# Equipment Review: JEBO 828 Canister Filter (a.k.a. Odyssea CFS4)



## aquaverde

Parts
Besides the filter assembly, you get 2 hoses (mine were pre-kinked), shutoff valves, 2 spare o-rings (that fit the shutoff valves), small tube labeled "sealant", inlet and outlet tubes, a spray bar, a 90 deg. elbow for the spraybar, and a two-piece strainer for the intake with a small assortment of clips and suction cups, and a drip pan that the filter assembly sits in. The plumbing affords virtually no versatility. You hook things up one way, and one way only, and be hopeful it fits your application. The fit is not close tolerance, but rather Jebo uses some soft material for the elbow and end cap that allows enough "give" to assemble the pieces. Once it's all together, the look is a little cheap (it's a cheap unit, after all), and the pieces didn't make right angles on my unit. There is a cap on the end of the spraybar with a triangular hole in it, and the directions boast that you can direct the water flow with it. This is true. In order to do it, the cap has to be pulled almost all the way off the spraybar, and it looked like water pressure would blow it off the end of the bar. That didn't happen, though, and the unit worked as advertised. The assembled intake, since it is a single piece terminated with the 2-piece strainer, has no adjustment. If it is too long, your only resort is a non-reversible fix via a hacksaw or the like. Too short for your liking and there's no fix.


----------



## aquaverde

Filter Construction
The motor assembly is held on the body by two large side clips. The clips have a robust feel and a satisfying snap when closed. This forces the indented top edge of the media housing against a recessed o-ring in the motor assembly. The assembly feels solid when closed. Inside are 4 baskets with included media. The power head itself has the obligatory inlet and outlet, and these are angled slightly and fixed- they don't move. The filter comes with shutoff fittings that are screwed into the inlet and outlet. They are differentiated by different size output tubes, and you have to pay attention during the installation as the disconnects can be reversed. The motor assembly has "IN" and "OUT" helpfully molded on the top. Don’t expect to be able to read that in the darkness of an undertank cabinet- they’re too hard to see for that, but they are there. Hose attachment to the shutoff is via a castellated compression fitting and collar nut. Insert hose, tighten collar, and voila. The shutoffs cut the flow via two individual stopcock handles- one in each disconnect. 

The filter body comes with 4 baskets complete with media. At the top is a grate, and under that the topmost basket has 2 sponges, 1 each of coarse and fine, the second basket has small porous ceramic media, the 3rd larger ceramic media, and the bottom has activated carbon. The 2, 3 & 4 baskets have some sort of woven material in the bottom as well, that serves to keep media from falling through the baskets. Water comes in and travels top-to-bottom through the canister. The volume of media in this very large filter is quite impressive- enough to maintain a biological filter far beyond the needs of a planted tank. A tube is built into each of the baskets and the top grate, with the top of each tube fitted with a rubber gasket. The gasket fits into the bottom of the tube in the basket above it, so that one long tube is created from the bottom to the top when they're all nested together properly. The gasket in the grate then fits into the impeller chamber in the motor assembly, so that water is drawn up from the bottom of the canister. The close-fitting baskets and design of the grate is such that it looks highly improbable bypass will occur in this design. Water flows through the media from top to bottom, returning through the segmented/gasketed tube. Fitting all the parts together and getting the gaskets and tubes to seat properly was a bit fiddly, especially when trying to place each of these into the close-fitting housing. At this point, you find out why each of the baskets is equipped with its own handle. Removal or replacement would be pretty difficult without them. I found if things aren't placed just right with all the gaskets properly seated, the housing clips can't both be properly secured.

There is a large round priming button on the top of the motor housing that prevents the need for awkward priming. Just push the plunger down and it evacuates air from inside the filter through the return hose and draws water in through the intake. This is a real plus.

Documentation
The filter comes with an instruction manual, and it wasn't written by a native speaker of English, and could present some difficulty to the not-so-mechanically-inclined. Some important discrepancies caused me to wonder. In one part, the directions claim the outlet spouts can be positioned, yet in my unit they cannot. The directions are inconsistent. A part is referred to by one name in the illustrated parts list, and by several other names in the directions. Included assembly illustrations use yet other names for parts. Relying on these instructions makes the assembly process somewhat confusing. The tube of "sealant" is never mentioned anywhere in the entire pamphlet. My guess is, it's o-ring lube. I didn't open it, as everything went together without the need of undue persuasion and I didn’t get any leaks. The first time I do maintenance, though, I hope things come apart as easily as they went together!


----------



## aquaverde

Assembly
I put the hoses in some hot water to try to get the kinks out before I put things together. One kink never did come out of the larger hose. Fortunately, it was close to one end, and I cut that section out and used it to kluge the Hydor heater into the output plumbing.

Emptying the media into their baskets was a simple matter. There was enough, but not too much, so it everything fit together with room to spare. The large intake hose was a bit of an interference fit into the shutoff valve, and I had to wrestle with it just a little to get it seated properly. The smaller hose goes in much easier.

Plumbing the hoses presented some problems. They are soft and kink very easily, especially the smaller diameter return hose. Plumbing the Hydor into it didn't help matters. I found that just about no "blousing" of the lines was possible, as the weight of the hoses would cause them to collapse. This is probably true to some extent with most of the hose that comes with any filter (some tradeoff between spine and ease of assembly), but it was especially true with the Jebo. Add to that the fact that the outlets were fixed, and setup was restrictive. On the smaller hose, I had to decide where it was going to go in the tank and pretty much cut it exactly to size. I had some additional problems because the smaller hose used on the output didn't fit the Hydor inline heater. I got some adapters at the hardware store to go from small to large hose and back again on either side of the Hydor. This is not a Jebo responsibility, of course; they can’t be expected to design product to fit some other company’s stuff, and I’m not aware of any de facto standard for plumbing canister filters. It is still important to know the output hose is smaller than 5/8ths if you want to use a Hydor ETH, though, when considering this filter.


----------



## aquaverde

Operation
Priming was a matter of making sure the shutoffs were open and pushing the priming button down a couple of times and holding. Water filled the cavernous media housing pretty quickly. It still takes a little while to fill, as this filter must have a couple of gallons of capacity. Once primed, just plug in. The filter spun up and ran fairly quietly. After a few weeks, it is still quiet. Not quiet like you hear described of an Eheim, but I can hear my XP-1 across the room. I have to open the cabinet to confirm the Jebo is operating.

Flow Rate
Jebo advertises 317gph flow rate for this filter. What I saw coming out didn't impress me- so much so that I decided to check it. I devised a simple check using a 5-gallon bucket that I had measured for 5 actual gallons. There was a good-sized length of leftover outlet tubing because I used the Hydor, so I hooked that tubing straight up without anything else on the outlet, for the most optimistic flow rate results possible. This means only the diameter of the motor section outlet would impede flow. No other tubing or pipe involved. I pumped into a bucket that was a little over a foot below the aquarium water level, so the bucket would have filled via gravity alone with the disconnects open (this was almost my undoing at the end of the test). I dropped the tube in the bucket, hit the power switch and timed how long it took to pump 5 gallons. It took 113 seconds to fill. Unless my math is as bad as I think it is, that works out to about 160gph, and this under ideal conditions with a foot of head pushing (in other words, better than you will get in actual operation). I've heard it said that rated flow in the industry is pretty inflated, maybe it's so, but these results were very disappointing.

Injecting CO2
I drilled a hole in the "basket handle" (the adapter that goes between the strainer and inlet pipe) to fit my Duetto 50 fitting and plugged the CO2 tubing in. From there I proceeded to inject about 100bpm through my Milwaukee pH-controlled system into the filter to see how it handled this. I got some gas accumulation in the flter, and that caused an increase of noise, as incoming water now splashed through the gas after a time. The impeller will not engage any injected gas unless the entire filter is evacuated of water (the flow is from top to bottom, then back to the top through the segmented tube and through the impeller). By this mechanism, an air lock is practically impossible with the design. I had problems with gas accumulation before in my external reactor, and that made me prefer the Duetto, which pulverizes the CO2 bubbles before blowing them out of the unit. So I am not taking any points away from Jebo for the gas accumulation, as I have not been able to isolate the cause of this problem. It is certainly safe to inject CO2 into the filter, and a lower bubble rate might prove to be no problem. But I’m certain the flow rate is a contributing factor in the dissolution of the gas.


