# Eheim 2074 E Pro Filter Review



## Nubster (Aug 9, 2011)

Looks nice. I would have gotten a SunSun and used the rest of the money to but some shrimp. I doubt the results would be any less.


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## Naekuh (Oct 19, 2011)

:O 400 dollars on a filter?

The only 400 dollar filter id say is worth it is a fluval G6.
And if ur a technophile... you'll love how the G6 looks...

Dayam if it only wasnt 400 dollars... :X


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## OVT (Nov 29, 2011)

I would forget the E model and go with 'regular' Pro III 207X. You can find G160/2075 online for ~$200. I use 2 of them with no complaints.


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## Aquaticfan (Oct 30, 2011)

Nubster said:


> Looks nice. I would have gotten a SunSun and used the rest of the money to but some shrimp. I doubt the results would be any less.


This right here. Get a Sunsun or Truaqua (same filter) for a lot less $$$. Im got 3 of these (different sizes) and they have preformed flawless, Silent and reliably. 

After reading that add on the Pro E........ Wow is all i can say. Some of the manufactures have gone way to Gadget crazy.


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## HD Blazingwolf (May 12, 2011)

lol im on a sump kick

go buy a sump. completely independent
flow is adjustable to ur needs. plus all the gear can be hidden = best filter ever

u just gotta get it quiet LOL


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## NWA-Planted (Aug 27, 2011)

Sumps really seem to becoming a trend with planted tanks, the only huge obstacle to overcome with them though is the surface agitation so you dont lose a lot of CO2, but they definitely have their advantages!


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## Naekuh (Oct 19, 2011)

NWA-Planted said:


> Sumps really seem to becoming a trend with planted tanks, the only huge obstacle to overcome with them though is the surface agitation so you dont lose a lot of CO2, but they definitely have their advantages!


on my reef tank i was a total sump person... its so much easier to dose / maintain... / grow macro algae in...

On a planted tank, its tough... u need to drill the tank... or somehow make your overflow so it doesnt surface skim where u'd lose all that CO2. 

But yeah i can totally understand ya... i love sumps... but the risk of breaking my tank from drilling is too high... :\


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## Rich Conley (Jun 10, 2008)

Naekuh said:


> But yeah i can totally understand ya... i love sumps... but the risk of breaking my tank from drilling is too high... :\


 Drilling tanks is REALLY EASY. You really have to screw up to break one. 



unless you're drilling really small tanks with really thin glass.


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## GDP (Mar 12, 2011)

I will admit its expensive and most of the E features are probably useless safe for automatic flow increase to battle clogs, automatic air purging, and indicator till next cleaning. I might see the use for 12 hour bio cycle or stream function but seems gimmicky.

The thought of a sump did cross my mind but not really something I want to tackle right now.

I could have opted for the older pro 2s but with all the leaking issues I didnt want to deal with that.


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## madness (Jul 31, 2011)

Looks like you will be the guinea pig.

Keep us posted.


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## Chlorophile (Aug 2, 2011)

Jealous! I love gadets about as much as the plants and fish and shrimp themselves.
It's all about getting the whole package - I don't like to spend a lot of money but when I do spend money on something it better be good.


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## robbowal (Mar 27, 2011)

If your going to spend that much then why not go the whole hog and get the themo version.
http://www.eheim.de/eheim/inhalte/index.jsp?key=liniendetail_37395_ehen

but that would be a crazy size filter for a 20G it would turn it into a whirl pool :hihi:


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

OP would you be interested in selling your leaky 2213 or perhaps making a swap? I would love to take it off your hands as I have 2-2217's 2-2215's and 7-2213's and like having parts around if I need them. 

As you can see I'm a big proponent of the classic series if filter. Simple,efficient, the quietest filter on the market and the most energy efficient. I do have a 2222 that I got on Craigslist a few years back and it has been a great filter. I finally addressed it today where it had been running dry for a couple of weeks! Took it to the sink, opened it up, cleaned the media/impeller apparatus, hooked it back up and it started working like the first day I hooked it up. I was afraid that I fried the motor but fortunately it lasted the drought. 

Don't worry about having such a serious filter on a smaller tank. I have a 2213 on a 5.5g and a 2217 on a 17g tank. You can always dial it down to what you need. 

I look forward to your expetence with this beast. When are you going to receive it?


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## fusiongt (Nov 7, 2011)

I have over filtration myself. A Fluval G3 on a 10 gallon tank. You can dial it down which is good but you're going to run into one problem. If you want pretty lily pipes you would need (I assume) 17mm pipes that fit 5/8" tubing. This would be generally be too large on your tank. There's a work around that I did on my tank where I got the idea from legit places like Aqua Forest where you can put 1/2" tubing at the ends of 5/8" tubing and then use 13mm lily pipes which would fit your tank better. Just something to consider. It was a big headache for me until I figured out that little trick.


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## wetworks (Jul 22, 2011)

I like cool technology as much as the next person, but it seems to me like all the bells and whistles on this just mean additional problems in the long run. Now if your filter fails you have another whole feature set to troubleshoot. I think it is a good idea, but I would like to see some in actual use by forum members so we can get an accurate report of the shortcomings.


