Thanks for all the help so far guys, still haven't decided what to go for yet. My eyes are bleeding from all the reviews I've been reading about almost every half decent filter. From the looks of it though, I think I've narrowed it down to the FX5 and the Rena Filstar XP4, still kinda up in the air though.
Most important things to look at when purchasing a filter?
- Thread starter andrewred
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The FX5 is not a filter you want if you are after Bio Filtration. It is mostly sponge I have two and they are only ok by no means the a super filer if I had to give it stars I'd give it 2 1/2 to three stars. Biggest problem with this filter is ALLOT of bypass which can be fixed but then you will have to clean the pads in the Bio trays allot with me weekly and I have oscars in this 125 gallon tank.
I keep a lot of lava rock in my tank which takes care of my bio so I use my three canisters for mech filtration as much as anything so ease of maintenance is very important to me. I am very impressed with my fluval 405 for it's gph rate and ability to filter my tank but although I really like the quick disconnect feature the lid can be difficult to remove. I also have a sunsun 302 and a magnum 350 which clog faster than my fluval but are much easier to clean. For pure mechanical filtration I love my magnum 350. I use the media basket filled with two pouched of purigen and I wrap it with quilt batting that I throw away on a regular basis.
I believe the thing to look at, is how easy the filter media is to clean,
because if its easy to do maintenance on, then it will work at its optimum.
If it sits for 3 months gunking up, building nitrates because you dread breaking it down, its a bad filter.
If a HOB makes you rinse the pads weekly, while a canister sits forever ....I think the HOB is better
Or if you pull out a filter sock and throw it in some bleach and pop in a clean one..more often, its better
If you rinse out a sponge in water change water daily, its a better filter....... etc
Water flow, and filtration is a totally different matter.
Clear water and clean water are also very different.
If you are simply circulating nitrate soup because you don't want to clean the filter...
because if its easy to do maintenance on, then it will work at its optimum.
If it sits for 3 months gunking up, building nitrates because you dread breaking it down, its a bad filter.
If a HOB makes you rinse the pads weekly, while a canister sits forever ....I think the HOB is better
Or if you pull out a filter sock and throw it in some bleach and pop in a clean one..more often, its better
If you rinse out a sponge in water change water daily, its a better filter....... etc
Water flow, and filtration is a totally different matter.
Clear water and clean water are also very different.
If you are simply circulating nitrate soup because you don't want to clean the filter...
One of the things I usually look for is can I can I replace the media with alternative things to improve efficiency and reduce my costs. I've also been seeing a lot of cheaper unproven filters popping up. I wouldn't choose one of these I would stick to the proven brands.
My fluval 406 has to be my favorite so far. I've had it for about 2 years and it has been absolutely trouble free.
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My fluval 406 has to be my favorite so far. I've had it for about 2 years and it has been absolutely trouble free.
Sent from my Amazon Kindle Fire using MonsterAquariaNetwork App
I definitely have liked the fluval brand a lot as I have had two fluval 305's running on my 50 gallon for the last 6 years without any problem what so ever. The maintenance has been super easy and the flow rate has always been really strong and consistent and I have never had a problem with air getting into it. On the other hand, I have had my 125 gallon running this eheim g160-2075, and what a headache it has been, it seems so temperamental, and every time I clean it I am concerned that its not going to flow properly, or there will be air in it. When it's working its decent, but I need a second filter on there to make up for it and incase it decides it doesnt want to work one day. I'm not bashing all eheim's because I've heard good things from their classic series, but this one is sub par. As far as ease of cleaning goes, and disasembly and assembly goes, the fluval is much easier which is why I figured their FX5 would be a similar workhorse and easy to maintain.
"The FX5 is not a filter you want if you are after Bio Filtration. It is mostly sponge I have two and they are only ok by no means the a super filer if I had to give it stars I'd give it 2 1/2 to three stars. Biggest problem with this filter is ALLOT of bypass which can be fixed but then you will have to clean the pads in the Bio trays allot with me weekly and I have oscars in this 125 gallon tank."
hawkerw, I more than likely would be using the FX5 as a mechanical filter with a bit of bio in it, but probably would be using my eheim mainly for the bio. My water parameters have always been really nice with the eheim (definitely the thing I like most about the eheim). Would the FX5 make a superior mechanical filtration system in your guys opinion, or is there other filters just as good as it? (Brand loyalty aside because I couldn't care less what the name on the filter is, its all about its function and reliability etc)
"The FX5 is not a filter you want if you are after Bio Filtration. It is mostly sponge I have two and they are only ok by no means the a super filer if I had to give it stars I'd give it 2 1/2 to three stars. Biggest problem with this filter is ALLOT of bypass which can be fixed but then you will have to clean the pads in the Bio trays allot with me weekly and I have oscars in this 125 gallon tank."
hawkerw, I more than likely would be using the FX5 as a mechanical filter with a bit of bio in it, but probably would be using my eheim mainly for the bio. My water parameters have always been really nice with the eheim (definitely the thing I like most about the eheim). Would the FX5 make a superior mechanical filtration system in your guys opinion, or is there other filters just as good as it? (Brand loyalty aside because I couldn't care less what the name on the filter is, its all about its function and reliability etc)
The priority is different depending on where you place your 125 gal. My 125 gal is located in my entry foyer, and flood safety is my number one concern. So wet and dry and canister filters are out as both are prone to flooding accident, which leave me with HOBs as the only option. I am running two Penquin 350 and two Penquin 170 on my 125 and they provide adequate water movement and filtration with zero chance of flooding. One drawback of HOBs besides noiser than canisters is that they have the smallest filter media so I have to do frequent media replacement. Not all HOBs are flood safe. Aquaclear requires unscrewing the motor to clean the impeller and over time, the O ring will leak the same way all canister filters have O ring which will eventually leak and make a mess.
When purchasing a filter, I always look at name brands. In canisters, eheim, fluval, and rena have been around for years and are dependable products. In HOBs, aquaclear and marineland emperors are the best. They all work. It is a matter of personal preference. Don't overlook sponge filters, they are cheap and work very well. Hook up a sponge filter to a powerhead, and you will have good filtration.
Purchase or make a wet/dry filter..............My rule is any tank over 100g should have a wet/dry...........
