Old style Eheims - media advice?

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Picked up a 2017 and a 2013 for $20 for the pair today. All there except for the media, so, who's done this and what do you recommend? Have a some ceramic rings and a couple liters of Ehfi balls (or whatever their pricey lava-type medium is called) and a bag of filter floss. Any advice on media arrangement bottom to top that saves me some trial and error would be appreciated.

 

[UNCLERUCKUS]

LOAD UP THE BIOMAX!

 

[mchambers]

Picked up a 2017 and a 2013 for $20 for the pair today. All there except for the media, so, who's done this and what do you recommend? Have a some ceramic rings and a couple liters of Ehfi balls (or whatever their pricey lava-type medium is called) and a bag of filter floss. Any advice on media arrangement bottom to top that saves me some trial and error would be appreciated.

Impressive score! Craigslist?

I'd put the EhfiMech first, then the floss, and finally the ceramic rings. (I think these filters draw the water into the bottom first, and then have it flow back up through the media, so you'd put the EhfiMech on the bottom layer.)

I've got a prefilter sponge on my canister, and I'm glad I do. Reduces the need to open up the canister. I just clean the sponge every month or two, and the canister only needs to be cleaned about one a year.

 

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I was thinking that they draw from the bottom if for no other reason...

...than to make them easier to prime but on reflection it shouldn't make a difference. Bottom hose on the 2017 is bigger so I assume that's the intake. Guess I could just plug it in, eh?

Was thinking floss on the bottom to catch what makes it by the pre-filter and then again on the top for 'polishing'.

What's the best polishing medium?

 

[mrkillie]

Bottom hose is the intake. Put the EhfiMech in the bottom (course filtration). Then put your chemipure, activated carbon (notice I did NOT say charcoal-charcoal is useless) - put the carbon in a filter bag - or other chemical filtration on top of the EhfiMech, then your fine filtration, be it a sponge or filter floss.

DO NOT PUT FLOSS ON THE BOTTOM unless you really like taking the canister apart, because it will clog very quickly.

 

[AndyNarwhal]

Eheim classics are one of the best because of their layered media principle. Put the coarsest media on the bottom and follow it up with finer and finer media. I run a 2215 on one of my tanks now and I pack it with the following:
2" of Ehfimech (or Biomax)
The foam sponge or if you can find it Ehfifix Grob (it's like a plastic spaghetti stuff)
2" of Ehifisubstrat (or the round balls that look like Cocoa puffs)
Activated carbon in bag
top off with more Ehfisubstrat or (Eheim Cocoa puffs)
Blue Bonded filter pad cut to fit.
don't forget the green plastic screens on the bottom and top as they are important to distribute the waterflow.

Andy

 

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Thank you gentlemen...

...saved me from leading with the foam/floss.