fx5 media placement

[snake513]

ok so here is the problem... ive seen on here that the water comes up from the bottom and then up and out ....however the factory guide says that the prefilter should be in the top tray.im just trying to get this right becuase i dont want my biomax$$$$ being used as prefilter.. anyone know for sure and if it does come from the bottom why would hagen state that it the pre filter should be in the top tray...thanks and please someone help me out


anyone ever modified the intake so you could have 2 instead of one...1 at each end of tank and return in the middle

 

[brianp]

One of the problems with the FX5 is that you are limited to using only a medium porosity foam pad unless you add the white or blue Fluval water polishing pads to the central area of the top media basket. I'm sure that Hagen is instructing you to do this because fine debris can still get through the white foam and will eventually clog your biomedia. Unfortunately, these pads clog rapidly and can impede water movement. I have circumvented this problem by placing a layer of polyester mesh behind each white foam pad. I'm not talking about the white fluffy stuff, but rather the thin, off-white material that is sold by Odyssea. Cut each of these to the same general size as the foam pad but about 2 mm shorter in height (so it's not hitting the bottom of the media basket above it). Using the polyester pads in this fashion maintains a large surface area for the water to flow through and obviates the requirement to place the round Hagen pads in the central media area.

 

[btmachone]

I was wondering the same thing and trying to figure out how the fx5 works. It appears that the water comes in the bottom, on the outside. I think it goes up through the outer sponges, and then goes back down through the center trays, where it is then picked up by the pump at the bottom and returned to the tank. I think that is why the prefilter is supposed to go at the top. Since the water goes from the bottom on the top and then back down the middle. That is my best guess. If anybody else has a better insight, i would be curious to know. Hope that helps.

 

[Merbeast]

Forget the pre-filter rings. Use scrubbies and ceramic bio media in all the trays.

 

[Wolf3101]

I run several FX5's and use nothing but ceramic rings in the center baskets. The outer foam will only allow small material to pass for a short time but as it becomes established it traps smaller and smaller debris in the same way that the foam block does in an Aquaclear 110... If you put anything other than low restrictionbio-media in the center baskets your will drop the flow rate quite a bit. there is no real need to run a creative mix of media in the FX5. the stock mechanical foam will keep your tank crystal clear and with the center baskets filled with ceramic rings you'll increase the factory bio-capacity two fold.

 

[snake513]

thanks wolf and the rest i took out the old carbon now that the bb has had a chance to populate on the bio max..it is working 10 times better . i had the carbon packed in there prety tight and i hguess it was cutting down the flow..