Eheim 2080 Pro3 vs Fluval FX5 REVIEW FINISHED !

[taksan]

I've been promising this comparison review for a while but now its nearly ready for publication.

THE BATTLE OF THE GIANTS

EHEIM 2080 PROFESSIONAL 3 vs FLUVAL FX5

http://www.akn-media.com/filters/Eheim2080_0001.jpg

http://www.akn-media.com/filters/FluvalFX5_0003.jpg


Filters will be compared on
1) Setup and ease of use
2) Flow rate in actual tank situation as % of pump rating
3) Time to convert 40ppm of Ammonia to Nitrate in identical tanks with identical media
4) Actual power costs
5) Cost of running (ie: replacement media costs)
6) Value for money



http://www.akn-media.com/filters/Eheim2080_0002.jpg

http://www.akn-media.com/filters/Eheim2080_0003.jpg

http://www.akn-media.com/filters/FluvalFX5_0002.jpg

http://www.akn-media.com/filters/FluvalFX5_0001.jpg

STAY TUNED TO THIS THREAD FOR UPDATES TO THIS REVIEW

[Merrilyn]

Looking forward to the results of the test Taksan.

[Proteus]

Ditto to that.

Given the price differences it would be good to see if one is superior to the other.

[fw05racer]

Looks good so far!

By the looks of it the Fluval may have the upper hand at the moment.

[Ben]

This will be an excellent review!

Sensational photography Taksan!!

:thumb :thumb :thumb

[Proteus]

Looks good so far!

By the looks of it the Fluval may have the upper hand at the moment.

I wouldnt be too sure on that, personally I think the configuration of the Pro III is far superior, however the FX5 does have a lot of grunt.

[fw05racer]

Looks good so far!

By the looks of it the Fluval may have the upper hand at the moment.

I wouldnt be too sure on that, personally I think the configuration of the Pro III is far superior, however the FX5 does have a lot of grunt.

Well just a quick opinion on the whole price vs performance character of the filters.

Not a fan of the bio sponges though.......

Just one more question, how come the Pro 3 ships with the old style Eheim spraybars and intakes? Most of the Pro 1 and Pro 2 seem to have the new light grey installation sets.

[fw05racer]

Oh well better be on the look out for them then.

I got the special spray bar kit on a 2224 as well. Really makes moving the filter to different tanks easier so you can adjust the height and length.

[vince]

Cant wait to see the results

[jho51e]

great timing on this one! looking into getting a cannister filter so I will wait until results are posted... :-)

[fw05racer]

Any progress?

[fw05racer]

Has the winner been decided yet?

My bet is on the Fluval although I have always been a fan of Eheims.

[Nathan]

i reckon the eheim will win, it also looks easier to set up, and is by far better looking but i guess that wont matter much if it doesnt work well. anyway my moneys on the eheim.

[Proteus]

Updates? Updates?

[taksan]

The review of these two filters is finished thanks to the help of Tony Akasanti from the Singapore University for running many of the tests under lab controller conditions.

Manufactuers Specs and Blurbs -

THE FLUVAL FX5

Introduced on Late 2005 the FX5 is Fluval first big cannister filter and contains a number of innovative features
(Specs and product description from the Fluval website)
-50 W
- 3500 L/H (924 U.S. Gal./H)
- Black with orange accents
- 6 foam filter blocks
- For aquariums up to 1500 L (400 U.S. Gal.)
- Additional filter media sold separately
- Height - 17" - 43 cm
- Width - 16" 40.6 cm

The Fluval FX5 is a large capacity, multi-stage external canister filter system. 607 U.S. Gal. (2,300 L)/H, enabling precise management of water conditions for aquariums as large as 400 U.S. Gal. (1,500 L).
A self-priming instant-start system that eliminates the need for manual siphoning.
Unique click-fit AquaStop Valves that regulate water flow, rotate at 55 degree angles and allow for fast set-up and leak-proof maintenance.
A purge valve that allows for partial discharge of debris without needing to move the unit
Multi-directional twin output nozzles to create specific water flows
Fluval FX5 Smart Pump Technology (patent pending) ensures quiet, efficient operation. This self-priming system provides plug-in-and-start convenience.
Lift-out stack of media baskets.

