Introducing the filter you should have bought for Christmas.....the Aquael Ultramax 2000. Ultramax 2000 (Ebay UK): ebay.to/2WQ7w2b Ultramax 2000 (Ebay EU): ebay.to/2sHb9e5 (Check local fish stores and online retailers) Biohome filter media: www.filterpro.co.uk While it may not hold as much media as the largest in the Unimax range (700 holds 8kg) the Ultramax still manages to fit 6kg of biohome ultimate into the decent sized filter media trays - and if you're looking to achieve full cycle filtration (0 ammonia, 0 nitrite and 0 or close to 0 nitrate) that makes it suitable for tank sizes as follows: Normally stocked tropical community tank 600 litres / 158 US gallons Heavily stocked (e.g. cichlid / goldfish / predator) or marine tank 300 litres / 79 US gallons Remember, that is the recommended upper limit tank size for a FULL cycle - I've no doubt that it will keep ammonia and nitrite at 0 in much larger tanks but in this series of videos we work towards a full cycle, not half a job. 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'. This series of videos is all about trying to improve the filtering capacity of internal and external aquarium filters - 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 on facebook, twitter, forums etc. for the benefit of anyone you think may also enjoy watching. See you next time. Pondguru
I'm thinking of buying this for my new 150 gallon, how quiet is the filter as for me it has to run silent, loving your videos very knowledgeable and helpful, what would you suggest i go for im looking at aquamanta efx 600 or Aquael Filter Ultramax 2000 or better
Hi Mate.How to Pimp Oase Filtosmart 60? IT will arrive today. There are two pockets, one with sponge, one for media. It's small, sweet, high quality and best solution to my 20L Nano.
coming back to this video 4 years later to say that when i saw this review i bought this filter and set it up exactly like you said and its now running for 3 and a half years with 0 problems and i love it, nothing broke
Such good advice. Thank you. I first pimped my Filtosmart 4 years ago after I watched your video. Setting up my new tank now with the Aquael... I'm back here for your advice. My Filtosmart worked like a charm. Looking forward to the same again. Thanks for the great work you're doing. Appreciate the video ❤
Mhhh yes on paper, mine stopped working after 2 months, seems that some major change has been made to the head. Including hose size, rotor, 6 blades instead of 5, air evacuation system...if you get the new one it should be fine but the awkward hose size is really a downside
@@Hellacop6 I got mine (Ultramax 1500) december 2020, I loaded it with 2 kg biohome, ceramic rings and pads - since then i cleaned prefilter once and that is the only maintenance i did. Water quality and purity is superb (Juwell RIO 180L, heavily planted, lots of substrate, medium stocked). I would recommend this filter with biohome anytime.
@@filipo666sk Random question - I have a 180l juwel as well but was going to just go for the ultramax 1000 given these tanks come with their own filter too, do you think that would be ok?
@@arunr5529 the juwell original filter was pain in the ass to clean and deal with, also takes up a lot of space in aquarium and is ugly to look at. i chose um1500 to be on the safe side, i like a lot of fish. you can use the original filter also, i would recommend against it - it is easier to remove before setting up your tank :D
Richard, thank you for this review, it helped me make the decision going for this filter. I bought the Ultramax 1500 for my Juwel Rio 180 tank, and it performs admirably. It's quiet, easy to install and performs great, good flow through the entire tank. I used the Eheim install sets for intake and outlet from/to the tank, much better than the included bits (they're not bad but not very practical or good-looking), spray bar on the outlet. In line I have a Hydor ETH heater (200W) connected to the inlet of the canister filter, and a JBL Proflora CO2 diffusor to the outlet, and it's an impressively effective setup. The 1500 has 4 baskets instead of the 2000's 5, they're the same size though, 1,9 liter each. Course and medium foams AND a fine pad in one basket were a bit too much a squeeze imo, so I put the fine pad in the tray above the course/medium foam tray. Put a piece of plastic mesh on top of the pad, and filled it up with media. Enough room for 2KGs of Biohome plus which came from my old filter, plus 2KGs of Biohome Ultimate, which should be more than sufficient for a 180 liter well-planted tank with about 35 smaller fish. 6 weeks in, water chemistry values are excellent so far, the water is absolutely clear and there's hardly any algae. I clean the pre-filter sponge once a week, the other sponges once a month. It's important to, before opening the pre-filter cover, first close the in-valve, then unplug the power cord, then close the out-valve. I found out the hard way doing this another way, you end up spilling a lot of water everywhere when you undo the pre-filter cover latches. Ye be warned! Anyway, this filter is awesome and I can recommend it to anyone with a similarly sized fresh water tank!
Hi! I have two questions. When cleaning the pre-filter sponge, after you shut off the inlet valve, how long do you have to wait to turn off the power? And how far should you close the inlet valve? All the way to impact where the service sign is?
@@galandris1976 I do not really time that, but after about five to ten seconds I hear the pump having trouble (a bassy hum) and then I pull the plug and immediately close the outlet valve. Close the valves all the way, the point is to get the pump creating a vacuum inside and having water flow back in from the tank undoes that. And if you leave a valve open, even for a tiny bit, and then open the cover, well, you'll need a mop. It doesn't go perfectly each time, have a towel ready, some water may still spill out! I actually always take the complete canister out of the cabinet (once a month) and put it on the kitchen counter after shutting of the power and unplugging the valves, I'm always prepared for some messiness. I open the canister and check the fine pad in the bottom tray to see if that needs replacing. That's usually after about three to four months.
I have 1500 version of this filter since a year now and have no problems at all. Works in a 200l aquarium and does the job. The filter comes from my country, but finally someone explained how to properly set it. Thanx Mate. Greetings from the Polish coast.
Am waiting for my to arrive in my home soon this is to replace the fluval 407 2units of it cause realized that fluval 407 is not enough. I need something bigger like the ultra 2000. Will be getting 2 units of the ultra 2000 and to test them out to see if they can run for 1month plus without cleaning in a 250l tank. The tank will stock like 30 harleqiuns 4 otos 10 pygmys 6 cory salt n pepper small size and with 10 shrimps.hopeful this work out good.
I have the Aquael 2000 up and running on my 400 litre south american cichlid tank for a month now. Very impressed with this filter. As you say very well made and as you did on your video, I too replaced all media that came with this and set it up very similar. I did a full water test on my tank a few days ago and water quality was great. My filter is under tank and has to pump up just under a metre and i would say im getting over 1200 litre flow rate an hour. I think what i like most about this other than prefilter was the price, its a real bargain compared to other makes. I give it 10/10 so far. Love watching your videos and I set my filter up the way I did after watching your pimp my filter series, so a big thank you for your videos . Thanks Pondguru
Great, thanks for that feedback and when I checked the prices this morning they seemed much less expensive than when they first came out so are absolutely a bargain. I'm glad yours is functioning well and it doesn't get better than 10/10. Thanks for watching and appreciating the videos.
Got the filter about a month now running on my 75g. Followed exactly the same set up with biohome ultimate. So far, its doin great. Thanks richard! Filter is doin pretty good. .
Justice Boots bought the aquael 2000 in hong kong and ordered biohome ultimate.. so far its doin great and yes it has a spray bar. The prefilter coarse does great also. Very easy to clean..
I have this Filter but I haven't used it yet...saving it for a new 125 gallon tank. But from what I've heard, they work perfectly. A friend of mine said that the pump is as powerful as some of the big Fluvals. I am so glad that you gave this filter the thumbs up. "High recommend"....I love that Sir. Awesome review.....and Charlie The Cat is an added bonus. Very cute. Thanks Sir Richard.
Hi Richard. Thank you for you time to properly inform newbies to the aquarium hobby about the does and don'ts! I recently purchased one of these aquael 2000s and fitted it out like you had but I ended up stacking the biohome vertical then another layer horizontal took a while but was well worth it as around 8kg in there! The filter itself like you said it is very well made and super quiet! Will go great on my 450l cichlid tank. Keep up the great work! Cheers Vic
I've got one and love it. It's almost silent. So much quieter than my old cheap APS one. And it's powerful enough for me to ditch the wavemaker. I clean the prefilter once a month, it takes 5 minutes. And I do a proper clean every 4-6 months. I would recommend it to anyone..
@@AndrewSparkfish it's perfect. Extremely quiet. Cheaper than eheim filters and does the job even better. The only negative is the prime button maybe be stuck for the first time you use it but it's really not stuck. It's just too tight. Once you get it to work, it won't get tight ever again.
It's incredible how much I learned watching your videos. I have a small tank with internal filter and managed to boost the bio-filtration capacity and flow 5-fold, using your filter assembly principles. Water quality is comparatively better, too. I will be ordering Biohome products soon.
Have one running 1.5 years, pre filter works a dream. Good flow I had just set up using the sponges provided and plenty of room for most of the media from my old unit
I actually ended up purchasing this filter because of this video. Nearly 4 years later, it's still going strong. 🤞 For my setup I placed a thin layer of ceramic media at the very bottom. In the bottom tray I used the sponges that came with it, but cut them in half, as they are quite thick. Plus you end up with 2 spare. Then I topped these with filter floss. The next trays were filled with porous media and biohome. The only issues I've had include the prime plunger not working properly (this could be the depth and distance of the pipes). When checking the prefilter, on occasions, there has been some leakage. I think this might be due to the pressure remaining on the grey clips, as the seal with both black and grey is tight. The filter itself is quite strong, easy to take apart and put together. The handles on the tray are sturdy enough. Overall recommended.
I have this filter in my 325L south-america tank :) and I love it! I Also have stocked it like you and just using the bottom tray for Mechanical filtration and the rest for bioceramax :) It pumps very vell and I will buy another one if I want to upgrade tank size :) I will give it 10/10! Best value, super silent, efficient and so easy to clean and stock. And very good quality
I use this on my 310 litre tank can’t fault it very efficient keeps tank spotless and extremely quiet in operation too would highly recommend it excellent value for money
Enjoy your Pimp My Filter series ............ quite impressed with this filter for sure........... sad that is not available here in the US. Once again a great video, thanks for all your efforts !!!
You can get it off of eBay.com. Here you go mate www.ebay.com/itm/Filtre-Aquarium-Aquael-Ultramax-1000-1500-2000-Exterieur-Pompe-Eponge/283326874670?hash=item41f799042e:m:m4lapjzsvN86YHlLrulQw7g:rk:1:pf:1&frcectupt=true
Love Your Videos! I can not find any good big filters here in the US big enough for my 125 gallon tank, So I made one out of a 5 Gallon Bucket and filled it with 10kg of your Biohome ultra. Great Job. Keep up the good work Sir.
Its a fantastic filter .loads of room for media ,i needed a filter with a strong flow for another set up (Heavily stocked cichlid tank) I turned to Richards channel for a proper heads up before buying. Yes you actually can get a high flow ,low wattage ,high volume of media capacity , well made filter ..and this is it. A further bonus, there is no need for a power head to push the water in the 260 saving more on your bills. Once again the channel came up trumps for research no matter what level your at .i would recommend the filter all day. Another great video, pointing everyone in the wright direction and sourcing real world comments and use of products .cheers thanks again for the channel All the best RICHARD . O YES its very quite .
