Eheim 2260 Canister Filters....."extremely silent"

16150 Views 14 Replies 15 Participants Last post by Guams, Aug 6, 2010

lionpasa

Discussion Starter · Feb 29, 2008

I am setting up up a new tank 210g and i want to use 2 caisters bio/mech and a AC110 for Polishing the water....And YES i want to use caisters and not a wet/dry

I was thinking of getting 2 fx5 but i have read and heard some of them being loud.....Is the EHEIM 2260 "extremely silent" like they Advertise..... The tank will be in the living room......THANKS

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Jake at River City

· #2 · Feb 29, 2008

We have an Eheim 2260 running on a 280. We also have a FX5 running on a 200. Both sit in enclosed wooden stands. I can't say that either is loud, but I really don't notice a significant difference in sound between the two. Sound is always hard to judge, it's so subjective.

fmueller

· #3 · Mar 1, 2008

2

I have never used an FX5, but Eheim classic series filters, including the 2260, are probably the most silent filters on the market. However, the 2260 uses a big pump, and it sits on top of the filter (not submerged in a sump), so a slight humming noise is unavoidable. The 2260 I run on my 125G is close to our bedroom, and was too loud for my wife - a fan of classical music and an accomplished violinist with a very fine ear! I covered the interior of half of the cabinet with 3.5" fiber glass insulation material. You can buy a huge roll of that stuff at any hardware store for $10. I am also not using the top plastic cover for the filter, which serves no function and can ad a slight rattling noise. Now I can sit next to the tank, and basically not hear a thing!

A source of noise other than the pump are of course bubbles, and you need some of them for aeration. I've found that an Eheim diffuser is one of the most quiet outlet options for a canister filter while providing superb aeration for your tank. Using the insulation material and an Eheim diffuser (not sure if Fluval offers a similar device, but the Eheim diffuser can be used with any filter) would of course also quiet down an FX5.

Cabinet door removed to show insulation material.

Cabinet door and part of insulation material removed, eg for filter maintenance.

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Deeda

· #4 · Mar 2, 2008

I love my Eheim 2260, extremely quiet. But I did set it on a piece of soft foam because I had a vibration rattle on the wood floor of my stand. I would definitely purchase this filter again.

Dsoto87

· #5 · Mar 2, 2008

My FX5 is dead silent. My AC70s actually make more noise than them

cholile

· #6 · Mar 2, 2008

interesting idea with the foam insulation.

Lesley

· #7 · Mar 22, 2008

I have an Eheim 2215 â€" it's absolutely dead quiet.

EHEIMFAN

· #8 · Dec 18, 2008

I would use Celetex insulation instead, for those who may not know celetex is insulation panels they put under house siding. does the stuff you used have fiberglass in it, if so I would be afraid from moving it when needed of getting particles in my hands, skin or in the tank. When you move this stuff around fine microscopic fiberglass particles can get in your skin or float through the air. Outlining the inside of the stand with celetex should deaden the sound and make it easier to work in your cabnet, Just a thought.

Solchitlins

· #9 · Dec 18, 2008

remember that eheim takes like 3 times the media that fx5 does, that can be a huge advantage or burden depending on your pocket book.
Especially if your talking Eheim pro media thats an easy $200 per filter in media going in there.
I guess you could fill it with scrubbies if you wanted to be cheap.

also Am I the only one that hates eheims green tubes, strainer and spray bar?
I think the FX5 looks a ton better.

also fx5 can be had for about $200 from ebay, eheim $260 from DR. Foster and Smith.
Just some thoughts from some one thats thinking about making the choice himself soon.

boredatwork

· #10 · Dec 18, 2008

As you can see noise is subjective. However, having fallen into the noise trap several times (and by that I mean believing people when they said something was silent) I will give you this piece of advice. Whenever you see "dead silent" or "perfectly silent" or "no possible noise whatsoever even when I put my ear right next to it!", I would ignore that. In my experience those people are either deaf or...or I don't know what.

The fact is when you have a mechanical part like a pump pushing water through a bucket at hundreds of gallons per hour there is just no way possible that it will be "silent". Unless you are in a vacuum. Or a like a mile away. Or deaf.

Personally I have an FX5 and I would say its pretty quiet. I have an enclosed stand and with the doors closed it is barely audible when standing next to the tank, and not even noticeable if you walk a few feet away. I have never used an Eheim, but I don't think it could get much quieter than the FX5. Of course unless it were silent, hahaha.

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moi_eater

· #11 · Dec 19, 2008

I have 2 Eheim 2217's and a 2080. I can't hear any of them unless I put my head about a foot or two away from them. They all are under open stands in our living room and I can't hear them running while sitting on the couch which sits between both tanks. A 55g with a 2217 on the left and a 125g with the 2080 and the other 2217. The only noise coming from the tank is the water coming out the 2080's spray bar at the surface.

I used to have a Rena XP3 on the 125g that you could hear clearly while sitting on the couch and an XP2 on the 55g that you could hear running from across the room.

Now we have no more noise interference when watching television!

wheatbackdigger

· #12 · Dec 19, 2008

two FX5's under a 150...if it wasn't for the spraybars, I wouldn't know they were running

mithesaint

· #13 · Dec 19, 2008

If you're that worried about noise, the first thing I'd do would be to nix the AC 110. Fine filter, especially for the price, but that WILL be the noisiest thing in the bunch, regardless of FX5 or 2260. Maybe not initially, but you'll have more issues with the AC than either of the other two options.

FbodyFan

· #14 · Aug 6, 2010

mithesaint said:
If you're that worried about noise, the first thing I'd do would be to nix the AC 110. Fine filter, especially for the price, but that WILL be the noisiest thing in the bunch, regardless of FX5 or 2260. Maybe not initially, but you'll have more issues with the AC than either of the other two options.

So true. The more I turn my AC 110 on and off for water changes, the worse it gets. Granted, I have very fine sand so I'm sure it has a lot to do with it, if not mostly the cause. I also have an eheim 2217 on that tank and I couldnt believe how quiet it was when i first hooked it up. I was worried it wasnt working as it was my 1st canister I've ever used. Not sur ehow it compares to the 2260 but man the 2217 is quiet. :thumb:

Guams

· #15 · Aug 6, 2010

FbodyFan said:
I also have an eheim 2217 on that tank and I couldnt believe how quiet it was when i first hooked it up. I was worried it wasnt working as it was my 1st canister I've ever used. Not sur ehow it compares to the 2260 but man the 2217 is quiet. :thumb:

Same with my Eheim 2215 (which was used when I got, and no idea how long it was used prior or how long it's been not running). Just started it up for the first time a couple days ago and it's been absolutely silent (except when I'm sticking my ear near it) since. I have to check the output visually to make sure it's still running. It's even sitting in a plastic bucket. There's no vibration noise from it. Only the faint hum of the motor.

Solchitlins, I too hate the parts that came with the Eheim. I replaced the green tubing with more flexible clear vinyl tubing. I painted the parts that sit in the tank with black Krylon Fusion so they don't stick out like a sore thumb and ditched the spray bar altogether.

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