THE EHEIM 2080 PROFESSIONAL 3

Features

* Dual inlets for perfect water circulation
* New self priming principal
* Maintainence and flow rate indicator
* Large pre-filter - extend servicing cycle
* Adjustabe flow rate
* Castor wheels for easy maintanence
* Ideal for Arowana and big fishes

Technical data 2080
Aq. size up to approx l 1200
Pump output approx I/h 1700
Del.head approx Hmax m 2,6
Power consumption W 30
Heater Power W -
Canister volume l 25
Filter volume approx cm3 12 + 1,5 ( pre-filter)
Dimensions HxWxD mm 567 x 330 x 330

***** NOTE the EHEIM Professional 3 range has been EXPANDED by the new 2076 and 2078 models with electroinc pumps putting out 1650 l/ph and 1850 l/ph respectively and featuring electronic self start pumps like the Fluval has ! A 2180 model has also been added with a internal 500w heater !


How we tested:
Neither filter is sold with media included as standard (with the exception of the pads)
In order to make this test fair we used exactly the same high quality media (with the exception of the pads) in both filters. The easiest way to do this (and the way many FX5 owners are going) is to buy the "pack" of media Eheim offer to be sold with the pro 3. This provides exactly the right amount of media for a 2080 filter (and a lot more then enough for a FX5 ..but more on that in a moment) at a substancial discount to buying it seperately and can be purchased seperately from several retailers. The Eheim media is generaly considered the best available and works very well indeed in most brands of filters.
With both Filters filled with media we tested the following.... quoted pump Flow rate vs Actual Flow rate, rated power usage vs actual power usage, noise measured in db at a distance of 1 meter and finaly effectivness of biological and mechanical filtration. We tested the biological filtration by installing the filters on two identical 200cm x60cm x60cm tanks and filled each tank with exactly 700 litres of water. The tanks were both fed a identical dose of pure ammonia @ 4ppm (the correct level for fishless cycling) we then measured the time it took for each filter to have the tank totaly free of amonia and nitrites and producing nitrate at the correct levels. To test mechanical filtration we simply fed the filter intakes submerged tetra bits and then checked the filter baskets to see if any made it through the layers of foam. This method also served to notify if eirther of the filters had a area of significent bypass for mechanical filtration.
The next post will show the general setup impressions and ease of use comparison.

[taksan]

SETUP AND EASE OF USE

Setting up eirther one of these is no big deal. We have come a long way from the old Eheim buckets.

