I set up my newly acquired Eheim Pro II 2028 cannister filter yesterday. My older Fluval cannister is about 15 years old (in use for about 4 years though). All I can say is -- WOW! I see why they are relatively costly. Built like a tank, superb engineering.

The old - To clean the filter, I had to close the ball valves on the intake/output, the open the top of the filter while it was in position under the tank. This is messy so you first have to get a pail under the filter (tricky). With the valves closed, opening the filter causes a vaccum, so it won't come off. You need to gently crack a valve on one of the lines. If you open too much, water flood all over. You get the idea.

After cleaning, re-sealing is also tricky because the O-ring need to be in place just so. Oh, and don't lose the prime. Filter worked well, but what a pain!!

The new - One push priming, inlet/outlet connector has built-in valve so just disconnect and go. No muss, no fuss. Cleaning is easier with the lift-out trays. Media volume is bigger. Can't even hear it run. Hoses and intake/output tubes are well done with O-rings and easily adjustable.

I'm kicking myself for not buying this two years ago when I set up my current goldfish tank.

Amazing how one can find pleasure in such small things.

Dennis

One more thing. To get the new filter "up to speed" (biological filtration-wise), I running the new Eheim AND the old Fluval together for the next two weeks. That gives me three filters (also have an Emporer 280) running simultaneously in a 40 gallon tank. Lots of water movement in there, the fish seem to be enjoying it, and the water is spanking clean. I'm probably at 15X water volume.

To seed the new filter, I stirred up the gravel once it was running so that the filter would suck up some bacteria-containing gunk (I'm slowing converting to bare-bottom anyway)

Dennis

I really like my 2028s. They are great. The oldest one has a bit of a problem - the ceramic ball in the top valve has broken down and disintigrated. It is used to control the flow of the filter. But, since I always use it full out, I just pulled the pieces out and tossed them. The filter works splendidly without it.

The 2028 is a wonderfully forgiving media holder. What about taking the media from the Fluval and the Eheim and mixing them together. If you wish to separate them in the future, you can bag them separately. They will still fit in the trays just fine. Having media being in actual contact with seeded media will cause the colonies to transfer nearly instantly. Put 1/2 in the Fluval, 1/2 in the Eheim and within a week you should have a nicely seeded set of media. You can set aside the Fluval media and just load the Ehiems in the new filter....

My 56 gallon tank needed the 2028 (biological) along with two Emperor 280s on it to keep the clear water I want in there....

Good choice in filters. THey are nice! One of mine runs a nice big UV, also!

Daryl - Great suggestion. I will give that a try.

Dennis