Oase Biomaster Thermo 600 (amazon): geni.us/TBBKDhz Oase Biomaster Thermo 600 (ebay): ebay.to/2RMQFuC Foams and Biohome Ultimate: www.filterpro.co.uk (FilterPro site has links to suppliers in other countries) The Oase Biomaster 600 canister filter is well designed, has excellent contact area for mechanical filtration in the removable 'pre-filter' and a decent provision for biological filtration - 3.5kg of Biohome Ultimate easily fit in this filter and 4kg would be possible if the top tray was used for media instead of a the carbon pad as used in this upgrade. Since it holds at least 3.5kg of biohome ultimate it is really suited to normally stocked tanks of up to 350 litres (92 US gallons) or heavily stocked tanks of up to 175 litres (46 US gallons) if you want to achieve a full cycle. Oase Biomaster video: bit.ly/2OEkkVb A full cycle is completed by bacteria - the aerobic part of biological filtration which processes ammonia to nitrite and nitrite to nitrate followed by an anaerobic part which processes nitrate into soluble nitrogen which bubbles off to the atmosphere. Therefore it requires a suitable amount of excellent quality filter media to be able to provide the environment for both aerobic AND anaerobic bacteria - that is what Biohome ultimate does perfectly but even with such good media there are limitations and we recommend the following amounts for different stocking scenarios: (1 US Gallon = 3.8 litres) (1kg = 2.2 lbs) Average community tropical aquarium = 1kg per 100 litres Average coldwater aquarium = 1kg - 1.5kg per 100 litres Predator aquarium = 1.5kg - 2kg per 100 litres Large cichlid aquarium = 1.5kg - 2kg per 100 litres Malawi / Tanganyikan aquarium = 1.5kg - 2kg per 100 litres Marine aquarium = 1.5kg - 2kg per 100 litres Average mixed fish pond = 1kg per 200 litres Average koi pond = 1kg per 150 litres You may be disagreeing with the above figures but remember that they are for a FULL CYCLE not half a job - achieving 0 ammonia and 0 nitrite is quite easy since aerobic bacteria grows freely on any surface but the anaerobic bacteria responsible for COMPLETING the cycle needs more a specialized habitat. Size a filter properly, set it up sensibly and you will have perfect water - it's that simple....and your filter won't be the dreaded 'Nitrate factory'.....you'll spend less money on treatments too......basically the filter is the foundation of a successful aquarium. This series of videos is all about trying to squeeze more efficiency out of internal and external aquarium filters which generally have a limited filtering capacity - If you have a filter you'd like me to feature in a video then please contact me on: sales@filterpro.co.uk 07772848730 (Richard) Anyone who sends a filter (UK only at present) will have it upgraded and returned to them for free and the only cost you will pay is how much it costs to ship it to me - I'm helping to boost your filter and the resulting videos will hopefully be useful to viewers all over the world so it's a win/win. The following videos will be useful to anyone interested in learning more about filtration, bacteria and making the conditions for your fish as good as possible: Sizing a canister properly and filter set up: goo.gl/om19un Looking INSIDE different filter media: goo.gl/hZWS6c Bacteria and filter media: goo.gl/123gAF How to clean an aquarium: goo.gl/bPMhvh Aquarium tips / filtration playlist: goo.gl/pXgqVj Check out my channel for hundreds of videos on a wide range of my hobbies - many of the videos have educational content so if you have enjoyed any give them the thumbs up and share. This channel is purely a hobby for me so I will never ask viewers to donate money for any of my projects or charge anyone for information - information should be shared freely and I certainly don't consider myself an 'expert' in anything I pursue as a hobby so please do your own research, never accept anything as 'fact', reject anyone claiming to be some sort of authority or 'expert' and make your own minds up about anything you wish to study. We all are on a long path of learning......... RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS ON AMAZON: goo.gl/jMaBWy INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/pondguru_outdoors/ FILMING EQUIPMENT: Panasonic HC-VX870 HD camcorder geni.us/3UwE +Rode stereo microphone: geni.us/4OL +Rode 'deadcat' mic cover: geni.us/1pmn JVC Everio quad proof HD camcorder: geni.us/e09e +Rode 'deadcat' mic cover (opened up and held between tripod and camera base) geni.us/dee24 Zomei Z666 tripod: geni.us/1a1af3 Manfrotto MTPIXI-B PIXI mini tripod: geni.us/87f7 If you've enjoyed this video please check out the playlists on my channel for hundreds more - on a variety of subjects. Feel free to share or link any of my videos anywhere onlne for the benefit of anyone you think may also enjoy watching. See you next time. Pondguru
I actually have a smaller Oase canister filter but it is completely unused. You see, I managed to flood my house last April because of a faulty filter so I sort of shied away from canisters after that. The thing is that I had already ordered the Oase to replace my sole remaining CristalProfis thanks to George Farmer whose own setup inspired me to try one of these. It's just that because of the flood and the massive three month headache with repairs and the insurance company I switched to internal filters so I never got around setting up the new Oase. I'm thinking of trying it now because of this video. I can always place it inside a smartstore which would act as an extra safeguard if the filter fails...
What are your impressions of the flowcapacity? Even though I wanted an Eheim, I bought the 350T because the salesman kept saying how awesome it was. After installation I noticed the flow was pretty weak. It couldn't even fill up the spraybar properly. Measured the flow at 317 litres per hour. Went back to the store traded it for the Eheim equivalent, ditched the exact same media in there and measured the flow again: 650 litres per hour. Color me unimpressed.