Dear Martin, That is great to hear that you're pl;eased withe your filter. Aquael do seem to make good filters and everyone who I've had reports back are impressed with them. Best of luck with the tank. Regards, Richard
I’m 5 years late just purchased the new version with the 19/25 hose extremely satisfied with the filter my only concerned is the lack of Maintenance parts like O rings gaskets impellers etc here in the US and the customer service from the comments online they’re not so great. But from someone who actually owns an FX6, fluval 207 and 2 eheim 5e 700. The performance on Aquael ultramax 2000 has exceeded my expectations and how my water quality has improved in just couple of days I’m tempted to purchased a second ultramax 2000 but fear the lack of spare parts available.
It's one of those Catch 22 situations whereby if enough people buy the Aquael products in the US the company will increase the number of dealers and offer more support - it's still early days for Aquael in the UK and US but the UK support (and amount of dealers) has definitely increased over the last few years so I'd expect the US situation to be the same pattern as more people buy the filters. Best of luck with the tank and I'm glad you're pleased with the filter.
Absolutely amazing filter and with the required setup with BioHome Ultimate and I agree with Richard that the quality of the filter is top notch; have substituted the internal filter in my Juwel Vision 280 and 450 (the intake fits perfectly in the orginal pumphouse ), and the water has become crystal clear and the inhabitants are super happy. My Vision 450 has ciclids which basically puts too much strain on the original BioFlow filter even in the XL version causing clogging and bad water flow, but installed the Ultramax 3 months ago and apart from cleaning the prefilter I haven't even considered cleaning neither foams or the BioHome and still the water flow is on a high level. Love this filter, highly recommended and kudos to Richard who makes these amazing Pimp My Filter series; my fish are equally grateful :-)
Just ordered the 1500 for my tank. And plan to set it up as you described. Will let you know how it going Great video, and really clear instruction keep them comng
Good to see a lot of praise for Aquael. I've been impressed with Aquael. I wasn't sure at first when I bought a small filter but I've added a few more of their products since and have had a very positive experience with them all. Good well made products.
Can I just Thankyou for being so clear and unbiased in your reviews, sticking to facts rather than the blurb stated on the box. I bought the 1500 version of this excellent filter based on your recommendation and managed to squeeze 6kg of Biohome ultimate into it by using an add on ALLPONDSOLUTIONS booster canister to house the foams. I use the pre filter basket in the main canister for fine wool to protect the Biohome and this can be easily and quickly replaced. It works like a dream and gives me a perfect full cycle on my 450 litre discus tank, with room to spare. I even use a second booster canister on the out pipe for chemical filtration, as and when it might be needed.. of course it restricts the maximum flow even more but it’s only connected occasionally. So, cheers for all your advice. 👍
Dear Jamie, That's great to hear and thanks for the comment. It always good to hear when people have achieved a full cycle as it's something which every tank should aim for and certainly something which every tank can achieve - it's all about the set up and you've got it bang on. As far as my math ability will allow you're using around 1.35kg of media per 100 litres and to achieve a full cycle when using much less than the advised amount of media for a discus tank (somewhere between 1.5kg to 2kg per 100 litres) is very interesting and allows me to better advise anyone wondering what the recommended amount should be. To know you've done it with that amount is impressive - feel free to send pictures of the tank to sales@filterpro.co.uk as I'd love to see how it is set up. Regards, Richard
@@pondguru Richard, of course you are right, it wasn’t adding up. I’ve done some recalculating and the tank actually holds 410 litres at full capacity and approx 370 after taking into account the decor displacement. This means I’m currently running at 1.62kg of media per 100 litres which accounts for the full cycle. Also I only have 9 juvenile Discus in there so there isn’t yet a full bioload to deal with, but as they grow I will be swapping over to the 2000 model, which will give me 8kg of Biohome ultimate, making up to 2.12kg of media per 100 litres. So, your calculations were correct and thanks for making me think.
@@jamiesmith5846 (my other channel) That is great - see how it goes over the next year or so because there is no need to upgrade to a larger filter and more media unless the water quality starts to deteriorate due to an increased stock as the fish grow or new stock is added.
@@ThousandYardStare yes, but I like to err on the side of caution. I’ll move the 1500 to a smaller tank so nothing lost. Thanks again for your videos and input. Your advice has been invaluable to me.
I have one EHEIM 1200XLT together with one Aquael Ultramax 2000 on my 560 liter Akvastabil Move. Both filters are of high quality and hold a lot of media. The heater in the EHEIM is very convenient. Both have good prefilters but prefer Aquaels that are more easy to clean. The Aquael is VERY silent and has almost no vibrations in comparison with the EHEIM which is silent but make vibrations which is very hard do isolate or dampen. I dont know what Aquael has done to make the UltraMax so silent but it really working. The EHEIM has a stronger flow but its not a radical difference. I have had the EHEIM running for a year and the Aquael for a month. Unplugging the EHEIM make my aquarium almost dead silent... Very tempting to change the EHEIM for another UltraMax 2000 but i stay on this setup to evaluate the UltraMax and how it perform in the longrun. Update july 2022: Still very impressed with the Ultramax and especially with the prefilter function that works amazingly well - if its done right - but as soon you get hang of its done without any spill or overflow!
@@heshamhesham8760 @xperia One year later. Still really impressed. Silent. Strong. Pretty simple construction. Still more silent than my EHEIM. At its price I think its really good. The trays sit tight and it still a mess when opening filter to clean but as I bring the whole canister to the shower its not so much a problem for me. The plastic of the canister feel tough and not brittle... yet! ;-) Here in sweden the prices has gone up for this filter...
No worries and if you check back over the next few days hopefully the comments will have a few reports from people who currently use this filter for some first hand information of how they are getting on with it. There's already one 10/10 rating on a comment.
The pre-filter is great. I cut the coarse sponge that comes with the filter in half and cut half fine sponge to go on top. I replace the fine sponge every two weeks and never have to go inside the filter which has one course sponge that never gets dirty. The rest is filled with bio home media. In the pre-filter I also fit two Seachem SeaGel 100ml to polish the water and control phosphate. I put it in the pre-filter as its the best fit, however, it doesn't seem to affect the bio media doing a full cycle and I just change 25 litres of water per week from a 500-litre tank.
Its an amazing filter, especially if you are looking for a soundless filter. Its also probably the most easy filter to maintain, you dont need to open the filter very often, only the pre filter. Five stars from me to this amazing #aqualultramax2000 .
Just ordered the 1000 ultramax for our 200l tank, our 20 year filter gave up this morning barely pumping anything, thanks for the review and like you for years I've been running sponges with the bobble side towards the flow. Looking forward to setting up, and by the looks of it my established filters should be able to fit under the new sponges without a problem, to help build up the good bacteria for the crossover.
Just bought one of those, really like how it looks in your video and seems like way better solution than Fluval plus cheap to buy... Probably gonna be ordering more filter media soon 🙈
Hello from Romania. I have this filter, actually the newer version with 19/25 mm fitings for tubes. Power consumption is 22 watts, which is great. I use this filter in a pretty particular way... I have a tank that is very heavily planted(75-80%) and with pretty much fishes. I have a custom made external extra prefilter, with 5 pieces of 10ppi foams, 4 pieces of 20ppi foams and I put in the prefilter section of the Aquael filter a piece of 45ppi foam, for fine filtering before the water hits the biological filtration(3 trays with Matrix that I managed to buy for a very good price + 2 trays with black lava rocks - 1-1,5 cm in diameter). The tank has around 90 liters of usable water, the rest being the substrate and the plants... until now, I'm very pleased with the results. I started this tank about 4 months ago and last week I cleaned the external prefilter for the first time. The fine sponge of the internal prefilter from the Aquael filter was 95% clean ! The flow rate is great ! I think that was reduced to around 60% because of the external prefilter. So, the flow in the tank is pretty strong, but having so many plants, is not causing a huge water curent for the fishes ! The intake is near the front of the tank(right side) and the outtake is in the back of the tank(also on the right side). So, the water curent is taking all the possible fish waste from the back of the tank to the intake in the front. The water is crystal clear, the plants and the fishes are doing great. I make a weekly water change of around 1/3 of the capacity. So, this is the way I set my Aquael Ultramax 2000. I'm very happy that I bought this filter. I paid for it around 143 euros in romanian currency, with free delivery to my door. Great ! Ohhh, and I have to say that is extremely quiet ! Many times I need to put my ear very close to the filter in order to be sure is working ! I hope this comment will help. Thanks and keep up with the good work. When I'll have time, I'll make a video with my filter. Cheers ! Marcian from Romania 😉🙂👍👍👍
I bought one of these having watched this video to run on my new 240 Litre Malawi Cichlid tank. I’ve set it up exactly as you have with the mechanical media at the bottom and Biohome Ultimate in the rest of the trays. Only think I didn’t spot is whether you put anything in the very top tray?
The impeller is perfect that's the first thing I checked, I bought a spare one and swapped them over but got same result, when I get home later I am going to play around with it a bit and if I still can't get it going I will contact Tetra, thanks for the help.
Hi Sir Richard. I love your videos and I jut love Aquael. I bought the recently released Aquael Maxi Kani. I have been using the Midikani (Cobalt EXT Canister in the USA) for three years now and they have been performing perfectly. Now Aquael has the BIG brother. Maybe somewhere/when down the line, you will review this filter. I love this review of the Ultramax 2000 and I was devastated by the one the EHEIM Pro 4-600. I've stopped using that although it served me for a year and a half. The Maxi Kani is the filter that I would love to try now. I love my fish and I would love to have the best for them. Thank you Sir.
Well a couple of weeks ago I baugth the Eheim Pro 4+ 600 filter, Then a few days later I looked att your video when you pimped that filter. I can say that I wished I had watched your video before I baugth the Eheim Pro 4+ 600 :) Well I did pimp it they way you do so I think its gone do ok as a filter. I agree about the filter baskets, they are week and irritaiting to install. So today I ordered the Aqua El Ultramax 2000, and som more Biohome Ultimate, and A Eheim pre filter the modell you put inside the Aqvarium, on the outlet pipe. Love the accent an all the usefull info about how to get the best out from the filters. Cheers!
