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  1. #1
    Just an Egg
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
    Posts
    77

    Eheim 2180 filter with heaters and Seneye probe

    hi all,

    I am using two eheim 2180 cannisters as both extra filtration on my sump but also as the heaters for the whole tank setup.

    These filters have a 500 watt heater built in and a digital temperature gauge that shows their temp and allows you to set it.

    Does anyone know how accurate these temp,gauges are? Reason for the question is i recently added a Seneye device to the tank and it is reading 1.5 degrees lower than the Ehiems in the same water. I then bought a digital thermometer and tested the water with it and it is reading about .1 to .2 away from the Seneye.

    Only thing I can think of is that the water in the cannisters itself is slightly warmer than the water in the tank due to being in the cannister itself. Both the eheim cannisters are reading within .1 of each other so it's not that one is out of whack.

    Obviously for discus you want a certain water temperature in the tank itself and currently it seems that is out by a factor of 1.5 degrees.

    My simple solution is to just turn the cannisters up 1.5 degrees above what I actually want the temp to be and then it should be at the right temp in the tank.

    Anyone else got any suggestions as I can't find if you can adjust the eheim settings to match.

    Thanks for any assistance or advice.

  2. #2
    SnakeSkin Discus
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Melbourne
    Posts
    1,338
    best way to test water temp is with the basic glass thermometer, they are always accurate and dont get issues of leaking/faults like digital ones.

    Just check what your water temp is and set it accordingly. Dont worry to much about what the heater is set on just gauge it by the water temp. One of my tanks is set to 28 and the water is only 23, another is 20 and its 26. You get my point
    Nathan

  3. #3
    Just an Egg
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
    Posts
    77
    Thanks Nathan,

    Yes I get the point exactly and it is doing my head in lol. I am trying to build a display tank with discus and plants and know if it's too hot i kill the plants and too cold the discus suffer.

    Currently I have five digital thermometers and 1 glass one.

    Digital 1 27.8 in tank
    Digital 2 28 a probe usually used in a kitchen
    Digital 3 Seneye 26.5
    Digital 4 eheim 29.5
    Digital 5 eheim 29.5
    Glass thermometer 29 and also the cheapest of the lot

    I'm aiming for about 28.5 but which bloody thermometer do I trust lol

    If I hadn't bought the Seneye I would of just kept going off the Ehiems which have worked for me for a long time very well.

  4. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by shakadog View Post
    I'm aiming for about 28.5 but which bloody thermometer do I trust lol.
    The glass one

  5. #5
    Free Swimmer
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Melbourne, SE Suburbs
    Posts
    446
    Just remember the eheims are measuring the temperature in the canister. You will get some heat loss from the hose(s) travelling to the tank, as well as losses from the tank itself. A 1.5deg loss between the cannister and the tank seems reasonable to me.

    Cheers,
    Scott

  6. #6
    Just an Egg
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
    Posts
    77
    Thanks Scott,

    Yes I came to a similar conclusion after a lot of testing with different thermometers, if it's the case would be nice if eheim mentioned that on their site so you could take into account when setting your temp etc.

  7. #7
    Moderator
    Join Date
    Aug 2004
    Location
    Alberta, Canada
    Posts
    81
    I thought the Eheim had an external sensor that needed to be set into the tank. Have they changed the design with the Pro 3?

  8. #8
    Just an Egg
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
    Posts
    77
    Not sure about the pro 3 but the 2180 has not got an external temperature sensor

  9. #9
    SnakeSkin Discus
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Melbourne
    Posts
    1,338
    its a difficult balance when doing planted discus tanks, the temp will only be a problem if the setup doesnt cater to the particular plants your using. I saw your post its the huge tank with the 5 kessil lights? They are amazing lights and your plants are relatively hardy so i dont think you will get to many problems, it will be a bit of trial an error.

    I think the main thing to start with is keeping the discus happy, plants are much easier/cheaper to replace.

    let us know your thoughts?

    oh and yes just go with the glass thermometers, with any tank your going to get slight temp differences in different areas but more so with the monster you have. As long as the speration is no more then 2 degrees youll be fine
    Nathan

  10. #10
    Just an Egg
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
    Posts
    77
    Agreed, currently got the tank sitting high 27.7 to 28.2, thinking of upping the heaters by .5 to get the minimum to stay at 28 and normal to be closer to 28.5. Will probably move it up a small amount a week over the next few weeks starting in another 2 or 3 weeks after the plants settle in.

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