Fluval Fx5 = Load Of Over Hyped Rubbish?

[JamieH]

I noticed in an old PFK that a mate gave me that the so-called all singing-all dancing Fluval FX5 which is 'amied at large aquaria' holds a pathetic 12l of media...

So hang on... it holds 12 litres of media and retails for between £120 - £150 if you shop around.

My tetratec EX1200 holds 12litres of media and costs about £60 - £80 if you shopn around (got mine brand new for £65 + postage on ebay)

So you could get 24l of capacity for the same price...

why then, are these new tetra filter s- can't fault mine - not generating as much hype as the fluval appears to have done?

 

[michaelwgroves]

I've got a Fluval FX5, I'm no expert and have never heard of your unit, so can't comment, but my mate has an Eheim and he recons my is a lot quiter.
I must admit, even with no other sound in the room, I can not hear my FX5, honestly I'm not joking it is really quiet.
Can you hear yours?

Just for your information, mine is boxed in, so I might have a bit of an advantage, but even when fully exposed, the hard disk spinning in my PC whilst typing this message is louder! No Honesly..............

Regards
Michael

 

[crazie.eddie]

The FX5 manual (page 8) states...

Smart-Pump Technology
Designed and engineered for reliable filtration of delicately balanced aquarium environments. Fluval's FX5 SMART PUMP technology employs an electronic circuit board to continiually monitor the pump. Impeller speed and force are constantly measured to ensure powerful output and energy efficiency.

Smart pump technology is also critical in evacuating any air that may build up in the system. Once every 24 hours, the filter will pause and allow any trapped air to escape, this maintaining maximum filtration efficiency.

Self-Priming Instant Start System
With the FX5, there is never any need of manual syphoning. As soon as you plug the filter in, the canisters fill water in from your aquarium. It pumps for 2 minutes, pauses for 2 minutes to evacuate air from the system, then immediately begins the filtering process.

Purge Valve
The FX5 canister features a purge valve drain in it's base. This makes it possible for you to empty the canister for maintenance before moving it.

So basically, it's not just the amount of media it holds, but also the technology behind it.

 

[SamUK]

see i keep reading people trying to slate the fluval saying how it holds less media etc etc.


im runng one fluval FX5 on a heavily stocked 180 gallon tank and its been running perfectly for over 6 months now and my levels are perfect. never lost a fish either.



so as far as im concerned you can go on about how its got less media all you like, i paid less and it works just aswell.


oh and mine runs basically silent too. its about 2 feet away from my head in bed and i cant hear it at all then.

 

[HelenUK]

I have 2 tetratec 1200 and i cannot recommend them enough i much prefer them to the fluvals we bought that cost us a lot more. They are so much easier to handle and they are so much quieter in fact i cannot even hear them working the only way to tell is to look in the tank to make sure the water flow is still going. An excellent filter in my option. Its like everything though isn't it sometimes the cheaper option can be just as good as the more expensive option but people would rather go with the more expensive thinking it has to be better. Most times i find this to be true myself but just occasionally something does slip through that is cheaper and better and i would say yes this is one of them i would defo recommend it to anyone.

 

[voo]

I've got the tetratec EX700 and i'm glad i got it. The problem is that eheim have such a good reputation and everyone uses them, so they recommend them to others. Tetratec filters are relatively new i think, so not many people have had experience with them to recommend them.

I will certainly recommend them to anyone looking for a cheaper alternative, and have had no problems what-so-ever with mine.

 

[andywg]

The fluval FX5 is an okay bit of kit if you are too tight to actually pay out for a really good filter (eheim). The one really objective test (links are in the hardware forum somewhere) under lab conditions found the fluval is cheaper but costs more to run and while it can clear out a tank mechanically a bit quicker (due to being a huge sponge) it is far worse than the equivalent sized eheim for biological filtration. I reckon a few floating bits are not as bad for my fish as ammonia and nitrite and therefore I would always recommend an eheim over the fluval. On top of this they found the auto priming function worked only slightly above 50% of the time when started up.

In a completely non-scientific, personal observation, analysis, I have seen a number of FX5s for sale second hand in an lfs already, and after asking it seems they are there because the owners upgraded to eheim.