The Eheim is unusualy as it has dual imput hoses but this serves well as one can be placed at eirther end of the tank with the spraybar in the middle to improve flow around the tank. The Eheims one piece tap connector is innovative and easy to use if a bit stiff sometimes and it can be difficult to connect the hose to the central connector.The flow rate indicator seems to work well however if you ever left the filter long enough to use use it you shoudl be ashamed of yourself as it takes months and months of heavy use to clog this filter. Another negative with the Eheims set up compared with the Fluval is the seperate baskets they are relitively easy to use but not as easy as the Fluvals one piece set up. The Eheim uses a simple 1 pump priming system that works most of the time with a single pump although we did find ourselves pumping it a few times to get it going now and then and you can actualy see the filter fill up as the cannister body is see through. The filter has wheels so you can remove it for cleaning (beware full of water it weighs a ton) and a tray for placing the pre filter in so you can carry it to a bucket to rinse it out. Its generaly a very easy filter to use in most respects and the fit,finish and fittings scream quality no cheap plastics used and everything is solid. The Eheim is considered the Mercedes Benz of filters and they are built like one ..solid and full of engineering quality that only the Germans seem to be able to do.
The Fluval uses large 25mm hose of a non kink design with seperate taps and this system is possibly the easiest system I've ever seen on a cannister ...just attach the hose ...click in the taps and turn them on and your away it really is that simple. That said for a large filter designed to be used on large tanks the Fluval comes with a bare minimum of hosing just enough to use of a 6x2x2 and your out of luck if you want a bit extra to attach a UV unit or use on a higher then standard tank or cabinet ..come on Fluval ! this amount of hose is absurd ! Another easy to use feature of the FX5 is the central connected media baskets surrounded by the foam (all 25 litres of it !) they hold far less then the Eheim but are so easy to fill and fit back together with the only negetive being that you must remove the whole unti to change the foam on the Fluval where as on the Eheim the foams are changable without removing any baskets. On the upside there is a drain plug (with one of those easy to use click fit taps) on the bottom of the filter so you can drain the water out before moving it which is easier on your back and also offers the ability to use the pump to drain water out of the tank for water changes which is a interesting and innovative feature if you don't need to gravel vac. The Fluval does not have a self priming system per se it must be filled with water manualy before being switched on but there is no sucking on hoses due to its main feature a microprocessor controlled smart pump which when turned on starts the siphon by pumping the water out of the cannister which it seems to do quite well then pausing for 3 mins to allow trapped air to escape.After the priming sequence has finished it restarts itself automaticaly (it can be a long 3 mins waiting for it to restart wondering it its primed itself properly) it also stops itself once per day for 3 mins during normal operation to allow and air that might have been trapped to escape again. Much has been made of this so called "smart pump" and many people have questioned its reliability. We saw no reliability problems with this pump but we cannot say the same of the whole auto prime system. Does this smart pump work? We say "sort of" sometimes it primed itself perfectly but on many occaisions (about 50%) we had to switch it off and start another priming cycle before it was fully primed. The amount of air that stil lescaped after this 2nd priming cycle was substancial enough to say that while certainly a great feature its not foolproof yet.

NOISE
Both filters are quiet by modern standards but the Fluval is a lot noiser then the Eheim measuring out at 43db @ 1 meter vs the Eheims 19db !
The Fluval is quiet but the Eheim is so quiet you have to check it see if its working !

POWER CONSUMPTION
Filters are used 24/7 365 days of the year so power is important. The Eheim is the clear winner here averaging 27w against the Fluvals 51w so the fluval would cost nearly twice as much a year to run as the Eheim.

FLOW RATE
Manufactuers rate their filters by the maximum produced by the pump under ideal conditions without media and things like hoses which isn'tvery helpful in the real world. Most cannisters seem to get less then 50% of their rated flow capacity when used in the real world but both these filters did better then that.
The Fluval showed a flowrate of 1991 litres per hour when full of media and connected which is about 57% of its rated pump capacity of 3500 l/ph but the Eheim did even better giving 1207 litres per hour out of its possible 1700 l/ph for a amazing 71% !
This still gives the Fluval a nearly 800 litres per hour flowrate advantage when used in real life situations but filtration is more then flow alone its also about capacity.

MEDIA CAPACITY
Both filters are huge and hold a lot of media however the Fluval contains 25 litres of foam media around the sides of the baskets and only will hold about 6 litres of bio and mech media in its baskets while the Eheim holds a full 12 litres of bio and mech media and only has about 2 litres of foam.

Will the bigger flow rate of the Fluval make up for its lack of media ?
.


THE FILTRATION TEST


Mechanical filtration
We wanted to test the ability of these filters to remove particals from the water so we emptied a big container of tetrabits near the intakes. The Filters both did a great job catching most of the gunk in their pads but if I had to give to one of them I'd give it to the Fluval that 25 litres of foam really can catch some gunk!

Biological Filtration
The most important function of a filter is its biological filtration capacity and here is the best test for these filters. The clear winner here was the Eheim taking only 11 days to cycle the 700 litres of water from 4ppm of ammonia to Nitrate only vs the FX5's 13 days. It just shows that that extra 6 litres of bio media in the Eheim more then makes up for the 800 litres per hour flow advantage the Fluval has. a 2 day difference is quite significent and its more then we expected.

