# Eheim ECCO Review



## imeridian

The ECCO 2234 is still my favorite of the Eheim filters I've used, beating out the Pro II 2028 and Classic 2217.


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## fshfanatic

I have a ProII 2026 and a Classic 2217. I am not to thrilled with the Pro II, but I love my classic.


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## amano101

how come you say "i should have just went with the 2234". im buying a canister and am also currently torn between the 2234 and 2236 for my new 30 gallon. im leaning more towards the 2236 as well. thanks for the review!


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## lescarpentier

I have been evaluating a pair of 2235s myself for the last few months.One continually.They may be a lot of things,and have some fine features but the ecco line definitely falls short of the Classic.

My check valve,ball,had to be removed because I couldn't stop it from rattling.It still is not as quiet as my Classics are.

These filters can be overdriven by employing the 6 blade impeller assembly from a 2026-2028 Pro II,however this provided a minimal gain in performance.

ecco 2235 factory configured*

140gph.

ecco 2235 2026-2028 impeller assembly*

151 gph


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## Left C

Is the bottom of the prefilter solid plastic or are there inlets for the water? I'm asking about the bottom part of the prefilter that rests directly on the substrate.

What is the diameter of the prefilter part? I'm not asking what size tubing is needed.

Thanks!


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## fshfanatic

amano101 said:


> how come you say "i should have just went with the 2234". im buying a canister and am also currently torn between the 2234 and 2236 for my new 30 gallon. im leaning more towards the 2236 as well. thanks for the review!


I have been using Eheim canisters for close to 20 some odd yrs, Generally I trust their rating for filtration capacity. Eheim relies nore on efficient water flow through efficient media when calculating what their canisters can handle. Most other manufacturers rely on pushing as much water through thier media as possible to determine tank to filter efficiency.

The 2234 would have been plenty of filter for my 29 gallon shrimp tank. There is no doubt about it. But if I ever decided to upgrade the tank size I would be looking at another filter. The 2236 holds 25-30% more media and with the increase in flow at only 20gph, I knew that it would not blow out the RCS. I also knew if I got a larger tank, I could simply use the same filter.

I am very happy I just went with the 2236.


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## amano101

mmk. was there some crazy sale going on at the time? the 2234 looks like it is 129.99 and the 2236 is 159.99 right now. if so, sounds like it might be worth waiting for a sale.


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## fshfanatic

Left C said:


> Is the bottom of the prefilter solid plastic or are there inlets for the water? I'm asking about the bottom part of the prefilter that rests directly on the substrate.


 It is solid. ALL of the water enters the prefilter from where you can see in the image.


Left C said:


> What is the diameter of the prefilter part? I'm not asking what size tubing is needed.
> 
> Thanks!


aprox 4"


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## fshfanatic

lescarpentier said:


> I have been evaluating a pair of *2235*s myself for the last few months.One continually.They may be a lot of things,and have some fine features but the ecco line definitely falls short of the Classic.
> 
> My check valve,ball,had to be removed because I couldn't stop it from rattling.It still is not as quiet as my Classics are.
> 
> These filters can be overdriven by employing the 6 blade impeller assembly from a 2026-2028 Pro II,however this provided a minimal gain in performance.
> 
> ecco *2235* factory configured*
> 
> 140gph.
> 
> ecco *2235* 2026-2028 impeller assembly*
> 
> 151 gph


Do you mean 2234?


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## EdTheEdge

amano101 said:


> mmk. was there some crazy sale going on at the time? the 2234 looks like it is 129.99 and the 2236 is 159.99 right now. if so, sounds like it might be worth waiting for a sale.


I've noticed that too.... seems like prices are quite erratic at this time. Look around and you can find them cheaper.


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## fshfanatic

amano101 said:


> mmk. was there some crazy sale going on at the time? the 2234 looks like it is 129.99 and the 2236 is 159.99 right now. if so, sounds like it might be worth waiting for a sale.





EdTheEdge said:


> I've noticed that too.... seems like prices are quite erratic at this time. Look around and you can find them cheaper.


Definitely shop around. I have noticed when looking for other supplies that retailers put the ECCO's on sale all the time and generally at substantial savings.


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## Left C

Here are new 2236's for $135 including shipping. 3 are available.
http://cgi.ebay.com/EHEIM-ECCO-FILT...1QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1638Q2em118Q2el1247


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## Left C

fshfanatic said:


> It is solid. ALL of the water enters the prefilter from where you can see in the image.
> 
> aprox 4"


Thanks for the info.

