Eheim or ViaAqua
 

my old pump crapped out and is very noisy now (long story, don't want to type it) but now i need a new one. i've noticed that Eheim's seem very popular, and must be quite good, but they're also expensive. I've heard the name ViaAqua and seen them used but not as much. At BeCooling they have a ViaAqua 1300 MagDrive for $20, 370gph, and at cooltechnica they have the Eheim 1250, 317gph, for $70.... there is also an Eheim 1048, which is only 158gph, for $57... are the Eheim's really worth the extra cash? also, i live in Canada and really can't afford a $70 US pump, especially after exchange and shipping. does anyone know of any canadian retailers with Eheims, or any good pump, or perhaps does anyone have a used pump they wish to sell? i'm a poor student and i'm really missing my WC but i want to get something good to replace the old one. I'm gonna go closed loop this time so it has to be inline, not submersible. thanks for any help.

troy.

Yes they are worth the EXTRA cash. However they aren't worth ALL that cash, i think Eheim know they're a dominant species on that market so they can afford to push the prices up...
But having made the comparison myself... i can say you always end up having what you paid for...

(my case) I've got a Eheim1250 clone. Same power, same flow, half the price, twice the noise, a fraction of the reliability... After one year i already had to change the rotor :(

ok, thanks. I guess i'll start looking for a used Eheim then...

troy.

InMIND.ca has Eheims, and is located in Peterborough. I've talked with the guy who runs the site a couple of times, but never ended up buying from him. I believe his current price for the 1250 is $119.95CAD (that's a tad more than a straight conversion, though you should save huge on shipping). Also, if you're really interested in saving cash he does allow pickups, though I bet you can have it shipped to Ottawa for less than the price of gas for the trip :D

phantazm03

There is a new fish store that opened on Innes road at Blair road. They sell Eheims and Danners. Might want to check then out.

Personally, I am running a dual loop setup with 2 ViaAqua 1300. They have been great so far.

thanks brian, nice to see another local on the board. I actually just moved here less than a week ago (i go to U of O) so i'm not really sure where everything is, or where the bus routes are... i'll have to figure that out, i wonder if they might be cheaper there... i'm also looking at a used one from the states, that might be cheaper.

troy.

Little Giant
 

I just ran across a very interesting pump as well... The 'little giant'. Those things run around 50 Canadian and do 500 g/hr!! thats almost as much as the eheim 1060 which goes for about Can $200. The price difference is huge... Missing something or is it just a cost effective pump?