CONCLUSION A matter of price
While the Eheim is the clear winner in the performance stakes the decision is not clear cut. The Eheim is the better biological performer and has a better % flowrate when full. Its a lot quieter and holds a lot more media and uses less power then the Fluval. So its a no brainer to the Eheim on most areas right? Well no ... The fluval still does a excellent job its a bit easier to set up and it does a slightly better job at mechanical filtration and and here is the big kicker .... IT IS ABOUT HALF THE PRICE OF THE EHEIM So while the Eheim is clearly the better filter here I cannot honestly say its twice as good as the Fluval... issues of reliability and longevity not withstanding. If moneys not a issue its got to be the Eheim but the Fluval is a very good filter and its attractive price is going to win it a lot of fans. As for me personaly I like the Eheim better but I also have 6 FX5's for tanks where I can't justify the cost.
The only real winner here is us ...we have 2 great filters to choose from that both do a great job.

EDIT : MARCH 2008
I've had no less then 5 ...yep 5 out of 6 FX5's exhibit problems with simply stopping all together or clogging after only a couple of weeks resulting in very slow flowrates.
I now have only 1 FX5 in operation out of the original 6.
I have had zero problems or issues with the Eheims.
I must conclude that the Fluvals are not nearly the same quality as the Eheims.

[DR.V]

That is an awsome post taksan. Keep us updated.

Great work.

[Merrilyn]

Fantastic report. Thanks Taksan. 8-)

[marg]

Fantastic report Taksan. You have certainly gone to a lot of trouble - and reading it was most interesting. it would be invaluable to someone like Ladyred who has a lot of rerally big tanks.

What is the difference in the prices in $$$'s?.

Regards,

Marg.

[fw05racer]

Wow, a great review which has managed to capture almost all aspects of the two filters.

Are you going to be letting other forums link to this so that we can have a definitive answer for questions like "What should I get?, Eheim Pro 3 or Fluval FX5"

P.S. You emptied two containes of Tetra bits at the input, that's $40 gone! Talk about commitment. I salute you for this.

[Nathan]

marg the price difference is aproximately $300

[Ben]

This has to been one of the best test's/reports on aquarium hardware I have seen to date! :D

Thank you very much for doing this Taksan as there is some excellent information there regardless if we own one of the canisters or not.

This seems to perplex me though.....

There are 3 FX5 filter pads per box, whilst 6 are needed to fill all 3 FX5 baskets.

I wonder why they would sell their pads in 2 boxes rather than one complete box?

Cheers
Ben
8-)

[Proteus]

This seems to perplex me though.....

There are 3 FX5 filter pads per box, whilst 6 are needed to fill all 3 FX5 baskets.

I wonder why they would sell their pads in 2 boxes rather than one complete box?

It is done for a specific reason, you shouldnt change more than 50% of the media at once, even though it is primarily for mechanical filtration, it does serve as a biological host as well.

[Darth_discus]

Great post Taksan and im sure it will be used for many years to come

Thanks Taksan for your time and dedication

[Dee]

Hi Taksan,

What can I say ? easily the best forum based review I have read. Invaluble info and a honest unbiased review .... top work, thanks for sharing the info.

One thing I will say regarding the cost difference in the Eheim and Fluval is that I would easily go for Eheim each time. Reason being that I have used Eheims for years and never ever had any issues at all ... just maintain them and the go for ever ...... and ever. I have used one Fluval canister in the past, a few years back, and I no longer use it. From my personal experience Fluval doesn't last like Eheim does ... I may be wrong, but that is my expirence with the two brands.

Cheers,

Dee.

[Proteus]

If you also keep your eyes open, the Eheim Pro III is on sale occasionally at several online retailers. That certainly seals the deal IMO

[FishLover]

great rewiew!

I'm thinking of Eheims next time just beause of the noise level, which is very important to me. I guess if you can get it on sale, the price would be close enough to justify it.