Hi i have a 135 litre freshwater tank with live plants. I'm having trouble with algae on glass n plants. I have nitrates at 20ppm which my internal filter doesn't seem to be able to reduce even with weekly water changes at 30% fortnightly. I've just purchased the eheim ecco pro 300 external filter with standard media. Will this filter reduce the nitrates and possible phosphates in my aquarium
had mine running for nearly 4 weeks in a 350 litre tank (has a 1000L an hour built in filter as well) only cleaned it as I wanted to see what it was like, still loads of flow from spray bar, set up as by Richards way, over the moon with it. so easy to prime, ive also got fluval and eheim running as well but this filter is better, thinking of buying a second one
Thanks man. Great review. Planning on a purchase soon to replace fluval 507. Would love if there was a bigger version to do a 800ltr + . That prefilter .. 🤩
Set this up this morning so far very good flow rate and hardly any noise . The only negative is I couldn’t get the prime to work I had to pull it through the outlet to get it to fill
@@pondguru no water came into the canister when I pushed the prime leaver so I couldn’t turn it on as it was empty. So I sucked on the outlet to pull the water in from the inlet inside the tank
i got the 1500 version for christmas and its doing great for now, very well designed, no leaks, yet i had a few difficulties priming. Its my first canister filter so i guess it might just be me lol.
(my other channel) - It's not you. Most canister filters won't prime very well even when they're full of water and the pipes have minimal air in them. That's why I always advise to go for a filter bigger than the manufacturer recommends......so you don't have to maintain it so often. Maintenance is the worst part of fish keeping.
@@ThousandYardStare lol yeah I agree man. I’m using a 1500 lph filter ( recommended for 300-700l) on a 145 l aquarium so yeah, you could say over filtrating a tad bit 😂
I've been running this filter for about a year now and it's a good filter, it does get trapped air every now and again though which can be a little irritating if it's in a quiet room.
@@tomreed3478 hi there, yes unfortunately I would say 80 percent of the running time it has some kind of trapped air making a faint gurgling noise , I have it in my living room and with TV on and you can just hear it, I'll be trying the eheim 1200xlt with a bit of luck when I can muster the doe lol
I use 1500 model. Ill adress some hacks down in the comment. Flow is constant, and around 70 % of what they say it is when full of materials, which is basically case with all filters. Filter is ultra silent! Even when you have air after maintenance..There is not one canister more silent then Ultramax, and i tried like 30,including Biomaster, Eheim 3,Classics, Fluvals etc etc.. One problem people have is spilling water when cleaning pre filter, that is not a factory mistake, they just dont do it right, when you clean pre filter you need to CLOSE IN valves, let the filter run, DO NOT SHUT OFF POWER, open 3 large clips around the pre filter and one grey one that holds pre filter and just open it, then you won't spill a drop off when you open it. Second issue everyone has is that they say priming doesn't work, it works just fine if you do it right, firstly to prime it, leave filter EMPTY OF WATER, and it has be with power off, you just open the prime button and tilt the filter 30 degrees, water will start running into it, after its full, turn the power up. Parts are not expensive, but kind of hard to get, depending where you live ofc, so i suggest when buying filter order a spare impeler and rubber rings (even though they do not break fast) .. Also, transparent in and out plastic pipes! Finally somebody who puts a transparent ones and not freaking black, green and dark browns! Overall apsolutly best filter you can buy for that money. All Aquael filters are great, i was using Aquael Maxi Kani 500 before this one, a beast! Check that one also.
Shall I get an "aquael ultramax 1500" or "1000" for my 180 cm x 50 cm x 30 cm (240 L inner space) aquarium, which is a hardscape with only plants - anubias petite? here is a video of it: ruclips.net/user/shortsLXuPAYxO06o?feature=share
Great video, Richard. Aquael make solid products. I've got their nano 30 tank and I'm very impressed. They're a good up and coming company. You've got to love Charlie too. Let's hope 2019 is his breakout year. More cameos please!
So one year on the filter is still insane and flow hit from one side of the tank to the other ( 4ft tank ) huge flow and do easy to prime. can't really give any negatives but had all pond solutions 2000 and this had an easy 3 - 4 times more flow
It looks really good Richard , have you considered contacting aquael and seeing if they would do a co operation on this filter with your media inside ? Worth a suggestion 👍🏻
Currently we are only just managing to keep up with demand from various parts of the world and it is growing all the time so contacting a manufacturer is not high on the list of priorities - that's simply because we don't want to let anyone down with stock shortages. In the future we may look to do something with specific manufacturers and Aquael would be high on the list as they clearly are looking to make quality products. If it wasn't for a couple of ego-clowns on very high profile RUclips channels talking crap about Biohome / denying that a full cycle is possible etc. and putting their sheep-like views off buying it (in favor of crappy ceramic rings or plastic balls) we would have suffered stock shortages long ago so I guess I have to give them a huge thank you for that, lol - They've done us a real favor as the people using biohome have almost solely been of intelligence so feedback has been honest and of real use to other fish keepers, creating a really solid foundation and reputation. The way the trade is building is currently sustainable and when the new machine gets installed at the manufacturing plant the production should increase by at least 100% so time will tell where it goes from there. I'm loving that feeling of being part of something which is organically growing well and makes a real difference to fish and fish keepers all over the world as there are so many products out there which either fall well short of what they promise or actively work against a natural bacterial processing of pollutants. Making the RUclips videos is a huge part of getting useful information out there and they seem to be continuing to reach the right type of viewers too which is awesome to experience. Thanks for watching.
@@Hornbyttgingernerd No worries as I like to keep the job right. I've always said that the pursuit of money is the pursuit of suffering and that's all too evident seeing some of the fame chasing clowns on social platforms. Nobody will ever play the perfect game of life (myself included) but it is all too easy to take the easy path of greed and ego - it leads to unhappiness so it always confuses me when people get so far down that road and drag others with them.
I have now Ultramax 1500 (P/N 120665). Pipes are 16/22 with seal nuts as any other filter. And, OMG, It is SO SILENT. I had JBL e1502, it was so noisy I can't tolerate working next to it, this one I almost can't hear. Another benefit is priming button, works a lot better. I think this filter is probably the best on the market for the money. Highly recommended.
Hi Will, thinking about trying one of these for a new 375L Discus tank. Not sure to go for x2 1500's as heard in internet searching that they run a bit quieter than the 2000?? Can you confirm, cheers.
just bought this filter to replace my old Fluval 406 for my new 200 l tank, heard and read a lot of good things about it, and I love the 5 trays, the prefilter is a game changer for me I loved the 406 for yrs great filter but those aquastop valves after a while start to get harder and harder to open and when I start having to use pliers and screwdrivers just to disconnect the aquastop valve its time for a change. really looking forward to taking delivery of this.
Just bought 2 ultramax 2000 to replace my 2 fx6 got 2 cause heavily stocked large cichlids ( haps & peacocks ) . This will be much easier to maintain than the fx6 . Great video Richard as usual mate 👍
I purchased the 2000l for my 350l discus tank about 4 months ago. So far it’s great. The only downside is that when you remove the top there is A LOT of water that comes out. To counter this I have placed the filter inside a plastic container. I also added the Eheim pre filter that fits over the inlet pipe so I have a double pre filter. I let the filter run for one month and it was spotless inside and then I’ve left it 2 months and it was so clean again inside and I have a heavily stocked tank. What I also did was cut the sponges that come with it in half across the wide length and then the two fit nicely in the bottom tray. Very happy overall
Very interesting filter. I see Aquael also do the Maxi Kani 500 which uses six of the same trays, but without prefilter and a lower flow rate. Probably going to end up with an Aquael canister later in the year.
Quick question if you are still monitoring this. I'm looking at the smaller models with fewer baskets for a 90gal Discus tank. What would you think about putting course/med/fine sponges in the pre-filter and using all the trays for media? I'm used to cleaning pre-filters every 2/3 days from my Fluval G series anyway. That way I could get 4.5 liters of media in the 1000 or 6 liters in the 1500. I know other Discus keepers use large flow filters, but mine prefer their water a bit quieter so flow rates are an issue for me. Thanks
I can not recommend this filter enough bad it around two months so far , I have had so many different filters over the years but this one is absolutely fantastic, the quality , how easy it is to get into , how well it is sealed , very silent !, I have also attached my 2000 to a all pond solutions 2.3L filter booster to free up some space in the main canister for more bio media , flow rate effected just a little bit but not much , I will definitely be adding another one of these to the tank soon , it would be very very interesting to see you do a review on aquaels new hypermax 4500 when they are available in the UK now that would be a great video
(my other channel) Good one - I'm glad you're finding the 2000 to be a good filter as it gets great reviews from people who have used them. With regard to the 4500 I have one here but have had a nightmare with computers dying, cameras dying, youtube locking me out, website hacks, banking issues etc. etc - it's been a catalog of coincidences conspiring against me lately but there can be surely no more of those hits. I've got a new camera, computer and have shot some videos for upload in the next few days on both channels. The 4500 video will get shot this week with any luck.
What are your thoughts on cutting down the prefilter foam down and adding a fine sponge,would this restrict the flow? Even less cleaning Just a thought
Don't! Pointless... Put the fine sponge in the bottom basket ontop of the coarse then medium pads... Dont mess with the prefilter. A fine pad will just clog up faster which defeats the purpose of the course sponge in the first place...
After seeing this I had a look at Aquael & came across the Aquael Hypermax 4500. It hasn’t yet released in the UK. Would like to see you pimp one of those when it does. Looks a quality filter
I bought the Ultramax 1000 and it is excellent. The only thing I would say is that the hoses were a little tricky to get onto the tank side fittings. What type of hose does pond guru recommend? On the upside the flow rate is fab and it is whisper quiet. It took a little while to purge trapped are but once it did it was near silent. I have binned my Eheim Pro 4. Hose suggestions please.... Rob
hello how do you calculate a complete cycle of filtration? i have a 400 l tank, and i see your RUclips videos about JBL and Aquael. I don't know which on to buy 700 or 900 for the KBL, or 1500 or 200 for the aqueal. I'm hinkgin about your optimisation regards
I've just replied to this by email - this is what I sent: Dear Vince, Generally we'd allow 1kg of media per 100 litres for a normally stocked tank and around 2kg of media per 100 litres for a heavily stocked tank or marine tank. What stock do you have or are intending to stock in the tank? Regards, Richard
What do you think about putting coarse, medium and fine sponges in the pre filter only? Then I could easily clean the pre filter once a week. That way all the trays could be filled biohome ultimate.
I probably has maintained about a dozen of this for my customer. The newer version has better flow due to using bigger pipes and centre drain hole in the baskets. The older 5 blade impellor spoils easily but the new one is updated with 6 blades. seem to last longer.
I think I am one of the few who have a Aquael ultramax 2000 in the netherlands.It is very quit and the pre filter works perfectly. I clean the pre filter once a week, but I couldt do once a month. I have a aqualantis evasion 127x60x85. I have a tetratec 1200 on it running to. They work very quit and easy to clean. I have them stacked like in the video’s. Not on biohome, that was to expansive, I use aan other recomended rings. Works perfect.
Just bagged this badboy. I used that very top tray gap for extra carbon filter but it’s a little rattley? Not sure if you’ve tried to very top but or if that’s a bit too far?