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

You could always go to your local hardware store and get reducers from 5/8 to 1/2 or 3/8.


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## GDP (Mar 12, 2011)

robbowal said:


> If your going to spend that much then why not go the whole hog and get the themo version.
> http://www.eheim.de/eheim/inhalte/index.jsp?key=liniendetail_37395_ehen
> 
> but that would be a crazy size filter for a 20G it would turn it into a whirl pool :hihi:


I thought about it but I dont use heaters in any of my tanks. Never liked the idea. But I did think about it lol.



bsmith said:


> OP would you be interested in selling your leaky 2213 or perhaps making a swap? I would love to take it off your hands as I have 2-2217's 2-2215's and 7-2213's and like having parts around if I need them.
> 
> As you can see I'm a big proponent of the classic series if filter. Simple,efficient, the quietest filter on the market and the most energy efficient. I do have a 2222 that I got on Craigslist a few years back and it has been a great filter. I finally addressed it today where it had been running dry for a couple of weeks! Took it to the sink, opened it up, cleaned the media/impeller apparatus, hooked it back up and it started working like the first day I hooked it up. I was afraid that I fried the motor but fortunately it lasted the drought.
> 
> ...


I might be interested in doing a trade or something, PM me. And having a 2213 on a 5.5G makes you my kind of TPT person lol!



fusiongt said:


> I have over filtration myself. A Fluval G3 on a 10 gallon tank. You can dial it down which is good but you're going to run into one problem. If you want pretty lily pipes you would need (I assume) 17mm pipes that fit 5/8" tubing. This would be generally be too large on your tank. There's a work around that I did on my tank where I got the idea from legit places like Aqua Forest where you can put 1/2" tubing at the ends of 5/8" tubing and then use 13mm lily pipes which would fit your tank better. Just something to consider. It was a big headache for me until I figured out that little trick.


Thanks for the good info. After seeing how freaking big this tubing size is I can only imagine the size of the lily pipes LOL! I will probably get an adapter to downsize so I can use a 13mm lily.

So to get to business about this filter as I got it today and set it up already.

*Unboxing:* Usual stuff here, pull all the parts out and connect. Pretty standard eheim tubing and connection types. Hose, suction cups, intake pipe, output cane type output with spray bar. My first piece to take out was the tubing ...... damn I didnt realize how big it was going to be lol. I like it though as to keep preassure down.

*Setup:* Again pretty standard for ehiem with the expection of the trays. Im not sure if it matters which way you put these in, however I kept them the way they were packaged. I unpacked each tray and washed it off in my tub to get rid of all the fine dust from shipping. Now to make a comment on bypass ..... I dont see how there would by ANY bypass on this filter given how each tray interlocks. Its not a super tight fit but good enough IMO. Its not under a lot of preassure so shouldnt matter.

So I reassembled each tray after filling with media (half established half new) and filled with water. Put the head back on ..... which btw just plops on, no force needed at all save for the latches on the side. I did tilt the unit around with water in it, and noticed it did leak when tilted about 45 degress ..... not sure if thats supposed to happen or not. Or if it was a leak at all, as I didnt have the hoses connected yet or anything so might have been comming out the outputs. Will have to try again.

The rest of the setup is standard with eheim piping, wont bore you with that.

*Operation:* This started out kinda shaky because of my inexpierence with a filter like this. With classic eheims you just fill and turn on for the most part. With this one you have to use the prime button. Well I guess you dont HAVE to if you want to do it the hard way lol. Anyway without trying to fill the piping with water I just started hitting the priming button and it started sucking in water with the first pump. About 2-3 pumps later it seemed as if I could turn it on and should do the rest ....

Well I turn it on and the leds are doing this odd . .. .... ...... .... .. . up and down and making this odd noise. My first thought is oh hell I got a bad one. But I let it run for 2 min more doing the same thing. It looked like it was trying to prime itself the rest of the way but I guess I didnt prime it enough myself. So I turned it off, pumped it a few (5-8) more time and restarted it. Again it did the same LED thing but this time you could tell it was going to work. After about 10-15 seconds it fully primed, purged all the air, and was working.

So I suggest pushing the prime button in total about 8-10 times before trying to start. Which really isnt a lot or a big deal at all. It kinda sounds like a lot but its not. Also I REALLY like the "calibrate" feature of this filter which it basically kicks up the flow really high for a few seconds to purge any air. After setup it did it about 4 times in total without me doing anything. So far it hasnt done it again so I guess there is no more air.

*Configuration/Setup:* With the 2074 E model you can buy a $100 serial to usb cable from eheim so you can connect the filter to your computer. I REALLY hate eheim made this proprietary as $100 for a cable is freaking outrageous and you have no choice but to buy it. But anyway it connects to the filter via a 3.5mm headphone jack and to the computer via the usb end. You install the eheim control center software and start configuring.