@@Flyingdutchy33 I don't run these filters in this series as they generally do not belong to me and have to go back dry. That's a really poor return flow. Most filters will have roughly half the actual flow that they promise on the box once they are filled with media and foams / pad etc. but that's way less than half. The pre-filter restrictions have to be a huge part of that.
Just as an FYI for whoever is watching this video at present time. You have to unlock the hoses chamber to be able to remove the pre-filter easily. You don't have to remove it, just unlock the hoses AND then the pre-filter. I made this mistake too and I felt like I was going to break the plastic forcing it open.
I made this mistake too. It is an interlock to prevent people from opening it before it is sealed off, but somehow it should be made more obvious. I am guessing it is in the directions, but for some reason I still failed to perform this task.
I think the point of the medium fine on the separate prefilter is to catch more stuff and then you can quickly and easily rinse the prefilter regularly / weekly and so can leave alone the main filter media for many months in between cleans.
From the feedback I've had from many users of this filter you're right there as there are plenty of people who don't mind cleaning the pre-filter regularly if it means they never need to get into the main filter.
That’s precisely the point. All I’d change on this filter is making a few more holes if you don’t get enough flow, replace the plastic media for good stuff, and add floss at the last stage.
Do you have specific products you'd recommend for the floss and replacement for the plastic media? Also are you saying to put the floss on the very bottom tray or very top?
In my opinion the reason these manufacturers skimp on the media inside all of there filter systems is to keep cost down. But for the aquarist's who've been hobbyists a while we tend to know what's the best stuff to use. Thankfully Richard enlighten's us with his excellent video tutorials 👍
The reason why the pre filter it hard to lock & unlock is because you need to close off the pipe one first before unlocking the pre filter. Safety feature stop it from siphoning water out of tank when you remove the pre filter.
Pondguru I have a BioMaster Thermo 250. Instead of cutting out the course round foam from the stock pad like you did to go into the prefilter. I found that the filtosmart 60 20ppi course round foam (p/n# 48942) will fit perfectly inside the prefilter without any modification. They are approximately 2”OD (50.8mm) x 4” (101.6mm) long. In may case, my filter uses four stock fine round foam blocks, so I only need two. You would need the same amount for the BioMaster 350. The 650 would need three since it uses 6 stock round foam pre-filter blocks. All the stock foam pre-filters for the BioMasters are 2”(50.8mm) x 2”(50.8mm) long. All the BioMaster filters use the same size priming head which means the diameter of the intake pre-filter pipe is the same. They are just longer with more holes for each filter in the product line for water through put. Drilling more holes like you did would certainly increase water flow through the whole filter. That’s a very easy mod to do which I have done to my filter. In addition to using the proper foam mechanical filter media before the biological media. I haven’t put my filter into service yet, but I will in the very near future with biohome media I bought from a local distributor here in the US. I enjoy watching your channel, and I’ve learned a few things on how to correctly set up a canister filter. I wanted to pass on what I have learned, so others that are considering these filters can use the information I’ve found to set them up properly for better filtration. Warm regards. :)
love the videos...I have a tip on how to cut foam round ... I use a tin can with the lip cut .... make the edge sharp with a file and then just turn it into the foam as a hole saw ... nice and round perfect everytime ... the center hole is done with a tube drill which I made from a thin wall pipe same idea ( steel broom handle )
Great video. I think the idea behind putting that fine/medium sponge first in the chain is to minimize the number of times you have to service the main canister. It should be easier to frequently remove that prefilter and give it a quick rinse than to break open that entire thing every time the flow slows down.
They already exist and are called Eheim Classic lol. You just need to fill them with correct media. Slightly more pain in the ass to clean than some filters with baskets but it's the most reliable, quiet and efficient filter on the market.
I'm taking delivery of a new filter from Aquael this week and it has the potential to really be great so I'm totally looking forward to filming that one. The Unimax was a great filter in a previous video but has a large space most people will waste by not adding the optional UV in there or filling it with mesh bags of filter media. After filming an atrocious filter last week (eheim pro4 600) I'm really in need of a good one as that pro4 still has me mad as to how bad it was and how much eheim charge for them - seems like they peaked with the pro2 and have been declining in build quality ever since, while getting more expensive and having more design flaws - the pro4 has several critical design flaws I'd point out in passing but largely overlook on a cheap filter. To see such an expensive filter so poorly made is terrible.
@@ManicMindTrick Eheim classic is about as far from a perfect filter i can think of. Eheim isnt the only one making reliable filters, so the one redeeming thing about them, isnt exactly unique.
Dave changed the intake tube in the pre filter to 3/4 id and drilled holes 1” aprart staggered with 4 roles of holes therefore increasing the flow by at least double. The tube being 50% larger the the tube supplied with it. It definitely makes a difference. I have a video I sent to oase, who had no suggestions and then videotaped the flow afte the modification. This fix does work!
So for those interested I got the oase thermo 350 today and did the pond guru upgrade. A piece of 21.5mm over flow pipe (any plumbers merchants or Screwfix sells it) fits perfect over the fitting instead of smaller supplied pipe which fits inside. Sealed end with silicone. Drilled a load of holes in around 10mm. Used one of the supplied filters to cut out new course filters for pre filter. Then put filter from top on top of another supplied filter that I cut in half. Only had enough bio media for 2 trays so left the supplied plastic bits in second bottom then 2 trays of bio media then top tray was mixed with few bits of left over bio and ceramic discs I had in last filter. Got to say the flow is impressive and this thing is absolutely silent. You can barely hear unless you open the door.
You don't actually need more holes. That is enough for the size of the pipe. All you will do is lower the pressure coming out of each hole. In the end the flow coming out of the canister will be the same as it's still a 16mm pipe.
