How would you pack an Eheim 2215 to maximize flow?

[mellowvision]

I've been considering how I should pack the media in a 2215 I am setting up. The tank is a 30g hillstream type set up. It will have both an eheim 2213, and a 2215, both running with the intake on the left and the return on the right, creating a directional right to left flow in the tank.

One factor I should mention up front, is that both filters will sit on the table with the tank. They are not able to go below. The water level in the filter is below that of the tank. I know I'll need to start the siphon manually, and have that covered.

The 2213 is set up in a fairly standard way, with the exception that the intake is behind the back wall of the tank. Water enters this chamber through an undergravel false bottom.

The 2215 is set up differently than I usually do, with both the intake and return at the bottom of the tank. There's a lot of pressure to deal with, pumping deep into the water, and the idea is to create as much flow as I can with these 2 filters. The 2215 is going to be worked hard no matter what, and will probably receive most of the debris caught from the water column.

I've tested the 2215 without media, configured the way it will be... with the intake and return on the bottom of the tank. It moved the water, but it was not super fast or anything. I know it will slow down more with media and an intake sponge. The standard packing of media suggested by eheim seems ok, but i know from other eheims in the house that the fine layer of foam can get clogged pretty quickly in some instances.

Any thoughts about better packing plans for this type of setup?

attached: eheim's suggested packing.

 

[dudley]

I would still use the basic media configuration as recommended by Eheim, though you could replace a couple inches of the Substrat with additional blue media pads instead.

I'm not sure what the height of your 30G tank is but do you have room to build a box to set the tank on that would allow the tank rim to be higher than the canisters? That way you can meet the minimum filter installation heights (for water surface to filter base) of 14" for the 2213 and 18.5" for the 2215.

This would allow you to operate the filters at their best performance and still allow you to tweak the media placement of the filters to suit your particular needs.

 

[mellowvision]

The tank is just over 16 tall I think, and is above the top of the filters. I run a 2213 on a second tank on the same table, also 16 tall, with no problems or restriction. I'm not so worried abot the height, just trying to maximize the potential for flow. I've been reading about using a 2217 impeller, which supposedly fits fine and puts out 20-30 gph more... I could see that helping too.

 

[toddnbecka]

I'd think a powerhead would be more useful for increasing flow rate. Since you're going to have 2 filters you could use bioballs in place of the ehfisubstrat.

 

[gmh]

You could ditch the polishing pad and just use another coarse sponge in it's place. I don't notice any change in water clarity. i also don't bother with the carbon pad.

 

[Chrisk-K]

If you are willing to spend $, use a combo of a jet nozzle and an outlet pipe. I prefer it to a spray bar because (1) I can pinpoint the direction of the outlet flow, and (2) it creates a much stronger current.

I was very impressed with the combo that came with my Ecco 2236's. So, I equipped my 2217 & 2215 with it. My Koralia powerheads are collecting dust.