EHEIM universal circulation pump, in or out of the water

Regular price 69,90 €
Regular price Sale price 69,90 €
23,30 € × 3 with no fees

This circulation pump for aquariums, filtration tanks and aquaponic systems works submerged or placed dry, with a grille and a coarse filter at the intake. Five models range from 300 to 3,400 L/h, with a maximum head of 1.2 to 3.7 m, and a version with a 10 m cable is built for outdoor use.

Ref. H1046.21·Circulation pump
Power : 300 l/h
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The summary

  • The two set-ups: submerged at the bottom, or placed out of the water below the water level.
  • Indoor or outdoor: 1.5 m cable for indoor use, 10 m cable version for a pond.
  • How to choose: the 2,400 L/h pushes water higher than the 3,400 L/h.
  • What it consumes: from 5 to 80 W, i.e. 44 to 701 kWh over a full year of continuous running.
  • Which pipe: 11 to 18 mm fittings on the outlet, 13 to 28 mm on the inlet.
  • Warranty and water types: 3-year warranty, fresh or sea water, from 4 to 35 °C.

A circulation pump that works just as well underwater as out of it

The EHEIM universal pump circulates the water of an aquarium, a filtration tank or an aquaponic system, and it works in two positions: placed on the bottom underwater, or installed dry beside the tank. Its motor housing is moulded in a single piece and watertight, designed for permanent immersion, which allows both set-ups with the same unit. You can choose from five models of 300, 600, 1,200, 2,400 and 3,400 litres per hour, usable in fresh water as well as in sea water.

The versions with a 1.5 m cable are indoor pumps, intended for an aquarium, a utility room or the room where your system is located. For a garden pond or a tank installed outdoors, choose a version with a 10 m cable, available in 1,200, 2,400 and 3,400 L/h, which is built for outdoor use. Outdoors, the pump should be placed on a stable support, a paving slab for example, and never directly on the silt at the bottom. In all cases, your pump is for use in water between 4 and 35 °C and must not be submerged deeper than 1 m.

🔄 Submerged or placed dry

When submerged, the pump draws water in through its grille and its coarse filter, which catches debris before it reaches the impeller. You then unscrew the threaded fitting on the intake side, close the opening with the cover supplied, and leave at least 2 cm of water above the pump. When used out of water, the intake instead goes through a pipe screwed onto that same fitting, running from the tank. As the pump is not self-priming, you place it below the water level: the pipe fills by gravity, and so does the pump chamber, and only then do you plug it in. In both set-ups, the fitting on the outlet side must never point downwards.

The pump fills with water before being plugged in

The pump must never run dry, because the water passing through it cools its impeller and lubricates its ceramic shaft. When dry, check that water reaches the pump before plugging it in, and clear any bubble trapped at a high point of the suction pipe. If it is placed higher than the tank's water surface, it would run without drawing anything in.

📐 Flow rate versus head height

Each model is described by two figures: its flow rate with no height to overcome, and the head height at which that flow drops to zero. The 300 L/h reaches 1.2 m for 5 W, the 600 L/h 1.5 m for 10 W and the 1,200 L/h 2.0 m for 28 W. The 2,400 L/h reaches 3.7 m for 65 W, whereas the 3,400 L/h, with its extra 1,000 litres per hour and its 80 W, stops at 3.6 m: it moves more water, but not higher. Take a grow bed whose inlet sits 1.5 m above the surface of your fish tank. The 1,200 L/h would be working close to its 2.0 m limit, with a reduced flow, while the 2,400 L/h keeps a wide margin below its 3.7 m. So measure the real difference in level between the surface and the inlet point, then choose a model whose maximum height clearly exceeds it.

Two double taps either side of a pump mounted dry

If you install the pump dry, fit a double quick-connect tap on the intake pipe and a second one on the outlet pipe. You close the valves, separate the two fittings, and the pump goes off for cleaning while the pipes stay full on the tank side. When you refit it, the circuit restarts without priming, which brings a full maintenance session down to a few minutes. This tap is available for 12/16 and 16/22 mm pipes, to be matched to those of your model.

🔌 Connection and power consumption

The cable on the indoor versions is 1.5 m long and cannot be replaced: if it is damaged, the pump must no longer be used. So measure the route to the socket before ordering, and form a drip loop below the socket so that any water running along the cable stops at the low point. The installation must also be protected by a residual current device (RCD) of 30 mA or less. As for consumption, a circuit runs day and night, so the power rating is paid for all year round: over 12 months of continuous running, the five models need roughly 44, 88, 245, 569 and 701 kWh. The 2,400 L/h uses 15 W less than the 3,400 L/h, so you save about 130 kWh a year when its flow rate is enough for you.

🌱 In an aquaponic system

In an aquaponic system, the pump never stops: it carries the water from the fish tank, loaded with ammonium and waste, to the grow beds, from which it returns by gravity. A dry installation is the most practical here: placed beside the tank or the sump, below the water level, the pump stays accessible throughout the season, and you can rinse its coarse filter without putting your hands in the fish water. An indoor system is fine with a version with a 1.5 m cable, whereas a system built outdoors needs the outdoor version. The guide on building your aquaponic system lists the starting equipment for a first system, pump included, and the article on common mistakes in aquaponics reminds you of the weekly check of pumps and filters.

🧽 The coarse filter and the wheel

The coarse filter is rinsed first, and more often if the water is heavily loaded. With the pump unplugged and out of the water, you press the two side tabs of the intake grille to remove it, then rinse the grille and the filter under running water. A pump that becomes noisy signals deeper fouling. On the 1,200, 2,400 and 3,400 L/h models, you then open the retaining ring by turning it anticlockwise, whereas on the two small models you release the cover directly. You then remove the cover, the impeller and its ceramic shaft, which you handle with care since it is brittle, then brush the pump chamber and the neighbouring lubrication channel with a set of cleaning brushes.