I bought one of these based on this video about 2.5 years ago. Sadly, it's recently started to leak and I can't work out why other than maybe because the seals have perished on it. I've tried a fix by bulking them up with PTFE tape and clearing out debris around the seals but it still leaks. Considering buying replacement seals but they seem difficult to get hold of in the UK and expensive. I've got it in a bucket for now but grateful for any advice just in case it's something else.
(my other channel) It will probably only be one seal so if you can identify the specific seal and measure it you will be able to buy generic replacements online if you can't find 'official' seals anywhere. Often a selection of generic seals is cheaper than 1 or 2 official seals.
Ive been running a sunsun filter for years and recently got a matten corner filter from swiss tropicals. and decided yesterday to just bench my canister. it never did a good job of mechanical filteration. the muck just got through somehow. and i have just as much biological with a corner filter. and i have a lot of plants so there's my full cycle right there. but i will say this looks like a very nice canister.
Wow, that filter is a beast! Great job as usual. I still laugh at your video on the Eheim Pro 4+ series lol. I laughed even louder when I saw them on sale at my LFS (Petsmart) for half price!! Yup. 50 percent off! Probably saw your video. Well done mate. Cheers.
I bought it, I pimped it, it runs like a champ. Suction is sufficient to vacuum up 3 Cardinal tetras. Guess they are not that smart, so use the safety grill.
It was my favorite next purchase until reading on UK forums about its reliability issues . They had to release 3 different versions to fix issues(v1,v2,v3) . Current one is v3 with 6 blades instead of 5 !! The one reviewed here is v1 . Apparently flow has been reduced to ~700l/h . Some major air been trapped issue, is reported. Hope version 3 have fixed most of the issues !!
It shouldn't make any difference to flow since the media is not restrictive and it should take weeks for the fine pad to clog up. Did you notice a difference right away or weeks afterwards?
@@ML-hu9zu Flow rate isn't too important and as I'm assuming that you've got the filter sensibly sized for the tank it's probably good that it's not delivering too much flow. Unfortunately if you research flow rates online you'll see loads of people giving equations and mathematical workings based on the full stated flow from the manufacturers figures. That is definitely wrong since the actual flow is approx. 50% less when the filter is filled with media and has to lift the water back up to the tank. The 'maximum flow rate' is calculated with a completely empty filter at zero head (lift). It really bugs me when I see people on forums telling others what the turnover rate of their tank should be and 99% of the time it is based on fake information but that's how lazy so-called 'RUclipsrs' or 'influencers' have got. They generally make an 'advice' video based on the first lazy 2-3 Google search results and most of that is absolute bollocks. Without knowing how big the tank is and what the stock is I have no idea what the 'perfect' flow should be but a properly sized filter which is well set up with proper media will always deliver perfect water quality - just avoid using anything which destroys the bacterial population by messing with the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate (e.g. seachem prime) and the water conditions will be perfect. Flow rate is not very important when compared to active bacteria population. I give filter / tank size recommendations in this series of videos based on 20+ years of filter knowledge considering a full cycle but practically everything else you will read online does not consider that a full cycle (reduction in nitrate) is even possible so I'm very much swimming against a flow of old fake information. Anyone who appreciates that are worth their weight in gold, lol
I don't normally comment on these but after this video I was really interested in trying one so got my delivery today and just set it up waiting on more media etc coming but wanted to check to see if it would leak so far after an hour nothing but I will let you know how I get on 😁
@@HAlves-ip9cn So far no leaks which I was most worried about I only had a small internal filter before so just now its doing great but will take a while for all the media but well worth the price :D
I installed the AQUAEL Ultramax 2000 filter today. Unfortunately there is a problem: an annoying and redundant vibration that fortunately I was able to identify. By lightly pressing the side of the box with your hand, the vibration disappears completely. Probably a basket touches the wall and creates this problem. For the moment I have solved by placing a piece of rubber between the wall of the filter and the cabinet but I have to understand what causes it. A solution could be to turn the baskets and close everything. This way however it becomes very quiet and I had to adjust the flow otherwise it would create a Tzunami. THANK YOU so much Richard for your advice on media settings.. I won't tell you how the previous JBL 1901 was (very noisy filter), otherwise you'll laugh until next year. Thanks again.
It's a bummer that you're getting vibration from the filter and other than the pump impeller there isn't really anything else which could cause vibration. It could be one of the things which ends after the filter is maintained for the first time - just taking something apart and putting it back together can solve unidentified vibration problems.
Arrived yesterday, the cost was about 190€ shipping was free to my country overall its a great filter with the great flow I'm running it with 4kg of mixed biomat ( matrix, and aquael's 1200 rings gonna replace it with biohome later). I actually managed to put the whole bag of Tetra's bio balls in the bottom that I had laying around not sure if they gonna make any difference but at least they can pick up some more mock if it passes the prefilter but I'm not sure about that, they can't hurt in any case. I just moved from Tetra's EX700 that I had for years and this is like a space ship compared to Tettra. I am not saying that Tetra is a bad filter its build quality is superb and it never let me down for years. I'm planning to get a bigger tank (a lot bigger) in a month or two and what I had in mind is to combine this new Ultramax 2000 with Maxi Kani 500 (which is basically 16L bucket with a lid and external pump it uses same media trays as Ultramax 2000, it basically is a dumbed-down simplistic Ultramax 2000). In theory, adding a pump in series will increase the pressure and basically, the flow rate won't take a big hit if any. Great video Richard keep it up and best regards from Croatia!!!
hi i have the Aquael ultramax 1000 i love this filter i can get over 3 months without cleaning and when you put it back together you dont get trapped air in it like the fluval 207 and 206 where you have to shake it to get the air out the Aquael ultramax came out just before the fluval 207 Aquael got a good review in the pratical fish keeping mag and i have not had any problems with it my filter cost me £145.00 from ebay my filter will not fit under my cabinet on the fluval roma so i keep it outside and is very quiet you dont know its running
Hopefully you see this, after doing this filter series what filter do you really like as the best canister filter? Have a top 5 list? Hope you reply to this
I don't really have a top list but the Oase Biomaster filters probably rank at or near the top. The filter in this video has a great capacity and easy clean pre-filter which is great for a quick clean so it would rank highly too but really there are so many filters and such a wide range of capabilities and prices that ranking them would be a short term measure. There are new models coming out all the time. However, the filter I've been most impressed with since the start of this series has to be the All Pond Solutions HOB-500 which I featured here: ruclips.net/video/XKI1ZNQ4eME/видео.html Strictly speaking it's not a canister filter but it is a sort of canister / HOB and for around £25 it is great value for tanks up to 100 litres or to have on stand by as a back-up to the main filter. Not sure which county you are in so these are the links from that video: APS HOB-500 (Amazon): geni.us/Q4AI37t APS HOB-500 (Ebay): ebay.to/2DZfrnz Smaller version (Ebay): ebay.to/2SEvMG1 Foam for intake (Amazon): geni.us/EY86zGk US Equivalent Filter Model 803 (Ebay.com): ebay.to/2MQnPZ4 US SunSun version HL-803 (Ebay.com): ebay.to/2MUr0z1 Foams and Biogravel: www.filterpro.co.uk (FilterPro site has links to suppliers in other countries)
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Introducing the filter you should have bought for Christmas.....the Aquael Ultramax 2000.
Ultramax 2000 (Ebay UK): ebay.to/2WQ7w2b
Ultramax 2000 (Ebay EU): ebay.to/2sHb9e5
(Check local fish stores and online retailers)
Biohome filter media: www.filterpro.co.uk
While it may not hold as much media as the largest in the Unimax range (700 holds 8kg) the Ultramax still manages to fit 6kg of biohome ultimate into the decent sized filter media trays - and if you're looking to achieve full cycle filtration (0 ammonia, 0 nitrite and 0 or close to 0 nitrate) that makes it suitable for tank sizes as follows:
Normally stocked tropical community tank 600 litres / 158 US gallons
Heavily stocked (e.g. cichlid / goldfish / predator) or marine tank 300 litres / 79 US gallons
Remember, that is the recommended upper limit tank size for a FULL cycle - I've no doubt that it will keep ammonia and nitrite at 0 in much larger tanks but in this series of videos we work towards a full cycle, not half a job.
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'.
This series of videos is all about trying to improve the filtering capacity of internal and external aquarium filters - 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.........
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Feel free to share or link any of my videos on facebook, twitter, forums etc. for the benefit of anyone you think may also enjoy watching.
See you next time.
Pondguru
That is a nice looking filter.
I'm thinking of buying this for my new 150 gallon, how quiet is the filter as for me it has to run silent, loving your videos very knowledgeable and helpful, what would you suggest i go for im looking at aquamanta efx 600 or Aquael Filter Ultramax 2000 or better
@@79cas very quiet, been running mine for a few weeks now on my 350 litre tank still got loads of flow
Hi Mate.How to Pimp Oase Filtosmart 60? IT will arrive today. There are two pockets, one with sponge, one for media. It's small, sweet, high quality and best solution to my 20L Nano.
coming back to this video 4 years later to say that when i saw this review i bought this filter and set it up exactly like you said and its now running for 3 and a half years with 0 problems and i love it, nothing broke
(my other channel) Nice one - it's always good to hear reports both good and bad about filters featured in this series so thanks for that.
Is it silent? I will use it in the bedroom.
@@272roby all i hear is the water, not the filter
Is the low power consumption aquael claim accurate?
@@272roby yes it is
Looks a brilliant filter. Its amazing what companies can do when they listen. great stuff Richard
Such good advice. Thank you. I first pimped my Filtosmart 4 years ago after I watched your video. Setting up my new tank now with the Aquael... I'm back here for your advice. My Filtosmart worked like a charm. Looking forward to the same again. Thanks for the great work you're doing. Appreciate the video ❤
Nice one and I'm glad that the videos have helped. Best of luck with the tank(s).
This is the coolest and most well made filter I’ve ever seen
Mhhh yes on paper, mine stopped working after 2 months, seems that some major change has been made to the head. Including hose size, rotor, 6 blades instead of 5, air evacuation system...if you get the new one it should be fine but the awkward hose size is really a downside
@@Hellacop6 interesting
@@Hellacop6 I got mine (Ultramax 1500) december 2020, I loaded it with 2 kg biohome, ceramic rings and pads - since then i cleaned prefilter once and that is the only maintenance i did. Water quality and purity is superb (Juwell RIO 180L, heavily planted, lots of substrate, medium stocked). I would recommend this filter with biohome anytime.
@@filipo666sk Random question - I have a 180l juwel as well but was going to just go for the ultramax 1000 given these tanks come with their own filter too, do you think that would be ok?