At the end of the day you pay your money and take your choice, but I will never choose fluval again having had far too many problems with them in the past. (Mind you, I would never choose an external either as I find wet/dry sump filtration to be far better. )

 

[JamieH]

I've got a Fluval FX5, I'm no expert and have never heard of your unit, so can't comment, but my mate has an Eheim and he recons my is a lot quiter.
I must admit, even with no other sound in the room, I can not hear my FX5, honestly I'm not joking it is really quiet.
Can you hear yours?

Just for your information, mine is boxed in, so I might have a bit of an advantage, but even when fully exposed, the hard disk spinning in my PC whilst typing this message is louder! No Honesly..............

Regards
Michael

well... that fine, but the media volume is what bugs me... i'm talking about the gigabytes for the money, not the noise of the drive

The FX5 manual (page 8) states...

Smart-Pump Technology
Designed and engineered for reliable filtration of delicately balanced aquarium environments. Fluval's FX5 SMART PUMP technology employs an electronic circuit board to continiually monitor the pump. Impeller speed and force are constantly measured to ensure powerful output and energy efficiency.

Smart pump technology is also critical in evacuating any air that may build up in the system. Once every 24 hours, the filter will pause and allow any trapped air to escape, this maintaining maximum filtration efficiency.

Self-Priming Instant Start System
With the FX5, there is never any need of manual syphoning. As soon as you plug the filter in, the canisters fill water in from your aquarium. It pumps for 2 minutes, pauses for 2 minutes to evacuate air from the system, then immediately begins the filtering process.

Purge Valve
The FX5 canister features a purge valve drain in it's base. This makes it possible for you to empty the canister for maintenance before moving it.

So basically, it's not just the amount of media it holds, but also the technology behind it.

actually, better biological performance will do more for your fish than any amount of smart pumping

 

[crazie.eddie]

If you want better biological performance, use a UGF. You use the whole substrate from top to bottom as the biological media. Without a UGF, you only use the top part of the substrate, since the bacteria need flowing water to help bring oxygenated water to it.

 

[andywg]

If you want better biological performance, use a UGF. You use the whole substrate from top to bottom as the biological media. Without a UGF, you only use the top part of the substrate, since the bacteria need flowing water to help bring oxygenated water to it.

However the rotting detritus underneath the filter plate and the fact you are pulling waste into the gravel to rot amongst the gravel makes me prefer a cannister or wet dry.

Not to mention that cleaning out a cannister is far less stressful than cleaning out the gravel, and a number of us prefer sand as a more natural substrate for a lot of fish.

 

[Darkstar]

If you want better biological performance, use a UGF. You use the whole substrate from top to bottom as the biological media. Without a UGF, you only use the top part of the substrate, since the bacteria need flowing water to help bring oxygenated water to it.

Not the case at all, gravel substrate isn't anywhere near as effect for colonising bacteria as the proper media for an eheim for example.

 

[crazie.eddie]

I was commenting on a the better biological media. Yes, UGF is a great for biological filtration, but is poor in mechanical filtration. If a UGF wasn't that great, then I guess Chicago Shedd Aquarium wouldn't use it. I've seen it on some of their tanks.

Not the case at all, gravel substrate isn't anywhere near as effect for colonising bacteria as the proper media for an eheim for example.

I'm not sure about that. I run an Eheim Pro II 2128 and a Rena FilStar XP3. Each filter is rated for a 150 gallon tank. I'm sure if I remove the media from either of the filters probably even both, that it would not cover the surface area of what a 1"-2" substrate a UGF would cover.

 

[andywg]

I was commenting on a the better biological media. Yes, UGF is a great for biological filtration, but is poor in mechanical filtration. If a UGF wasn't that great, then I guess Chicago Shedd Aquarium wouldn't use it. I've seen it on some of their tanks.

Not the case at all, gravel substrate isn't anywhere near as effect for colonising bacteria as the proper media for an eheim for example.

I'm not sure about that. I run an Eheim Pro II 2128 and a Rena FilStar XP3. Each filter is rated for a 150 gallon tank. I'm sure if I remove the media from either of the filters probably even both, that it would not cover the surface area of what a 1"-2" substrate a UGF would cover.

The biological filter media is more than just how much, it is all about surface area. One of the reasons fluidised sand bed filters are so good is because of the huge surface area per volume ratio.

 

[sharpshark]

Just to put some positives on the FX5, I have mine on a 400 litre, it works brilliantly, is very quiet, it purges the air automatically without fail, and is very flexible with some neat functions, such as a drain point on the filter, you can use the pump to empty/fill your tank as well.