[dorin]

ok, can someone PLEASE help me?! (and my first post here)

so, i have to get an external filter eheim 2080 or FX5.

i want get the eheim, only that an email from eheim support service told me that the maximum allowed distance between the water level and the top edge of the intaking pipe shouldn't be more than 10 cm.(for fx5 is 20cm)

my problem is that i will have turtles in the aquarium (180x60x60) and i just cannot have the water level less than 15 cm.

they've told me that the selfprimig system will not work correctly. I was wondering, ‘cause when the water is already in the fuse, by a simple fluids’ dynamic it will continue flowing, with absolutelly no effort from the filter.

does anyone have any ideas what risks exactlely might I face if I will increse the distance to 15-16 cm?

thanks alot for your help,

dorin

[FishLover]

Dorin,
It will not work.

I have Fluval set up. When I change my water, I don't shut off the filters and they will keep going as long as the water level don't get too low. When I tried to do more than the usual amount of water change, the filter just stops after the water dropped to some lower level.

I think in my case it was the distance between the filter outlet and water level, not the inlet. If the distance is more than the set length, the filter will stop working since it has fix amount of power to push water through.

[fishgeek]

sounds to me like the self priming suction cant lift more than 10 cm of water, ie it cant pull the water further up to start dropping sown and into the canister body

i have an old eheim with no self priming, i tend to just leave the pipes full of water from inlet in tank to connection , near canister body
this way i alays have the water up and over the edge of the tank ad back down to the floor to start the syphon again

if your purchased the eheim i would think the filter will work, just not self prime

i'm only guessing though as i havent got one to try it out

andrew

[Proteus]

I wonder how this comparison would now look given the 3-4 price increases (exceeding 20%) on the FX5 over the past year compared to a less than 5% increase on the Pro III (this is based on wholesale prices, which down the track get passed on to the customer).

[taksan]

Makes the Eheim look even better doesn't it?

[Merrilyn]

That's only because it is :wink:

[Robdog]

Did somebody say Eheim Sale?? ;)

[Proteus]

Makes the Eheim look even better doesn't it?

Glad I am not the only one that thinks that...

[Proteus]

I guess another huge plus for the Pro 3 is the addition of the 2180 Thermo.

To have a big filter with an equally impressive 500w heater built in is a huge bonus. And for those worried about too many gadgets attached to the one product, the heater is on its own switch, so if it is not needed, just turn it off and the filter is not affected.

[Menden1]

I bought this pump ten days ago and it is a piece of junk. The first five days it was great, although it was very loud. However, after the fifth day, once it shut down for the “2” minute internal cleaning, it never started back up. I called Hagen, and they told me to take out the polishing pad, which I did, and the pump then worked another 24 hours. The representative from Hagen said that the polishing pad restricted water flow. The pump has a shut-down every 24 hours for a 2 minute internal cleaning. However, this time when the pump shut-down, it never started back up. Regardless of what I tried, the pump is dead. This morning I will call Hagen again, but really don’t expect them to do anything. Don’t waste your money on this pump.

[Loomis13]

I have been using the fluval FX5 for 2 and a half years on a heavily stocked 125 gallon tank and I just wanted to give people a little bit of an idea of what they are in for.

Basically, I have had many problems with this filter though I was able to fix it each time. I have never had the filter just stop working on its own... the only time it would not turn back on was after I would shut it down during a water change. When turned back on (surge protecter switch flipped back to on) it would just hum and not circulate any water. Over the years this has happened to me at least 5 times. Whenever it happens, the filter requires a full tare down, dismantling of the motor, and cleaning of all crevices. And even then, when plugged back in, it might be unresponsive, but a little rap onto the motor casing gets it going.

Basically, the motor got jammed by sludge and debris 3 out of the 5 times it stalled. The other two times I had a snail shell lodged in the impeller (my tank is loaded with malaysian trumpet snails, half of the population living in the filter itself.)

This filter does keep my tank crystal clear, even with an 18" pleco, 7 full grown silver dollars, and about 10 cory cats, though the bioload requires that I clean out the sludge at least once every 3 months or the filters flow significantly decreases. Speaking of the flow, it seems to have diminished over the years as the last two times I cleaned out the sponge pads ( I mean completely ringed out, dont worry, I have two extra hang on back filters running to maintain biologial growth) the flow just seems as if its half of what it was. I am not sure if this is the motor getting old or blockages in the intake and output tubes, but it is much weaker than it used to be.