@@arunr5529 the juwell original filter was pain in the ass to clean and deal with, also takes up a lot of space in aquarium and is ugly to look at. i chose um1500 to be on the safe side, i like a lot of fish. you can use the original filter also, i would recommend against it - it is easier to remove before setting up your tank :D
Richard, thank you for this review, it helped me make the decision going for this filter. I bought the Ultramax 1500 for my Juwel Rio 180 tank, and it performs admirably. It's quiet, easy to install and performs great, good flow through the entire tank. I used the Eheim install sets for intake and outlet from/to the tank, much better than the included bits (they're not bad but not very practical or good-looking), spray bar on the outlet. In line I have a Hydor ETH heater (200W) connected to the inlet of the canister filter, and a JBL Proflora CO2 diffusor to the outlet, and it's an impressively effective setup. The 1500 has 4 baskets instead of the 2000's 5, they're the same size though, 1,9 liter each. Course and medium foams AND a fine pad in one basket were a bit too much a squeeze imo, so I put the fine pad in the tray above the course/medium foam tray. Put a piece of plastic mesh on top of the pad, and filled it up with media. Enough room for 2KGs of Biohome plus which came from my old filter, plus 2KGs of Biohome Ultimate, which should be more than sufficient for a 180 liter well-planted tank with about 35 smaller fish. 6 weeks in, water chemistry values are excellent so far, the water is absolutely clear and there's hardly any algae. I clean the pre-filter sponge once a week, the other sponges once a month. It's important to, before opening the pre-filter cover, first close the in-valve, then unplug the power cord, then close the out-valve. I found out the hard way doing this another way, you end up spilling a lot of water everywhere when you undo the pre-filter cover latches. Ye be warned! Anyway, this filter is awesome and I can recommend it to anyone with a similarly sized fresh water tank!
Thank you for sharing how to use the prefilter!!!
Hi! I have two questions. When cleaning the pre-filter sponge, after you shut off the inlet valve, how long do you have to wait to turn off the power? And how far should you close the inlet valve? All the way to impact where the service sign is?
@@galandris1976 I do not really time that, but after about five to ten seconds I hear the pump having trouble (a bassy hum) and then I pull the plug and immediately close the outlet valve. Close the valves all the way, the point is to get the pump creating a vacuum inside and having water flow back in from the tank undoes that. And if you leave a valve open, even for a tiny bit, and then open the cover, well, you'll need a mop. It doesn't go perfectly each time, have a towel ready, some water may still spill out! I actually always take the complete canister out of the cabinet (once a month) and put it on the kitchen counter after shutting of the power and unplugging the valves, I'm always prepared for some messiness. I open the canister and check the fine pad in the bottom tray to see if that needs replacing. That's usually after about three to four months.
@@rafenwulf Thank you the fast answer !
Would you recommend this or the fluval 407?
I have 1500 version of this filter since a year now and have no problems at all. Works in a 200l aquarium and does the job. The filter comes from my country, but finally someone explained how to properly set it.
Thanx Mate.
Greetings from the Polish coast.
Am waiting for my to arrive in my home soon this is to replace the fluval 407 2units of it cause realized that fluval 407 is not enough. I need something bigger like the ultra 2000. Will be getting 2 units of the ultra 2000 and to test them out to see if they can run for 1month plus without cleaning in a 250l tank. The tank will stock like 30 harleqiuns 4 otos 10 pygmys 6 cory salt n pepper small size and with 10 shrimps.hopeful this work out good.
I have the Aquael 2000 up and running on my 400 litre south american cichlid tank for a month now. Very impressed with this filter. As you say very well made and as you did on your video, I too replaced all media that came with this and set it up very similar. I did a full water test on my tank a few days ago and water quality was great. My filter is under tank and has to pump up just under a metre and i would say im getting over 1200 litre flow rate an hour. I think what i like most about this other than prefilter was the price, its a real bargain compared to other makes. I give it 10/10 so far. Love watching your videos and I set my filter up the way I did after watching your pimp my filter series, so a big thank you for your videos . Thanks Pondguru
Great, thanks for that feedback and when I checked the prices this morning they seemed much less expensive than when they first came out so are absolutely a bargain.
I'm glad yours is functioning well and it doesn't get better than 10/10.
Thanks for watching and appreciating the videos.
Paul Bowen can you fit a heater into this filter ?
Tina Hoey No you can't
T K I'm in Uk so don't know
I can get it in US for $409
Got the filter about a month now running on my 75g. Followed exactly the same set up with biohome ultimate. So far, its doin great. Thanks richard! Filter is doin pretty good. .
Justice Boots bought the aquael 2000 in hong kong and ordered biohome ultimate.. so far its doin great and yes it has a spray bar. The prefilter coarse does great also. Very easy to clean..
I have this Filter but I haven't used it yet...saving it for a new 125 gallon tank. But from what I've heard, they work perfectly. A friend of mine said that the pump is as powerful as some of the big Fluvals.
I am so glad that you gave this filter the thumbs up. "High recommend"....I love that Sir.
Awesome review.....and Charlie The Cat is an added bonus. Very cute.
Thanks Sir Richard.
Yes. Love the cat! 🐈😻
Hi Richard.
Thank you for you time to properly inform newbies to the aquarium hobby about the does and don'ts! I recently purchased one of these aquael 2000s and fitted it out like you had but I ended up stacking the biohome vertical then another layer horizontal took a while but was well worth it as around 8kg in there! The filter itself like you said it is very well made and super quiet! Will go great on my 450l cichlid tank. Keep up the great work!
Cheers Vic
just got the ultramax 2000 and absolutely loving it! Thank you for the great review on it!
I've got one and love it. It's almost silent. So much quieter than my old cheap APS one. And it's powerful enough for me to ditch the wavemaker. I clean the prefilter once a month, it takes 5 minutes. And I do a proper clean every 4-6 months. I would recommend it to anyone..
(my other channel) Nice one - thanks for the feedback and I'm glad you're pleased with the performance and features of the filter.
five years later, I appreciated this video...thanks...
No worries and I'm glad you found the video useful.
I purchased this filter after watching this video. Its a fantastic filter. High quality filter. Thank you for this video.
Hi...how is it going with the filter and is it quiet?
@@AndrewSparkfish it's perfect. Extremely quiet. Cheaper than eheim filters and does the job even better. The only negative is the prime button maybe be stuck for the first time you use it but it's really not stuck. It's just too tight. Once you get it to work, it won't get tight ever again.
@@MoistCherrybush thanks..
It's incredible how much I learned watching your videos. I have a small tank with internal filter and managed to boost the bio-filtration capacity and flow 5-fold, using your filter assembly principles. Water quality is comparatively better, too. I will be ordering Biohome products soon.
That all sounds good and I'm glad you find the videos useful as I put them out to share information, good and bad on the various filters featured.
Have one running 1.5 years, pre filter works a dream. Good flow I had just set up using the sponges provided and plenty of room for most of the media from my old unit
Hello can you please tell me how much is the size of the hose of ultramax 2000. Thanks
I actually ended up purchasing this filter because of this video. Nearly 4 years later, it's still going strong. 🤞 For my setup I placed a thin layer of ceramic media at the very bottom. In the bottom tray I used the sponges that came with it, but cut them in half, as they are quite thick. Plus you end up with 2 spare. Then I topped these with filter floss. The next trays were filled with porous media and biohome. The only issues I've had include the prime plunger not working properly (this could be the depth and distance of the pipes). When checking the prefilter, on occasions, there has been some leakage. I think this might be due to the pressure remaining on the grey clips, as the seal with both black and grey is tight. The filter itself is quite strong, easy to take apart and put together. The handles on the tray are sturdy enough. Overall recommended.
Good one - thanks for the report, that's very important for anyone considering this filter.
I’m looking for something to replace my noisy fx are these quiet ?
Is the low power consumption aquael claim accurate?
Good day Richard,
Thanks for sharing this video, thumbs up and best regards from New Zealand.
Good to see you back and great content as well👍
I have this filter in my 325L south-america tank :) and I love it! I Also have stocked it like you and just using the bottom tray for Mechanical filtration and the rest for bioceramax :)
It pumps very vell and I will buy another one if I want to upgrade tank size :)
I will give it 10/10! Best value, super silent, efficient and so easy to clean and stock. And very good quality
Straight to the point and no craps. Love your video
I've been waiting for two years now and this filter is finally available in the US.
I use this on my 310 litre tank can’t fault it very efficient keeps tank spotless and extremely quiet in operation too would highly recommend it excellent value for money
Enjoy your Pimp My Filter series ............ quite impressed with this filter for sure........... sad that is not available here in the US. Once again a great video, thanks for all your efforts !!!
You can get it off of eBay.com. Here you go mate www.ebay.com/itm/Filtre-Aquarium-Aquael-Ultramax-1000-1500-2000-Exterieur-Pompe-Eponge/283326874670?hash=item41f799042e:m:m4lapjzsvN86YHlLrulQw7g:rk:1:pf:1&frcectupt=true
@@JaymesPayten Thanks for the link Jaymes !!!
@@CaptainNemo49 No problem mate.
I owned it for a week now and I LOVE IT super well made
Hello Can you please tell me what is the hose size of the ultramax 2000. Thanks
Love Your Videos! I can not find any good big filters here in the US big enough for my 125 gallon tank, So I made one out of a 5 Gallon Bucket and filled it with 10kg of your Biohome ultra. Great Job. Keep up the good work Sir.
That's the way to do it - if something doesn't exist them make it yourself. I like that philosophy.
You might double the buckets and make them inline. Jumps up the filtering to "feed all you want " levels.
Looks like a really good filter. Thanks for the great video Richard. Had to laugh at you STILL festering over the Eheim lol.
Its a fantastic filter .loads of room for media ,i needed a filter with a strong flow for another set up (Heavily stocked cichlid tank) I turned to Richards channel for a proper heads up before buying. Yes you actually can get a high flow ,low wattage ,high volume of media capacity , well made filter ..and this is it. A further bonus, there is no need for a power head to push the water in the 260 saving more on your bills. Once again the channel came up trumps for research no matter what level your at .i would recommend the filter all day. Another great video, pointing everyone in the wright direction and sourcing real world comments and use of products .cheers thanks again for the channel All the best RICHARD . O YES its very quite .
Dear Martin,
That is great to hear that you're pl;eased withe your filter. Aquael do seem to make good filters and everyone who I've had reports back are impressed with them.
Best of luck with the tank.
Regards,
Richard
I am going to buy this today, after I sow your video. Thanks for good info.
Have been using the unimax700 and ultramax2000 in my 220gallon ,loaded with 13KG of biohome ultima. In one word they are great
Bought this one. really good filter. no sound at all. Running it on my 400liter amazon biotope
I’m 5 years late just purchased the new version with the 19/25 hose extremely satisfied with the filter my only concerned is the lack of Maintenance parts like O rings gaskets impellers etc here in the US and the customer service from the comments online they’re not so great. But from someone who actually owns an FX6, fluval 207 and 2 eheim 5e 700. The performance on Aquael ultramax 2000 has exceeded my expectations and how my water quality has improved in just couple of days I’m tempted to purchased a second ultramax 2000 but fear the lack of spare parts available.
