Gunter Eheim passes away

Gunther Eheim, founder and proprietor of the aquatics company Eheim in Deizisau, passed away at the age of 93 at the start of February. The company that he established on 13 March 1949 actually started out specialising in technical toys, but then developed into an internationally renowned aquatics company. In 1974, the former test pilot also set up the airline Contact Air. He maintained his interest in flying in his leisure time, but aquariums were always his first love. A centrifugal pump with a magnetic coupling that was used for a model fountain formed the basis for inventing an external filter. This first suction filter went into series production in 1963, and its operating principle is still applied today in the “Classic” line of Eheim filters. In 1993, Eheim acquired MP-Aquarien (Müller und Pfleger) in Rockenhausen and moved into the production of glass aquariums. Eugen Jäger GmbH in Wüstenrot, a leading manufacturer of heating elements for aquariums, was acquired in 2003. Gunther Eheim always led from the front in shaping and managing the fortunes of his group of companies. Even at the age of 90 he would not be denied the opportunity to attend Interzoo. The pet product industry has lost a pioneer, innovator and visionary with the passing of Gunther Eheim.