Fluval fx4 and filteration help.

I’ve currently been running my
Fx4 for around nine months with discus/pleco/tetra in the tank and while I love my tank and my fish my water perimeters are absolutely fine

I’m struggling to clear the tiny particles look like tiny dust in the water, it really is getting on my nerves when I look at my fish when I compare it to others tanks on the site.
Any help would be greatly appreciated

thanks everyone.

ps. They aren’t micro bubbles

What kind of filter do you have? May need filter floss, I've heard that works wonders on clearing the water.

HoldenOn said:

What kind of filter do you have? May need filter floss, I've heard that works wonders on clearing the water.

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I am currently running a fluval fx4

HA I CANT READ!
Anyways I've never had one so I can't advise, someone here will know.

Actually filter floss is good to trap debris and small particles but they tend to break down very fast.
I have stopped using filter floss as it tends to clog my filter within a week.

Perhaps, you can add more sponge pads as filter medias.
Get more coarse sponge pads and one piece of fine or medium coarse sponge pad for your filter.

Other alternatives:

1)Use a prefilter for your canister FX4. Connect the prefilter to the intake/input of your FX4.
There are some prefilters available in the market.

Eheim prefilter. Its just a container with filter medias.

Shiruba prefilter.
It looks like a small canister filter but it doesn't have any motor or impeller inside. It's just a container with filter medias. You can replace all the media with sponge pads to trap all the debris before it reach your FX4 filter.


[ If you use a prefilter, you just need to maintain the pre-filter more frequently than your FX4. Use the prefilter to trap all the debris, particles before they reach your FX4 filter. ]

2)Add a hang on filter just to trap all the particles, debris in your tank. Use only coarse or fine sponge pads. Don't use any ceramic rings or biohome medias.
You need to maintain this hang on filter more frequently in order to have clear water in your tank.
But hang on filter is easier to maintain than the canister filter.

Definitely put a layer of floss as the final layer that the water travels through before it re-enters the tank. Or if you use ceramics as well, you could put that as the final layer and have the floss situated just before that . That will prevent the ceramics from getting clogged. Use sponge media as first media water travels through. Sponge can be rinsed out in tank water at least once a month and filter floss can be replaced at that time. You can buy large rolls of floss on amazon or from Big Al's website and cut it to size (lot cheaper than buy fluval's floss). That should help with your water clarity. Do not replace all the media at once or you could lose your cycle.

If you're going to use floss in a FX4 it should be in the last media tray that the water flows through before it's returned to the tank. Otherwise the filter is going to need a lot of service. If the 4 is configured the same way as the FX6, this approach will clean the slightly cloudy look from your tank. BTW, using 60PPI foam will have the same affect but you can reuse it over and over.

An aside, I like the idea of a standalone prefilter. I replaced an aging FX6 with an OASE 600 recently. It has a pre-filter that's a seperate part of the filter body. It can be removed and cleaned independently. It works very well with the right media.

I have an fx4. Petsmart and petco carry these, they price match their online prices, which you will always want to check as you will find in store prices are typically much much higher. https://www.petsmart.com/featured-b...aquarium-filter-media-21187.html?cgid=5000375

https://www.petsmart.com/featured-b...5#pmin=0.00&srule=best-sellers&start=73&sz=24

dRoseOFC said:

I have an fx4. Petsmart and petco carry these, they price match their online prices, which you will always want to check as you will find in store prices are typically much much higher. https://www.petsmart.com/featured-b...aquarium-filter-media-21187.html?cgid=5000375

https://www.petsmart.com/featured-b...5#pmin=0.00&srule=best-sellers&start=73&sz=24

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If I was to buy these pads what trays do they go into?

Sampagne said:

If I was to buy these pads what trays do they go into?

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I wish Fluval seriously would indicate where these pads and other pads specifically made for their own FX filters go, but its either that its so simple and I am overthinking it or they are slacking. Ive done my best to understand the water flow in the fx4 and how different types of media go in that flow. The filter pads I posted would be mechanical, which in the picture below would be the first filter the water comes through, which isnt where these pads would go.

. So, what Ive tried to do is at the very least have the top bumpy black filter pad always remain on the top tray and in most upper position as it is stock. That leaves the space under the red tray it sits in, I drew a line on the other image showing this location. Here I have put the quick clear white fine filter pads. I have had to re-arrange some of the ceramic biomax media and have actually moved alot of the biomax ceramic things down along the side of the fx after seeing it done in this video pimp my filter on YouTube.

. Doing that clears up alot of space in the trays, though I do leave at least one layer of biomax in one of the middle trays. In the picture I drew lines on, I leave the most bottom carbon pad on the bottom as it is stock and the bumpy black filter on top as is stock. I leave a layer of biomax in a middle tray and have put the white fine filter at the top under the black bumpy pad red tray. I put the blue filter pad in the bottom just before the final black carbon pad.

. I could be completely backwards or it may be very likely that it doesnt make much of a difference, but that is how Ive best understood a logical way of doing.