Will I Notice Much Between These Filters

[bae1994]

The first is a fx5
http/www.innovationlandscaping.com/fx5/
second hand no garentee
300lph more than the other
may have a bigger capacity unsure

or this
http/www.allpondsolutions.co.uk/aquarium-external-filter-2000-l-h-9w-uv-1216-0.html
has 1 year guarantee and is new
may be smaller capacity unsure
has a built in uv

do you reckon id notice much difference between the two

any help is appreciated

atb bae

 

[§tudz]

The FX5 is ONLY a mechanical filter, its a big sponge filter basically, where as in the other (which looks like a white label aheim filter, or at least a copy) you get the UV which is good, and you get 500lph more.

another downside is that the FX5 is pretty big, but then there is a lot of filter sponge, so thats a benefit.

Personally I would go with the FX5 as its a brand you can trust, its worth spending the money on something that is proven and known, rather than something that is unknown could break and leave you with no where to go for spares. But fluval do all the spares you will need.

I looked at getting FX5s for my 120gallon tank, but I didnt have the cupbaord room for them and when with the 405s instead.

so anyway lets list the Pros and Cons


FX5

PROs
------------------------------
Large filter space
Trusted brand
Know it does the job
Spares available

CONs (compared to the other filter)
------------------------------
Only a sponge filter
No UV (but you can add one to the line)
Second hand could be used and abused
Only 1500 lph turnover

The Other Filter

PROs
------------------------------
1 year gaurentee
UV Filter
Larger turn over than FX5
Sections for storage of different medias

CONs (compared to the other filter)
------------------------------
Smaller canister
Unkown brand
Unsure of spares
Expensive for the filter


If you prefer the second filter over the FX5 Im sure you will be able to find NEW 405s for less than £75 (this would give you the pros and few of the cons of the other filter) I think I only paid about £60 for mine, thats was a few years back though. And they were bought online not from a shop.

Hope this helps.

 

[fluttermoth]

I can't comment on the FX5, but I have one of the APS filters and I bought that after seeing a lot of good things being said about it. I know someone on here (sorry, can't remember who it was) had to get a spare part for theirs and they said the after sales service was excellent.

 

[§tudz]

That's cool, my comments about the spares was simply because I didn't know the brand and didn't see it clearly on the Link, I may have missed it though lol.

Also just so u get a good pov on the products, I'm a bit of a fluval fanboy

 

[bae1994]

hmm the thing thats worrying me on the fx5 is the realy early ones had problems with the chipset so they had rocky start ups and they restart every 24 hours i guess the real question is would the second be underpowered for my tank bearing in mind its gonna be planted

also fluttermoth are they a good filter and do the clog very often

 

[fluttermoth]

hmm the thing thats worrying me on the fx5 is the realy early ones had problems with the chipset so they had rocky start ups and they restart every 24 hours i guess the real question is would the second be underpowered for my tank bearing in mind its gonna be planted

also fluttermoth are they a good filter and do the clog very often

I think it's a very good filter; I've been running the 1400l on my oscar tank (also has 3 biggish catfish in there) for about 6 months now and it's only the strainer on the intake that's ever got clogged up, and that was just from bits of Java fern that the oscar likes to rip up! I clean it monthly and the flow doesn't seem to reduce at all between cleans.

 

[raptorrex]

despite posts to the contrary . the FX5 is in no way a "sponge" filter. it is one of the best FULL MEDIA filters around. and can be used with any combination of media. no UV? why do we need UV? no Tropical tank NEEDS UV. you can buy one if you like. but all you do is burn electric and bulbs.

i would suggest the FX5. it has way more flow than the other mentioned, has a excellent reliability record and represents very good value for the cost. put it this way. when people compare filters, the FX45 is compared with the top end Eheims. not something a "sponge" filter could manage.

the spares point is very well made, and important. even the best looked after filter can break an impeller or seal. you can, at least, buy them for the Fluval.

 

[bae1994]

yeah but the chipset is putting me off alot

 

[Davo86]

yeah but the chipset is putting me off alot

When it comes to something that could potentially leak hundreds of litres of water into your home the only option for me is brand new,

From what i've heard about the APS filters they are good, reliable filters but as said UV is a waste if your planning a freshwater setup
The FX is definitely heavy duty and will do a good job and can be picked up for £160 brand new,

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

As "scotty" pointed out, All Pond Solutions are doing a 20% discount code at the moment, making the 2000EF models £60 each (I have two hopefully arriving in the morning).

Makes them very tempting, even though the FX5 can be had on Ebay for £137 (bought one back in September last year).

 

[bae1994]

As "scotty" pointed out, All Pond Solutions are doing a 20% discount code at the moment, making the 2000EF models £60 each (I have two hopefully arriving in the morning).

Makes them very tempting, even though the FX5 can be had on Ebay for £137 (bought one back in September last year).

yeah thats whats sparked my interest i dont currently have the fund for 2 currently so ill probably go for one of them

 

[raptorrex]

As "scotty" pointed out, All Pond Solutions are doing a 20% discount code at the moment, making the 2000EF models £60 each (I have two hopefully arriving in the morning).

Makes them very tempting, even though the FX5 can be had on Ebay for £137 (bought one back in September last year).

yeah thats whats sparked my interest i dont currently have the fund for 2 currently so ill probably go for one of them

couldn't argue with that. but, what happens if you need a replacement part? also it will need media (though basic, the FX5 comes with sponge) which will up the price, media maker dependent.

I'd still go for the FX5. though i am comfortable with the mechanics than most, i agree. mind you i would like to see it first.

 

[walkers101]

As "scotty" pointed out, All Pond Solutions are doing a 20% discount code at the moment, making the 2000EF models £60 each (I have two hopefully arriving in the morning).

Makes them very tempting, even though the FX5 can be had on Ebay for £137 (bought one back in September last year).

yeah thats whats sparked my interest i dont currently have the fund for 2 currently so ill probably go for one of them

couldn't argue with that. but, what happens if you need a replacement part? also it will need media (though basic, the FX5 comes with sponge) which will up the price, media maker dependent.

I'd still go for the FX5. though i am comfortable with the mechanics than most, i agree. mind you i would like to see it first.

it comes full of media and all spare parts are available from the same site

 

[raptorrex]

As "scotty" pointed out, All Pond Solutions are doing a 20% discount code at the moment, making the 2000EF models £60 each (I have two hopefully arriving in the morning).

Makes them very tempting, even though the FX5 can be had on Ebay for £137 (bought one back in September last year).

yeah thats whats sparked my interest i dont currently have the fund for 2 currently so ill probably go for one of them

couldn't argue with that. but, what happens if you need a replacement part? also it will need media (though basic, the FX5 comes with sponge) which will up the price, media maker dependent.

I'd still go for the FX5. though i am comfortable with the mechanics than most, i agree. mind you i would like to see it first.

it comes full of media and all spare parts are available from the same site

well thats ok then! but you could junk the UV (they need regular replacement) as its of no use! ans one less thing that might go wrong.

only other thing is flow. even though it claims 2000lph, the true flow is less than 1000lph. dependent on tank size. this may be important.

 

[JoshuaA]

With UV bulbs on these sort of filters I am assuming they are capable of being turned on and off independently?

I mean in theory you may as well only have it turned on once or twice a day for the amount of time it takes for the filter to turn the tank over once or twice. At least then you are cleaning the water of microbial life without over doing it on the UV.

I wish I had given APS a more thorough looking at before investing in my Fluval 205, I am rather disappointed in its flow rate on my tank but the price I got it at new was the best in the UK.