# Can Eheim 2217 handle 75 Gal Tank?



## Gafi (Aug 5, 2011)

As the title states, can an Eheim 2217 handle a 75 gal tank.....Yes it is rated for 160 Gallons, however, want to make sure I can get enough flow in the planted tank I plan to setup.


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## Zefrik (Oct 23, 2011)

I use it on a 40 breeder and it is perfect. If I where to add another 35 gallons to the tank I don't know if there would be enough flow. You could go with the 2217 and a powerhead. Or maybe you could go with 2 2215s. Later on you could get the 2217 impeller for them.


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## KH2PO4 (Jul 18, 2009)

If you don't put in any inline equipments (they reduce flow) and your scape 
is airy, then it should be enough.

I'm using 2 2217's with a 90.

That 160 by spec must be for bare tanks. Or it's a joke.


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## TwoTacoCombo (Apr 13, 2012)

160 gallons for a bare, fish-only tank, maybe. I have a 2217 and 2213 on my 50 gal, and it's just enough filtration, but not really enough flow. I'd go with at least a 2217 and a decent power jet/fan, or multiple 2217s or larger..


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## Complexity (Jan 30, 2008)

The general rule is to have 10x the tank volume in gph filtration. So for a 75g tank, you'd want to shoot for around 750gph. The Eheim 2217 is rated at 264gph. That's only about 1/3 of what you should be shooting for which is an indicator that it's woefully low.

I'd either get a more powerful canister or get two of the Eheim 2217s. Or a combination of the Eheim 2217 and another, more powerful canister.

For example, I'm running two Rena XP4s on my 75g tank. They are each rated at 450gph which is 900gph total. So that puts it above the 10x mark. I'm very happy with the flow even with a reactor and a uv sterilizer inline on the canisters.

You can get a low flow canister and add on a powerhead, but keep in mind that you want to actually filter the water, not just move it around. So that combination would only have the low flow canister be the sole source of filtration. The powerhead would simply push the dirty water around. I think a powerhead is best used when the filtration is sufficient, but the tank's design or scape layout causes dead zones in the circulation. I don't think it's wise to use a powerhead in place of filtration.

Of all the things that are important to a tank, filtration is one of the most important. It is not a good area for cutting corners. Get the best filtration you can.


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## accordztech (Dec 6, 2004)

I ran a 2213 and a 2217 in my 55g it was just enough to me. Personally id get a rena xp3...antbug has one for sale in the members section. The xp3 (even though im a eheim lover) just outflows the 2217.


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## applekrate (Jan 14, 2012)

I have a single 2217 classic on my lightly planted 72 gal with light-normal stock level with the water flow top to bottom vs. side to side around. With the spray bar just under the surface, the flow is a constant movement not a river movement. JMO with what I experienced with my 2217 classic.


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## Gafi (Aug 5, 2011)

great suggestions here....I did look at a Rena Filstar XP4 before I bought my Eheim....Sucks that they are 189.99 here in Canada...but perhaps I need to revisit it


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## Complexity (Jan 30, 2008)

Look for a used Rena XP4. They are solid canisters so a used one should still have a good life ahead of it. One of my XP4s is 5 years old and still going strong. I can't even tell which one it is among the four XP4s I have. They all look and perform the same. So a used one should be a good option if you can find one.


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## Gafi (Aug 5, 2011)

I really do like the look of them...I liked the basket idea they have....they seem like a breeze to clean.....do the hoses have quick disconnects?


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## Complexity (Jan 30, 2008)

Gafi said:


> do the hoses have quick disconnects?


Absolutely. All you do is lift up the lever between the hoses, and that stops the water flow. You can leave the hoses in place or pull them out. I leave them in place when I do my water changes so I don't lose prime, and of course I pull them out to service the canister.

Obviously, I like Rena canisters as I now have 8 of them. I even replaced my Eheim Pro II with an XP4. The Eheim already had parts breaking, and I never liked the way the baskets and connections fit together. I absolutely hated the way it primed (or failed to prime I should say). Then I snapped the impeller shaft. Darn thing was plastic! The Rena impeller shafts are stainless steel. I had had enough. The Eheim was more costly and more hyped, but the Renas simply performed better not only in terms of flow, but also in terms of ease of use, ease of servicing, and being rock solid in the long term.

