Eheim Professionel 3 Filter

I bought the Pro 3 2075 brand new in Sept 2012 that came with a 3 year warranty. The filter leaked after 2 years destroying my $350 wooden stand. Water leaked out near the power cord. After searching the net I found out that this was a common issue among Pro 3 filters made before Aug 2010. There have also been countless reports of Eheim's Customer Support department ignoring customer emails when contacted for warranty claims.

I emailed them and immediately the next day I received a reply asking for the Serial number, the shipping address and the retail store from which I bought the filter. I replied with the information and that was the last I heard from them. I have sent them 4 more emails since then and they completely ignored them. I have been another victim of their scam.

Apparently Eheim is engaging in fraudulent acitivities, marketing their filters as "Premium" products that come with a 3 year warranty. However, they will try their best NOT to honor the warranty. Maybe I need to call them everyday and write nasty letters to get them to acknowledge my issue. I know some of their victims have received a replacement head unit this way after sending threatening emails and making repeated phone calls. However, it shouldn't have to be this difficult.

I have another Pro 2 filter that also leaked after 6 years of operation. From what I have heard, the company was bought and the quality of customer service has become horrible since then. It is now reaching the point of fraud.

I will never buy another Eheim product again. Beware!!!

Update: I called their 800 number and was told that they shipped the head unit to my old address and it went back to their warehouse. They sent another one to my new address. It was still annoying that they put my email on ignore for some stupid reason.

I purchased the EHEIM Professional 3 1200 XL Model #: 2080 canister filter off eBay for my 300 gallon stock tank. Everything seems to be working ok, however I was missing some parts. I could tell this unit was a brand new unit and not a refurb / opened returned item. Everything was in it's original packaging, nice and snug and has that new plastic smell to it.

Anyways, for some reason it's missing the clips to hold the tubes. It only came with 1 clip, and clearly (by the instructions) I should have received more than that; like 6 in total. I contacted EHEIM North America and they responded to my initial e-mail advising me to e-mail them my proof of purchase. Fine, no problem. But then the next day I get one of those mailer daemon bounced e-mail error messages, indicating the e-mail didn't go through.

So I tried their online "contact us" form. They replied but did not address the missing parts. All they said was for me to send it to them via e-mail, when I clearly stated to them that their e-mail wasn't working and that the e-mails were bouncing back. Since then, I've tried to send them my proof of purchase several times and now they're simply ignoring my e-mails. I have proof of purchase, it's well within the warranty period (just a month old) and they're sweeping this issue under the rug.

I'm filing a formal complaint with the Better Business Bureau and am advising you to think twice before purchasing this filter. Don't get me wrong, it's a good filter which is why I'm giving it 3 stars....but if the manufacturers refuse to take care of their customers (which in my case they have), that diminishes the rating. If you're going to buy it, I strongly suggest you buy it from a shop locally (and not online like I did) so that if push comes to shove, you can return it with ease. Now I'm stuck with a canister filter, and have to buy parts (at an additional cost to me) to compensate for the missing parts.

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I love this filter. It provides a massive area (as canister filters go) for growing nitrifying bacteria. However, it is insanely expensive and comes without media, which can add another $120 to the overall cost. Due to its size and weight, servicing can be difficult. I'd recommend using it solely as a biofilter, and adding a couple of Magnum 350's for your chemical and mechanical filtration needs. But it is unbelievably quiet and I like the spraybar that's included. My only complaint is the ridiculous instruction manual. Even with 20+ years of using canister filters, it took me two days to get the filter running properly, and that was after contacting Eheim customer support. If the intake tubes (yes, there are 2 of them) are not installed properly, and the manual doesn't mention this, the filter will suck air and eventually stop pumping. I know this sounds like a no-brainer, but you have to experience this to know what I'm talking about. Perhaps if the manual wasn't written in 17 different languages, the publisher would have had more room the include the essential details needed to get this thing running in two hours, and not two days.

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So far so good. I've had this filter for a month now and it works great! I just changed the filter pads out yesterday, and the media is still going strong. I use the Eheim 2080 for a 100gal turtle tank, one turtle. The filter is well made. Clearly the designers thought about how the filter will actually be used. The filter pads are located at the top of the canister and the filter comes with a tray to make it easy to take the blue pad out and wash it in the sink. I suspect that a full filter cleaning will be a bit more cumbersome since the canister is large and heavy when filled. But the little wheels at the bottom are surprisingly helpful. And it appears the parts that will need to be washed are easy to remove, unlike my previous filter. If you have a turtle(s), I would highly recommend buying this filter. The up front costs are high, but well worth it given the time you save not having to do a full filter cleaning every 3 weeks. I only wish my local pet store carried the filter pads.

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I've been running this on my 90 gallon aquarium for close to 2 months now. I have no ammonia problems and crystal clear water. This filter will handle an enormous bio load. I don't have an overstocked tank. In fact, I only have 3 angelfish, 2 albino bristlenose plecos, and plenty of plants in my 90g tank. The community will grow. But, judging by the amount of bio media this thing can hold, I don't intend on seeing any ammonia spikes when I add stock. I ran a fishless cycle on my tank, so the filter should be overloaded with beneficial bacteria.

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