----------



## aquaverde

Maintenance
To perform maintenance, cut the intake shutoff, then the output shutoff while the pump is running (to avoid pressurizing the canister), then unplug the power and unscrew both disconnects from the inlet and outlet fittings. The head height alone is enough to pressurize the can via gravity so that you get a splash on opening if the directions aren't followed (don't ask how I know). Remove the motor assembly by unbuckling the two side clips and lifting it off the filter housing. The media baskets are removed for cleaning, like any other canister. Directions for impeller cleaning are included, but I think they will make more sense once I start the actual disassembly for the task, if you get my drift.

Reliability
The jury is out on this one. It takes years to confirm reliability, and a single premature failure to ruin it. Time will tell.

VERDICT

The Good
Large capacity filter with media included
Self-priming!
Quiet
Low price



The Bad
Accessory plumbing extremely limited and cheaply/poorly designed
Instructions poorly written/inaccurate/incomplete
Low flow- half the advertised rating

Conclusion
You get what you pay for.
If you don't have any special plumbing needs, have an average tank of say 40 gallons (30 gallons heavily planted), and are on an austerity budget, this is a can at a price. The generous filtering capacity might make this good for a tank with messy fish. This filter is fairly simple to operate, and the self-priming feature is glorious. If this unit provided anything like the advertised flow and a decent plumbing package, Jebo would have a great deal here. For a DIY-er the plumbing might be overcome at an additional cost, but the low flow rate makes this otherwise nice design not such a deal after all.


----------



## BOTIA

*re water flow..*

Nice review Aquaverde
Interesting about your flow experiiment. I can't imagine if the flow was double in my tank as I already have problems with some plants being blown around in my heavily planted 70 gallon. I have a hard time believing an xp3 would be double the flow rate as I have heard some people have 2 of them on 75 gallon tanks.
I'm not sure why you would say it would better for a 40 gallon tank as eheim listed flow rates for the 2026 are 172 GPH and rated for up to 90 gallon tanks.
That is with media in place in the filter without the media it is rated 251gph. I looked on the eheim website and all eheim canisters are rated for pump output and filtration output. The filtration output was 40% less on most of them. Iwould hazard a guess the jebo was rated the same way without media ? with media it seems inline with the eheims outputs. 
http://eheim.com/pro2.htm
I did have the kinked hose at one but it was at the end like yours so I cut it off. The sealent is silicone for the "O" rings and such .
I find I only need about 45 bpm to get co2 to 25ppm using diy co2 so it will get much quieter. 
Btw how is the hydor heater working for you? That was something I was looking at as well.
Nice Work
Botia


----------



## BOTIA

*pss*

Btw if you like surface skimmers a hagen skimmer works like a charm wiith the inflow. To use it cut 2 inch long piece of the leftover input tubeing and install that on directly on the input pipe. The black flexi tube form the hagen skimmer fits perfectly into the 2 inch piece. Take out the skimmer adjutment rod on the skimmer and attach the jebo strainer basket directly in the botton of the skimmer. I then use heat shrink tubing to hold it in place and cover the original input holes in lower part of the skimmer. You will have no adjustment but the skimmer will never need it. 
I'll post a pic when I get a chance.
Also I fed my Co2 into the 2 inch junction piece between J tube and flexi tube.
Sounds complicated but it's not...

Cheers
Botia


----------



## Ibn

Nice review there. Keep us posted on how it does down the line.


----------



## aquaverde

Hey Botia,

It’s not unusual to have 2 filters on a larger planted tank, they seem to eat up so much flow. When I tested the Jebo, the only thing not in the filter was the carbon, so one basket was empty. When I eyeballed the flow, I was very surprised. It looked like significantly less than my XP1, and that’s what made me decide to test it.

I hope to do the same test on my XP1 sometime soon. It’s good to get objective data rather than rely on one’s eye for this. Remember, my Jebo test was optimistic. I doubt I am seeing 160gpm in operation.

The Hydor works like a charm so far. I love the concept, and it is large enough it doesn’t seem to impede the flow noticeably.

I like the idea of a surface skimmer, long as it doesn’t outgas CO2. I might give the Hagen a try. Thanks for the tip.

And thanks for the encouragement on the review. I hope it’s a help.

Ibn, thanks, will post any changes. I may post other reviews later if this sort of thing is wanted.


----------



## BSS

Great write-up. Clearly lots of work went into it. Thanks for the review!

Brian.


----------



## bigpow

Thanks for the review.
I'll give it a try. I'm planning to buy one from SE Asia or Hongkong (~$30) the next time I travel.


----------



## Momotaro

Well done!

Is it just me or would anybody else worry about a canister filter that came with a pan to place it in???  

All kidding aside, good luck and keep us up to date!

Mike


----------



## Rex Grigg

Where did you buy this filter from?


----------



## aquaverde

Bought it from here. I notice that the Hydor is now listed as one of the "Customers who bought this also bought" items.

The drip pan is just big enough to catch some drips down the side. It's good for preventing damage from failing to wipe off wet feet after sloppy maintenance.


----------



## unirdna

Solid Review! Thanks James. I'm not surprised at all that the flow rate was exagerated. I sometimes think that these companies report how FAST water CAN be FORCED through their filters, not how much water their filters actually move. Or maybe, they test the pump by putting it at the 10-foot mark in a 20-foot siphon .


----------



## ninoboy

Good review Aqua roud: I was quite curious on this Jebo myself and really like to see the parts. Thanks for the detailed pictures.

Regarding the flow rate, I have my theory which maybe wrong also. Jebo's product lines (aquarium, filter, etc) are very famous in Southeast Asia. Most of the countries there use 220-240 volts. I would think that they did some adjustment to the products they release to States (110v) but not precise enough hence significantly reduce power on their motors. 

The reason I came to that conclusion was because I bought some stuffs (electronics) from Asia. They have those Voltage switches (110-120 or 220-240). All of those stuffs work fine in Asia but some of them don't work quite well here. My electronic cooker takes forever to heat up over here but works fine in Asia. Also other stuffs those have charger takes a longer time to charge the battery here.


----------



## aquaverde

On the question of voltage differences, Jebo (like any company) has a responsibility to report accurate performance specs. This unit will not run on 220/240, so there's no excuse to pass on bogus specs that only apply if it did.

Marketing is a wonderful thing, no? :icon_roll

Too bad we don't have the resources that you find in a broader hobby, e.g. computer hardware, to do some kind of controlled, independent testing of all the product on the market. That's really not going to happen, but if more of us can do some sort of "bucket testing", with some minimum controls, we could get a ballpark understanding of what to expect from a given filter.

I could have done more. What can you expect when you add a Hydor to the outflow? How does that affect the performance? How about a Hydor on another filter? Or an UV unit, or a given external reactor? If I had the time, I could have lots of fun with this. :icon_bigg


----------



## Ibn

It's gonna be hard to be able to do an analysis/rating of all the possibilities out there. Chances are nobody would be willing to shell out the dough to pick up the canisters and do testing on them (highly doubt that you'll get the manufacturers to send you a test unit; unlike in computer hardware).

I actually took some photos similar to yours after getting my Eheim 2128 (after being inspired to do so by your post :icon_bigg ), but didn't test it like you did. I just wanted to get that thing going after having the tank filtered by an underpowered Eheim Ecco 2231 (did a great job for what it's worth) and only heated by an Ebo-Jager 50W heater (took it awhile, but it kept the tank at a constant 76 degrees).


----------



## aquaverde

That Ebo-Jaeger gets the award for the little heater that _could_. 50W for 90 gallons. I have to assume the delta T was no more than a couple of degrees.  

