# Cleaning the Eheim 2260 - THE BEAST!



## fshfanatic (Apr 20, 2006)

To start I would like to say I have been using EHEIM canisters for as long as I can remember and consider them by far the best there is..

1: I am too cheap to purchase the double tap connectors so I had to drain the tank below the spray bar and disconnect the intake at the elbow, then drain the canister with the tap on the canister and remove.

2: Being this thing holds 18Liters of media and is filled with 5 liters of efhimech; 5 liters of efhi(something) that green easter grass looking stuff; and almost 10 liters of efhisubstrat pro; this monster weighed a ton and is almost the exact size as a 5 gallon bucket

3: Removing the canister from the cabinet was a PIA.

4: I filled 4 five gallon buckets with tank water and with the valves open poured each one in one by one, thus backflushing the filter untill the water came out clear.

5: Replaced the floss.

6: Reconnected the hoses, filled the canister and plugged the sucker in.

Total time: 15-20 minutes.

I have had this beast running for the last 6 months without opening it. The flow had reduced probably 35% BUT probably could have gone another month or so. YOU WOULDNT BELIEVE THE MUD that came out of this filter considering how crystal clear the tank is..

I am impressed.

Highly recommend this canister for anyone with a large tank.. You can get them for under $300 + media. It is sad that I have heard Eheim is discontinuing their classic line. I would rate this right up their with their new Pro3 line and they are cheaper!


----------



## Mori (Jul 23, 2003)

I almost bought this thing instead of the 2080. But laziness won out.

Turned out the 2080 had the same size hoses (and double tap connectors  ) as the 2217 I was replacing so I went with the 2080. I can't bend acrylic since I moved--magnetic induction instead of gas stove. Bleh. So I took the lazy route and stuck with my super custom acrylic intake/outputs and old nasty hoses.

Mechanically I'll always think the Classics are the most sensible and efficient of any canister design. The layout is so perfect and uncomplicated. Why pump water to the bottom just to have it go out the top again? Wasteful! And rinsing by dumping into the top and opening the bottom is really psychologically rewarding. I hope it wasn't into the bathtub.


----------



## LordMaximo (Aug 31, 2007)

I have never used an Eheim unit. I have mostly been using Magnum units for my tanks. I am now setting up a large format with external, vertical cylinders in series. More or less a system similar to large marine facilities. I am looking towards the LifeGard Fliudized Bed Filter assembly.

Maximo


----------



## fshfanatic (Apr 20, 2006)

The lifegaurd systems are nice if you like a pressurized system..


----------



## zoidberg (Mar 25, 2006)

I can't believe you were able to go that long in between cleaning! I clean my Eheim 2128 regularly once a month, and it is pretty filled up with a muddy mess each time. My fish must be underwater pigs.


----------



## mott (Nov 23, 2006)

Hmm I clean my 2026 every 3 months as recommended.


----------



## LordMaximo (Aug 31, 2007)

zoidberg said:


> I can't .........................muddy mess each time. My fish must be underwater pigs.


It also will depend on the actual size of the tank and your population.
How many times you feed and size of your pigs. Just a barrel of fun anyways.....:smile:


----------



## fshfanatic (Apr 20, 2006)

I feed my fish 3-4 times a day heavily. it has a 2260 and 2217 on it and is 180 gallons

1 needlenose gar (6 inches)
1 jardini (10 inches)
6 redhook silver dollars ( about 4 inches across)
3 Columbian shark cats ( 5 inches)
4 ornate bichirs (10+ inches each)

the eheim 2217 gets a floss change every 4-5 months and is filled with (from bottom to top) ephimech / coarse sponge / substrat pro / floss. Pretty much the same as the 2260.

Eheim canisters are designed for less maint. They actually work better when you just leave them alone. I only clean them when my flow has diminished quite abit.


----------



## Tdon1md (Jun 3, 2007)

I use a sponge pre-filter on all of my pick ups and that has reduced my canister maintenance by a ton! It's allot easier to pull a sponge of the pickup and wash it out then it is to break down a canister!
________
Moisture Condenser Iolite


----------



## fshfanatic (Apr 20, 2006)

mott said:


> Hmm I clean my 2026 every 3 months as recommended.


recommended by who? I have that same filter on my 150 along with my FX5, I change it maybe every 5-6 months. I bought it directly from my eheim rep at the LFS I work at and since it was the first non classic eheim I have ever owned I asked alot of questions.

