Here's my nickle comment on the Fluval FX5. After buying 405s and 305s and being pretty happy with them on my 55, 75 and 125 gal tanks ... when I got my 220 gal ... I was ready to buy the FX5. Got a great price online, the setup was easy and all was well. However ... after listening to all the debate between Eheim and Fluval (almost as bad as Mac vs PC!) I thought ... well, maybe I'll try an Eheim. Because, if you don't actually have something and see it work for yourself ... the rest are just comments and feedback from others, right?
Anyway - my tanks were always ok, fish were healthy, no problems. But I did notice other folks and the LFS seemed to have the crystal clear water I always worked toward, and never really really had with the Fluvals.
In summary ... I got an Eheim 2217. HOLY SMOKES what diff! In one day ... the water on my 55 gal was PERFECTLY CRYSTAL CLEAR! Seriously, the hype is true. That doesn't make Fluval a bad filter ... and yes the Eheims are a bit more money, but geez, I'm a believer now. I'm slowly converting my tanks over to Eheims. I've relplaced the FX5 with the monster 2260 (on the 220 gal). And also have 2 2215s and 2 2217s. Below is a stock photo, but gives you a good comparison. Like I said - I wasn't disappointed with any of the Fluvals - they were easy to use, the media trays are nice, but the results of the Eheim have convinced me to go with that brand. BTW, the motor unit failed on the FX5 after 5 months - Fluval replaced it with not questions asked. Good cusomter service.