/puts arm around Eric's shoulder, assumes fatherly tone

Now, Eric, you're a sharp lad, have you given much thought to posting those pics of your Eheim _with_ your impressions on the filter? Why, even the bucket test won't cause you too much grief, if you've a mind to... I'll be doing it myself next time I service my XP1...just set up the bucket and drop the output in, and let her rip. Makes for a nice fast water change...just watch out at the end if have negative head...oops!
:hihi:


----------



## Ibn

Yup, the delta T wasn't too much. Room temperature is 72 and tank temperature was 76. Still pretty amazing for a little heater to heat up that amount of water. I don't think it could have increased the temperature of the tank any further however. Even w/the Eheim 2128, it took around 36 hours to move from 76 to 84 degrees.

LOL, aqua. I've been thinking about doing so. I just have to get down there and pull the valve and shut the tank down for a bit. Might do that this weekend and see what kind of flow I'm getting from the sucker anyways. Gonna have to use a smaller bucket (3 gallon) however, since the tank and stand are pretty tall and I had to use every inch of the tubing to get the canister down there.

There doesn't appear to me much water movement in the tank currently. The roselines really love the water movement (you can really tell during water changes), and I'm considering a close-loop system at the moment to get better water movement in there.


----------



## aquaverde

I need to enhance the water movement in my 65 as well. Haven't quite figured what to do yet. I'm not in the mood to purchase anything else. Just ask my wife and she'll tell you...
:wink: 

Close-loop system? Not sure what you mean.


----------



## Ibn

An example of a closed loop system:
http://www.melevsreef.com/closedloop.html

Already have some sizable pumps (the one in the link above uses a Mag 5; I have two Mag 9s sitting around) and would just need some PVC to get one up and running (run clear PVCs in the tank so that it isn't so noticeable).


----------



## aquaverde

Thanks for posting the link, Eric, this could be helpful to me as well. I have some clear PVC that I picked up from Jehmco and I might just have to plumb something similar. The pump I have now is a Rio, and I think it's just too large to hide. I'm being very anal about no equipment showing in the 65, and when the sump idea didn't work, it presented me with some real challenges to accomplish that.


----------



## Laith

Thanks for a great review. I've been wondering what these Eheim "look-a-likes" where like...

I agree with Mike: any cannister that came with a "drip tray" would have me running in the other direction!  :tongue:


----------



## aquaverde

My pleasure.

I'm hoping others will have the opportunity to do the same, maybe my regular Joe review will be an encouragement for folks to do a little investigating for us all when they get new equipment. I also think discussion on what kind of information is useful, how to check equipment in a useful way, would be helpful.

I don't have the resources myself to do it all, and if I did, I would want others' input to help me do a worthwhile job. It will be some time (knock on wood) before I'm in the market for a new piece, and most of us, once we find something that meets our needs, will naturally stick with it. But there's a boatload of people in this hobby with far more experience and brains than me, and if they were to have the opportunity to do something like this on a piece of gear, would be making a valuable contribution and advancing the hobby.


----------



## BOTIA

*Jebo update*

Hey Guys I have been running an 828 for 5 months now.
So far it has remained very quiet I can only hear a slight swooshing sound from it since I am using it as Co2 reactor.( I have to open cabinet doors to hear it)
I have been able to cut back on my diy co2 bottles from 6 to 4 with a nice 25ppm.
I thought the drip tray was a great idea. I have seen many pictures on the net of peoples canister setups in their cabinet sitting in a rubbermaid type plasticware.(particularly fluvals) I have laminate flooring in my bedroom where my tank sits 2 ft from bedside so protecting my floor is key. 
I had recently noticed a decrease in flow so after 5months with two only floss replaced twice. I then noticed my hose were very skanky inside. I ran a flexi brush through both hoses and it cured that issue to point of my watersprite was getting blown out of substrate.
* As far bogus specs* I think the spec refers to pump capacity not the filter circulation. Have a look at Eheim's web page specs. If you look at the specs for many of the Eheim filters the there can be up to almost a 50% dercrease in gph when the pump capacity and filtration capacity are compared.
If I had two jebos on my 70 my plants would getting pushed around way too much. 
This was a great review btw. I am just trying to fair this to filter which is working so well for me.
Btw in BC canada an Eheim with capacity is easly 250-300 dollars so 110 cad delivered is damn good deal.
Btw my baskets are set up differently compared to manual. I use just coarse foam in the first basket, large noodles with foam on top in the 2nd, just biomax and small noodles in the 3rd and all floss in the 4th.
The manual has floss on each level which I thought was to complicated for cleaning.
Peace Out 
Botia


----------



## aquaverde

I'm hoping we can get real-world comparisons from other product, the main reason I want to see others bucket-test their filters. The marketing specs don't have any comparative value, obviously, but neither does my bucket test unless we know what other filters do in the same way.


----------



## BOTIA

*re comparisons*

Exactly, let's see some comarisons
When are you going to review the hydor heater??
Botia


----------



## aquaverde

Not much to say about it. Hooked it up, it works. :hihi: 

O-K...there is more consumer information that should be provided for this unit, such as the plumbing needs, etc. I think though, I need to let it operate for a while longer before doing a review. Anything at this point is going to have to be changed down the line. Maintenance, reliability, that sort of thing.

I actually have a question for other Hydor users. There's a brush listed in the accessories, but no brush came with my unit. Wondering if anyone got a brush to see if I should have gotten one as well.


----------



## unirdna

I didn't get any brush. I wouldn't even had thought to need to scrub it, but if the time comes, I'll sure I'll find a means. My opinion on the heater: best one I have ever owned. Temp does NOT fluctuate, and the 300w unit keeps my 46g 81deg despite being against a very cold outside wall. I know that this heater could handle a much bigger tank because the red light is only on about 1/3 of the time.


----------



## aquaverde

Thanks for the info, unirdna, that's good to know. I'm really happy with mine so far, it is not breaking a sweat on the 65.


----------



## fishyboy

my hydro 300 took my 75 from 75 to 85 within ~6 hrs when i bumped it on accident.. always correct temp, and it's almost never on(tank is in a <62 degree basement)


----------



## aquaverde

*Rena Filstar XP-1 Bucket Test*

Performed maintenance on my XP-1 last night, removed the floss and after I finished cleaning it, I did the bucket test to see what the flow was. This is running the filter through only 2 sponges, no other media. Head height was the same as for the Jebo- a little over a foot of negative head. Test was run through the input and output plumbing provided. On the output, I had the nozzle, not the venturi or spray bar.

Results- 132 GPH. How about them apples. Rated flow is 250 GPH for the XP-1.

Marketing-to-reality factor:
Jebo (160/317) 50% of advertised flow
Filstar (132/250) 53% of advertised flow

Interesting.


----------



## fishyboy

time to see what a eheim does... and since my fitlers are down atm(redoing tank) maybe i'll test my xp3's


----------



## aquaverde

That'd be great. This effort is only going to be valuable with more input.

I wonder if the 50%-ish trend will continue. I doubt it, since I would be willing to bet the Eheim Pro II will be comparable with my Jebo, and I believe it's rating is much lower (iirc).


----------



## geeman

*Just received JEBO 828*

Thanks for the useful info. I wish I had found your postings before purchasing the Jebo 828. It arrived yesterday, set up and running, and finding the same result, the flow is alot less than advertised, probably less than half. My 165gph pump has more suction. There is also a slight noise coming from the filter, which may be air still in the canistar and I've done all I can to get rid of it. It's not that load, but it can be annoying after awhile. If all the other canistars have half the advertised actual flow rate, then a $60 canistar doesn't seem like a bad deal compared to the more expensive options for a supplemental filteration unit.

Any thoughts of hooking up a stronger rated pump in the system? albiet at the extra cost or is there a replacement pump/motor with a higher GPh rating for the Jebo line?


----------



## aquaverde

geeman said:


> Any thoughts of hooking up a stronger rated pump in the system? albiet at the extra cost or is there a replacement pump/motor with a higher GPh rating for the Jebo line?


