that does the same thing. Can anyone approve/reject their claims it's better?

Thank you,
LIB

[supadave]

You should not have to buy anything new . Just rinse and re-use what you already have in the filter .

[LIB]

No kidding? For how long? Supposedly, with this filter system and the size of my tank, I should not have to clean the filter more than maybe twice a year. Does it ever have to be changed?

LIB

[supadave]

I have filters running since 2007 and have never had to replace the media . As for the cleaning of your filter..........I would advise against cleaning them only twice a year . Keep in mind that although you may not see the poop in your tank.....it is still in your filter . Thus , still in the loop and creating Nitrates . High Nitrates can be toxic to fish . I personally clean my filter once a month .

[LIB]

OK, so you take it apart, wash everything well and put back together, once a month. That seems easy enough.

[sunkenmetal]

I have the same filter. I only clean it when the flow out of the spray bar slows down I guess I should say loses flow... The only thing i replace is the white pad. I just use filter floss to replace that. I dump the substratpro (the round brown stuff) in a bucket of tank water. Shake that bucket a little bit to get anything nasty off. Then just rinse the blue foam and the rings in tap water. Put it back together and all done.

[aquabee]

You should not have to buy anything new . Just rinse and re-use what you already have in the filter .

Just a small point which you probably already know LIB... but make sure to rinse everything in aquarium or dechlorinated water to preserve those awesome bacteria that we all love so much. I've gotten away with cleaning the media every other month, but it all depends on your bioload.