Fun to see you review this filter, i use it on 11 aquariums. For everyone watching, before you release the prefilter you are supposed to shut the valve to the pipes. You had to use so much force to unlock the prefilter since you hadn't locked it up, doing that to many times will damage the filter. If you do the valves on the tubing part first, it's no resistance what so ever when you open the prefilter. But the bigger problem is, if you do open the prefilter like you did in the video, the valves are open and when you pull that pre filter out the water will start streaming out of the filter ;)
Just done your mod on the prefilter module, the throughput of water has increased dramatically,I think it has almost doubled, output flow used to cover just over a third of the water surface, it’s now flowing over three-quarters of the surface, what a difference, probably means I will need to increase the cleaning of the prefilter,but it is so easy and quick to do it’s no big deal. Thanks Guru 👌👌👌🏴
Sorry, just seen this now as hardly any comments come through as notifications. That is awesome news and I'm glad you found the video useful. Something as simple as that change with the pre-filter should really have been considered and tested during the R&D process but I'm glad the low flow issue can be rectified post-purchase since some filters have design flaws which can't be altered.
Ron Noordsij admittedly I am cleaning the prefilter every seven days,was cleaning every 14 days but that’s no big deal. It has made a difference to the output flow,it is definitely better than before. My aquarium was clear before but it looks better than before, as suggested by pondguru I am looking for apiece of pipe that will fit over the filter output rather than the one supplied to see if it makes any difference, I will let you know if it does.👍 ps I have removed the supplied Oase foams (blue45ppi)and replaced them with Oase 30ppi foams from Pro Shrimp (UK) don’t know if your in the UK excellent company to deal with one of the few places I have found that’s stocks Oase consumables at a reasonable price .... hope this comment helps you 👍
Another way is to just pull the bung out of the bottom of the pipe in pre-filter. On mine I removed 3 of the foams from the pre-filter, put some coarse foam at the top and a polishing pad at the bottom. That way I rarely have to open the main canister :)
Love these videos, so informative. However, the minute you put a fine pad inside the canister you committed to regularly opening it up, so the mod to filter pads in the pre-filter is irrelevant.
That has to be the most “pimped” and vastly improved canister filter I’ve ever seen. I have multiple pimped Fluval FX6’s, but after seeing this video, if I needed to buy another canister, this probably would be the path I would take. The decision would come down to which fully pimped filter has the greatest flow rate. And if the pond guru wanted to make the ultimate filtration help video, it would be one measuring the actual flow rates of some of the leading canisters after filling them with Biohome Ultra and his other hacks. Every fish keeper in the hobby would love to see that - hint, hint!
@@jakesmith596 Maybe where you live the local stores carry them. I am in Los Angeles California and none of the local stores have anything Oase. I have to shop on Amazon.
Better to put some coarse foam over the intake inside the tank. The filter will go a lot longer before it needs cleaning. It stops small fish and shrimp getting injured by it as well as the suction on canisters is quite strong. Don't put coarse inside the pre-filter otherwise it kinda makes it pointless and you'll get more crap inside the canister. Then it needs opening and cleaning more often.
I watched this again because OSAE just released the 850. I believe the pre filters used should be medium to fine foam. When it gets a bit clogged just take it out and clean it. Yes it would be more effort, simple maintenance schedule, but the bio would remain super clean (so will your tank water) and you can utilize another tray for bio.
Yes, I think this is the original designers thinking , I understand "Pondguru's" reasoning for changing it but it would mean disturbing all the media to get to that medium and fine filter material at the bottom of the filter.... this would be messy. I will try it first with the medium/fine foam in the prefilter with some Matrix media instead of 2 of the main foams....... This should allow for the best of both situations.
Yea the idea is the prefilter catches most of the grit and it's easy to remove and clean, so you hardly ever have to open the main canister. The bacteria works best when it's not disturbed. It's best to keep the standard foams and just add coarse foam to the inlet in the tank.
Thanks Richard. I have the 350 Thermo and I’m using your BioHome media. It’s working really well but Tomorrow I will get the Dremel out and drill some extra holes and cut the coarse blue filters into round tubes. I will try a hole cutter which works a little like your copper pipe suggestion. If it works I will post. My tank is a 249 litre and I have no issues with water quality, but I do a 60% or so water change weekly and wash the pre filter under the tap. I set it up at the end of July but I haven’t looked inside the filter yet. Been waiting for you to tackle these Oase filters. Thanks again.
It would not be warranted. What I did was buy another plastic tube and made additional holes in that. I ended up returning the filter after putting back the original tube back. Even though the adaptation made a difference it still is a way underpowered filter and also cheaply made. The plastic clip snapped off.
A cheap HOB penguin, I think that’s the name like $27, (water wheel) filter and also a sponge filter $15 with a strong air pump, $30, all on Amazon. My tank is an old deep tank. I’m still not satisfied with results however when you spend on oase, I expected a whole lot better. At least I got my money back!
Just opened one of these. Looks like they have addressed half the issues. The intake tube is larger snd much more holey. The pre filter foam is now very course.
Hi. Thanks for this youtube video. Just to let you know that I managed to get 3.5kg of biohome ultimate in 3 trays (just about 10 pellets left) but after I neatly stacked as you did, I put some pellets over the top but horizontally. You can get 2 more layers of pellets in each tray. Awesome job 👍 So I would say you fit about 4.5kg of biohome in 4 trays. Cheers
24:15 Great video. I’ll be following some of the packing and pre-filter sponge changes tips. However, I’m not yet fully convinced that the tube inside the pre-filter is a pinch point in the flow rate. I say this because the inlet strainer and outlet spraybar of the system is the same diameter pipe as this tube inside the pre filter. I’m a chartered chemical process engineer by trade, so have a bit of knowledge of process flow dynamics, though I don’t claim to be an expert. The surface area provided by the the number of holes in this pre filter tube also seems enough to not be a restriction in the flow. I would say the pressure drop through the fine pre filter sponges (especially when clogged) is more likely the culprit if people are seeing reduced flow rates, due to the pre filter. Though I’d like to hear more of your detailed thoughts on this, and I still could be convinced.