Options:

Constant flow: As the name suggests set it and forget it mode. This can be done through the software or through the touchpad on the filter itself.

Bio Fucntion: Basically just changes between flow speeds every 12 hours. Not much to it.

Stream/Wave function: Will switch between two set flow speeds in intervals set by the user.

I really find these for the most part useless in a freshwater planted tank. Except for maybe bio mode as I could see an increase in flow at night being really good for those that might run co2 24/7 or just in general to increase o2. What I REALLY like is there is a sensor inside the head unit that shows actual flow in GPH or LPH. I suspect this to be pretty accurate being if you set it at say 136 GPH, down from 155 the sensor shows a gradual step down type flow change. It will even dip down below the set speed until it adjusts itself. Also the unit its rated for 396 GPH but the sensor doesnt get that high at max setting. Infact if I remember right (I will have to double check) I think max is around upper 200s.

You can also update the filters firmware for this control center if needed and the software itself. You can also save your settings to the filter in 5 available slots.

Well I guess thats it for now, all ive managed to do with it in the 3 hours ive had it setup.


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## GDP (Mar 12, 2011)

I found out what I thought was a leak was not. If you overfill the canister and put the top on it, it forces water out and over the edges into these little pockets on the corners. These corners appear to be something left over from molding he plastic so it catches the water and when tilted spills. Hard to explain unless you see it, but its deffinately NOT leaking.


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

GDP said:


> I found out what I thought was a leak was not. If you overfill the canister and put the top on it, it forces water out and over the edges into these little pockets on the corners. These corners appear to be something left over from molding he plastic so it catches the water and when tilted spills. Hard to explain unless you see it, but its deffinately NOT leaking.


Very good. I can assure you that the little water channels are not just leftovers from molding, if they are there Eheim wanted them to be there. 

I have to ask though. Do you normally fill your filter with water and then put the top on? I always set it up completely empty after maint./when new and allow the the siphon from the hoses to fill it up.


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## GDP (Mar 12, 2011)

bsmith said:


> Very good. I can assure you that the little water channels are not just leftovers from molding, if they are there Eheim wanted them to be there.
> 
> I have to ask though. Do you normally fill your filter with water and then put the top on? I always set it up completely empty after maint./when new and allow the the siphon from the hoses to fill it up.


Well they are not water channels really. I actually looked at them from the outside and they are actually part of the mod for the latches. And yep I normally always fill it first.


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## robbowal (Mar 27, 2011)

My 350t does the same thing with regards to water spilled inside the head. i can only asssume it is a safety feature to prevent water flooding the electrical compartment of the head.
if any water spills from removing the tap assembly it will make its way out via the latches also any water trapped inside the priming bulb will exit this way as well when the head is removed. 
So for maintenance when i remove the head i always tilt it to 45 deg to allow the water to exit into the canister before placing the head down (learned that the hard way, wet carpet is no fun)


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## GDP (Mar 12, 2011)

robbowal said:


> My 350t does the same thing with regards to water spilled inside the head. i can only asssume it is a safety feature to prevent water flooding the electrical compartment of the head.
> if any water spills from removing the tap assembly it will make its way out via the latches also any water trapped inside the priming bulb will exit this way as well when the head is removed.
> So for maintenance when i remove the head i always tilt it to 45 deg to allow the water to exit into the canister before placing the head down (learned that the hard way, wet carpet is no fun)


Interesting. Also come to think of it maybe I should have gotten the one with built in heater. Oh well too late now haha. Not that I would use it in the summer, only winter.


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

Just a hunch but ill bet that if you take out all the media and turn it all the way up it will be in the upper 300's. Maybe a PITA but I think it would be pretty cool to see that difference in the flow rates between fill of media and empty.


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## GDP (Mar 12, 2011)

bsmith said:


> Just a hunch but ill bet that if you take out all the media and turn it all the way up it will be in the upper 300's. Maybe a PITA but I think it would be pretty cool to see that difference in the flow rates between fill of media and empty.


Yeah thats why Im pretty sure its accurate. The lower reading is because of the media. Also I thought about it and the sensor HAS to be accurate in order for it to calibrate itself to know when to tell me to clean it. Everyday it calibrates itself for 30 seconds running @ full speed. I guess so it can compare flow rates between days to calculate time until cleaning.


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

GDP said:


> Yeah thats why Im pretty sure its accurate. The lower reading is because of the media. Also I thought about it and the sensor HAS to be accurate in order for it to calibrate itself to know when to tell me to clean it. Everyday it calibrates itself for 30 seconds running @ full speed. I guess so it can compare flow rates between days to calculate time until cleaning.


I wouldn't say that proves accuracy as it could be programmed to recommend a cleaning at a certain flow rate drop or a percentage of flow rate drop. 

One thing I do know for sure though is that Eheim is the only company that tates it's filters flow data with the canister full of media. A 2217 is rated at 264gph/xp3 350gph/fluval 303 306gph but some how the eheim flowes more water. But your findings contradict that atleast on this specific filter. Maybe because of the price tag!


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