NEW Odyssea filter rivals Fluval fx5 - MUCH cheaper!

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Dan F said:
While some people have had great luck with cheap Chinese knock-off filters, I've read enough horror stories that I would never buy one. A half-price filter isn't a very good deal if it dies after a couple years or, worse yet, floods your house causing thousands of dollars worth of damage...
Click to expand...
Totally agree! I not only read or hear, but also experienced those horror stories!
 
dmopar74 said:
considering almost all cans are built in china now, im not too worried about the "knock off" aspect. i feel most cans are severely overpriced now, considering you used to be able to buy an xp3 for $100 but a few years ago. i bought my xp4 for $130 new "back in the day", but would never consider buying another for todays prices. there has to be a cheaper alternative to todays pure greed from the manufacturers, perhaps this is it.

NOTE- i did buy an odyssea MH light, and the ballast did break after less than 24 hours of use, but for the $5 fix i had to put into it im still happy i saved atleast $150 over other brands. for low prices i do expect problems though.
Click to expand...
Although almost all cans are made/built in China, not all cans has the "knock off" quality control/quality assurance
 
JOSCAR05 said:
i go to the lfs Aquatraders in san bruno california to restock my food supply for my fish and turtles. bought my clown knife fish there and my dads filter odyssea cfs500 and works wonders for his 100 gallon tank. and its been about 2 maybe 3 years i think. runs perfectly. i dont think these chinese knockoffs are bad at all, honestly i dont even feel like it is a knockoff. id go for it but dont need that many gph for my tanks. maybe one day
Click to expand...

SickSauce said:
Actually Mines is the 700 Model so its like 23". The 14i is really tall, just remember seeing it in person at Aquatraders. The Uv is build in the center of the canister. I cant speak for the 14i but the 700&500 cant compare to a FX5 which I have. Side note the Hose clamps fits on the fx5
Click to expand...

I too have the cfs 500 on my tank. I'm impressed with it. If I put another one on it, it would be overkill. Yet still cheaper than an fx5. During my membership here I have seen more posts about fx5 failure than any other filter. What can we attribute that too?

Sent from my LG-P509 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App
 
Tbone7050 said:
If anyone has these odyssea's please provide pictures and feedback. I'm looking at the cfs700. I already have an aquatop 500uv and was going to get one of those, but this caught my eye.


Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
Click to expand...

This my my cfs700 under my 220 and is not the best on my cell:

uploadfromtaptalk1345661284341.jpg

Sent from my LGL45C using MonsterAquariaNetwork App
 
Tbone7050 said:
I heard it has a really big intake in the tank. Like a big price of foam. Does yours have that?


Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
Click to expand...

It has 1" intake and output tubes and moves a lot of water. It has the filter pads of various sizes abd porness's to them. The uv sits in the middle and I leave mine on all the time and its very quiet.

Sent from my LGL45C using MonsterAquariaNetwork App
 
You can get FX5's all the time for ~$200 shipped to your door if you know where to look. Granted, they don't come with media. So add on $30 or so for some media. That puts you at ~$230 total for an FX5

This Odyssea canister is $150 plus shipping plus a $30 oversize item charge (listed as an oversize charge regardless of any coupons or discounts on the site). And that is the only place that carries them, so they aren't going to be cheaper. That puts you pretty darn close to the price of an FX5.

For the extra ~$40-50, I'll take the FX5 all day every day. And for those saying they see a lot of broken ones and people complaining, that's because there's so many of them out there. Every product has a percentage failure rate. And Fluval will take care of you if their product takes a crap on you.

However, I still think the best is to DIY a sump. A few plastic tote containers, some plumbing, and a Mag pump, and you have something that will beat the tar out of any of these little wimpy canisters. Plus, if you design it correctly, the ease of maintenence is absolutely unparalleled.
 
I know the op's original attention was just to let other fish keepers know about another filter. However, it seems that it always come down to which is better in these threads. In the big scheme of things is all the matters is that your filter gives your fish the biological, mechanical and chemical resources that is needed. As long as they are happy and live a full life, why does it matter? A good properly placed wavemaker will make the difference with things also.

Ill use any filter really and think a majority go out do to user fault and not fault of the manufacturer (lack of cleaning, dropping, not changing filter padding....etc). I do agree a lot do have defects, however not as many that are reported are their (manufacturers) fault. I've never had a problem with the cheaper filters as long as they are taken care of properly. By the way that $200 fluval (if you find it that cheap) + media (that is more than $30 btw unless just mech) is still $75+ more to buy and I can use that for lighting or a few heaters...that's just my thoughts though :)

As for the inlet on the cfs700, I'm sure it might be large in some tanks however in my 220 its fine.
Sent from my LGL45C using MonsterAquariaNetwork App
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom