Fluval Filters

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
You won't be disappointed with a fluval! I ran a 403 on a heavily populated 100 gallon pleco tank and I never ran into nitrate, nitrite problem. Some of the fish I had were:

9" Blue Eye Panaque
8" L47 Mango
9" Sailfin
11" Tiger shovel nose
10" Maculatus Pim
8 adult Angel fish

I have a 404 now and it is just as quiet as the 403. The tank was in my living room for 10 years. The 404 is a breeze to clean and it can fit underneath your tank. It has a pretty small footprint considering the amount of media you can fit in it. I vote for the Fluval. Get the biggest model you can afford because you can always move it to a bigger tank if you need to. Hope this helps.
 
Ok, everyone seems to love these Fluvals, but how do you keep them from siphoning the entire tank into the living room when the power goes out??!!?? :swear: :swear: :swear: :duh:
 
Go with the Eheim ... I have 9 of them on my tanks ... My favorite is the 2217 followed by the pro2 2028 ... Although you can't beat the huge pro3 filtering my 180. It's a beast ... They may cost a couple more bucks up front but in the long run it will save you a ton of headaches ...
 
FunkSkunk,

This is the first I ever heard of a Fluval having a siphon/tank drain issue. I am assuming you are using the 404. Was it leaking from the seal or the quick-disconnect? I don't blame you for wanting to drop kick the thing, but I turn mine off to do water changes and never had a problem. I feel for you. My buddy next door ruined his wood floors with a leaky sump in his saltwater setup. Twice also! He is going tile soon. You have me thinking on this one.
 
I have 2 eheim classics and a fluval 404.

I prefer the eheims by far.

They prime perfectly, no trapped air, totally silent, they don't clog and have the output drop easily. The intake is on the bottom so no bypassing of media.

The fluval 404's self prime thing is crap, and when it starts it has loads of trapped air and you need to tilt it around etc. It's also not as silent as the eheims.

So far eheim classics are my fave filter.
 
Honestly I would love to use the 404, its super huge and worked great on my 90gallon tank. But the when the power even flickers and the 404 turns off for just a few seconds it will start to siphon out the tank! From what i remember there would be a real thin even flow of water coming out from the seam were it closes and you'd have to fight with the fluval to get it to flow correctly (i really hate that about the 404, its not an easy thing to get started correctly)

I've replaced the silcon O-ring but that didnt' work and it still does it. I guess i should experiment with it to see what the real problem is. Its really lame to have a decent filter like that just sitting under my tank while the levels go to crap with the oversized hang-on filter we're using for now. Honestly I've neglected the tank because of this problem, its a real bummer! :flamed:
 
Wow! I had never heard of a fluval having seal problems when the power was off. I'll have to keep an eye on mine.

I currently have a Fluval 404 and two Filstar XP-3s. I have not had any problems with either, although I do have one issue with the hoses on the Fluval. They provided ribbed hosing which is great for not kinking, but it collects a lot of junk in the outlet hose and whenever I turn off the filter to clean it and restart it, it shoots a lot of that junk into the tank. Other than that, they both seem like fine filters.

I have never owned an Eheim, but I have heard that they last forever and that is one of their greater selling points.
 
My fluval 404 still sounds like it has trapped air in it, and the flow doesn't seem as strong as it should.

What's the trick to prime it perfectly and get rid of the trapped air?
 
i've decided to go w/ two aquaclears on my tank. the only reason i needed to get a canister filter was bec the tank is going in my room and the place it was going i was only 18" wide bec. my bed is there. i have since moved my bed a few inches and now have enough room for power filters.
 
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