It is always good to question anything you see online since most videos on RU-vid are now just paid advertisements and can't be trusted. Having a limited amount of holes in the pre-filter pipe is OK when the foams are perfectly clean as water can freely be drawn into the pipe. The problem with restricted flow arises when the few points of water draw (the holes) pull the muck through the foams at those points and that quickly clogs the parts of the foams allowing water through into the pipe. Through premature clogging those points BECOME the restriction. When the filter is perfectly clean they are not a restriction. When more / bigger holes are drilled in the pre-filter pipe it creates more points of water draw to even out the water draw through the foams. Therefore the flow rate will remain higher for longer. Upgrading the pre-filter pipe also reduces the air 'burping' associated with the Biomaster filters. While drilling holes in the pipe may not increase the flow rate noticeably when the filter is perfectly clean it allows the pre-filter foams to get clogged up for longer while still maintaining water flow through them - therefore the cleaning schedule for the pre-filter can be extended. You really have to fit a flow meter on the outlet side to measure flow over an hour or so and compare that to an old style pre-filter pipe to test for improvement in flow rate but unfortunately people testing this upgrade are just doing visual inspections of the water flow in the tank. I hope that makes sense but don't take my word for it - the new Biomaster filters are being shipped from Oase with an upgraded pre-filter pipe which fits over the fitting just like I demonstrated here and it also has many more (larger holes) drilled in it. Ultimately the flow rate of any pump / filter is limited by the capability of the pump, the head it lifts the water to and the state of the fine pad(s) which is the main reducer of flow. When everything is clean the pump will move water at maximum flow rate but as the fine pad gets clogged the flow will be restricted and the filter will need cleaning. Having a better pre-filter pipe is something Oase's engineers obviously agreed with which is why they changed it and I'll post a picture of the new Oase pre-filter pipe in the 'Community' tab on my channel now so you can see how different it is - hope that helps and best of luck with the tank. Regards, Richard
@@pondguruthanks mate. That all makes sense. Yes I’ll be very interested to see the updated standard issue pre filter pipework. I’ve ordered updated coarser pre filter sponges, and bio home for the main trays. Thanks again for the video
Top Tip: Move the hose valve the unlock position then remove the pre-filter module. This way the pre-filter unlock lever opens with very little force. It seems obvious once you've worked it out because you would not really want water flowing into the pre-filter when removing it.
I was looking at this filter and the prefilter is what impressed me but looking at the reviews I hesitated My concerns were flow and the price. I finally went for an unbranded SunSun 703B. Low cost, known performance and most importantly spare parts. Last Wednesday I dropped the impeller unit, Fracturing the ceramic shaft. Was able to order a new one and got it the next day.
Good information once again. I've run this filter for approximately 4 months with my 100L aquascaped tank and it's been faultless. I take the pre-filter unit out every week when doing the water change, it's a 5 min job. Due to this fact I've left the pre-filter sponges as supplied. I stripped the main trays out and put medium sponges in the bottom tray but no fine filter floss as to me this negates the whole point of the pre-filter sponges. The rest I've filled with media. I opened the main body out after around 2 months and it was extremely clean so the pre-filter does the job :-)
welshweeks01 Agreed... I tried floss in the bottom tray and after a week it’s absolutely full of s..t and causing water parameters to rise. I was opening the canister up every week. Now I just run the 45ppi prefilters then two nobbled 45ppi foam pads in bottom tray. rest is full of biohome. Managed to get 4.5kg in it. Pre filter sponges rinsed every week with wc and canister sponges rinsed once a month... happy days!! Clear water, very low nitrates after about 4 months of this set up. Can’t fault the media 👌🏼 I have also drilled loads more holes in the pre filter pipe and it definitely helped flow.
You have no idea how useful this video is to people like me. You said when we spoke that you wonder if it's worth while doing these videos..... as I say, you've no idea. Not to mention that you are a star to speak to and order from. Thanks so much fella
Hi Richard, I do have the same Biomaster 600 filter for my 300 ltr tank. After looking at your video I will definately drill some extra holes in the prefilter pipe and also cut new sponges from the blue pads, which I do not use. I noticed that still the problem is with the fine pad, which I installed in the bottom tray with a medium pad after looking at your previous Pimp my filters. After filling up with muck it cuases the flow to reduce dramatically. So even with the prefilter you still need to get into the canister for cleaning. That is the only minus I could find with this filter. Thanks again for another Pimp my filter.
I have the 350 version, how often do you clean the canister? Had it running since the end of July and haven’t opened the filter once. I’m using the tried and tested law of ‘if it works don’t fix it’. My flow is down on what it was like in the beginning and I put it down to dirty pipes. Going to do it in a few days
I have two Oase Biomaster Thermo filters connexcted to my 240lt tank. A couple of points I've found and also are in the Oase manual Firstly, when removing the head unit, remove the heater first as it reduces the risk of breaking the glass tube. Secondly to remove the pre filter I've found I have to open the connector lever which is on the right, without doing that my prefilter lock wouldn't move at all. Once the connector lock is opened the prefilter lock moved easily. You didn't mention the connector part at all,, By unlocking it it seals the inlet and outlet pipes and the whole unit can be removed from the head to be able to take the complete filter body and head to the sink for cleaning. I like that feature, Finally, a very instructive video and I will be following yoour advice when I next clean the filters. Thank you very much.