When it comes to all these cans, they is what they is- they aren't open architecture that you can upgrade like a PC. I think someone else posted the motors on some of the Eheims are the same, which means the impeller design is what determines flow rate. A little more aggressive impeller = higher flow and suck down a little more power at the wall. Never heard of replacement motors that would do anything like what you're questioning.

If you want more flow, I think it will mean a second can. Two 828s are only $140-ish. The longer I have this piece, the better I like it. And to reiterate, the marketing flow rates are pretty useless for the real world. Have no idea what those numbers mean. That's why I would bucket test everything on the market if I had examples of each product to test.


----------



## geeman

thanks aquaverde,

I was planning on using the canistar as a supplemental filteration for my 60 gallon heavy loaded tank. I already have an emperor 400 power filter, that doesn't seem to do the complete job, so the reason for the canistar. I would be almost enough filtration, except the suction from the canistar isn't strong enough.


----------



## Aulonochromis

I think all canister flow rates are measured without media. I think Eheim's rates are measured with media which would explain why they are rated lower. 

There are alot of these Jebo filters on Ebay for dirt cheap. I might get one. I have another cheap filter, the Via Aqua 750 and I can't say enough good things about it. It is absolutely silent and I've had it about 14 months now and I bet I've only cleaned it about 6 times.The only problem is there is no primer, but it's not a problem for me because it is plumbed with bulkeads.


----------



## bastalker

check out the flow rating here...Says the same performance of an XP3..If I read your review right,(awsome review BTW), your XP1 was comparable, an the Jebo just wont match an XP3. I am in the market for a canister, an leaning toward an XP3 for my 55G. This will then be used on my 75G. I have to admit, the price is great for this canister, but I want a canister that can handle a reactor, an uv on the outlet. I am not even sure an XP3 would handle the additional hardware without to much flow restriction. Guess bottom line is, I would need a seperate pump for the UV.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=46310&item=4360252746&rd=1


----------



## aquaverde

Aulonochromis said:


> I think all canister flow rates are measured without media. I think Eheim's rates are measured with media which would explain why they are rated lower.
> 
> There are alot of these Jebo filters on Ebay for dirt cheap. I might get one.


I came to some sort of epiphany over the ratings a while back, and I think the companies like Jebo and Rena are only publishing the pump figures, not what the filter+media rates are, as you suggest. Eheim has figures for both, I forget where I saw them, but the impression was that the difference was a little better than 50% (as found on Jebo and Rena by me).

The longer I have this Jebo, the better I like it.



bastalker said:


> check out the flow rating here...Says the same performance of an XP3..If I read your review right,(awsome review BTW), your XP1 was comparable, an the Jebo just wont match an XP3. I am in the market for a canister, an leaning toward an XP3 for my 55G. This will then be used on my 75G. I have to admit, the price is great for this canister, but I want a canister that can handle a reactor, an uv on the outlet. I am not even sure an XP3 would handle the additional hardware without to much flow restriction. Guess bottom line is, I would need a seperate pump for the UV.


The XP-1 had less flow than the Jebo, though not much less. If I extrapolated that percentage figure to the XP-3, it would mean I could expect ~185gph out of the XP-3 (which advertises 350gph), vs. 160 for Jebo(which advertises 317gph). So that’s 25gph difference- the gain with XP-3 is just slightly less than the gain between the XP-1 and Jebo. I would have to do a bucket test to confirm the Rena was really doing that much flow, too.

Maybe someone like Rex might chime in. He plumbs external reactors and uses XPs, and I think he has at least one 55gallon.


----------



## lumpyfunk

I just want to chime in as well. I bought a JEBO 828 in December and am very happy with it, sure it may have a few issues that could be better. Like the instructions and a little stronger tubeing. However for the performance to cost on it it is hard to beat!


----------



## BOTIA

*jebo!*

Hi guys I got my 828 last september and still love it. It is still very quiet(2ft from bed) I am still using it with diy co2 to maintain a 25-30 ppm. That's no reactor just feed into the take. I also have an inline 9w turbotwist uvs on it.
My plants are doing well with rotala macracanda taking over right now.
The ehiem ratings are on the ehiem web page for some of their filters and they list gph ratings for the pump only and with filtration in place.Some of the cans had a 60% drop in flow with filtration so it is not marketing hype just a goof on the what rating signifies on the jebo.
Considering the poorly translated instructions , I am not a surprised at the rating.
Botia


----------



## Rex Grigg

I have an XP-3 on a 55 gallon tank with a large DIY CO2 reactor on the output side. It works pretty well. But as the filter starts to get buildup in it the flow does drop quite a bit. But that will happen with any filter.


----------



## aquaverde

True. My XP-1 does the same, has nothing extra on the output. It just needs cleaning every so often. Indicates a design that doesn't have a bypass problem, for one thing.


----------



## bastalker

Hey James an Rex, How much better is the plumbing on the Rena, than the Jebo? I Know I could replace the intake, an output hoses for a few bucks, but the bypass thing kinda bothers me a little on the jebo. $70 shipped, plus a few bucks for the hoses at HD. Probably work out to about $80. I can get the XP3 shipped for about $110, an not have to worry about any bypass which is a good thing. 

I know with hooking up a reactor, an a UV on the outtake of any filter will create a substantial output loss, but if I can get more output from the XP3 than the Jebo when its all said an done, I will go with the Rena. 

Wish I could get a comment from someone with an XP3 hooked up the way I want to do it. Would make decidin a lot easier! :wink:


----------



## aquaverde

Bypass is practically impossible with the Jebo. The design pulls water from the bottom of the filter, is well-sealed, and forces the water to travel through the media. No bypass. The only filter with confirmed bypass problems is the Via Aqua design, that I'm aware of.

Jebo can't hold a candle to XP for supplied plumbing. The Filstar XP series came with a plethora of fittings, maybe more than anything else out there. I won't try to describe it now, because I understand the plumbing was changed since I bought my filter. If you're good at DIY, this might not be so important.

Also, the XP series are noisy. Jebo is not. If that makes a difference to you, you'll want to consider it.

Either filter will probably give you comparable performance, I tend to think you will get a little more out of the XP. But if this is going to be a fast CO2-injected tank with heavy growth, you may just have to invest in two sources for water movement. That would mean two filters or a filter and a pump to power the accessories. Water movement, IME, usually means a healthier tank.


----------



## ugu

Thank for good documents, without this I couldn't know much about my Jebo 828 can or can't do.

Just a question, where can I buy the replacement pads for 828? I look overall in PetsMart or Petco or any LFS but still not seeing them.. is there any other brand can fit it or I just buy the normal one and cut the hole out?

About the media, how long do I have to replace it?

Thanks


----------



## aquaverde

You can get replacement media for the 828 online here.

There's also a link for the ceramic noodles at the same store. I should think replacement sponges wouldn't be necessary for a good while. I'm still using the ones in my XP after almost 2 years, and there's no signs of wear. Just clean them out periodically. To polish water, a little floss/hypoallergenic batting or some 50 micron pads cut to size from just about any fish store should work. Just make sure you put it after the other media in the flow.

Edit- btw, I changed the title of this thread to reflect the new name for this filter. Have no info yet on design changes, if any.


----------



## lbsfarms

I went to the local Walmart and bought poly-fil nu-foam. It's a large square piece of foam, I think they use it for seat cushions or something. You can easily cut it to match the old pad.


----------



## ugu

Once again thank James & lbsfarms for the tips.

But I'm just new into this so few more dump question will make me gain my skill in future: The filter come with 4 baskets so do I have to put the media in order to get best result like Bio Ring should be on bottom then carbon ... or no need to be in order.

If the tank is fully cycle do you I really need to use the carbon or any product like zeolite? In case we we don't use those so what can I fill with the empty basket? Or any suggestion to make them build good bacteria or make the good water quality?

Thanks.