It's one of those Catch 22 situations whereby if enough people buy the Aquael products in the US the company will increase the number of dealers and offer more support - it's still early days for Aquael in the UK and US but the UK support (and amount of dealers) has definitely increased over the last few years so I'd expect the US situation to be the same pattern as more people buy the filters.
Best of luck with the tank and I'm glad you're pleased with the filter.
@@pondguru I went ahead and purchased a second one 😅 which will be replacing the eheim 5e 700 on my 75g. Thank you for all you do.
@@allstarsalmeida (my other channel) no worries and I'm glad you find the videos useful.
@@ThousandYardStarejust subscribed thank you again.
Absolutely amazing filter and with the required setup with BioHome Ultimate and I agree with Richard that the quality of the filter is top notch; have substituted the internal filter in my Juwel Vision 280 and 450 (the intake fits perfectly in the orginal pumphouse ), and the water has become crystal clear and the inhabitants are super happy.
My Vision 450 has ciclids which basically puts too much strain on the original BioFlow filter even in the XL version causing clogging and bad water flow, but installed the Ultramax 3 months ago and apart from cleaning the prefilter I haven't even considered cleaning neither foams or the BioHome and still the water flow is on a high level.
Love this filter, highly recommended and kudos to Richard who makes these amazing Pimp My Filter series; my fish are equally grateful :-)
Just ordered the 1500 for my tank. And plan to set it up as you described. Will let you know how it going Great video, and really clear instruction keep them comng
hi ...how is it performing ?
Good to see a lot of praise for Aquael. I've been impressed with Aquael. I wasn't sure at first when I bought a small filter but I've added a few more of their products since and have had a very positive experience with them all. Good well made products.
Hello Richard It is a very good filter just not easy to get spare parts but very quite . Thanks
thanks for the tips for the medium, will definitely try it
No worries and best of luck with the tank.
@@pondguru thanks
Can I just Thankyou for being so clear and unbiased in your reviews, sticking to facts rather than the blurb stated on the box. I bought the 1500 version of this excellent filter based on your recommendation and managed to squeeze 6kg of Biohome ultimate into it by using an add on ALLPONDSOLUTIONS booster canister to house the foams. I use the pre filter basket in the main canister for fine wool to protect the Biohome and this can be easily and quickly replaced. It works like a dream and gives me a perfect full cycle on my 450 litre discus tank, with room to spare. I even use a second booster canister on the out pipe for chemical filtration, as and when it might be needed.. of course it restricts the maximum flow even more but it’s only connected occasionally. So, cheers for all your advice. 👍
Dear Jamie,
That's great to hear and thanks for the comment.
It always good to hear when people have achieved a full cycle as it's something which every tank should aim for and certainly something which every tank can achieve - it's all about the set up and you've got it bang on.
As far as my math ability will allow you're using around 1.35kg of media per 100 litres and to achieve a full cycle when using much less than the advised amount of media for a discus tank (somewhere between 1.5kg to 2kg per 100 litres) is very interesting and allows me to better advise anyone wondering what the recommended amount should be. To know you've done it with that amount is impressive - feel free to send pictures of the tank to sales@filterpro.co.uk as I'd love to see how it is set up.
Regards,
Richard
@@pondguru Richard, of course you are right, it wasn’t adding up. I’ve done some recalculating and the tank actually holds 410 litres at full capacity and approx 370 after taking into account the decor displacement. This means I’m currently running at 1.62kg of media per 100 litres which accounts for the full cycle. Also I only have 9 juvenile Discus in there so there isn’t yet a full bioload to deal with, but as they grow I will be swapping over to the 2000 model, which will give me 8kg of Biohome ultimate, making up to 2.12kg of media per 100 litres. So, your calculations were correct and thanks for making me think.
@@jamiesmith5846 (my other channel) That is great - see how it goes over the next year or so because there is no need to upgrade to a larger filter and more media unless the water quality starts to deteriorate due to an increased stock as the fish grow or new stock is added.
@@ThousandYardStare yes, but I like to err on the side of caution. I’ll move the 1500 to a smaller tank so nothing lost. Thanks again for your videos and input. Your advice has been invaluable to me.
@@jamiesmith5846 No worries - always best to err on the side of caution and you can't over-filter a tank.
I have one EHEIM 1200XLT together with one Aquael Ultramax 2000 on my 560 liter Akvastabil Move. Both filters are of high quality and hold a lot of media. The heater in the EHEIM is very convenient. Both have good prefilters but prefer Aquaels that are more easy to clean. The Aquael is VERY silent and has almost no vibrations in comparison with the EHEIM which is silent but make vibrations which is very hard do isolate or dampen. I dont know what Aquael has done to make the UltraMax so silent but it really working. The EHEIM has a stronger flow but its not a radical difference. I have had the EHEIM running for a year and the Aquael for a month. Unplugging the EHEIM make my aquarium almost dead silent... Very tempting to change the EHEIM for another UltraMax 2000 but i stay on this setup to evaluate the UltraMax and how it perform in the longrun.
Update july 2022: Still very impressed with the Ultramax and especially with the prefilter function that works amazingly well - if its done right - but as soon you get hang of its done without any spill or overflow!
Give u your feedback please
Hey, would you recommend the Akvastabil aquarium? I want to buy the same as yours.
Hello Can you please tell me the size of the hose for the ultramax 2000.
Thanks
@@heshamhesham8760 @xperia One year later. Still really impressed. Silent. Strong. Pretty simple construction. Still more silent than my EHEIM. At its price I think its really good. The trays sit tight and it still a mess when opening filter to clean but as I bring the whole canister to the shower its not so much a problem for me. The plastic of the canister feel tough and not brittle... yet! ;-) Here in sweden the prices has gone up for this filter...
@@elgezouliabdul4973 19/25
Always look forward to these pimping videos. Thanks !
Besides the fluval 306 or things like that series, This filter looks like a great must have. Thanks for the video. Helps to see the one for my useage.
No worries and if you check back over the next few days hopefully the comments will have a few reports from people who currently use this filter for some first hand information of how they are getting on with it. There's already one 10/10 rating on a comment.
Great filter. Had mine just over a week and is working fine. The only issue i had was priming it.
The pre-filter is great. I cut the coarse sponge that comes with the filter in half and cut half fine sponge to go on top. I replace the fine sponge every two weeks and never have to go inside the filter which has one course sponge that never gets dirty. The rest is filled with bio home media. In the pre-filter I also fit two Seachem SeaGel 100ml to polish the water and control phosphate. I put it in the pre-filter as its the best fit, however, it doesn't seem to affect the bio media doing a full cycle and I just change 25 litres of water per week from a 500-litre tank.
One is enough flow for a 500l tank?
For fresh water fish yes. I have sand on the bottom and hoover dirt up once a week. If you need more flow though you can get a wave maker.
Really good filter . Running it for two years in my 220g with a unimax700. Both are really silent and flow is great
Its an amazing filter, especially if you are looking for a soundless filter. Its also probably the most easy filter to maintain, you dont need to open the filter very often, only the pre filter. Five stars from me to this amazing #aqualultramax2000 .
Just ordered the 1000 ultramax for our 200l tank, our 20 year filter gave up this morning barely pumping anything, thanks for the review and like you for years I've been running sponges with the bobble side towards the flow.
Looking forward to setting up, and by the looks of it my established filters should be able to fit under the new sponges without a problem, to help build up the good bacteria for the crossover.
Another fantastic video Richard many thanks
Just bought one of those, really like how it looks in your video and seems like way better solution than Fluval plus cheap to buy... Probably gonna be ordering more filter media soon 🙈
Hello from Romania. I have this filter, actually the newer version with 19/25 mm fitings for tubes. Power consumption is 22 watts, which is great. I use this filter in a pretty particular way... I have a tank that is very heavily planted(75-80%) and with pretty much fishes. I have a custom made external extra prefilter, with 5 pieces of 10ppi foams, 4 pieces of 20ppi foams and I put in the prefilter section of the Aquael filter a piece of 45ppi foam, for fine filtering before the water hits the biological filtration(3 trays with Matrix that I managed to buy for a very good price + 2 trays with black lava rocks - 1-1,5 cm in diameter). The tank has around 90 liters of usable water, the rest being the substrate and the plants... until now, I'm very pleased with the results. I started this tank about 4 months ago and last week I cleaned the external prefilter for the first time. The fine sponge of the internal prefilter from the Aquael filter was 95% clean ! The flow rate is great ! I think that was reduced to around 60% because of the external prefilter. So, the flow in the tank is pretty strong, but having so many plants, is not causing a huge water curent for the fishes ! The intake is near the front of the tank(right side) and the outtake is in the back of the tank(also on the right side). So, the water curent is taking all the possible fish waste from the back of the tank to the intake in the front. The water is crystal clear, the plants and the fishes are doing great. I make a weekly water change of around 1/3 of the capacity. So, this is the way I set my Aquael Ultramax 2000. I'm very happy that I bought this filter. I paid for it around 143 euros in romanian currency, with free delivery to my door. Great ! Ohhh, and I have to say that is extremely quiet ! Many times I need to put my ear very close to the filter in order to be sure is working ! I hope this comment will help. Thanks and keep up with the good work. When I'll have time, I'll make a video with my filter. Cheers ! Marcian from Romania 😉🙂👍👍👍
Salut,poți să-mi spui de unde l-ai cumpărat? Mulțumesc frumos!
@@florinasicristian8396 mi l-a adus un prieten direct din Polonia. Am plătit pe el 650 de lei.
@@marcianpetrescu așa da free delivery 😁
I bought one of these having watched this video to run on my new 240 Litre Malawi Cichlid tank. I’ve set it up exactly as you have with the mechanical media at the bottom and Biohome Ultimate in the rest of the trays. Only think I didn’t spot is whether you put anything in the very top tray?
The impeller is perfect that's the first thing I checked, I bought a spare one and swapped them over but got same result, when I get home later I am going to play around with it a bit and if I still can't get it going I will contact Tetra, thanks for the help.
Hi Sir Richard. I love your videos and I jut love Aquael. I bought the recently released Aquael Maxi Kani. I have been using the Midikani (Cobalt EXT Canister in the USA) for three years now and they have been performing perfectly. Now Aquael has the BIG brother. Maybe somewhere/when down the line, you will review this filter. I love this review of the Ultramax 2000 and I was devastated by the one the EHEIM Pro 4-600. I've stopped using that although it served me for a year and a half.
The Maxi Kani is the filter that I would love to try now. I love my fish and I would love to have the best for them.
Thank you Sir.
Yet again a great video from a genuine good hearted northern boy 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Well a couple of weeks ago I baugth the Eheim Pro 4+ 600 filter, Then a few days later I looked att your video when you pimped that filter. I can say that I wished I had watched your video before I baugth the Eheim Pro 4+ 600 :) Well I did pimp it they way you do so I think its gone do ok as a filter. I agree about the filter baskets, they are week and irritaiting to install. So today I ordered the Aqua El Ultramax 2000, and som more Biohome Ultimate, and A Eheim pre filter the modell you put inside the Aqvarium, on the outlet pipe. Love the accent an all the usefull info about how to get the best out from the filters. Cheers!
