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Eheim Classic 150 Review 2024 – Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

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By Lindsey Stanton

EHEIM Classic Canister Filter 2211

Eheim is well known for making quality filters. But let’s face it: there is A LOT of options available and it can all be a bit confusing when it comes to finding the right option for you and your tank. Today, we want to take a deeper look into the classic 150 model to see how good it really is.

We spend a lot of time researching and testing filters and today we are going to do a Eheim Classic 150 Review. We will take an in-depth look at what this filter has to offer both the good and bad to help you decide if it’s the right option for your tank.

Our Eheim Classic 150 Filter Review 2024

Eheim Classic External Canister Filter

The Eheim 150 Filter might not be the biggest or fanciest filter around, but it definitely does its job without question. This is a small space-saving external filter that is ideal for smaller aquariums.

It may not have the most features out of all filters out there, but in terms of removing impurities from the water, it works just fine.

Let’s take a few minutes to talk about the main features and benefits that you get with the Eheim Filter.

Capacity

The Eheim Classic 150 Filter has a decent capacity. It can handle aquariums of up to 10 or even 20 gallons, depending on what the inhabitants of the tank are. To be clear, this filter has a maximum flow rate of 40 gallons per hour, which is pretty decent.

It can efficiently clean and purify the water in a 10-gallon tank with a heavy bio-load, or it can work pretty well for a less densely populated 20-gallon tank too. That being said, this filter probably works the best for tanks no larger than 15 gallons.

You do want the filter to be able to turn the water over at least two times per hour, preferably even three times. As you can see, if you have a smaller aquarium, the Eheim Classic Filter will do just fine.

Easy Maintenance & Setup

Something else that we personally like about the Eheim Classic 150 Filter is that it is extremely easy to set up and to use. As we said, this is a very simple and straightforward filter to go with. It does not have many components or parts to it.

All you really need to do is to connect the intake and outtake tubes, prime the thing, place it where you feel is right, and the filter will do all the rest. The easy-to-use primer button gets the Eheim 150 Filter ready to roll in no time at all (more on priming here).

Maintenance for this filter is also made easy thanks to the easy off lid. The lid features a Permo-elastic silicone sealing ring, which makes it easy to open and close, plus when it does close, it is safe and secure in order to prevent leaks.

At the same time, this lid makes it more than easy to get to the filter media on the inside for quick changes and easy cleaning. We do also like the spray bar which the Eheim Classic 150 Filter comes with because it actually helps oxygenate the water in order to help your fish breathe better, plus it creates a neat little waterfall effect as well.

Small fish tank aquarium with colourful snails and fish at home on wooden table. Fishbowl with freshwater animals in the room
Image Credit: Ja Crispy, Shutterstock

Efficient Filtration

Another thing that you might appreciate about the Eheim Classic 150 Filter is that it engages in all three major types of filtration to ensure that the water is clean and suitable for your fish to live in.

It comes with a thick sponge pad for mechanical filtration, bio-media for biological filtration, and a carbon pad for chemical filtration. In other words, this filter does a fine job at removing solid debris, ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, colors, odors, and other contaminants from your aquarium water.

The media is easy to load into the stackable baskets, thus making life just that much simpler for you.

Space Saver

Something that we personally like about this Eheim filter is that it does help save space. Now, we suppose that it saves space because it is a fairly small filter intended for small aquariums, but this benefit holds true nonetheless.

The fact that it does not take up any space inside of the aquarium, plus almost no space outside of the aquarium is a big bonus no doubt.

large planted tank with sand amazon sword plant angelfish cichlids
Image Credit: Joan Carles Juarez, Shutterstock

Durability

The Eheim Classic 150 Filter is a fairly durable aquarium filter. The whole thing is made using high-quality components, something we can definitely appreciate. Now, this is not the biggest, best, or most durable of all aquarium filters, but for a small aquarium, it will give you no problems at all.

On a side note, this filter can be used for both saltwater and freshwater aquariums.

Noise

The Eheim 150 Filter is that it is built to be quiet. Nobody likes the noise which some filters create. You hate it and so do your fish so it is a plus that this filter is fairly quiet.

wave tropical divider

Verdict

Pros
  • Fairly durable
  • Engages in all three major types of filtration
  • Easy to set up, easy to prime
  • Easy to maintain, stackable basket and easy off lid
  • Does not take up much space anywhere
  • Ideal for smaller tanks
  • Good for salt and freshwater tanks
  • Fairly quiet
Cons
  • Slippery when wet
  • Not very wide, limited stability

 

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Conclusion

We hope you have found our Eheim Classic 150 Filter review helpful! If you are on the hunt for a good aquarium filter for a smaller 10 or 20-gallon fish tank, it is a good option to keep in mind. As we said, it is not the biggest or fanciest of all filters out there but when it comes to efficient filtration, durability, and limited noise it’s a pretty decent option with everything considered.

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