Only thing I love more than this video is opening up my new Oase filter in 2024 to see they took all your changes into their pro design so no need to do anything but change out the filter for bio.
I have been using this filter on an 80L marine aquarium for a few months and thought I'd quickly share my experience for anyone else considering this line of filters. I actually have the 350, so the size down from this. I followed the set up in the video and managed to fit 3kg of biohome media into the filter. That's a heavy filter and a pain to keep moving out to change the foams way at the bottom. Plus, the pre-filter is a bit useless if you set it up properly since you need to change you fine filter pads as often, if not more, than the coarse sponge. In the end, I took all the sponges out of the filter, removed the clear pre-filter tube to maximise flow and have added an external pre-filter to the inlet (from all pond solutions; thanks to Pondguru for the tip!). I also added more biohome to the (now empty) bottom tray, to bring my total up to 4kg. I added double taps to the pipes so I can easily remove the pre-filter from the main unit without water spillage and take the whole thing to the sink to change the sponges. I've found this works way better and hasn't really cut down on flow (I have wavemakers anyway) and my nitrates are sitting between 2.5-5ppm at the moment, which is fairly decent for a new marine system. I am going to experiment putting another pre-filter on the outflow to act as an inline media reactor for carbon and GFO. I currently have these after the sponges in the pre-filter for easy access, though ideally, they should come after the biological filtration. However, having them in the pre-filter doesn't seem to have affected my nitrate levels and a second "pre-filter" unit on the outlet may be too much of a flow reduction/it's another thing to maintain. Anyway, hope this is helpful to someone! I'd probably go sump in the future but now I'm invested in the canister I wanted to find a way to make it work more effectively.
And I should point out this setup means I don't really have to ever go into the canister filter now, since it's all bio media. I will probably do an annual rinse and an annual heater replacement, but that's about it.
Get 4 medium sized pre filter sponges from aquarium co-op and bore out the bottoms. BOOM there's your pre filter media. Everything after that can be your Pond foams
Black, at least as spare part is most condensed, since it's 60ppi vs 30ppi of the orange ones. So I do believe, that your pre-filter gets clogged within few days of running. Correct me if I'm wrong.
I run this filter as extra mechanical filtration on a heavily stocked 220. Clean pre- filter every week. They are dirty but never clogged and flow is always good.
@@VegasJ-5150 What I wanted to highlight, is that black ones are 60ppi and those will get dirty much faster. And then it does not make sense to have those black ones on the pre-filter ;) On it you want even less than 30ppi. But in your case I see filter has different purpose. Still, I'd change black ones in pre-filter to something around 30-20ppi ;)
Thanks for another great video. It is well worth noting Stefan-Boltzman Law when you apply heating to a volume of water. 1 watt per litre assumes a very linear relationship, whereas it actually requires less power to maintain heat in a large volume of water. The engineers at Oase will have made this calculation for a 400 litre tank and chosen a heater within the range. I would imagine that the review you read was assumptive that it could not work in their tank based on what old books said. I love your videos. Just thought to throw this idea in the pot for you.
I got 1 of the sicce whale 500 for my 75 gallon goldfish tank after coming across your video. I found it at my local petco to go along with my tidal 110. I have purchased a 2nd 1 to add to.my tank.
Got my Biohome Ultimate last weekend, managed to put in 1.25 kg per tray for my Biomaster 350. It has 1 tray less than the 600, so in total i have 3.8 kg's of media in it, in additon to the sponges ofcourse. Finally, my OCD is paying off ;)
I have been using a single 300 watt heater for my 150 gallon / 570 liter tanks with zero issues for 30 plus years. I know what is recommended but I’ve never had any problems and the heaters last for years.
Hello, Congratulations and thank you very much for your competence, passion and honesty. I have spent hundreds of hours online growing my learning curve and so far you are to me the most honest and competent professionist who shares the truth online. Since there is no free meal, I have asked myself why you do it, then I understood it. Besides of your passion that plays a huge role, you do it because you want to sell your great biological media and maybe for something else too. The only thing you forget always to say (at least in dozen of videos I watched) is that Nitrate filtration is not needed (actually I would say it is not wanted) in planted aquarium where very often nitrate must be added via fertilisation. Other than that, again chapeau! Sorry for the long intro, now I get to my question. I have a 120 liter tank, heavily planted with medium/high fauna load. I have just ordered the Oase biomaster 600 because my eheim pro4 350T broke. I am using a prefilter 2.3L from all ponds solutions and the cannister is 100% packed with biological media (no plastic or silly sponges - how right you are!!!). However, i still get some fine muck inside the canister. Considering that I have this prefilter and soon the biomaster 600, what set-up woild you suggest to me to get rid of the internal muck? My ambition, if possible, would be to do 100% of the mechanical filtration in the external 2.3 L prefilter and in the oase internal prefilter so that i could virtually never have the need to open the canister. I think, but please correct me, that a very fine and replaceable foam would be needed, right? Maybe I can leave the external canister untouched and use this superfine foam in the internal prefilter. But if this was the way to go, what fine foam and where should I buy? Thank you in advance. Cheers, Davide
Hi there Mate, we in South Africa love the idea of the extended time to clean the filter I'll give a shot today , standby will post my results , oh have to mention I have the Oase Biomaster 250 Thermo slightly less trays but same concept.