Hi i have a 135 litre freshwater tank with live plants. I'm having trouble with algae on glass n plants. I have nitrates at 20ppm which my internal filter doesn't seem to be able to reduce even with weekly water changes at 30% fortnightly. I've just purchased the eheim ecco pro 300 external filter with standard media. Will this filter reduce the nitrates and possible phosphates in my aquarium
had mine running for nearly 4 weeks in a 350 litre tank (has a 1000L an hour built in filter as well) only cleaned it as I wanted to see what it was like, still loads of flow from spray bar, set up as by Richards way, over the moon with it. so easy to prime, ive also got fluval and eheim running as well but this filter is better, thinking of buying a second one
Thanks man. Great review. Planning on a purchase soon to replace fluval 507. Would love if there was a bigger version to do a 800ltr + . That prefilter .. 🤩
Set this up this morning so far very good flow rate and hardly any noise .
The only negative is I couldn’t get the prime to work I had to pull it through the outlet to get it to fill
That is a strange one as when you fill up the canister with water it should prime when you turn it on.
@@pondguru no water came into the canister when I pushed the prime leaver so I couldn’t turn it on as it was empty.
So I sucked on the outlet to pull the water in from the inlet inside the tank
@@philipwatts9033 That will do it.
@@pondguru haha
I just bought the Ultramax 2000 and 6KG of the Biohome Ultimate for an as yet unmade 125 gallon malawi cichlid tank.
Again ,,,,great vidio,,,with very good information,,,masters opinion,,,so there’s no doubt,,,,u r always bang onnn,,,,
i got the 1500 version for christmas and its doing great for now, very well designed, no leaks, yet i had a few difficulties priming. Its my first canister filter so i guess it might just be me lol.
(my other channel) - It's not you. Most canister filters won't prime very well even when they're full of water and the pipes have minimal air in them. That's why I always advise to go for a filter bigger than the manufacturer recommends......so you don't have to maintain it so often. Maintenance is the worst part of fish keeping.
@@ThousandYardStare lol yeah I agree man. I’m using a 1500 lph filter ( recommended for 300-700l) on a 145 l aquarium so yeah, you could say over filtrating a tad bit 😂
@@obamama4632 Nice one - you can't have too much filtration for any tank.
I've been running this filter for about a year now and it's a good filter, it does get trapped air every now and again though which can be a little irritating if it's in a quiet room.
Does the noise remain for some time when the trapped air is inside? Is it hard to get rid of?
@@tomreed3478 hi there, yes unfortunately I would say 80 percent of the running time it has some kind of trapped air making a faint gurgling noise , I have it in my living room and with TV on and you can just hear it, I'll be trying the eheim 1200xlt with a bit of luck when I can muster the doe lol
@@tomreed3478 Just tilt the filter back and forth and the air is released. Cheers
I use 1500 model. Ill adress some hacks down in the comment.
Flow is constant, and around 70 % of what they say it is when full of materials, which is basically case with all filters.
Filter is ultra silent! Even when you have air after maintenance..There is not one canister more silent then Ultramax, and i tried like 30,including Biomaster, Eheim 3,Classics, Fluvals etc etc..
One problem people have is spilling water when cleaning pre filter, that is not a factory mistake, they just dont do it right, when you clean pre filter you need to CLOSE IN valves, let the filter run, DO NOT SHUT OFF POWER, open 3 large clips around the pre filter and one grey one that holds pre filter and just open it, then you won't spill a drop off when you open it.
Second issue everyone has is that they say priming doesn't work, it works just fine if you do it right, firstly to prime it, leave filter EMPTY OF WATER, and it has be with power off, you just open the prime button and tilt the filter 30 degrees, water will start running into it, after its full, turn the power up.
Parts are not expensive, but kind of hard to get, depending where you live ofc, so i suggest when buying filter order a spare impeler and rubber rings (even though they do not break fast) ..
Also, transparent in and out plastic pipes! Finally somebody who puts a transparent ones and not freaking black, green and dark browns!
Overall apsolutly best filter you can buy for that money.
All Aquael filters are great, i was using Aquael Maxi Kani 500 before this one, a beast! Check that one also.
Shall I get an "aquael ultramax 1500" or "1000" for my 180 cm x 50 cm x 30 cm (240 L inner space) aquarium, which is a hardscape with only plants - anubias petite?
here is a video of it:
ruclips.net/user/shortsLXuPAYxO06o?feature=share
Great video, Richard. Aquael make solid products. I've got their nano 30 tank and I'm very impressed. They're a good up and coming company.
You've got to love Charlie too. Let's hope 2019 is his breakout year. More cameos please!
Charlie will no doubt show up in loads of videos this year as he is with me most of the day and he needs to step into take the place of Angus.
just ordered this filter and a 5kg fresh water set from yourself :) hope it goes well just need to figure out what fish I want then lol :)
So one year on the filter is still insane and flow hit from one side of the tank to the other ( 4ft tank ) huge flow and do easy to prime. can't really give any negatives but had all pond solutions 2000 and this had an easy 3 - 4 times more flow
It looks really good Richard , have you considered contacting aquael and seeing if they would do a co operation on this filter with your media inside ? Worth a suggestion 👍🏻
Currently we are only just managing to keep up with demand from various parts of the world and it is growing all the time so contacting a manufacturer is not high on the list of priorities - that's simply because we don't want to let anyone down with stock shortages. In the future we may look to do something with specific manufacturers and Aquael would be high on the list as they clearly are looking to make quality products.
If it wasn't for a couple of ego-clowns on very high profile RUclips channels talking crap about Biohome / denying that a full cycle is possible etc. and putting their sheep-like views off buying it (in favor of crappy ceramic rings or plastic balls) we would have suffered stock shortages long ago so I guess I have to give them a huge thank you for that, lol - They've done us a real favor as the people using biohome have almost solely been of intelligence so feedback has been honest and of real use to other fish keepers, creating a really solid foundation and reputation.
The way the trade is building is currently sustainable and when the new machine gets installed at the manufacturing plant the production should increase by at least 100% so time will tell where it goes from there.
I'm loving that feeling of being part of something which is organically growing well and makes a real difference to fish and fish keepers all over the world as there are so many products out there which either fall well short of what they promise or actively work against a natural bacterial processing of pollutants. Making the RUclips videos is a huge part of getting useful information out there and they seem to be continuing to reach the right type of viewers too which is awesome to experience.
Thanks for watching.
Pondguru I really like your media and I appreciated your offer to make mine up in my oase filter , shows your genuine and not just a cash chaser 👍🏻
@@Hornbyttgingernerd No worries as I like to keep the job right. I've always said that the pursuit of money is the pursuit of suffering and that's all too evident seeing some of the fame chasing clowns on social platforms.
Nobody will ever play the perfect game of life (myself included) but it is all too easy to take the easy path of greed and ego - it leads to unhappiness so it always confuses me when people get so far down that road and drag others with them.
Pondguru if times get hard you can always film another series of an idiot abroad 🤪 and there will always be sheep sadly
@@Hornbyttgingernerd Yeah I'm always getting called Karl Pilkington so if I could mimic his accent I could earn a fortune, lol
I have now Ultramax 1500 (P/N 120665). Pipes are 16/22 with seal nuts as any other filter. And, OMG, It is SO SILENT. I had JBL e1502, it was so noisy I can't tolerate working next to it, this one I almost can't hear. Another benefit is priming button, works a lot better. I think this filter is probably the best on the market for the money. Highly recommended.
I have this one and the 1500 on my 75g one feature missed out is that they are virtually silent running too .
Hi Will, thinking about trying one of these for a new 375L Discus tank. Not sure to go for x2 1500's as heard in internet searching that they run a bit quieter than the 2000?? Can you confirm, cheers.
@@RS.Outdoors I have found them both to be virtually silent the only noise I hear from my set up is my air pump .
just bought this filter to replace my old Fluval 406 for my new 200 l tank, heard and read a lot of good things about it, and I love the 5 trays, the prefilter is a game changer for me I loved the 406 for yrs great filter but those aquastop valves after a while start to get harder and harder to open and when I start having to use pliers and screwdrivers just to disconnect the aquastop valve its time for a change. really looking forward to taking delivery of this.
Nice one - I hope it works well for you.
Just bought 2 ultramax 2000 to replace my 2 fx6 got 2 cause heavily stocked large cichlids ( haps & peacocks ) . This will be much easier to maintain than the fx6 . Great video Richard as usual mate 👍
I have 2 overstocked Cichlid tanks with an FX6 on each. How have you found these instead?
I purchased the 2000l for my 350l discus tank about 4 months ago. So far it’s great. The only downside is that when you remove the top there is A LOT of water that comes out. To counter this I have placed the filter inside a plastic container. I also added the Eheim pre filter that fits over the inlet pipe so I have a double pre filter. I let the filter run for one month and it was spotless inside and then I’ve left it 2 months and it was so clean again inside and I have a heavily stocked tank. What I also did was cut the sponges that come with it in half across the wide length and then the two fit nicely in the bottom tray. Very happy overall
You need to close the valves while the filter is running - do not turn it off. This way, there will be no water spilled when you open :)
Very interesting filter. I see Aquael also do the Maxi Kani 500 which uses six of the same trays, but without prefilter and a lower flow rate.
Probably going to end up with an Aquael canister later in the year.
Quick question if you are still monitoring this. I'm looking at the smaller models with fewer baskets for a 90gal Discus tank. What would you think about putting course/med/fine sponges in the pre-filter and using all the trays for media? I'm used to cleaning pre-filters every 2/3 days from my Fluval G series anyway. That way I could get 4.5 liters of media in the 1000 or 6 liters in the 1500. I know other Discus keepers use large flow filters, but mine prefer their water a bit quieter so flow rates are an issue for me. Thanks
I can not recommend this filter enough bad it around two months so far , I have had so many different filters over the years but this one is absolutely fantastic, the quality , how easy it is to get into , how well it is sealed , very silent !, I have also attached my 2000 to a all pond solutions 2.3L filter booster to free up some space in the main canister for more bio media , flow rate effected just a little bit but not much , I will definitely be adding another one of these to the tank soon , it would be very very interesting to see you do a review on aquaels new hypermax 4500 when they are available in the UK now that would be a great video
(my other channel) Good one - I'm glad you're finding the 2000 to be a good filter as it gets great reviews from people who have used them.
With regard to the 4500 I have one here but have had a nightmare with computers dying, cameras dying, youtube locking me out, website hacks, banking issues etc. etc - it's been a catalog of coincidences conspiring against me lately but there can be surely no more of those hits. I've got a new camera, computer and have shot some videos for upload in the next few days on both channels. The 4500 video will get shot this week with any luck.