That said, I have never had any leaks and it always starts up again (with enough dismantling and thorough, yet careful cleaning). Though I have never owned an Eheim, I would suggest purchasing it instead of the fluval as performance drops sharply at the two year point.

[aquatester55]

To test mechanical filtration we simply fed the filter intakes submerged tetra bits and then checked the filter baskets to see if any made it through the layers of foam. This method also served to notify if eirther of the filters had a area of significent bypass for mechanical filtration.


I Would like a much better test then tetra bits. Through in some dead aquatic plant leaves with flake food,tetra bits. Remove some junk from what other filters have caught and put it in the tank.

The Fluval does not have a self priming system per se it must be filled with water manualy before being switched on
Seems pretty automatic to me don't you think? Fill the canister half way with water, put it together and turn it on. It will prime its self. Seems automated to me. No Manual labor needed.

Both filters seem to take the aggravation out of purging and priming. Eheim uses a pump system which you should only have to do once but it seems you may have to do it three times. Possibly depending on the height of the water in the aquarium before the tubing bends over the edge. So some manual labor is needed.


Does this smart pump work? We say "sort of" sometimes it primed itself perfectly but on many occaisions (about 50%) we had to switch it off and start another priming cycle before it was fully primed. The amount of air that stil lescaped after this 2nd priming cycle was substancial enough to say that while certainly a great feature its not foolproof yet.


I would like to see how everything is setup. Not one complaint on any forums even myself about the priming capabilites of the filter. Always purged 100%. After the initial setup, you can hook up the valves and turn them on without the canister full of water and you will see the canister fill up before your eyes. After this, if the canister has not purge 100%, the filter will shut off after 2-3 minutes to allow more air to escape. After that, its all done.


Both filters are quiet by modern standards but the Fluval is a lot noiser then the Eheim measuring out at 43db @ 1 meter vs the Eheims 19db !
The Fluval is quiet but the Eheim is so quiet you have to check it see if its working !

This could be the fact that the pump is on the bottom causing vibrations in the floor, stand, tank, enclosure which we hear as noise. Eheim has the pump on top which will reduce this.


Filters are used 24/7 365 days of the year so power is important. The Eheim is the clear winner here averaging 27w against the Fluvals 51w so the fluval would cost nearly twice as much a year to run as the Eheim.
The fluval would have nearly twice the filtration as well. This is not the best statement. The Fluval requires more power because its a more powerful pump in regards to flow volume. The Eheim is not as powerful so it doesn't need as much power.

There are a few other areas to look into when considering power consumption.
- Flow rate per Watt of power used
- Aquarium cycles per hour.
- Mechanical filtration. A higher flow rate will clear the tank faster than a slower rate.
- Biological filtration doesn't fall into the power consumption category considering all the variables taking place.

Fluval Fx5
10.30 GPH per Watt
3.24 Cycles per hour

Eheim 2080
11.77 GPH per Watt
1.71 Cycles per Hour


The most important function of a filter is its biological filtration capacity and here is the best test for these filters. The clear winner here was the Eheim taking only 11 days to cycle the 700 litres of water from 4ppm of ammonia to Nitrate only vs the FX5's 13 days. It just shows that that extra 6 litres of bio media in the Eheim more then makes up for the 800 litres per hour flow advantage the Fluval has. a 2 day difference is quite significent and its more then we expected.

There is more to nitrification than just the amount of bio media. The more bio media, the more of a large bio load the filter can handle. Obevesouly both filter can handle the 4ppm of ammonia with the media they have. This was a test of cycle time, but there really needs to be a test of the bio load capability. After filters have cycled, add another premeasured amount of ammonia and see how quickly the filters remove it. The initial cycle happends once, this has more variables than when a continued cycle through out the aquariums life.