I was so impressed I signed into Google for the first time in years to respond. So refreshing listening to someone that really knows what they are talking about. I never did care for foam in canisters but it looks like there's not much to do about it in the pre-filter. I follow your logic in using course foam for the pre, but I was somewhat surprised by your placement of the fine in the bottom tray - it is the only right place to put it, but in my experience the fine pad is the one that gets really yucky and consequently requires more regular maintenance (which is a good thing, but your stated intent was to prolong periods between maintenance), and, requires dismantling the entire filter to get to. My best attempt at improving on the pimping would be to - use either the blue or black sponges on the pre-filter knowing that I'll clean it every two to three days anyway, then, instead of filters in the bottom tray I was thinking Eheim Bio Mech in an attempt to get the best of both worlds. Seeing as I have a 90gal Discus tank I'd like to put more media on the top tray so long as there is no danger of it entering the pump head. I have another filter I use for chemical and mechanical filtration. Also, do you know what the media weight would be if I used Eheim Substrate Pro instead (sorry)? Great videos, I've watched half a dozen in my search for the right filter, they're an awesome tool!
I would proberly just use a coarse sponge on the intake like the eheim addon part, and use the fine in that tube because it's so easy too remove it would remove the need to ever open the canister just take the prefilter and clean and back on you go and also you could fit more media wich would bring it close too the stated 600 litres according to your 1kg per 100 litres philosophy. Anyways great video as always and i hope you will do an Eheim 3 pro 1200 XLT sometime :)
Yes you could go that way to maximise the filter's potential if you were prepared to do the maintenance and had the time to do so no worries - I tend to skew videos toward people with less available time but there is always multiple ways to achieve the same goal. I think I have already shot a video on the pro3 1200 XL which is essentially the same but just need to edit it - it was OK but didn't hold much media for the size of it. As far as I can remember I got about 6kg in there. There's about 20+ videos shot for this series which still need editing......aaarrrggghhh...
I moved to canisters a few years ago. Started out with sun sun hw302 for a 29g planted tank. I went with it because of cost and simplicity. Ended up with 3 of those, an hw304b and an hw3000. They have always been reliable, hold a lot of media and the 304 and 3000 can really move some water. For the cost i have no complaints. However over the years small issues and cheep components have brought me to the conclusion its time to upgrade. I looked at this pump for a 55g grow out tank, I like the idea of the heat and prefilter, but for me i like simple. Too many trays and components. I ended up getting an FX 4 for $200 new. I like the build quality and easy maintenance. If I like it I'm gonna get an FX 6 to pair with the hw3000 on my 180g cichlid tank.
As already stated, you must close the valve that isolates the flow BEFORE unlocking the prefilter housing, failure to do this will result in a very wet floor, also it is much easier to open the prefilter valve if you open the flow valve first (even if it is empty) the way you force the prefilter valve will ultimately end in failure! It’s also bearing in mind and should have been stated that drilling all the extra holes in the prefilter pipe will void the filters warranty!
At 4:00 when you comment on the heater, one thing I would suggest is that the 1 watt per liter rule is probably more applicable when the heating element is in the tank. I suspect the heater being located in the filter, results in better overall contact, and therefore more efficient. You can likely get away with a mich smaller heater, and lower energy costs.
I love your face when you realise that you can use the blue foams for the pre filter :), I got one of these filters a month ago, I`m going to do the mod on the pipe, and make the pre filter out of my blue foams, lovin the videos :).
Hi, You certainly have taught me how to load my external aquarium filter Thank YOU,now know the positioning of sponges and now Using Biohome filter media.Nice One.I also had a strange thing happen,in my aquarium.I put brand new sponge filter in my Aquarium,a couple of days later,I had frothy bubbles on the surface of the water,waiting to run the cycle,so no fish. I took the sponge filter out,and yes used a airstone. The air stone was brown and oily.So washed the sponge filter,Disregarded air stone,soaked the sponge with Fluval safe water overnight,replaced filter,PROBLEM solved. I never know a sponge to have so oil in it Tank is crystal clear no foam on the top of water. Again thanks for you awesome filter reviews. Goodman please keep your tips coming . From Phil UK
Fabulous pimp my filter video. You have successfully taken the large but quite limited potential of this filter turning into the what should now be a dynamic beast by comparison. Loved the shish kabab reference :-)
Ultimately the videos in this series are very samey but I make them for anyone interested in a particular filter - it's been quite an (expensive) undertaking so it's great that you appreciate the effort. Thanks for watching.
This filters the best built one av seen its a work of art the only down side is low flow high running costs n can get air bubbles trapped n it it costs a lot but it's worth the money itsa great filter
I would love too see what the flow difference would be with you drilling more holes in the prefilter tube. It's so cheap and easy to drill/ press holes in manufacturing. Granted there is them trying to meet a price point, which could be the reason for the limited holes( like reusing the dye that punches the holes in the spray bar). It could be to restrict the flow for dwell time. The flow testing part is easy, the testing on biological effectiveness not so much
Totally agree with everything thing has said and done here , I personally probably wouldn't use on anything bigger the 240L tank wise due to the heater rating . As stated 1 watt per litre but from personal experience I usually work on 1.5 watts which means tank heats that little bit fastet and and don't have to work so hard to keep an even temperature. Also the carbon impregnated foam is a great idea as it absorbs a lot of chemicals from the water , but once its saturated it will start to bleed those back so in some cases it wouldn't extend the maintenance time of your filler clean . Also for aquascapes I wouldn't fit a carbon filter as it would take out all the nutrition from the water the plants need . But in a tank that isn't planted great is great .. He probably already knows this but was just putting together what is a great filtration media system compared too the manufacturers suppied one ..