----------



## aquaverde

ugu said:


> Once again thank James & lbsfarms for the tips.
> 
> But I'm just new into this so few more dump question will make me gain my skill in future: The filter come with 4 baskets so do I have to put the media in order to get best result like Bio Ring should be on bottom then carbon ... or no need to be in order.
> 
> If the tank is fully cycle do you I really need to use the carbon or any product like zeolite? In case we we don't use those so what can I fill with the empty basket? Or any suggestion to make them build good bacteria or make the good water quality?
> 
> Thanks.


We don't use carbon for planted tanks, nor zeolite that I am aware of. Carbon will remove some of the nutrients we spend money to add to the water column, so it's contraindicated.

There is a correct order for the media. Generally, you want to go from coarse filtration to fine so that the filter doesn't plug up all the time. In this particular filter, water flow is from top to bottom, so the top basket has the two sponges (coarser one on top), followed by the ceramic media. I don't know if there's a real reason to put the big and small in any particular order, and since I don't use carbon, my bottom basket is the place where the 50 micron cloth or floss should go.

Don't worry about the biological filter. It will develop on whatever media you have in there, and will be more than you really need in a planted tank anyway. The only precaution I really follow is to wash the filter in tank water so I don't chlorinate the biological filter, and I always leave one tray unwashed in order to preserve part of the biofilter undisturbed. I'm superstitious that way, and don't know for sure that's really necessary.


----------



## josips

*Be wary of these*

Just be careful of unscrewing the quick couplers on the top of the filter.

I broke the tap connector VERY easily (and even while exercising caution) whilst attatching the hose to the filter.

And since you can't get spare parts for this thing, all its good for now is collecting dust. 

My opinion about these filters is, don't waste your time, money or sanity on this Chinese knock off crap. Buy the real deal like Eheim, Hydor or Aqua One and enjoy life. You can measure the greatness of a filter in my opinion by how often you need to worry about it.


----------



## aquaverde

*Price drop*

The tap connectors don't require much effort, so I'll make sure to be careful with mine. Just cleaned it out yesterday, and I find that a towel around the disconnect is a good idea when popping the hoses off.

Superfishstore.com has dropped the price on these to $61.16. Also, I reiterate they have gone through a name change and redesign, for which I have no information.


----------



## dmiles7

Mine has a prime button but it will not push down.....anyone else have this problem....also when it is running how far up should the water be in the canister.....I can see mine is about a half inch below where the top goes in.....and when it is running you can hear a sound as if it is trying to fill up....what do you guys think this might be


----------



## aquaverde

It took a little effort to push the button down the first time, sort of stuck at the top. After that, it wasn't difficult. If there is pressure in the canister it is difficult to push. If the button can't be operated, return it. It needs to work. And when it does, press it a time or two to eliminate the air in the top of the canister (with flow valves open, of course).


----------



## travdawg

I jsut bought a pair of these from ebay, is there no place, even overseas, to buy spare parts for them????


----------



## dmiles7

Well I got the prime button to release

But every few minutes it sounds like water is running for a few seconds then goes off....sounds like it is trying to fill up.

Have pressed the primer several times but still the same....is this just how these filters work or am I doing something wrong

Thanks


----------



## ugu

I have hard time make it running, but after a few clean up I find the most easy way.

I unlock the two side clamps a bit so air can get it and the intake holes will drain water into the filter, I wait till the water fill up and quickly lock the clamps (while filter is running) and it work. Just around 30 seconds.. don't have to press the prime.

Hope it work for you.


----------



## slavearm

aquaverde said:


> You can get replacement media for the 828 online here.
> 
> There's also a link for the ceramic noodles at the same store. I should think replacement sponges wouldn't be necessary for a good while. I'm still using the ones in my XP after almost 2 years, and there's no signs of wear. Just clean them out periodically. To polish water, a little floss/hypoallergenic batting or some 50 micron pads cut to size from just about any fish store should work. Just make sure you put it after the other media in the flow.
> 
> Edit- btw, I changed the title of this thread to reflect the new name for this filter. Have no info yet on design changes, if any.



The Eheim Media fits pretty darn well with little or no modification. =) I love knockoffs.


----------



## jmelnek

I have (2) of these filters setting here (both with broken green cases) where can I buy new housings or how to fix...



thanks, 

Josh


----------



## aquaverde

Don't have an answer for that one. Have to wonder, how did you break both cases?


----------



## Rex Grigg

My guess would be filling the cannister up with water. Not having the baskets aligned and trying to close the latches.


----------



## jmelnek

Shipping... I bought one off of ebay and it arrived broken (stupid DHL), so they sent me another one and it was broken aswell. So I got my money back and now I have these two filters and an XP2 arriving today...


----------



## Rex Grigg

jmelnek said:


> Shipping... I bought one off of ebay and it arrived broken (stupid DHL), so they sent me another one and it was broken aswell. So I got my money back and now I have these two filters and an XP2 arriving today...



Bad packaging. I can see one getting broken but not two.


----------



## jmelnek

Rex Grigg said:


> Bad packaging. I can see one getting broken but not two.


Yeah tell me about it. When is says cheap shipping that means just wrap the box it comes in and call it good...

But I would like to find a couple of new cases...


----------



## RobD

James (aquaverde) -

So, after 6 months, how do you still like the Jebo? I see they are now on eBay for $60 shipped.

Reason I'm asking is I think my 2026 might be under-powered for my 90 gallon when I switch to it (rated at 92g). I too have the ETH300, so upgrading to a 2028 would give me the flow and allow me to not do conversions on the tubing.

Or, I could just add a second filter to the tank. If I bought an Eheim Classic, I'd probably go for the 2217 for $112 shipped, though it and the 2026 would probably make the fish into those little window clingy things. And the ETH300 would only fit on the intake of the 2217 if I were to just use it and sell the 2026.

Last option is to buy another 2026 or the 828, then all the media would be interchangeable. I'd still be worried about the flow, but the 2026 can throttle it down some. Then I can have fun trying to figure out how to have the two spraybars.

Or, I could just run the 2026 and be happy. (Will I be? - not many people talk about filters for 90 gallons, just 75 gallons).


----------



## aquaverde

I like the Jebo fine. It’s continuing to do it’s thing. Reliability is not a 6 month determination, of course, and there are posters here that bring up some other issues re the Jebo. I have none- this is a dirt cheap filter that works. I assume you’ve read my review, and I have nothing to add at this point.

I would mention that putting anything on the input side of the plumbing of ANY canister filter is a bad idea. Impeding the input can kill the motor. Always plumb accessories into the output side.

Hydor make a series of cans that accept the ETH300 without kluging the plumbing. But they are an unproven and unknown commodity that doesn’t have any price advantage over an Eheim classic.

In a heavily planted tank, you really need good circulation. I believe it will actually make a difference in your growth rate. Upgrading to a 2028 IMO will afford you no appreciable increase in circulation, and I wouldn’t consider trying to make just one of any of the cans mentioned do a 90g alone.

My advice? Add a second can. Plumb it so that you get as much circulation with as little surface disturbance as possible (I’m assuming CO2 injection, otherwise it’s not an issue). I would like to try out a 2217 myself. I don’t see you going wrong with Eheim, I think the classic series is good bang for the (Eheim) buck, but if you’re on a budget, Jebo will give you something comparable for half price. And before the pimp squad jumps me, let me qualify that by saying it’s a short term recommendation. Nobody can tell you Jebo will last like an Eheim. They haven’t been around long enough to prove that kind of reliability. Looks like and acts like ain’t lasts like.

I just added my XP-1 to the tank with the Jebo. The difference is profoundly better, except the noise from the XP. And that’s on a 65g tank. A power head will do the same thing, so you might consider that as well if you don’t need any more actual filtration.

Keep in mind I have no idea what kind of setup you have planned, other than the tank size. My advice is geared toward the faster (high light and CO2) jungle-type overgrown plant tank. Because that’s what I have.


----------



## RobD

Well, my plan is no CO2 at this point. My lighting is going to be 160W, or 1.7wpg, so I'm planning on some low to medium light plants. More to suck the life out of the algae. Substrate will be pool filter sand. I can't afford to go high-tech plant take at this point. I'm already going to get an earful from the wife when she sees I ordered another filter.