He told me to clean it when the flow was noticeably reduced or if I noticed a Nitrate increase. He also stated the over rinsing them impeades their ability to do what they are intended to do.

If you are cleaning it too often you are just wasting money in floss. Since I buy the filter pad packs off ebay that would get expensive. I replace the white pad when the flow is just pissing out and rinse the media. Come to think about it I have yet to rinse or replace the blue pad to date and it has been running for just over 2 yrs.


----------



## styxx (Jul 2, 2003)

fshfanatic said:


> recommended by who? I have that same filter on my 150 along with my FX5, I change it maybe every 5-6 months. I bought it directly from my eheim rep at the LFS I work at and since it was the first non classic eheim I have ever owned I asked alot of questions.
> 
> He told me to clean it when the flow was noticeably reduced or if I noticed a Nitrate increase. He also stated the over rinsing them impeades their ability to do what they are intended to do.
> 
> If you are cleaning it too often you are just wasting money in floss. Since I buy the filter pad packs off ebay that would get expensive. I replace the white pad when the flow is just pissing out and rinse the media. Come to think about it I have yet to rinse or replace the blue pad to date and it has been running for just over 2 yrs.


I believe fshfanatic is referring to the recommendations of the manufacturer, Ehiem. But I echo both of your comments. I typically schedule to clean my 2026 every three months, but occassionally I will do so a few weeks earlier or later depending upon the water flow. It is pretty awesome that I can do so long between cleanings but when I do watch out! They are a muddy mess and the filter pads usually have to go; I have yet to replace the blue pad that came with my unit! I typically use two white filter pads and will normally keep the top one and replace the lower one. This, plus Purigen, get me that "fish floating in air" level of water clarity that is a sight to behold. I'm very pleased with my Ehiem...now if only I could get the "thermo" unit! lol...


----------



## LS6 Tommy (May 13, 2006)

Tdon1md said:


> I use a sponge pre-filter on all of my pick ups and that has reduced my canister maintenance by a ton! It's allot easier to pull a sponge of the pickup and wash it out then it is to break down a canister!


X2. Even before I started using the prefilter, I only had to clean my 2126 about every 2-3 months. Now I just rinse out the prefilter weekly when I do the WC. Cannister cleaning is now down to about a 6 month interval. BTW, all my media & pads are original, too.

Tommy


----------



## fshfanatic (Apr 20, 2006)

styxx1 said:


> I believe fshfanatic is referring to the recommendations of the manufacturer, Ehiem. But I echo both of your comments. I typically schedule to clean my 2026 every three months, but occassionally I will do so a few weeks earlier or later depending upon the water flow. It is pretty awesome that I can do so long between cleanings but when I do watch out! They are a muddy mess and the filter pads usually have to go; I have yet to replace the blue pad that came with my unit! I typically use two white filter pads and will normally keep the top one and replace the lower one. This, plus Purigen, get me that "fish floating in air" level of water clarity that is a sight to behold. I'm very pleased with my Ehiem...now if only I could get the "thermo" unit! lol...


I think you quoted me by accident.  I wwas replying to the gentleman with the 2026


----------



## mott (Nov 23, 2006)

The recommendation comes from Eheim themselves, they actually say every 3-4 months.
The only thing I replace is the white floss.Everything else gets a rinse with tank water.


----------



## zoidberg (Mar 25, 2006)

My 90g planted tank has a relatively light bio-load, but my 2128 also drives a CO2 reactor and a UV sterilizer. This makes reduced flow rate more noticable and critical to resolve early. I'm definitely going to look at buying a sponge prefilter based on everyone's comments - thanks for the advice! 

Most of the gunk is plant matter and stir-up from the eco-complete substrate. My loaches and amanos are the messy ones. The amanos in particular have a bad habbit of grabbing the bottom-feeder pellets away from the loaches, and then eating them while resting on the filter intake. It was funny at first, but now it kind of drives me nuts! 

- 30 cardinal tetras, 10 harlequin rasboras, 2 burmese loaches, 3 tiger loaches, 1 pearl gourami, and a 5" plecostomus.


----------



## epicfish (Sep 11, 2006)

Reported.


----------



## deleted_user_16 (Jan 20, 2008)

same here


----------