The extra bio capacity is doubtfuly the reason why the Eheim cycled 2 days faster. Not all of the 12L of bio media in the Eheim will be used for this test. Also not all of the 6L of bio media in the Fx5 will be used for this cycle test.

The cycle time is most likley the substaintial decrease in velocity and the increase in contact time. Now I did some rough calculations of the Eheims velocity, though I have no on hand experience with the 2080 nor do I have actual measurments of the inner trays. So I did a very rough calculation of the velocity when using a 11x11" sized basket. (If anyone can give me actual dimentions that would be great.)

Ehiem 2080 Velocity = .168" per second @ 318 GPH through 11x11 sq. (12.42" dia cylinder)

Fluval Fx5 velocity = 1.36" per second @ 600 GPH through 6" dia. cylinder

Now obveously the contact time is VERY high in the Eheim 2080 and the velocity is VERY low. Here is a question, if you took the same contact time as the Eheim, made the diameter of the baskets smaller but made them deeper to increase velocity but have the same contact time, would this hurt performance?

More on this topic HERE (http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2488378&highlight=velocity#post2488378)

While the Eheim is the clear winner in the performance stakes the decision is not clear cut. The Eheim is the better biological performer and has a better % flowrate when full. Its a lot quieter and holds a lot more media and uses less power then the Fluval. So its a no brainer to the Eheim on most areas right? Well no ... The fluval still does a excellent job its a bit easier to set up and it does a slightly better job at mechanical filtration and and here is the big kicker .... IT IS ABOUT HALF THE PRICE OF THE EHEIM So while the Eheim is clearly the better filter here I cannot honestly say its twice as good as the Fluval... issues of reliability and longevity not withstanding. If moneys not a issue its got to be the Eheim but the Fluval is a very good filter and its attractive price is going to win it a lot of fans. As for me personaly I like the Eheim better but I also have 6 FX5's for tanks where I can't justify the cost.
The only real winner here is us ...we have 2 great filters to choose from that both do a great job.


Starting from the top;

...and has a better % flowrate when full.
Was there a test of the actual flow rate without media? I don't see any! Here he is simply going by the manufacture specifications and not actual testing. So much for a comparison eh?

...and uses less power then the Fluval
The fx5 uses just under twice as much power because it has just under twice the flow rate. Doh.



EDIT : MARCH 2008
I've had no less then 5 ...yep 5 out of 6 FX5's exhibit problems with simply stopping all together or clogging after only a couple of weeks resulting in very slow flowrates.
I now have only 1 FX5 in operation out of the original 6.
I have had zero problems or issues with the Eheims.
I must conclude that the Fluvals are not nearly the same quality as the Eheims.


Im sorry but this is such a self centered stab at Hagen. Obveously your an Eheim Fan.

Tell us how many failed and how many clogged. Please? Truthfully.

The fact that the filters clogged doesn't make the filter a bad filter.

I hear about this all the time. "My fx5 clogged in 10 days after setting it up...why?". Only come to find out they used a polishing pad or small particle filtration pad and it clogged up. GREAT! this tells us how bypass free the filter is and also, how quickly its filtering the tank compaired to the Eheim 2080.

Another thing to think about is the circulation that filter will create in the tank. The Fx5 will create more circulation than the Eheim. In large tanks, you may want a power head to move the water around. The Fx5 yo may not need one. Especially after swapping the dual output nozzle with a CPVC 1" 90* bend.

[aquatester55]

ok, can someone PLEASE help me?! (and my first post here)

so, i have to get an external filter eheim 2080 or FX5.

i want get the eheim, only that an email from eheim support service told me that the maximum allowed distance between the water level and the top edge of the intaking pipe shouldn't be more than 10 cm.(for fx5 is 20cm)

my problem is that i will have turtles in the aquarium (180x60x60) and i just cannot have the water level less than 15 cm.

they've told me that the selfprimig system will not work correctly. I was wondering, ‘cause when the water is already in the fuse, by a simple fluids’ dynamic it will continue flowing, with absolutelly no effort from the filter.

does anyone have any ideas what risks exactlely might I face if I will increse the distance to 15-16 cm?

thanks alot for your help,

dorin

I doubt it will work. really.