Keeping the 2026 will let me keep the Hydor attached to that. I didn't want to downsize to the ETH200, that is cutting the heating too close. I only thought the Jebo would be a good economical choice since it uses the same filters as the Eheim. But the 2217 would give me much more turnover. With a almost-white substrate, I don't want fish poo sitting around. I figured an intake on each side of the tank. Then the 2026 spraybar blowing from left to right angled a bit towards the surface. Then the new filter with a vertical spraybar on the right side, blowing across the back. Still deciding.

I should probably start a new thread, since this is a review thread for the Jebo...


----------



## aquaverde

answered by PM


----------



## RobD

Hey, I wonder this: Could the flow on the Jebo be due to the fact that the inlet/outlet hoses are only the 1/2" size? The two Eheims have the 5/8" hose on both sides. Looking at the review pictures, it doesn't seem like it would be do any good to change them on the Jebo because the casing is still stuck at 1/2" before the taps.

Seem like a good theory?

Calculated flow (w/media) on the Jebo: 160gph
Advertised flow (w/media) on the 2028: 198gph
Advertised flow (w/media) on the 2026: 172gph


----------



## chrisinha

Hi there!

Im new to the forums! I've found you when searching reviews about the Jebo 828. I've been considering to get one for my turtle's 60 gallon tank (40 - 50 gallon of actual water). My set up is pretty simple. No gravel, no plants. Just a basking area for her to warm up her body. What do you think? Would Jebo be a good choice? Keep in mind that turtles are pretty messy though! Would it help me with ammonia levels??


----------



## aquaverde

RobD said:


> Hey, I wonder this: Could the flow on the Jebo be due to the fact that the inlet/outlet hoses are only the 1/2" size? The two Eheims have the 5/8" hose on both sides. Looking at the review pictures, it doesn't seem like it would be do any good to change them on the Jebo because the casing is still stuck at 1/2" before the taps.
> 
> Seem like a good theory?
> 
> Calculated flow (w/media) on the Jebo: 160gph
> Advertised flow (w/media) on the 2028: 198gph
> Advertised flow (w/media) on the 2026: 172gph


Well, first, the inlet and outlet hoses are not the same size on the Jebo. Inlet hose is a bigger diameter. This is designed as a copy of the Eheim Professionel II, which may also have different size intake and output hoses, in which case the hose size probably is not an issue, since Eheim engineering is being copied here.

The Pro II’s advertise 132 and 185 gph respectively. Even the higher output 185 is not going to make much difference vs. 160 gph of the Jebo. In dollars-and-sense, the Jebo gives you 320 gph vs. 132 for Eheim. That’s really Jebo’s strong point.

Call me Jack Benny.


----------



## aquaverde

chrisinha said:


> Hi there!
> 
> Im new to the forums! I've found you when searching reviews about the Jebo 828. I've been considering to get one for my turtle's 60 gallon tank (40 - 50 gallon of actual water). My set up is pretty simple. No gravel, no plants. Just a basking area for her to warm up her body. What do you think? Would Jebo be a good choice? Keep in mind that turtles are pretty messy though! Would it help me with ammonia levels??


Any aquarium filter will help with ammonia (rare exceptions would include polishing filters that use DE). Biological filtration is a two-step process carried out by nitrifying bacteria that converts ammonia to nitrate, and the development of those bacteria is a process we call cycling. You’re right about turtles- they are really messy. I don’t keep them, so I can’t tell you much. The Jebo will give you a whole lot of biological filtration, though, without putting a big hole in your wallet. I don’t see why it wouldn’t help you in your turtle tank, unless it was the limited plumbing that comes with it.


----------



## chrisinha

aquaverde said:


> Any aquarium filter will help with ammonia (rare exceptions would include polishing filters that use DE). Biological filtration is a two-step process carried out by nitrifying bacteria that converts ammonia to nitrate, and the development of those bacteria is a process we call cycling. You’re right about turtles- they are really messy. I don’t keep them, so I can’t tell you much. The Jebo will give you a whole lot of biological filtration, though, without putting a big hole in your wallet. I don’t see why it wouldn’t help you in your turtle tank, unless it was the limited plumbing that comes with it.


I think I'll go for it then. I'm still keeping the actual filter, a Fluval 304, in the tank. I guess filtration is never too much. 

Thanks for your help! roud:


----------



## RobD

Here are the numbers that I have found (pump flow/media flow):
Eheim 2215: 164gph/135gph
Jebo 828: 320gph/160gph
Eheim 2026: 251gph/172gph
Eheim 2028: 277gph/198gph
Eheim 2217: 264gph/209gph

Also, my 2026 has 16/22mm (5/8") hoses on both the inlet and the outlet. If the CFS4 is using different sizes, then they are cloning the Classic Eheims, not the Pro IIs. The 2217 uses 5/8" inlet and 1/2" outlet. The 2213/2215 are 1/2" inlet and 1/2" outlet.



aquaverde said:


> Well, first, the inlet and outlet hoses are not the same size on the Jebo. Inlet hose is a bigger diameter. This is designed as a copy of the Eheim Professionel II, which may also have different size intake and output hoses, in which case the hose size probably is not an issue, since Eheim engineering is being copied here.
> 
> The Pro II’s advertise 132 and 185 gph respectively. Even the higher output 185 is not going to make much difference vs. 160 gph of the Jebo. In dollars-and-sense, the Jebo gives you 320 gph vs. 132 for Eheim. That’s really Jebo’s strong point.
> 
> Call me Jack Benny.


----------



## lilaznsifu

yea does any one have any idea if the jebo 838 has any difference?


----------



## SawyersBoss

*Odyssea CF4*

Hi Everyone,
Great info on the Jebo/Odyssea unit. I just got one, and set it up. I had no real issues at all (and I'm new to the canister filter regime). Set-up and installation were fine.. that is until I ran the unit for about 5 min. Then my fine quality H2O started to leak from all over the top seal. I checked that the seals were properly seated a few times (baskets & lid), but to no avail. This thing is leaking like the Titanic... I've checked for cracks etc...and nothing...
As I'm in a condo... my neighbor below would not look kindly to me drowning her cat...Anyone have experience or suggestions - and buying a different filter isn't an option for a while... This was a gift from the better half. I've gone through and noted the media order... I received the coarse sponge (top)White gravel (2nd basket), Ceramic rings (3rd basket) and charcoal pellets (bottom)...any chance these being inverted the first time around would cause the issue? Lastly, the media was in a cheesecloth "bag" I assumed this is fine to leave in...is that not true? I'm just looking for any way to figure out the leak issue...


----------



## Lorenceo

Leaving the media in the bag will block all flow. Water can't flow through plastic.
Might make a difference, might not. Try it, you've got nothing to lose.


----------



## Skyfish

I have one 828 running for about 10 months now in my 80G. I live in Dubai, Middle East and got it off my regular LFS for $50! We use 220V here and the flow rate is very, very good. It's very quiet and like everyone else I have to open the cabinet door to hear it, I liked it so much that I bought another one and am using an inline CO2 reactor with it. It works great, I have the spray bars running across, left to right and right to left. The flow rate is very good, even the glosso on the substrate 55 cm below move. I have had to throttle back the flow because the stem plants sway too much. It's cheap and quiet and works fine for me, I figure if one breaks, I can always get a new one. 100 bucks for two is not bad.


----------



## SawyersBoss

The "bag" is not plastic, but a cheese cloth... but I'll give it a try...you're right, can't hurt. thanks


----------



## goblin

I have had my Jebo 828 for about 1 1/2 years now. Its still cranking!

My 55 gallon Mbuna tank is starting to get crowded. The fish are having fry all the time. i probably have 30 fish in it. Lots of rocks are the key to keep aggression down. No lost fish from fights.

Even thought the Jebo keeps the Ammonia and Nitrite almost zero I wanted a back up filter just in case. I picked up a Rena (filstar) XP2. 

I did not do the 5 gallon bucket test but the XP2 does seem to have better output vs the Jebo. If the jebo is 150gph then the XP2 must be closer to 200.