A lukewarm pump

A pump that feels lukewarm to the touch, at around 35 °C, is working normally and is not signalling any fault.

A protective cut-off

On the three large models, a thermal cut-out stops the motor if it overheats. Unplug it, wait about an hour, then plug it back in.

The box contains the pump assembled with its cable, its intake grille and its coarse filter, the threaded fittings for the intake and outlet sides, the cover that closes the intake when used submerged, the mounting plate, or its two battens on the 1,200 L/h, and the instructions. The mounting moves around the pump body, so you can place it flat or against a wall, and the 3,400 L/h outdoor version also has a carry handle, which doubles as an attachment point for a rope in a pond. Out of season, store it clean and sheltered from frost. The warranty runs for 3 years.

Technical specifications

The essentials

Device type
Circulation pumpSubmerged, or placed dry below the water level.
Maximum flow rate
300 to 3,400 L/hFive models, flow rate with no height to overcome.
Head height
1.2 to 3.7 mThe 2,400 L/h pushes water higher than the 3,400 L/h.
Suitable water types
Freshwater and marineThe same figures apply in both cases.

The five models

300 L/h
1.2 m, 5 WAround 44 kWh a year when running continuously.
600 L/h
1.5 m, 10 WAround 88 kWh per year.
1,200 L/h
2.0 m, 28 WAround 245 kWh per year, 13 mm outlet nozzle.
2,400 L/h
3.7 m, 65 WThe highest of the five, around 569 kWh per year.
3,400 L/h
3.6 m, 80 W1,000 L/h more than the previous one, for 10 cm less in height.
Dimensions
146 to 218 mm wide146 x 103 x 75 mm on the 300, 147 x 115 x 75 mm on the 600, 178 x 121 x 96 mm on the 1,200, 218 x 161 x 116 mm on the other two.

Installation and power supply

Pipe connectors
11 to 28 mmOutlet 11, 13, 13 and 18 mm, inlet 13, 13, 18 and 28 mm, from the 300 up to the two largest.
Pre-filter
Grille and coarse filterThey are the first to be rinsed when the flow drops.
Cable
1.5 m, or 10 m10 m on the outdoor versions, 1.5 m on the indoor versions.
Location
Indoors or outdoorsOutdoor use calls for a version with a 10 m cable.
Submersion
1 m at mostAt least 2 cm of water above the pump.
Water temperature
4 to 35 °C
Thermal protection
1,200, 2,400 and 3,400 L/hA circuit breaker cuts the motor if it overheats.
Warranty
3 years

To budget for separately

Shut-off valves
2 double taps, dry
Pipe
Spiral pipe matched to the diameter of the connectors

12 further specifications are available in the detailed view.

In the box

  • 1 assembled circulation pump, with its cable
  • 1 intake grille and its coarse filter
  • 2 threaded fittings, for the suction side and the delivery side
  • 1 suction cover cap
  • 1 mounting plate, or 2 battens on the 1,200 L/h
  • 1 instruction leaflet

Flow rates, heads, power ratings, dimensions, nozzles, cables and instructions taken on 11/10/2026 from the EHEIM data sheets and the instructions for types 1046 to 1264. Annual consumption calculated from the power rating, in continuous operation.

A pump that runs dry or a submersible pond pump?

Two families from the catalogue for circulating water, which do not target the same flow rates or the same locations.

Small system or large pond? Up to 3,400 L/h, the pump that can run dry covers aquariums, tanks and aquaponic systems. Beyond that, the pond pump takes over.

Flow rate of the largest model (L/h)Flow rate of the entry-level model (L/h)Maximum delivery head (cm)Power of the entry-level model (W)Works submergedWorks out of the waterOutdoorsCableNumber of models to choose fromPrice
EHEIM FLOW submersible pond pump, 3,200 to 15,500 L/hYour choice15500 L/h3200 L/h450 cm55 WYesNoThe full range10 m6176,90 €
Recommended
EHEIM universal circulation pump, in or out of the waterYour choice		3400 L/h300 L/h370 cm5 WYesYesVersions with a 10 m cable1.5 m, or 10 m outdoors569,90 €
EHEIM FLOW submersible pond pump, 3,200 to 15,500 L/h
Performance
Flow rate of the largest model (L/h)15500 L/h
Flow rate of the entry-level model (L/h)3200 L/h
Maximum delivery head (cm)450 cm
Power of the entry-level model (W)55 W
Installation
Works submergedYes
Works out of the waterNo
OutdoorsThe full range
Cable10 m
Number of models to choose from6
EHEIM universal circulation pump, in or out of the waterRecommended
Performance
Flow rate of the largest model (L/h)3400 L/h
Flow rate of the entry-level model (L/h)300 L/h
Maximum delivery head (cm)370 cm
Power of the entry-level model (W)5 W
Installation
Works submergedYes
Works out of the waterYes
OutdoorsVersions with a 10 m cable
Cable1.5 m, or 10 m outdoors
Number of models to choose from5

Flow rates, heights, power ratings and cables recorded from the EHEIM data sheets on 11/10/2026.

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delivery time

Compact but dense parcel, dispatched within 48 h by Colissimo or Chronopost to your home, as you choose at checkout. The exact cost depends on the option chosen and the destination.

Frequently asked questions

10 questions

6 key questions, 10 in the detailed view

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