# Large Eheim upgrade – 2026 possibly others



## Freerider (Nov 8, 2006)

Eheim pro II upgrade - 2026​Goal- To provide high capacity mechanical filtration with a canister filter while allowing for convenient access to mechanical media for ease of cleaning.

Materials:
aquaclear quick filter








Ehiem Pro II 2026








Filter Cloth of choice








Optional -Suction Cups









Step 1: Remove Stock Aquaclear quick filter cartridge replace with filter cloth of choice in this case I used HBH filter cloth but anything will do.
Step 2: Remove plug from top piece of quick filter frame.
Step 3: Friction fit stock Eheim Intake screen into top of quick filter frame. By coincidence the Ehiem pro II 2026 intake manifold and strainer fit exactly into the quick filter frame. It is so tight that I actually fully insert the Eheim intake manifold into the quick filter frame then pull it back just a bit. I requires quite a bit of force to fit but it will.
Step 3b: I am currently experimenting with using the stock aquaclear quick filter frame and connecting it using standard tubing to pressure the two together. I have large Synodontis in the tank so they will give the fitting a run for its money. I will report on this later back to the original design as it is in theory the best flow option.
Step 4: Assemble the unit by wrapping the inner intake screen of the quick filter with the filter cloth as per step 1 while enclosing the cloth with the outer protective screen and the top and bottom assembly of the quick filter.
Step 5: Reconnect the Quick filter to the intake of the canister filter.
Step 6: Optional- Attach a suction cup assembly like the ones used for heaters to hold the completed unit in place within the tank.

Canister filters have a weakness in mechanical filtration because the process to clean them is so involved. This adaptation of a commercial available prefilter screen to a high quality canister filter provides easy of use for in tank mechanical filter media while providing long term biological filtration within the canister filter. I experience extended service life on my canister filter because I can easily maintain the quick filter during water changes. I only clean the canister once every 3 to 6 months depending on the tank configuration. I use this on a 75 gallon bow front with a community of medium to large fish and it work great.


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## Freerider (Nov 8, 2006)

I also get the option to reconfigure the internal order of filter media within the canister itself. The water entering the canister is already mechanically screened from the quickfilter mod so no need to protect the biomedia from clogging. My canister has 2 trays, in the bottom I use ½ Efhimech then more fine HBH filter cloth. Again any cloth will do, but it should be fairly fine by this point. In the second tray I use ¾ Substrat Pro then the open pore foam supplied with the canister (blue). The reason I reverse the coarse foam is because of pore size. The quick filter has already screened the water to a small particle size so only the coarse foam is useless as a mechanical filter but it is a perfect screen for the pump from your bio media of choice but it also acts is a water dispersion and biological media with a high surface area.


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## Freerider (Nov 8, 2006)

If other Eheim users try this you should report in so we can list models this is compatible with. Take note Manufactures eh..Hagen.. eh if you invent a proper adapter for all brands of canisters our community would probally love them, but patent pending on my converter for the quick filter 

Links:
Aquaclear quickfilter

http://www.bigalsonline.com/StoreCa...entlg?&query=quickfilter&queryType=0&offset=0


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## g8wayg8r (Feb 11, 2008)

I use two 2026's to filter my 75 gallon tank. I have thought about using the polyfiber to assist the mechanical filtration. One of the problems I suspect is placement of the intakes in my tank. They are usually behind a rather full clump or two of plants that act like prefilters. I've had so much success using a HOT Magnum 250 for a couple of days to clean up the fine stuff in the water when needed that I've never really been motovated to alter the standard arrangement of pads and media in the 2026's. I hang the 250 on the front and the added flow and intake at the front of the tank really seems to help capture stuff in the filter.

Always good to have different ways to fry fish. I may try a filtration arrangement other than standard; at least in one of the filters to see how it works out.


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## Diana K (Dec 20, 2007)

I have done something related. 
I started with an Aquaclear sponge over the intake of a filter. 
Small filters, no problem. Extra filtration, clean it when I clean the filter and it does not get clogged up between cleanings. 
Larger filter, the sponge is too small. The Fluval 404 or Filstar XP3 can plug up the little sponge in just a few days. 

Solution A: get more sponges. I did this by building a PVC manifold that fits across the back/bottom of the tank. 
L__I__I__!__I__L
L is a PVC elbow that points upward. (Sorry about the one on the right. I know how to plumb it, but not type it. Is there a backwards L on the keyboard?) 
I is a PVC T that points upward. 
The ! is also a T, but this one leads to the filter. The adaptors to the various filters are a bit of trial and error, and I have many different brands of filters. Mostly I am using various sizes of vinyl tubing.

This example might be on a 4' long tank, running a 404 or an XP3. 5 intakes instead of 1, and it takes a lot longer to plug up the system. The sponges are still small, and the manifold hides at the back of the tank behind driftwood, rocks, plants. The pipe is buried in the substrate. 

Solution B: Coarser sponge. After all, the coarse sponge in the Fluval is the same cell size as the Aquaclear. Lets start with a coarser one. 
I am now trying various sponges purchased in the pond section. It takes longer for the coarser sponge to fill up. 
The Fluval sponges that are vertical inside the canister had not been collecting much debris (of coarse not, the AC sponges were catching it all) but the rest of the media needed cleaning. With a coarser sponge over the intake the Fluval sponges started working again.

I am still refining the idea, trying to get a balance where the sponges that are easier to reach do plenty of work, but do not plug quite so fast.


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