I was wanting to put a diffuser underneath it but it won't work. That is why I was asking.


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## lescarpentier

fshfanatic said:


> Do you mean 2234?


No.

The original ecco numeric sequence was *2231* *2233* *2335* and share the same specs as the later versions. *2232* *2234* *2236*.


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## amano101

thanks for the replies on cheaper websites. the thing is, my girlfriend gave me a $50 petsmart giftcard for a christmas present and i would like to use this towards a filter. petsmart's website still carries the classics ($105.99 + $6 shipping for the 2215). is that any better of a deal? i just like the way the ecco is designed more.


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## cjp999

Today I just saw 2232 on clearance for $50 (normally $100) at a lfs. I have no use for it now, but was wondering if it was worth just grabbing at that price for future use.

I have a 46g with a fluval 305. Perhaps the 2232 could used as a temporary backup if the fluval needed repair, although that was my excuse for grabbing a whisper 10i and 20i which also serve as temp filters in 5g buckets when needed.

I also have a couple of 10g tanks with HOB filters. I'm fine with them. Seems like something around 20g to 29g would be the rights size for a 2232, but I have no plans on getting a tank that size. If anything, my next tank would be a 90g.


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## Clazz

Thanks for the review!


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## smoq

Thank you for a review. I was planning to get classic 2215 for my future 36" tank (40 breeder or 38g, I didn't decide yet) as a second filter (I have 2213 on my 15g which I want to use for my new tank) but after reading your review I may consider getting the 2236 instead. Can you do a quick comparsion ecco 2236 vs classic 2215?


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## supaoopa

Anyone with this filter have any issues with excessive humming from the motor housing? I just bought a 2236 for a tank i have in a living room and the resonating from the humming is very annoying and quite loud compared to a 2215 classic i run on another tank. Sound level is near that of a cheap air pump. Any help on what might me the problem? I've broken it down twice, checked and rechecked the impeller housing and making sure it was seated properly. Any ideas on what im doing wrong?


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## fshfanatic

Try folding a dishcloth and sitting it on that. Mine I cant even hear at all.


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## imeridian

It really shouldn't make enough noise to draw your attention, I can easily sleep within arm's reach of my 2234 with it being the only source of noise in the room.


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## vegasMatt

My brief experience:

I have an Eheim Classic 2213 on my 20 long, and it is brilliant, if a little underpowered for that exact application.

So I purched an Ecco 2232 kit for my Mini-L, and though the first was a lemon, the second one runs nicely. I have no arguments with the generally sturdy build. The self-priming handle is a cute luxury feature, but makes the whole thing feel a bit over-engineered, and extra moving parts make me nervous. As mentioned by some, my Ecco is not as perfectly quiet as the Classic.

I still prefer the Classic. The Ecco does score big points for having built-in, swiveling disconnects.

Matt


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## plantedjack

*Ecco 2234 & 2236*

Ecco *2234*

The Ecco 2234 was my first canister filter and boye was I happy with its results. My 40g tank never looked cleaner and the water flow was ideal. However, as a couple of weeks went by I've noticed that the output of water decreased to a point where I was finding myself cleaning out the filter constantly as I performed my weekly water changes. Unfortunately, even cleaning out the filter and reducing some of the media didnt seem to help the outflow of water. In fact I'm thinking of taking it back to the buyer to see whether the motor is somehow defected cause it does seem to rattle when I inspect it out of the water (I know its not good to dry start the system but I couldnt resist to inspect the motor out of the water).

So my views on the Ecco 2234 are: 
1. Its an inexpensive canister filter (media included!) 
2. extremely silent 
3. easy to set up

However, it is unreliable given the decreasing flow rate. Hopefully I just had a run of bad luck and the filter itself is defected. The problem here is that I would not wish to return to the seller and run the risk of killing my bio-filtration. Any suggestions here?

Ecco *2236*,

Given the decreasing flow rate of my 2234, I decided to supplement the 2234 with a 2236 given the fact I had a couple of Euros to spare . The self priming on the 2236 makes the system easy to operate and the flow rate coming out of this machine was way more intense then that I experienced with the 2234 (hopefully it will stay that way!). In fact I had to get a spray bar to properly equalise the water distribution throughout the tank. I am at this point in time satisfied with the 2236. However, only time will tell because I had only had it running for 2 days. 