Here is another positive with the Fx5. Hagen used a completly different impeller type which is MUCH MORE efficient then the 2080's impeller.

Hagen used an enclosed impeller while Eheim used a open impeller.

Enclosed impellers can create more negitive pressures then open impellers and can have a higher flow rate than open impellers. Open impellers are more for pumps that will see large waste particles while enclosed impellers are more for pumps that won't see large waste particles. Hagen had a vision here.

Hagen spent more money on the impeller than Eheim did. Since enclosed impellers and pump designs require more money.

I just had to add some reality views to this thread which pushes the Eheim out further than the Fx5.

The Fx5 can handle 4.76 PSI of head pressure while the Eheim can handle 3.67 PSI.

[aquatester55]

FLOW RATE
Manufactuers rate their filters by the maximum produced by the pump under ideal conditions without media and things like hoses which isn'tvery helpful in the real world. Most cannisters seem to get less then 50% of their rated flow capacity when used in the real world but both these filters did better then that.
The Fluval showed a flowrate of 1991 litres per hour when full of media and connected which is about 57% of its rated pump capacity of 3500 l/ph but the Eheim did even better giving 1207 litres per hour out of its possible 1700 l/ph for a amazing 71% !
This still gives the Fluval a nearly 800 litres per hour flowrate advantage when used in real life situations but filtration is more then flow alone its also about capacity.

What was the head height of both filters during the test. Actual measurments...

[Prive]

where would i get one of these eheim 2080 pro3 in Aus?

[ILLUSN]

any LFS that deals with Aquatopia will be able to order one for you, expect to pay bout $1000 with media, best filter ever made i have 1 and will probably go get a few more.

[jeffa]

would the eheim 2180 with the built in heater heat up my 700 lt discus tank up to 30-31 degrees?

[taksan]

would the eheim 2180 with the built in heater heat up my 700 lt discus tank up to 30-31 degrees?

Yep

[oscar]

Folks sorry to drag up an old post...

I have to replace one of my filters on my 8x2x2.

I'm thinking of going for a Pro3 but not sure if it will fit in.

Can someone who has one, please tell me how tall it actually is with the taps fitted and hoses coming out of the top.

I know what the spec says, but this is just the cannister by itself.

I don't want to buy one and find that the hoses push hard up against the bottom of the tank foam.

I have 64cm to play with.

If i can't fit it i'll just get another fx5.

Help is much appreciated.

Thanks.

[swampy1972]

You shouldn't need taps as the whole unit that the hoses plug in to comes out of the top of the canister with the hoses attached. The lever on the front blocks off the flow from the hoses to allow this.
That said, my unit stands 590mm high to highest point of the hoses spurs.
HTH ;)

[oscar]

Thanks Swampy.

Yeah when i said "taps" i meant it figuratively.

So 590mm is to the top of the Pro3 structure plastic parts (i.e. the spurs for the hoses to connect to), or is it the highest point of the hoses as they form an arc off the top?

If it's to the top of the hose arc i'll be OK, but if it's to the top part of the actual filter structure it might be a bit tight.

I'm pretty keen on giving one of these a go, but I'm not having it sit outside the cabinet...

[ericwpp]

Since this post is very old and i found this review helpfull, whats the update now in 2012... are there any new models or giants that comparte to these two great filters?

[taksan]

Since this post is very old and i found this review helpfull, whats the update now in 2012... are there any new models or giants that comparte to these two great filters?


Nope the 2080/2180 or 1200XL as its now called still rules the roost

[AS28]

My FX5 is 3 years old and no problems yet (touch Wood) I have changed a couple of pads and clean the spounges 2-3 times a year each max. water flow is as good as ever. It runs a 6X2X2 planted community tank. I gotit on special for $375 but I see them for $495 at Petbarn. Its the only cannister I have owned so I cant compare it to anything.
Aaron