This is the best filter ever!
another great pimp my filter video today Richard !!
Can you do a video on the PenPlax Cascade 1500 canister filter
Charlie apparently likes chewing on the foam, so he's living the dream. 😻🐈
What are your thoughts on cutting down the prefilter foam down and adding a fine sponge,would this restrict the flow? Even less cleaning
Just a thought
Don't! Pointless... Put the fine sponge in the bottom basket ontop of the coarse then medium pads... Dont mess with the prefilter. A fine pad will just clog up faster which defeats the purpose of the course sponge in the first place...
Only if you want to change the fine foam every 1-2 weeks
After seeing this I had a look at Aquael & came across the Aquael Hypermax 4500. It hasn’t yet released in the UK. Would like to see you pimp one of those when it does. Looks a quality filter
(my other channel) I have one here from Aquael so will be filming it soon. It looks like a proper beast.
@@ThousandYardStare Excellent. Look forward to seeing that
I bought the Ultramax 1000 and it is excellent. The only thing I would say is that the hoses were a little tricky to get onto the tank side fittings. What type of hose does pond guru recommend? On the upside the flow rate is fab and it is whisper quiet. It took a little while to purge trapped are but once it did it was near silent. I have binned my Eheim Pro 4.
Hose suggestions please....
Rob
hello
how do you calculate a complete cycle of filtration?
i have a 400 l tank, and i see your RUclips videos about JBL and Aquael. I don't know which on to buy 700 or 900 for the KBL, or 1500 or 200 for the aqueal. I'm hinkgin about your optimisation
regards
I've just replied to this by email - this is what I sent:
Dear Vince,
Generally we'd allow 1kg of media per 100 litres for a normally stocked tank and around 2kg of media per 100 litres for a heavily stocked tank or marine tank.
What stock do you have or are intending to stock in the tank?
Regards,
Richard
Best external filter so far. I was considering this one or FX6 but choosed Ultramax - for classic shape, easier maintenance, pre-filter.
What do you think about putting coarse, medium and fine sponges in the pre filter only? Then I could easily clean the pre filter once a week. That way all the trays could be filled biohome ultimate.
I probably has maintained about a dozen of this for my customer. The newer version has better flow due to using bigger pipes and centre drain hole in the baskets. The older 5 blade impellor spoils easily but the new one is updated with 6 blades. seem to last longer.
Quality info as always!
I think I am one of the few who have a Aquael ultramax 2000 in the netherlands.It is very quit and the pre filter works perfectly. I clean the pre filter once a week, but I couldt do once a month. I have a aqualantis evasion 127x60x85. I have a tetratec 1200 on it running to. They work very quit and easy to clean. I have them stacked like in the video’s. Not on biohome, that was to expansive, I use aan other recomended rings. Works perfect.
Just bagged this badboy. I used that very top tray gap for extra carbon filter but it’s a little rattley? Not sure if you’ve tried to very top but or if that’s a bit too far?
I bought one of these based on this video about 2.5 years ago. Sadly, it's recently started to leak and I can't work out why other than maybe because the seals have perished on it. I've tried a fix by bulking them up with PTFE tape and clearing out debris around the seals but it still leaks. Considering buying replacement seals but they seem difficult to get hold of in the UK and expensive. I've got it in a bucket for now but grateful for any advice just in case it's something else.
(my other channel) It will probably only be one seal so if you can identify the specific seal and measure it you will be able to buy generic replacements online if you can't find 'official' seals anywhere. Often a selection of generic seals is cheaper than 1 or 2 official seals.
I realise this is an older message, but if you haven't done so already, try lubricating the seal before any purchases
Ive been running a sunsun filter for years and recently got a matten corner filter from swiss tropicals. and decided yesterday to just bench my canister. it never did a good job of mechanical filteration. the muck just got through somehow. and i have just as much biological with a corner filter. and i have a lot of plants so there's my full cycle right there. but i will say this looks like a very nice canister.
Wow, that filter is a beast! Great job as usual. I still laugh at your video on the Eheim Pro 4+ series lol. I laughed even louder when I saw them on sale at my LFS (Petsmart) for half price!! Yup. 50 percent off! Probably saw your video. Well done mate. Cheers.
Oh my, I'm probably not going to get a christmas card from eheim....lol
I bought it, I pimped it, it runs like a champ. Suction is sufficient to vacuum up 3 Cardinal tetras. Guess they are not that smart, so use the safety grill.
It was my favorite next purchase until reading on UK forums about its reliability issues . They had to release 3 different versions to fix issues(v1,v2,v3) . Current one is v3 with 6 blades instead of 5 !! The one reviewed here is v1 . Apparently flow has been reduced to ~700l/h . Some major air been trapped issue, is reported. Hope version 3 have fixed most of the issues !!
I have the same filter, and i made the same setup but I saw that the flow is lower than before .is this a problem?
It shouldn't make any difference to flow since the media is not restrictive and it should take weeks for the fine pad to clog up.
Did you notice a difference right away or weeks afterwards?
@pondguru yes from first day the filter is new .. do you think its OK with less flow?
@@ML-hu9zu Flow rate isn't too important and as I'm assuming that you've got the filter sensibly sized for the tank it's probably good that it's not delivering too much flow.
Unfortunately if you research flow rates online you'll see loads of people giving equations and mathematical workings based on the full stated flow from the manufacturers figures. That is definitely wrong since the actual flow is approx. 50% less when the filter is filled with media and has to lift the water back up to the tank. The 'maximum flow rate' is calculated with a completely empty filter at zero head (lift).
It really bugs me when I see people on forums telling others what the turnover rate of their tank should be and 99% of the time it is based on fake information but that's how lazy so-called 'RUclipsrs' or 'influencers' have got. They generally make an 'advice' video based on the first lazy 2-3 Google search results and most of that is absolute bollocks.
Without knowing how big the tank is and what the stock is I have no idea what the 'perfect' flow should be but a properly sized filter which is well set up with proper media will always deliver perfect water quality - just avoid using anything which destroys the bacterial population by messing with the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate (e.g. seachem prime) and the water conditions will be perfect. Flow rate is not very important when compared to active bacteria population.
I give filter / tank size recommendations in this series of videos based on 20+ years of filter knowledge considering a full cycle but practically everything else you will read online does not consider that a full cycle (reduction in nitrate) is even possible so I'm very much swimming against a flow of old fake information. Anyone who appreciates that are worth their weight in gold, lol
@@pondguru Thank you very much for your interest in helping me. I appreciate your work and effort and thank you for your time.
@@ML-hu9zu No worries, any time and best of luck with the tank.
I don't normally comment on these but after this video I was really interested in trying one so got my delivery today and just set it up waiting on more media etc coming but wanted to check to see if it would leak so far after an hour nothing but I will let you know how I get on 😁
Yes keep me updated to the progress as most people seem to love them.
any updates? How is it performing?
@@HAlves-ip9cn So far no leaks which I was most worried about I only had a small internal filter before so just now its doing great but will take a while for all the media but well worth the price :D
I installed the AQUAEL Ultramax 2000 filter today.
Unfortunately there is a problem: an annoying and redundant vibration that fortunately I was able to identify.
By lightly pressing the side of the box with your hand, the vibration disappears completely.
Probably a basket touches the wall and creates this problem.
For the moment I have solved by placing a piece of rubber between the wall of the filter and the cabinet but I have to understand what causes it.
A solution could be to turn the baskets and close everything.
This way however it becomes very quiet and I had to adjust the flow otherwise it would create a Tzunami.
THANK YOU so much Richard for your advice on media settings.. I won't tell you how the previous JBL 1901 was (very noisy filter), otherwise you'll laugh until next year.
Thanks again.
It's a bummer that you're getting vibration from the filter and other than the pump impeller there isn't really anything else which could cause vibration. It could be one of the things which ends after the filter is maintained for the first time - just taking something apart and putting it back together can solve unidentified vibration problems.
@@pondguru I think so too. Thanks for the reply.
Arrived yesterday, the cost was about 190€ shipping was free to my country overall its a great filter with the great flow I'm running it with 4kg of mixed biomat ( matrix, and aquael's 1200 rings gonna replace it with biohome later). I actually managed to put the whole bag of Tetra's bio balls in the bottom that I had laying around not sure if they gonna make any difference but at least they can pick up some more mock if it passes the prefilter but I'm not sure about that, they can't hurt in any case. I just moved from Tetra's EX700 that I had for years and this is like a space ship compared to Tettra. I am not saying that Tetra is a bad filter its build quality is superb and it never let me down for years. I'm planning to get a bigger tank (a lot bigger) in a month or two and what I had in mind is to combine this new Ultramax 2000 with Maxi Kani 500 (which is basically 16L bucket with a lid and external pump it uses same media trays as Ultramax 2000, it basically is a dumbed-down simplistic Ultramax 2000). In theory, adding a pump in series will increase the pressure and basically, the flow rate won't take a big hit if any. Great video Richard keep it up and best regards from Croatia!!!
Richard thinking of buying the 1000 but i dont like the intake tube, do you know of another that would fit the tubes
Another filter which would fit the tubes?
hi i have the Aquael ultramax 1000 i love this filter i can get over 3 months without cleaning and when you put it back together you dont get trapped air in it like the fluval 207 and 206 where you have to shake it to get the air out the Aquael ultramax came out just before the fluval 207 Aquael got a good review in the pratical fish keeping mag and i have not had any problems with it my filter cost me £145.00 from ebay my filter will not fit under my cabinet on the fluval roma so i keep it outside and is very quiet you dont know its running
Hopefully you see this, after doing this filter series what filter do you really like as the best canister filter? Have a top 5 list? Hope you reply to this
I don't really have a top list but the Oase Biomaster filters probably rank at or near the top. The filter in this video has a great capacity and easy clean pre-filter which is great for a quick clean so it would rank highly too but really there are so many filters and such a wide range of capabilities and prices that ranking them would be a short term measure. There are new models coming out all the time.
However, the filter I've been most impressed with since the start of this series has to be the All Pond Solutions HOB-500 which I featured here: ruclips.net/video/XKI1ZNQ4eME/видео.html
Strictly speaking it's not a canister filter but it is a sort of canister / HOB and for around £25 it is great value for tanks up to 100 litres or to have on stand by as a back-up to the main filter.
Not sure which county you are in so these are the links from that video:
APS HOB-500 (Amazon): geni.us/Q4AI37t
APS HOB-500 (Ebay): ebay.to/2DZfrnz
Smaller version (Ebay): ebay.to/2SEvMG1
Foam for intake (Amazon): geni.us/EY86zGk
US Equivalent Filter Model 803 (Ebay.com): ebay.to/2MQnPZ4
US SunSun version HL-803 (Ebay.com): ebay.to/2MUr0z1
Foams and Biogravel: www.filterpro.co.uk
(FilterPro site has links to suppliers in other countries)