Fluval FX5 Canister Filter

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
They are good filters but i wonted pay the RRP for one , i got mine off Ebay a couple of months back for £130.00 with £20.00 P+P .
 
It is a great filter, there is two things you need to be aware of:

1. This filter may cause you problems if you plan on having any kind of filter pads in the center baskets, they seem to clog up quickly and thereby cause air to be trapped and flow is massively reduced. This can be countered by cleaning the pads often.

2. If you use sand as a substrate you may also have trouble, the impeller and the motor in this filter is at the bottem, unlike many of the competetion. If you have the intake to close to the bottom, it will suck in particles which will ultimately end up at the bottom and a very distinct wushing sound will appear and the filter may just shut down after the auto restart and not start again. Move the intake very high.
 
If you use sand as a substrate you may also have trouble, the impeller and the motor in this filter is at the bottem, unlike many of the competetion. If you have the intake to close to the bottom, it will suck in particles which will ultimately end up at the bottom and a very distinct wushing sound will appear and the filter may just shut down after the auto restart and not start again. Move the intake very high.
Click to expand...

Sand won't travel to the impeller. The sand will fall to the bottom of the canister on the outisde of the baskets. This is a theory that people have because they don't know the flow pattern or the flow velocity.

The water flows down the intake tube to the bottom of the canister, the water then has to travel UP (just like all other canisters) to flow through the sponges and then up some more to fall down into the center of the baskets. The only way you could possibly get sand to the impeller is using very very light sand that stays suspended, in which case, you will have sand reach the impeller if it was on the top as well.
 
Microsoft Live.com offers 25% cashback on some of the ebay items.
go to www.live.com and search for "FX5 new ebay" and click on the live search cashback link. http://search.live.com/results.aspx?q=FX5+new+ebay&go=&form=QBLH
get the one that's $170 brand new with 3 year warranty, with shipping you will end up pay a little under $170 after the cashback. just make sure you read the cashback FAQ to understand how it works first.
it's good filter, I just got one about a week ago and am loving it.
 
i also have had mine for just over a year now, they are the dogs danglie bits, love em, cant fault mine
 
i had 3 and rate them highly, i even had an issue with a pump and recd a new one FOC from hagen through the post after just 1 phone call.
i just sold 2 of them as i only need the 1.
 
Jgray152;2403130; said:
Sand won't travel to the impeller. The sand will fall to the bottom of the canister on the outisde of the baskets. This is a theory that people have because they don't know the flow pattern or the flow velocity.

The water flows down the intake tube to the bottom of the canister, the water then has to travel UP (just like all other canisters) to flow through the sponges and then up some more to fall down into the center of the baskets. The only way you could possibly get sand to the impeller is using very very light sand that stays suspended, in which case, you will have sand reach the impeller if it was on the top as well.
Click to expand...

Yes it will, goes right thru the foam and into the basket where it eventually ends up in the impeller. I wrote to Hagen they confirmed it is a know problem, and that they recommend at least 20 CM between sand substrate and the intake.

I clean sand out of mine every time I rinse it, so lets get real...

There is so much swirl going on inside the canister that it will carry the sand thru.
 
I must have some heavy sand then because all of mine stays on the outside of the baskets (when I had baskets).
 
I'd only get it if there was a huge bio-load. If you are going to have a million neon tetras, a few angel fish, and a bunch of plants, then I wouldn't get one. But if you are housing 10 plecos, and 5 oscars, it'd be a different story.
 
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