Its also has larger tubing on the output side and larger diameter spray bar. 
Its quality is just a step up. 

I still say the Jebo is a great bang for the dollar, but for like 18.00 more I think the XP2 is a better filter. It's a little shorter so it fits under most stands without worrying about kinked lines. 

I had to set up my 828 with a slight tilt in order to get it under my stand. The impeller is getting noisy, a rattle like sound. Where can I get a new impeller for a Jebo?


----------



## aquaverde

You bring up some good points. I like the Filstar series design best myself. The main drawback is the noise. They are proving to be more reliable, as it turns out. The last time I cleaned the Jebo, I had occasion to use the primer button. I usually don’t have to, since I don’t empty the hoses usually. This time I did, and the primer button didn’t work very well. I ended up having to fill the canister manually, button it up, and pump the primer button about 20 times before I got enough water in the tubes to run it.

If it weren’t for the fact this filter was quiet, I would buy XP series and forget about Jebo. Cost difference is only $12 between what I paid at superfishstore.com for the 828 and Big Al’s XP-2 price. Ebay might be a different matter. I know 828s go for ~$40 there, but didn’t check to see if the sellers were gouging on shipping.

On the flow issue, I wouldn’t be so quick to estimate the XP-2 without some objective testing. The output can’t really be accurately assessed by eye, as I found out. I would be surprised if the XP-2 has any more flow than the Jebo.

I don’t see the impeller for the Jebo available anywhere, but I don’t think you probably need one. The noise is more likely from air in the filter. If you have it tilted, the filter may not be able to evacuate the air. I’m guessing, but unless you correct the tilt, I would not assume the equipment is at fault. Also, if there is air being trapped in the impeller mechanism, you are risking cavitation, which can kill the motor. Find a way to use the filter correctly.


----------



## Wvladimire

*Jebo 828/Odyssea CFS4 canister filter*

I just received my Odyssea CFS 4 filter today. Thanks Aquaverde for your post about assembly, I found it very useful. Besides soaking the hoses in hot water to get out the kinks, I also used warm water to help slide the hoses onto the shut off valve assemblies. This made attaching the hoses to the valves and arms easy. 

Also I emptied all filter media such as the ceramic stones, ammonia crystals, and charcoal out of their cheesecloth bags and into their assigned baskets. My filtration is excellent! I did the five gallon bucket experiment you did and it took 60.45 seconds to fill the bucket. As a matter of fact, I've had to remove some of my plastic plants because the suction was causing them to move, despite anchorage. Maybe you got a bum unit?

Alright if anyone wishes to e-mail me you can. And I will be happy to answer any questions you may have. Thank you.


----------



## m.lemay

I just bought a Jebo Odyssea CFS4 for my 29 gallon. I got it on E-bay for $39.95 plus 14.95 shipping for a total of 54.90 shipped. I couldn't pass that up.

My first impression when I pulled it outta the box was "Wow, how can they sell this so cheap." I connected all the parts, installed the media, filled it with water , plugged it in and it started right up.

The flow rate, visually, is definitely less than the XP3s I have, but it aint bad, and certainly plenty for a 29G. The sound emanating from it is right in the same range as the XP3s. No real difference that I can tell. I have a db meter that I'll use to measure the the levels when I get a chance.

All n all, I took a chance and so far I'm pretty pleased with it. I think the flow rate is definitely not enough for a 75G IMO but probably good enough for a 55g or less.

Marcel


----------



## Wvladimire

*Things to improve flow rate*

One of the things I did to improve flow rate in my Odyssea was first, I removed all filter media from their cheesecloth type bags. Second, I did not use the ceramic biological discs, I used the small 3/4" bio-balls instead. (My personal preference when it comes for nitrifying bacterial growth.) And I have an excellent flow rate. I also have a Penguine 350 bio-wheel filter, and you can see that the Odyssea CFS 4 has more power. 

IN a few weeks, I'll be removing the Penguine 350, and replacing it with a Fluval 304 canister filter. I intend to compare the flow rates betweeen the Odyssea/Jebo against the Fluval. I will post my observations and results as soon as I have them. Thanks.


----------



## Wvladimire

*Fluval 304 & Jebo/Odyssea comparison*

Ok I've got a Fluval 304 canister filter, a Jebo/Odyssea CFS 4, and a Penguine 350 power filter all running on my 37 gallon tank.

To make things even between the Fluval and Odyssea I filled one basket in each with bio-blox cubes for bacterial filtration. The specs on the Jebo/Odyssea say 350 GPH while the Fluval 304 boasts 260 GPH. I like the inlet & outlet hoses on the Fluval better than the Odyssea. But as far a quality of the plastic for the baskets and canister itself, they both seem about the same quality. And the self primer button on the Odyssea is A LOT meater compared to the self priming arm of the Fluval. As far as ease of use in opening, closing, filling media baskets, in my opinion both are about equal.

Now to get to the heart of the matter, which has more POWER... Visually the Fluval seems to have a little more umph when it comes to intake. But the Odyssea appears to have more power when it comes to flow or outlet. That may be due to the reason that the outlet hose is smaller than the intake. 1/2" compared to 5/8", so naturally you get more water pressure because you are forcing the same volume of water through a smaller diameter opening. For now, both seem about even for what they claim to accomplish filtration wise, but only time will tell. I will do the five (5) gallon bucket test with each and post my results. 

Thank you for your time.


----------



## Raul-7

I just found out that all Jebo products are universal (110V-240V) which is probably why the flow rate is slower in the US than it is in Asia and Europe. Maybe someone from Asia or Europe can confirm this by preforming the bucket-test, Skyfish or anyone else willing?


----------



## Raul-7

JFYI, the Jebo 828 is not the same filter as the Odyssea CFS 4; they may look similar but the Odyssea has a better designed impellor and motor housing and has an updated priming plunger. When buying on eBay make sure you notice the difference.


----------



## aquaverde

That's interesting. You have any links to info? Inquiring minds want to know


----------



## Raul-7

I asked a seller on eBay who sells both; I think he maybe right since Odyssea is a step above of Jebo in terms of quality.


----------



## edschmidt

I bought one of the CFS4 filters a month ago. My main requirement from the wife was no noise. It is almost as quiet as my eheim. While the parts seem a little on the cheap side, it works very well. I was not impressed with their media. At one month, I have no complaints.


----------



## BOTIA

Hi Aquauverde.
In regards to the priming button you need to rub some of the silicone grease on the inside of the cavity where the primer button sits. Then pump it a few times to distribute the grease. It should be bery easy to pump after that.

Another point take of the filter strainer and you'll notice that it has smaller opening inside than the intake hose. I used a dremel tool to remove the lip it now has more output as it is not being contricted so much.
Botia



aquaverde said:


> The last time I cleaned the Jebo, I had occasion to use the primer button. I usually don’t have to, since I don’t empty the hoses usually. This time I did, and the primer button didn’t work very well. I ended up having to fill the canister manually, button it up, and pump the primer button about 20 times before I got enough water in the tubes to run it.


----------



## aquaverde

Nice! I'll do that. Don't know if lubrication is the problem, but it's a cheap fix if it works. Next time I clean it I'll check out the filter strainer and see what I can do with that as well. I have the B&D version of a dremel.


----------



## Raul-7

I just setup an Odyssea CFS 4 and it was pretty easy to install. The only problem I found, other than having to shorten the spray bar and strainer pipes, was that the priming button doesn't work at all. I pumped furiously for a minute and nothing happened; I finally gave up and sucked really hard on the input pipe. Next thing you know, a mouthful of dirty tankwater it begins filling up! So far I'm happy with it's filtiration capacity. I'm even more impressed by how the baskets and the grate fit together really well; thus there is no room for any bypass at all. 

The only problem I have now is that the impellor seems to be "churggling" a bit; that and the useless priming aid.


