Eheim ECCO Easy 60 External Canister Filter 2234

We use this on a 10 gallon tank full of mollies. Just follow the instructions and there's no problem setting up and running this filter. The priming seems a little unlikely, but if you follow the steps as stated it just fires right up. It took a few minutes to exclude the last of the air but since then has worked fine month after month. This product is listed under several slight variations in name, check out the other reviews, everybody seems to find it a simple, reliable, quiet and effective filter.

This is my first filter and perhaps it is not a bad one for someone who knows what to do with it. I would not recommend it for beginners like myself. Instead of cleaning the water this filter easily becomes a killer and main problem is not user but very badly written user guide. Important steps are not highlighted and that where you can easily overlook important things. Here are the problems I have experienced and I hope my experience will help other people. I have 46 gallon tank and 3 small-medium size goldfish.

1. The manual comes written for 3 different models, and all instructions and references are very confusing. This is a common problem and I do not understand why manufacturers have problems to write a manual for a particular model. Very bad !

2. The canister broke when after a week when I was removing carbon filter as directed. Later I realized it broke because you have to disconnect the hoses and release the pressure created inside the canister. The manual has this step, but it is hard to realize form the whole text this is very important and not doing so may cause problems.

3. Media. The filter comes with black carbon filter pad , white fine filter pad and I also saw some blue pads. What those are and how to properly use them and when to replace is still a challenge for me to understand. here is also another blue foam in pre-filter basket. Buying media in local store could be challenging, so make sure you get some at the time you buy this filter. From my experience white pad should be replaced at least once a month. Carbon is needed when you use medication and apparently you should change pre-filter foam at some unknown point.

4. Water flow. It should indicate when to replace "SubstratPro" or as I call them "filtering stones" or as i discovered it means clogged filter tubing, which gets a lot of grease inside. It is unclear how to clean the tubes, and i use a stick with a paper towel Took 30-40 minutes to get the tubes clean. And this after one month of use considering that I change 30% of water every 2 weeks.

5. Spare parts you were not told about. Eheim recommend to get item No. 72000060 and No.4009550. Do you like this already? Do not worry these are "maintenance spray" and a "round brush". But... I do not think you would be able to get them in the USA.

In two months,

1. I had to deal with a broken part and was never able to get any help form the wholesale distributor located in Canada. They simply do not reply emails and seem do not care about what they sell. I got replacement form the seller. As a result my fish was without a filter for two weeks.

2. My fish got sick twice in two months, both time due to filtering problems I had to learn about the hard way. I spent additional money on medication, had non-scheduled water changes and ugly looking fish. It is definitely not me, since the fish was fine before in smaller tank for 6 months and I have not changed the routine.

Note: I also would like to mention it was not a "new tank" or a "new tank mate" syndromes. For a while between the filtering problem the fish was feeling all right.

Bottom line,

If you are like me, technical and believe in German engineering perhaps give it a try. Otherwise try something else with better manufacturer support and clear maintenance instructions. As for me if it brakes , I will not buy another Eheim product anymore.

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