I dont EVER want an Eheim! The Filstar PIMP club!!!!

[edschmidt]

I have used the Eheims for years. I normally buy them used for a cheap price. All of the other canister filters will work just fine. The big thing with the Eheim is that they will run for 20 years very easily. The real test of a canister filter is how it deals with being plugged up with waste. I can only talk about the penn plax, Magnum, Fluvals, and Eheims as I have only used these filters. The Eheim will keep flowing water when all of the other filters have quit pumping due to not having a strong enough pump.

Having said all of this, I have been enjoying reading this post. I have been curious about some of the other canister filters and due to price, I may purchase something other than an Eheim. I am very opposed to paying the 'new price' for an Eheim, even though I love them.

[Raul-7]

To put it simply-
Eheims are the Mercedes-Benz of the filter world, while FilStars are the GM of the filter world. One is perfectly designed and manufactured, while the other simply does the job.

[Marc]

I've done a couple searches and found very few to none, people using the venturi as a way to diffuse co2. Tonight I decided to give it a try- to my surprise it worked pretty well. All I did was hook the co2 hose up to the venturi nibble. co2 bubbles were very small and they floated around everywhere in the tank. The only think that would make this idea work better is if the venturi part of the nozzle was deeper in the tank, so to maximize co2 diffusion. I think this is a great alternative to diffusing co2.

[Matak]

Originally Posted by Marc

I've done a couple searches and found very few to none, people using the venturi as a way to diffuse co2. Tonight I decided to give it a try- to my surprise it worked pretty well. All I did was hook the co2 hose up to the venturi nibble. co2 bubbles were very small and they floated around everywhere in the tank. The only think that would make this idea work better is if the venturi part of the nozzle was deeper in the tank, so to maximize co2 diffusion. I think this is a great alternative to diffusing co2.

So this venturi is on the XP? Where is it found?

[cbennett]

okay, i think you guys have convinced me to go over to the dark side of canister filtration. Christine... come to the dark side... lol. I guess I always figured canister filtration was too expensive for such a small tank but ~$60 bucks doesn't sound bad (nearly had a heart attack when I saw the price of Eheims! Shudder to think what the LFS price is! ). Plus my 25 gal Long already is plumbed in the bottom back with a green (Eheim?) hose and I think a ball-valve cutoff just hanging there. Seems a waste to not have it hooked up to anything. So got a coupla questions:

1. How quiet/not quiet are the XP1's really? This filter will go under my tank in my smallish apartment livingroom and the stand is one of those evil completely open ones. Quieter than my current Penguin 125? (Yes I know, it sucks.)

2. Will I need adaptors for the tubing that is connected to my tank already to go into the XP1?

3. Supposedly these things are easy to restart with 'self-priming action.' How is it really, would a mechanically-disinclined fish chick be able to do it without causing water spills or needing to start a massive muscle-building regimen?

4. What do y'all Filstar Pimps use as mechanical and biological media?

5. Really dumb question: So the back of my tank has a big hole drilled into it and an Eheim hose connected with a cut-off - if I connect this to the XP1, do I need to worry about my small fish going in there/getting sucked in? All my fish are really small and pretty curious. Is there a screen or something I should install? Sounds dumb I guess but it would suck if they got sucked in.

Thanks in advance, hopefully "Santa" will bring me one.
Christine

[dissident]

Might as well chime in, I had my XP3 for over a year, love it. It is quiet, easy to maintain, and flow rate has not suffered in the least. I have various other canister filters Jebo828, ViaAqua650, and have built my own. 2xJebo828=1xp3, the viaAqua has good flow but does not have near the same water contact with the media that the XP3 has.

to Rena for a well built filter that does a great job!

[Marc]

Originally Posted by Matak

So this venturi is on the XP? Where is it found?

well my xp2 came with a jet head type thing. You can use it to increase or decrease water flow. There is a little nipple which you can stick your co2 line into. I dont have a picture but maybe someone else does.

[Matak]

Marc, thanks. I currently have the spray bar attached, but I'll look at the jet (still in the box). I wonder if there is a way to attach the spray bar to the end of the jet?

Christine, 1. My XP3 is very quiet. I have to open my cabinet door, stick my head in the opening, press my ear close and listen to the quiet whirrr my filter makes. Not dead quiet like the Eheims, but very quiet. That's an XP3. Your'e getting an XP1 (always assume the sale ), it can only be quieter.

2. If the adaptors are the same ID size as the XP's, then yes. But I'll let someone with knowldedge on this chime in.

3. They supply you with a funnel to prime and priming is really a no-brainer and mess free. Not only that, but I only had to prime the very first time I set up. When I restart my filter during water changes, I have only to plug it in. It re-primes itself. I may have to re-prime during my first filter cleaning, I don't know.

4. I went to the dollar store and got $2 worth of nylon scrubby pads. (make absolutely certain that they contain no soap or cheap dye). They provide as much surface area for bio filtration as practically any other media and are easy to clean and easy to fit. Add them after the sponges that Rena provides.

5. The strainer on the inlet cover on my XP3 is more than tight enough to preven my little neons and amano shrimp from getting sucked in.

[cbennett]

Matak, thanks for the good feedback.

Ahhh... scrubbies! Of course! I used to use them back in the day when I had homemade pond filters. Good for biofiltration too as long as there's something fine in between the two layers.

So can I take the inlet screen and wedge it into the hole in my tank wall? That's where I want to prevent the fish and shrimp from getting in.

Sounds quieter than my HOB Penguin, always helps to keep the anti-fish spouse happy.

I'll have to take some measurements of the current outlet hose, luckily my LFS are really a good bunch that are very helpful.

[otter]

I just bought a Filstar XP1 for my 44g puffer tank... wow what an excellent filter, incredibly quiet and easy to use! I immediately ordered another one for my 46g planted tank. Currently I'm running my Co2 into the intake tube of my Magnum HOT in place of a reactor/diffuser. When I replace this HOT with an XP1, will I still be able to do this? Is there anyone out there that has/is doing this? Will it cause any problems with the XP1? Assuming that it's ok to do this, is there a better way to get the Co2 into the canister? What media should I be using in the XP1 for my planted tank? Thanks

[Matak]

Originally Posted by Dan Otterdahl

Assuming that it's ok to do this, is there a better way to get the Co2 into the canister? What media should I be using in the XP1 for my planted tank? Thanks

About the media, see answer #4 on post 158 above. About the injected CO2 and the XP, see Marcs answer (post 157) above regarding this.

Christine Sure, the inlet screen should work fine. Just to clarify, were talking about the screen that attaches to the intake tube for you filter, yeah?

PS: if you like my reply, you can recomend me by clicking on the little white scales at the bottom left below my sig line.

[otter]

Figures... I read the first 5 or so pages, then I got lazy, skipped to the end and asked my question right after it had already been answered... doh!

[Matak]

Originally Posted by Dan Otterdahl

Figures... I read the first 5 or so pages, then I got lazy, skipped to the end and asked my question right after it had already been answered... doh!

Isn't it always the way? How many time have I done that too.

[cbennett]

Originally Posted by matak

Sure, the inlet screen should work fine. Just to clarify, were talking about the screen that attaches to the intake tube for you filter, yeah?

umm... well, there's not going to be an intake tube, there's a hole cut in the back (towards the bottom) of the tank with a hose attached where the previous owner had an Eheim filter plumbed in. However, there's no screen or anything over this hole (I have an old Hagen ladder covering it now) and the I.D. of the hole is 5/8" I think. Hence, the fear that my fry and little teensy tetras will get sucked up.

[handsomeboy]

what filstar pimp# am i?
30?