My Pros:
inexpensive and included media (when compared to other eheim product lines)
high water outflow (I will keep you posted if this changes)
self priming makes setting up effortless

My cons:
I've noticed that the 2236 is somehow noiser then the 2234.


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## Chrisk-K

I've been running two 2236's on a 40G goldfish tank for a month (yeah, it's an overkill but I got super deals and I got two). 

-They are as quiet as my 2217. The only thing I hear is the sound of air bubbles. 
-The water flow is surprisingly strong. With two 2236's, the water flow in the 40G tank was like that of the Niagara Falls and I had to use a spray bar on one of them. I may get another spray bar because my goldies have trouble swimming against the flow. 
-I haven't cleaned them yet and the water flow is still strong.
-The setup couldn't be easier thanks to media baskets, quick connectors and self-priming. I can see that cleaning will be a breeze. 

So, I'm very happy with the 2236. In fact, I like it better than my 2217.


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## sgtiger

I can't find the Eheim 2232 for less than $99.99 from any reputable store. I can use a 10% and free shipping code to get it down to $89.99 from petco... but still too pricey for my blood. 

My Zoomed 501 is making constant clicking noises after a year. I'd just buy another one of those for $30 before spending $100 on the 2232.

$50-60 tho...


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## parham.derick

i got my 2234 for $27 from PetCo, seeing as they're going on clearance around here, and im also an employee, got it for $24 plus tax... best filter i've had... i recomend everyone to head to PetCo and take a look, maybe you might be pleasently suprised, its only the 2234's going on sale though


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## ctcooper

I called around at 5 different PetCo's in my area. They have all said the Eheim Ecco is on clearance and the priced ranged from $109.99 to $162.99 for the 2234. Now the $162.99 was a little fishy. So how are all these other PetCo's selling them for around $30? Is there a way I tell them they are the wrong price and get the lower price, just really confused especially since they were so different in price at different locations.


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## Dave-H

I have an Eheim pre-filter like that. It's nice, but eventually I just put a big sponge on the end of the filter tube and retired that pre-filter. It's just unnecessarily big!


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## BC77ND81

I've been using a 2236(s) on my 55g tank for 5 yrs. Generally, satisfied with filtering performance. Not so happy with Eheim customer service in the US. I had one unit in which the motor overheated and melted the plastic housing. Never got a response from Eheim customer service. Fortunately the vendor (BigAlsOnline.com) replaced it under warranty. The impeller on the replacement unit failed within a year and again no response from Eheim US customer service. BigAlsOnline.com was finally able to get them to answer my emails, but they were of no help when they did.

So, I wouldn't buy Eheim equipment again. BigAl.sOnline.com was great though.

Any comments on other manufacturer's customer service in the US?


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## nchumley

BC77ND81 said:


> I've been using a 2236(s) on my 55g tank for 5 yrs. Generally, satisfied with filtering performance. Not so happy with Eheim customer service in the US. I had one unit in which the motor overheated and melted the plastic housing. Never got a response from Eheim customer service. Fortunately the vendor (BigAlsOnline.com) replaced it under warranty. The impeller on the replacement unit failed within a year and again no response from Eheim US customer service. BigAlsOnline.com was finally able to get them to answer my emails, but they were of no help when they did.
> 
> So, I wouldn't buy Eheim equipment again. BigAl.sOnline.com was great though.
> 
> Any comments on other manufacturer's customer service in the US?



I have a 2236 also, bought new through Craigslist. The impeller failed after about 5 months, possibly because I put a 2" CO2 reactor inline after the filter, so it was working very hard to push a lot of head pressure. 

Tried to contact Eheim support with no luck whatsoever, so I broke down and bought a replacement impeller and shaft assembly. It arrives this Friday, so we'll see what happens! 

PS, I'll be running the filter by itself while powering the reactor and inline heater with an Eheim 1250 external pump I found on eBay for $50.


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## idex

I have a 2236 with a inline heater and a rex grigg style reactor and its been running for a year with no issues so far.


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## WaveSurfer

I've been using ECCO 2233 for my 46G tank for four years. No complains, except during cleaning of filter media, where I still have problem figuring out how to restart the filter after cleaning. 

The instructions on the included manual just ain't clear enough...


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## Daud

*The death of the ECCO*

I came home after a month away and my ECCO 2236 was quiet. Luckily, this has been only a backup filter on this tank.

What to do ? Repair, sell for parts, get new one or different filter ?
It was $95, but now prices are way up..


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