One thing to keep in mind, and this is true for all canisters, is that you should clean the impeller and lubricate the o-rings every 3 months or so. The hardest part is cleaning off the old lubricant, but it's worth it. I have never had to replace an o-ring yet (so I'm still using my original 5 year old o-rings). If you'll clean off the old lubricant and then put on a thin coating of new lubricant, your o-rings will remain in good condition and you will not have any problems with leaking. The lubricant I'm using is a small tube that cost me just a little over $5 and has lasted me about 2 years (for 8 canisters). Here's what I'm using: http://www.amazon.com/Synthetic-Grease-Syncolon-Purpose-Lubricant/dp/B000XBH9HI/ref=pd_sbs_hi_1.


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## nikonD70s (Apr 6, 2008)

if u want more flow. get a lily pipe. or leave the stock outtake open ended. they are quiet filters. i have 2 in my tank and its super quiet


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## Gafi (Aug 5, 2011)

Complexity said:


> Absolutely. All you do is lift up the lever between the hoses, and that stops the water flow. You can leave the hoses in place or pull them out. I leave them in place when I do my water changes so I don't lose prime, and of course I pull them out to service the canister.
> 
> Obviously, I like Rena canisters as I now have 8 of them. I even replaced my Eheim Pro II with an XP4. The Eheim already had parts breaking, and I never liked the way the baskets and connections fit together. I absolutely hated the way it primed (or failed to prime I should say). Then I snapped the impeller shaft. Darn thing was plastic! The Rena impeller shafts are stainless steel. I had had enough. The Eheim was more costly and more hyped, but the Renas simply performed better not only in terms of flow, but also in terms of ease of use, ease of servicing, and being rock solid in the long term.
> 
> One thing to keep in mind, and this is true for all canisters, is that you should clean the impeller and lubricate the o-rings every 3 months or so. The hardest part is cleaning off the old lubricant, but it's worth it. I have never had to replace an o-ring yet (so I'm still using my original 5 year old o-rings). If you'll clean off the old lubricant and then put on a thin coating of new lubricant, your o-rings will remain in good condition and you will not have any problems with leaking. The lubricant I'm using is a small tube that cost me just a little over $5 and has lasted me about 2 years (for 8 canisters). Here's what I'm using: http://www.amazon.com/Synthetic-Grease-Syncolon-Purpose-Lubricant/dp/B000XBH9HI/ref=pd_sbs_hi_1.


thats great! So how do you do your water changes? Why wouldnt you just turn the filter off (put leave up to stop flow)....do the water change and turn it back on?....also why do you remove the hoses when you service your canister? Couldnt you just pull the leave up, pull out the quick disconnect piece, service the canister, and then reattach?


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## Complexity (Jan 30, 2008)

Gafi said:


> thats great! So how do you do your water changes? Why wouldnt you just turn the filter off (put leave up to stop flow)....do the water change and turn it back on?....also why do you remove the hoses when you service your canister? Couldnt you just pull the leave up, pull out the quick disconnect piece, service the canister, and then reattach?


I do 50% water changes which go beyond the depth of my intake screens. I actually have two intakes for each canister so it's the upper intakes that get exposed. If I just turned the filter off, but didn't stop the water flow, then the air would get into the line and I'd lose my prime. So I do what you were thinking. I turn the filter off and pull the lever up to stop the flow. I just didn't word it very clearly.

When I said I remove my hoses, I meant that I just pull out the quick disconnect piece. I never actually take the hoses off. That would be a major pain to do! What I was referring to is that you can (1) simply shut off the flow while leaving the quick disconnect in place or (2) actually remove the quick disconnect from the canister. Since there's always a little water that drips out whenever you take the quick disconnect out, it's nice to be able to simply shut off the flow while leaving the quick disconnect in place. It's nothing major, but it is a nice little bonus. The Eheim wouldn't do this which is why I appreciate that the Renas will do it.


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## Gafi (Aug 5, 2011)

Complexity said:


> I do 50% water changes which go beyond the depth of my intake screens. I actually have two intakes for each canister so it's the upper intakes that get exposed. If I just turned the filter off, but didn't stop the water flow, then the air would get into the line and I'd lose my prime. So I do what you were thinking. I turn the filter off and pull the lever up to stop the flow. I just didn't word it very clearly.
> 
> When I said I remove my hoses, I meant that I just pull out the quick disconnect piece. I never actually take the hoses off. That would be a major pain to do! What I was referring to is that you can (1) simply shut off the flow while leaving the quick disconnect in place or (2) actually remove the quick disconnect from the canister. Since there's always a little water that drips out whenever you take the quick disconnect out, it's nice to be able to simply shut off the flow while leaving the quick disconnect in place. It's nothing major, but it is a nice little bonus. The Eheim wouldn't do this which is why I appreciate that the Renas will do it.