Excellent Richard. I've had one for a couple of years and did almost exactly as you showed. You can actually buy course for the pre-filter, had a long conversation with Oase not long after I bought it. You are also right about the heater, but with your increase in flow it will mean the heater will have less chance to do it's job as the water flow will increase. An easy cure is an extra in tank one.
For larger tanks yes for sure the way forward is an extra heater - I've seen many reports of people using these filters on large tanks and complaining that the heater won't keep the water warm but it needs around 1 watt of power per litre to effectively heat a tank, therefore the heater supplied is really only suitable for up to 300 litres (300w).
Thanks for putting this up Richard. Awesome external filter. Ultra quiet and the pre-filter catches most of the muck (I am using the orange pre-filters that can be purchased separately). I have not drilled any extra holes as the flow is fine for my 190L Trigon tank and the fish I have. All you have to do is rock the filter back and forward, left and right to get rid of any air locks after maintenance. Well worth the money, been running mine for almost two years and no problems/leaking yet. Have added some biohome to the other trays after watching previous videos and my fish are ultra happy. Water stays sparkling clean if you follow the bottom tray configuration. With my next clean out I will be replacing my alphgrog tray with more biohome.
is your biomaster a 600 one too ? because i have a 180 l trigon too and i am going to use a 250 biomaster filter on it ? i just want to know that from what u said if my 250 biomaster is going to work the same ?
@@TheWidowMaker. I have always had 2/3 x trays with biohome and one tray of alfagrog. Fish seem happy enough, although I have switched to a 240 litre tank now and a different filter too.
Dear Richard, thanks a lot for this video. Shortly after I watched it, I found an Oase Biomaster 600 for a very good price and bought it. I set it up according to your instructions here and is working like a dream ! Really good video and ideas ! Good job mate... ! 👍🙂😉 Thanks. Cheers from Romania ! Marcian
Enjoyed the video. Gave me a couple of ideas on canister filters. Its always good to get an experts opinion on the filtration of aquariums. Thank you for a great video.
I noticed Oase always has the mechanical filters at the top of the stack since the water enters there first and moves down. By placing the mechanical at the top are you concerned the biological media will get clogged with waster? Just curious...
This is amazing information, thank you! I am setting up a 60 gallon fish tank in my preschool classroom and I'm going to use this filter and all of your tips.
Hi, Great Video, glad i took a look while filters were in post. i have made the course pad pre-filter, drilled loads of holes in pipe and used Biohome in the trays of the two Thermo 600 filters i have started to fit to my 400l tank, with filter medium pad media in the bottom tray. i have used them to replace a sump set-up which has failed to be plant friendly for a number of years
I have been using the Oase Biomaster Thermo 250 for about 2 years now with the included media. I chose this as I liked the idea of the built in heater. The flow rate slows down every four weeks - the pre-filter foams getting clogged up - after cleaning its back to normal. Have not tried the Orange 30ppi foams that are available. To release the pre filter you must first unlock the inlet/outlet head, which twists around. Constantly unlocking this head possibly loosened the attached pipes & only the other day one pipe came off & I ended up with a wet carpet. I will pimp up this filter & see how it goes. Might consider the All Pond 1000EF with built in UV light, JBL 901 or Fluval 306 which you have covered - these all have different inlet/outlet designs. I will then have to put a heater in the tank.
The idea of having the easy removable pre-filter is you don't have to open the main body of the filter so it doesn't matter if the foam there is medium. I agree for flow rate the pipe could be bigger and have more holes but the pre-filter is easy to clean. Pull it out, squeeze it under a tap, bang it back in. 5 minute job and no need to go into the canister itself. If you start putting finer sponges in the main canister body, aren't you just going to negate the idea of the removable pre-filter?
The option is there to go either way with it so ultimately it will come down to the choice of the fish keeper. I just throw anything into the videos which I notice and may be useful (with reasons why) and then hope people pick and choose what they do. Some may choose to do nothing and leave the filter purely as it comes with the plastic media and foams in the trays and that's cool too if the filter delivers the water quality, maintenance schedule and flow rate they expect and are happy with. If not then they have some options presented here.
I have the 350 version of this. The big plus is they are very solidly built, using much thicker plastics than you see on others. They are also very quiet. The pre-filter takes maybe 2 minutes to clean so it's not too bad really. I put some coarse foam from my old filter at the top so most of the big crap gets caught there and left the rest as it is. I'll be sticking in 2 layers of ceramic rings instead of the coarse foam layers though. The store I buy my supplies from use these on many of their own tanks. Because they just don't break.
Would it be worth adding more biological filter still with this approach? Tbh I didn’t think purely using sponges was a problem due to the shear capacity of them.
@@costagauci5719 If the owner is happy with half a cycle then the foams offer a good way to promote the aerobic bacteria responsible for 0 ammonia and 0 nitrite so there is certainly nothing wrong with that set up but in the videos I put out I am always setting filters up to achieve a full cycle which uses media capable of supporting aerobic AND anaerobic bacteria to allow the filter to also reduce nitrate. Half a cycle is fine if partial water changes a few times a week (to keep nitrate down) isn't a hassle for the fish keeper and many breeders who have multiple tanks change some water every day purely to keep nitrate down but there is really no need to have all that extra work when a filter is sized properly and set up properly (for a full cycle). When a filter is fully cycled the amount of water changed each week only needs to be as much as is dropped out when doing a clean up of the tank base with a gravel cleaner.
