# EHEIM Classic or Eheim Ecco Pro



## attackonthebass (Aug 3, 2013)

I owned the pro in the past, and for the short duration I had it. it worked fantastic.:fish-in-a-bag:

However, after reading a lot of reviews I'm wondering if the "Classic" is a better bang for your buck.

Pros: for the Pro = baskets for the media separation and seems like it would be easier to maintenance / clean vs the classic which has no baskets. 

Con: looks like the handle ( from the reviews I've read ) is fragile and can easily break. Also, both the intake and output are located at the top which makes me wonder if the filtration is as good as the classic?

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Classic/Pros: input comes in at the bottom so it would seem like more filtration would be occurring since the output is on top 

Seems to be a tad bit cheaper than the pro

Con: no baskets in the stock model which seems like it might be a pain to keep all of the different media types separate. It seems like you just rinse and throw all of the media into the cylinder. Not sure if anyone who own's a classic has tried to put baskets inside in order to separate the different media's

appreciate any feedback on either of the two, good or bad.*c/p*


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## yekoms (Jul 7, 2013)

This ain't much info but you said "any"...
I have never worked with the Eheim Pro. I have an Aquaclear50 and Eheim Classic 2213 on a 45 gal planted tank. I got them at ThatFishPlace (it's a 45 minute ride from my house and I've been there twice and I'm not going back). I have since seen them for about the same price at Kensfish.com which is where I got Seachem Purigen and a few other things. 
I was new to the aquarium stuff a few months ago. I only cleaned the Eheim once so far and probably didn't have to yet.
With planting the plants and all of the disturbance of a new tank I was curious. I just rinsed the whole basket in a couple small buckets of tank water. The mechanical rings in the first or bottom stage of filter were the dirtiest. I dipped and swooshed only that bottom part of the basket into the first bucket to get most of the crud and then dipped the whole thing in the next bucket. It worked good.
I guess that you could separate the medias with mesh bags if you wanted to.
I hope this helps a little bit...


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## Tolak (Mar 10, 2013)

Unless they've redesigned it in the past few years don't waste your money on the ECCO. The top water passages plug real easy. I do like to give gear a real good test, sort of beat on it, the Ecco is nowhere near the durability of the classics.


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## attackonthebass (Aug 3, 2013)

Maybe it's a stupid idea but I was thinking that it might be possible to purchase replacement baskets for the pro and put them into the classic?

Or, I was thinking about possibly putting the media into bags so when it's time to clean the bio I won't have media all over the place. 

Or, am I just supposed to throw away the media after 2-3 months and buy new media? All in all I'm just trying to figure out whats the best combination. 

The Pro is going for $139.99


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## attackonthebass (Aug 3, 2013)

Tolak said:


> Unless they've redesigned it in the past few years don't waste your money on the ECCO. The top water passages plug real easy. I do like to give gear a real good test, sort of beat on it, the Ecco is nowhere near the durability of the classics.


I've definitely made up my mind in going with the classic, although the Pro has a few more small perks. I can't figure out how the Pro filters the water with both the intake and output on top. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

I owned a Pro before, but it was in a community tank with tetra's and tiny community fish so maintenance or debris was minimal. 

With my stocked Cichlid tank it's a whole new ball of wax, the classic provides more GPH and in regards to the baskets on the pro, thats just one more item that will restrict water flow.

The actual purpose is cleaning my tank, and if it takes me longer to clean/maintenance the canister the so be it. 

at first I was leaning towards the 2217 but I think the 2215 for a 55 gallon tank should be more than enough. Yes I'd like to have the biggest one (thats what she said) but an extra 70 GPH for an extra 30 bucks is unnecessary and possibly overkill.


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## attackonthebass (Aug 3, 2013)

yekoms said:


> got Seachem Purigen and a few other things.


Regarding the Purigen , did you just purchase the bag & throw it into the canister in place of the provided media?

From the reviews i've read on Purigen, I've read nothing but GREAT things about it and can't wait to purchase.

My water is already pretty clear / clean but I'm always interested in getting my water crystal clear.


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## Tolak (Mar 10, 2013)

The Pro has standpipes of a sort in the baskets, with small gaskets between each basket. Stack them up, the pipes connect & seal with the gaskets, directing the incoming water to the bottom. 

The media bags are an idea with the Classic, I'd just make sure they seal to the sides really well when stacking to minimize/eliminate bypass. You probably wouldn't need one for the bottom layer, and might get by with just one in the middle for a 3 media configuration.


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## attackonthebass (Aug 3, 2013)

For now I'm just going to go with the Classic and keep my HOB filter going for a bit until I feel I don't need the HOB anymore.

The only reason I asked about the baskets was for the Purgein ( spelled wrong ) 

from the reviews it says to use the bag which seemed fairly inexpensive.

But I may not even need to purchase it, I was just thinking of trying it out based on peoples reviews.

My water is pretty clear, I'm not exactly sure if it's POLISHED but I can stand at one end of my 55 and see clearly all the way though the other side.


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## yekoms (Jul 7, 2013)

I used the Purigen bags. My water was clear before the Purigen but now its real clear. 

http://www.aquariumforum.com/f73/i-copied-my-original-post-duh-55241.html

Here is my post about using Purigen.


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## yekoms (Jul 7, 2013)

I modified the Eheim inlet/spray bar to go on the back of the tank and keep the lines behind the tank out of view.
I wanted to keep full filtration so instead of closing the ball valves a little to reduce the current across the tank I drilled an 1/8" hole in the end cap of the Eheim spray bar. It shots along the back glass toward the hob and doesn't affect the fish or plants.


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## attackonthebass (Aug 3, 2013)

Nice, I'm looking forward to doing something with that spray bar. It doesn't look like it's included with the 2215 but I'll buy it off ebay or amazon if need be.

I'm hoping / wondering if by getting the bar i'll be able to get rid of the powerhead that's starting to run its course.


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## yekoms (Jul 7, 2013)

Eheim 2215 164g Classic w Bio Media Canister Filter | eBay


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