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3 Months With an Eheim Pro 3e

12K views 8 replies 6 participants last post by  bsmith 
#1 ·
I've now been the owner of an Eheim 2074 for around 3 months now so I thought I would give some feedback in case anyone is thinking of purchasing a Pro 3e.

The 2074 is on my 75 and is the smallest of the e models. It replaced a fluval 404, 304 and 2 Koralias. It's rated at 395 gph and holds somewhere around 1.5 g of media with 3 media baskets and a smaller prefilter basket. Of course we know real world flow and rated flow usually isn't that close. That being said, I've been very happy with the circulation it has provided. I think a lot of that is due to installing a set of lily pipes and the placement of those pipes. I have a good circular flow pattern and no apparent dead spots.

Being an e model, I guess something everyone might like to know about are the electronic features - variable flow, constant flow, etc. Well, after a couple of months, I switched it off and went to manual mode. One of the features is that it is supposed to maintain the same output by ramping up the pump as the filter gets dirty. It does this but you never get the maximum flow it is capable of since it has to keep something in reserve to maintain the flow you've selected. Putting the filter in manual mode has given me more output than I was able to get in auto mode even when selecting the highest flow setting.

Another issue I had was with bypass. A couple of weeks after changing over to the Eheim I noticed my water was hazy, when with the fluvals it had always been crystal clear. I assumed the change over had affected the biofilter and attributed the hazy water to that. After 2 months I still had hazy water so I did a search and found a thread on Monsterfishkeepers dealing with the same topic. The OP had the same issue so he put floss in the gap between the top basket and the walls of the canister and it cleared his water. So I tried it and next day I'm back to crystal clear water. It's not hard to do but it seems to be something you shouldn't need to do.

As far as positives, it's quiet, leak free, so far, and easy to service.

Would I recommend one? Not the e model, to me the electronic features turned out to be a nuisance. Buy the less expensive non e models if you want a Pro 3. Of course I didn't buy it for the electronics. I bought it because it had the most output of any Eheim I thought I could easily fit in my cabinet. For the most part I'm happy with it. I was able to get a lot of stuff out of the tank and from under my tank.
 
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#3 ·
Excellent points. I got a standard Pro 3 for my tank. As you point out, it's a lot less expensive. Also, IMO, water and electronics don't mix well. If the electronics have an issue, you will need to replace them, at great expense. Meanwhile, if it's a fatal problem, you got nothing until it's repaired or you buy something else. True, a conventional pump can fail too, but I feel it will be far less often.

Another possible factor I see. There are Eheim filters out there that are 30+ years old and still running. Will we be able to make this claim about the electronic controlled filters in 30 years? I rather doubt it. Try to find exact replacement parts for a 5+ years old personal computer. In most cases, it very difficult.
 
#4 ·
I looked into the electronic models, but didn't go with it for some of the reasons mentioned, but it really came down to price difference for what I was getting...as compared to standard pro3 models. I opted for a 2075 for my 75g.

I didnt experience the hazy water you mention. In fact, mine has been pretty clear from the beginning. I didn't think the Eheims had a problem with bypass. First I heard. Do you change that floss often and when you do is it pretty nasty? I may try to do that today when I do my water change just to see what the result would be on one of my 2080s. If there is room to place it.
 
#5 ·
Great post! I have a 90cmx45cmx45cm which holds about 150 liters (40gals) and at the moment is running with an Ecco Pro 2236. Although Eheim website say my Ecco is capable of aquariums up to 80 gals, I find its not enough....so I added a Aquaball 1212 for more flow. Anyway, the plan is to replace the filter with something like 2074 (or after reading the thread maybe an 2073) and to put the Ecco on my new 60cmx30cmx40cm. So, my questions are...Would the 2073 flow be too strong for a 40 gal? or Would the 7024 3e be better because of the adjustable flow rate?
Thanks in advance!
 
#6 ·
The adjustable flow is a nice thing to have but I'm sure you could have adjustable flow with a 2073 by using quick disconnects. I would just go for whichever you consider to be the best for your needs given the price.

Since this thread has been resurrected I guess I should update my observations a bit. The issue I thought I was having with bypass turned out to not be an issue with bypass. I've come to the conclusion that my issue with hazy water was indeed the result of a not yet mature biofilter. There's no need to pack any perceived gaps with floss. I'm currently using the filter with Matrix in the first two baskets and Ehfisubstrat Pro in the top basket with a thin layer of floss on top and the water is crystal clear. I also moved up from a 2074 to a 2076 shortly after writing the original post. Even though I still find all the electronics pretty much unneeded I do like the adjustable flow which is what brought me back to another e model.
 
#9 ·
Is this filter designed like the other eheim pro models, similar to rena XP's with the intake/outflow being at the top and having media baskets? I would have to think so since you had an issue with bypass. That is the only drawback I can find of having a basket and intake/outflows at the top type systems. Never had an issue with cloudy water with my classics!
 
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