That's vastly less media then oase claims far less than the fx 6 . Really appreciate it :) definitely know which one I am going for now. I do think that the filter media on the pre-filter being media is only because it is so easy to remove and clean weekly as opposed to many other filters where you need to dismantle the filter to get to it.
owling2005 you would be 10 x better off buying an eheim pro 3 1500xl or the aqua el u700 than a fx6, unless of course you want mainly mechanical filtration. It’s crap for bio media as most of the space is taken up by sponges. The fx6 is basically a pond pump on a bucket, plus the eheim will last way longer and I got both my pro 3 eheim for peanuts second hand
@@sondercichlidaquariums4951 The FX6 has 5.9 litres of bio media. That's really poor given the size of the thing. Putting the sponge around the outsdie means there's a disproportionate amount of sponge to bio space. The Aquael really makes good use of it's space and has loads of room for bio media. It's difficult finding good reviews on them and a few I've seen have been commenting about leaks.
Captain Win I would still look at human error as the first port of call for leak issues. Some of the worst I've had for leaking and primers snapping are the fluval 06 range
Just picked up 4kg of the Biohome Ultra mini for my 600 today. One thing I'm not certain of, is the direction of the water flow on this filter. In their marketing materials I've seen it go both top to bottom, and bottom up. One area I disagree with you a bit here is on the pre-filters. I think the floss with the coarse pre-filter is the way to go for the new setup, but after a few weeks, I'd opt for the Ultra fine on the pre-filter, and just be sure to diligently clean it out every couple of weeks. One interesting thing here, is that even the coarsest pre-filter sponge is finer than all the included main sponges that Oase manufactures. All those blue sponges, and that orange coarse sponge, are essentially useless.
I found that the non return valve is not a not return valve as such it is just a little piece of plastic which is can easily be lost without realising you need to double check this area why is it even there and surly it sould be more robust thanks gary
i have this filter but have the 350 size instead of the 600 for 55 gallon I did research i had to buy a canister that was easy i picked thistle ..to work with one hand i am glad i did .. i always pimp my filters with cut to own media like Richard .. on bottom tray I use very coarse on the bottom then a medium one in middle and a polish pad i have even cut the very big coarse in half to make 2 pads to not waste them and in the middle trays i use BarbQ lava rock and matrix from seachem .. and the on top tray i use a very thin 2nd small polishing pad and have my Seachem Purgeion or carbon ... Oase does make the round black very coarse for the prefilter media i use those instead of the round blue ones ( you have to order on side they last long time ) the blue ones comes with filter .. the orange filter i do like and use it as medium pad a coarse i love the prefilter .. easy to clean i clean once a week i have a heavy fish load .... but i only clean the main filter every 2-3 months if i did not have a large fish load i could get by even longer maybe 4 months ..everyone says canister filter are hard to clean but i think the main part it is easy to clean if you shut it off and tear it down in the right steps i only have one good hand and i think it is easy ..and the best 2 thing that i love about is the handle and and prefilter .. yes it is more money but it worth it plus you get a 4 year warranty.. if this ones goes i will buy another one for sure
Awesome video, very informative, keep them comming! I would also like to see a series on a DIY aquarium canister filter talking about different things like sizing it, picking media etc. (like the pond one but for the aquarium) You have tested a lot of designs and I think you'd come up with one that's more efficient and affordable than the ones that are on the market. Fingers crossed! :)
Excellent video I'm now considering a 250 for my fluval flex 57l with all the upgrades you have shown, I now it might be a bit over the top but if it gets the results it'll be worth it.
Why not use a hollow core drill bit for these round, coarse foams? Simply soak the foam with water, freeze it in a freezer and then drill through the frozen foam with the hollow core drill bit. You will get a perfectly round shape with a drill hole in the centre of the foam. This should work quite well :)
That is something I haven't tried and to be honest I won't try it, lol Oase sell foams of different grades for the pre-filter and there are a nation of companies online selling generic foams to fit the pre-filter too - the generic foams are a good price so it's not worth farting about cutting foams like I did in this video now.
That's a strange one as it should make no difference as to how often you need to clean out the pre-filter. If anything it should extend the times between cleaning since the muck will be dragged into the foam in more places instead of hotspots.
Could it make sense to place the medium and fine filters just before the pump? Meaning that it will be placed in the top filter tray instead of the bottom. Inspired by how background filters are built Great videos by the way. Really helped boost my Juwel bioflow filter
when you prime the non return valve Well the peice of plastic at the bottom of the pre filter pops off and then the water does not circulate around the filter correctly I'm having to secure this to stop it happening best filter thou thanks gary
Asked for this along time ago. But al the pimp up you did i already have thx to al your prev videos. Coarse foams extra holes i did use sera siporax and the outflow is a bit lame so put a eheim nozzle on the end. The prefilter has a lock i think you broke 🤭 first have to slide the one to close the in and outlet then you can open the prefilter without a problem its a failsafe
Had the Oase FiltoSmart Thermo 300 the model below this Biomaster review. It was too noisy hum. Sent it back. Had lots of room for biological media. It had the heater built in but removing it gave much more room for more media. Good partial review but doesn't mention how quiet it is running. A plus is the Oase has locking nuts for the tubing so the tubing couldn't slide off.
This is the third review video i watch about Oase Canister filters and still don`t convinced me of been a good filter to buy , i am very happy with the Penn Plax i own but of course if some other company comes up with a much better filter i would buy it. Tks for sharing !! Regards from North Carolina USA
to cut foam i use a hot wire cutter the edges get slightly larger pores tho usually I'm fine with is as its now two stages in 1 filter sponge anf for the case of citing circles you could just make a prefect wire circle
i worry, that with drilling so many holes, the filter pump will not create suction pressure inside prefilter area, that should force water to evenly distribute itself while sucking. So u might get end up first cylinder spunch gettting all the flow and will be dirty like hell, while others will be clean