Yeah, its a pain cleaning my ehjeim, I will admit that....perhaps ill get two Rena's and use my eheim on my 20 gallon haha


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## Complexity (Jan 30, 2008)

Be careful, next thing you know, you may have a collection of Renas like mine! LOL! :hihi:


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## Gafi (Aug 5, 2011)

yeah I could forsee that being my problem hahaha.....btw...what purpose does the UV filter pose in the aquarium setting.....I thought it was only used to eliminate pathogens?


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## Taari (Jul 31, 2010)

I have an Eheim Ecco 2236 on my 40b and it's perfect. It's rated for like an 80g tank though. I really don't think it would be adequate on a larger tank. I'm pretty sure the ratings are for a bare tank and an empty canister because some of them are rated for way more than they should be otherwise.


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## Complexity (Jan 30, 2008)

Gafi said:


> btw...what purpose does the UV filter pose in the aquarium setting.....I thought it was only used to eliminate pathogens?


That's a really good question, and the answer is rather complex. It has to do with how long the water remains in contact with the uv light. I read a page that explained it in a way that's very understandable. The basis of how a uv sterilizer works is that the uv light destroys the cell wall and then the DNA of whatever pathogen it kills (algae, virus, bacteria). The issue of how long the pathogen stays in contact with the uv light is similar to how long we stay exposed to the sun. If we walk outside for a minute, nothing happens to us. But if we lie on the beach for several hours, our skin gets burned. The same is true for pathogens with a uv sterilizer. If the water flow pushes through the uv sterilizer too quickly, the pathogens pass through unharmed. But if they pass through slow enough, they can get burned — which is how they get killed.

In the same way different people's skin has different sensitivities to the sun (fair skinned people get sunburned faster than darker skinned people), different pathogens have different sensitivites to the uv light. So an algae cell may get killed by being exposed to the uv light for only a short time while an ich parasite will need to be exposed much longer before it's killed.

I recently started a thread about uv sterilizers that you might find of interest: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=186064



Taari said:


> I'm pretty sure the ratings are for a bare tank and an empty canister because some of them are rated for way more than they should be otherwise.


I agree with this. Plus, most of the ratings are for "normal" tanks with only a few decorations so there's very little in the tank to block the water flow. Planted tanks are very different because the plants not only become obstacles that block the flow in the tank, but they create a much higher need for filtration from all the dead and decomposing leaves they produce. This is only compounded when we actively uproot and replant the plants, kicking up mulm into the water column. So even if the ratings on the canisters were more accurate, planted tanks still would have a greater need for filtration than the average tank due to the very nature of the planted environment.


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## Gafi (Aug 5, 2011)

Complexity said:


> That's a really good question, and the answer is rather complex. It has to do with how long the water remains in contact with the uv light. I read a page that explained it in a way that's very understandable. The basis of how a uv sterilizer works is that the uv light destroys the cell wall and then the DNA of whatever pathogen it kills (algae, virus, bacteria). The issue of how long the pathogen stays in contact with the uv light is similar to how long we stay exposed to the sun. If we walk outside for a minute, nothing happens to us. But if we lie on the beach for several hours, our skin gets burned. The same is true for pathogens with a uv sterilizer. If the water flow pushes through the uv sterilizer too quickly, the pathogens pass through unharmed. But if they pass through slow enough, they can get burned — which is how they get killed.
> 
> In the same way different people's skin has different sensitivities to the sun (fair skinned people get sunburned faster than darker skinned people), different pathogens have different sensitivites to the uv light. So an algae cell may get killed by being exposed to the uv light for only a short time while an ich parasite will need to be exposed much longer before it's killed.
> 
> ...


So do you run your UV light all the time? or only when you feel the need to? Have you noticed a reduction in the amount of algae?


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## Complexity (Jan 30, 2008)

I _just_ started running it again, literally within the last 24 hours. So it's too early to say what difference it will make, if any. I plan to run it at least every other day. I won't run it on the days I dose micros because it precipitates out the iron. Otherwise, there's no reason not to run it.


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## accordztech (Dec 6, 2004)

I used to run mine all day. Didnt notice much of a difference. So now I just run it at night to save some energy. 

The water did appear clearer. But everything else remained the same.


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## Complexity (Jan 30, 2008)

After running mine for 36 hours now, the water seems clearer, but it may be wishful thinking, too. I may be wanting it to be clearer so I'm imagining it to be clearer. Still, it does seem clearer to me for what it's worth.


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