----------



## BOTIA

Hi Raul
To use the priming aid you must fill the filter with water to the top basket before you put the top on. Just use a pitcher or something.
Push down and hold a second then release. It can take more "a minute" for it to work.
Once the filter is running keep this up until the filter gets quieter. This will purge remaining air in the canister.
After a little while it quiet down even more.
Also perodically (2-3 months) use the included siilicone grease to lube the inside of the primer sleeve. This will make it smoother to pump and seal better.
I have had mine for about a year and a half and have never had to suck on tank water ..yuck
Botia


Raul-7 said:


> I just setup an Odyssea CFS 4 and it was pretty easy to install. The only problem I found, other than having to shorten the spray bar and strainer pipes, was that the priming button doesn't work at all. I pumped furiously for a minute and nothing happened; I finally gave up and sucked really hard on the input pipe. Next thing you know, a mouthful of dirty tankwater it begins filling up! So far I'm happy with it's filtiration capacity. I'm even more impressed by how the baskets and the grate fit together really well; thus there is no room for any bypass at all.
> 
> The only problem I have now is that the impellor seems to be "churggling" a bit; that and the useless priming aid.


----------



## esarkipato

After about six months of great operation, I'm noticing some noise from my CFS4. It seems to be connected to/with the output, since when I shutoff the return hose's check valve, the noise stops. It's a little annoying, but maybe it's just clogged up or something.


----------



## esarkipato

Just discovered a leak. Messed up my apartments hardwood floors >< my opinions of this filter just changed 180 degrees!

Also, the noise didn't stop.


----------



## aquaverde

esarkipato said:


> Just discovered a leak. Messed up my apartments hardwood floors >< my opinions of this filter just changed 180 degrees!
> 
> Also, the noise didn't stop.


Did the leak happen just after servicing? If you don't get the unit back together correctly, it'll leak. That's the only time mine leaked.


----------



## MarineOne

Hi,

Just got 2 of these CFS4 filters off ebay.

After reading your review, of course....  

Was wondering what you thought of using the CustomFlo system with this filter?

http://www.pentairaquatics.com/products/detail/customflo2.html


----------



## MarineOne

Wvladimire said:


> I did the five gallon bucket experiment you did and it took 60.45 seconds to fill the bucket.


That's 300 GPH...


----------



## MiSo

esarkipato said:


> After about six months of great operation, I'm noticing some noise from my CFS4. It seems to be connected to/with the output, since when I shutoff the return hose's check valve, the noise stops. It's a little annoying, but maybe it's just clogged up or something.



same thing happened to me.
started to make noise after about 6 months, then began to leak.

so i bought an ehiem.:icon_cool


----------



## aquaverde

MarineOne said:


> Hi,
> 
> Just got 2 of these CFS4 filters off ebay.
> 
> After reading your review, of course....
> 
> Was wondering what you thought of using the CustomFlo system with this filter?
> 
> http://www.pentairaquatics.com/products/detail/customflo2.html


That's an elaborate setup. It certainly would help with the spare plumbing that comes with the Jebo. I didn't look hard at everything in the system, but one major problem I notice is the inlet/outlet for the pump doesn't include a 5/8ths adapter- only 1/2" and 3/4". You can get creative and make a trip to the hardware store and probably cob something together with any luck that'd work. Some of the bells and whistles don't have much application in injected planted tanks, due to the need to minimize surface tension, but on a low tech setup it may be just fine. I have a sneaking feeling it won't come cheap. I didn't see a price on the website. I go to extra lengths to keep equipment hidden and don't put anything in the substrate but plant roots, so for me something like the starter kit would be interesting (if it weren't for the the adapter size mismatch- it torques my jaws to pay the premium for a little bagful of plastic designated for aquarium use and can't use it out of the box.)


----------



## MarineOne

I actually have a saltwater fish tank, so the CustomFlo is ideal....

The starter kit is $17.99 and the Deluxe kit is $42.99 at Petsmart...

Any ideas how to connect the Jebo and the CustomFlo?

I am not all that "mechanically inclined", lol :icon_eek: 

Thanks!


----------



## aquaverde

I should have figured by your screen name you were running a marine tank.:wink: 

The hardware store should have a hose adapter with the two sizes you need to mate the different hoses. You'll need a short length of hose to attach to the output from the Customflo kit, then put that on the proper end of the adapter, match the hose from the Jebo and secure with hose clamps.

Here's a pic of my Hydor spliced into the Jebo output. I really should have used two hose clamps, but the hoses were really tight. If you have trouble fitting the hose over the adapter, warm the hose in hot water.


----------



## cowfish

i just bought a catalina ultra 1000 off ebay it looks just like a eheim and its just as easy to use as my eheim and it runs just as smooth and only cost 56.23 shipping and all . its only been running about one and a half weeks ill let every body know how long this thing holdsup. its good for up to 240 gallons


----------



## ikuzo

hello, sorry to bring out old thread. i'm thinking of buying this canister filter or the smaller type for my 24 gallon tank (60x40x40 cm). 

i want to put this filter on the floor (inside a cabinet) and the height of my water surface is about 150 cm from the floor. can this filter send water all the way up to my tank with good flow rate? i want a good flow along the length of my tank so the circulation is still good.

thanks for the good review.


----------



## aquaverde

My filter is set up that way. I'll try to remember to measure the head when I get home. I don't think it's quite 150cm, but will post back later.


----------



## BOTIA

*re head*

Hiya
Canister filter do not have head losses since it is a closed loop system.
They do however have frictional losses.
It would be fine for you.
Cheers
Botia


----------



## aquaverde

OK, I'm pushing 130cm of head, and I get good flow in a 65g tank. Can't speak to the loss the extra 20cm represents.

*Progress Report*
This filter is now 3 years on the job with no issues. It'll take a lot longer to find out if it can give an Eheim a run for the money, but I'm satisfied that I've gotten my money's worth, FWIW.


----------



## ikuzo

wow thanks for checking it for me. i'm definitely gonna buy this after reading here. thanks a lot James.


----------



## mott

I have this canister filled with efihsubstrat, bio-rings and foam pads and I still get a decent flow.

No where near the quality of an Eheim but a great filter for the price none the less.
Be careful when setting up and cleaning, the plastic parts are very cheaply made.


----------



## aquaverde

Mine's still running fine with no issues, so it made its 3rd birthday. My inline Hydor is another story.


----------



## Dirtdawg57

Hi, sorry to bring back an old thread. I tried to send a pm but it said your box was full. I am thinking about buying one of these and wanted to know if your Jebo filter was still working? Also how often do you have to change the ceramic media on these? Thanks! Kyle


----------



## aquaverde

Due to some mishanding on my part while taking down my 65g tank, I cracked the case on my Jebo. It was working just fine up until my gaffe, so I won't know how long it would have run. Never had any problems with it in the 5+ years it ran, and never needed to replace the media. I just cleaned it.


----------



## lbsfarms

I've been running my Jebo for almost 6 years now, so far no problems.


----------



## kent hansen

i would tell you all a story but it wont let me until i have five posts errrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr


----------



## kent hansen

ok maybe it will let me now here is some things that should be helpful


http://www.shopjebo.com


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNUSSQyro4A
i hope this helps


----------



## TheVisitors

Sorry for bring up an older post, but after doing a search here & on Google, I couldn't get a straight answer to the question I seem to have........

I've been looking into getting a JEBO or CFS4 and been told they are backwards compatible with a few other brands of media (pads & such), but never does anyone seem to list which models (ie size & such). Can anyone answer this, please?

This will be my first canister filter, so I'm kind of a noob to them. I'm use to the normal filters where you'd buy exchangeable (replaceable) pads, which came with my tank (55gallon @ wal-mart).


----------



## minirhyde

*Low water level in canister*

I recently cleaned and replaced the media in my Odyssea CFS4 canister filter. After I put it all back together a couple days later I am hearing loud noises from the filter. I turned it off, re-primed it and restarted it. Now the water level in the canister seems to be dropping as it runs. 

What could the problem be? I must admit that I am fairly new to the canister filter world, so I really don't know where to start! Anyone have a similar situation? 

Thanks! 
Chris


----------



## BOTIA

necro!
hey aquaverde is your 828 still running?


----------

