Fluval FX2 (Amazon): geni.us/skvs7 Filter media, filter kits and foams: www.filterpro.co.uk Eheim Substrat Pro: geni.us/98euQaB The FX2 is another very well made filter from Fluval which is only let down by the tiny amount of biological filter media which comes with it. The Fluval FX2 filter can easily be upgraded by adding 2.5kg (5.5 lbs) of Biohome Ultimate in the 2 trays, making the FX2 suitable for a normally stocked tank up to 250 litres (66 US gallons) or a heavily stocked tank up to 125 litres (33 US gallons) - for a full nitrogen cycle, not half a job. *TIME STAMPS*: 00:00 Intro 01:48 Comparing the FX2 to FX4, FX5, FX6 02:20 Looking inside the filter 04:15 Comparing the FX2 filter trays to the FX4, FX5, FX6 filter trays 05:40 Fluval set up (foams) 06:30 Fluval set up (biological and chemical media) 08:25 Upgrading the FX2 filter (foam options) 16:45 Upgrading the FX2 filter (biological media) 19:10 Summary of changes 20:04 How Biohome filter media works and how I worked out how much media to recommend 21:42 Tank size / stock recommendations 23:06 Warning about (some) water conditioners 24:52 Outro Please post your reports of using the Fluval FX2 canister filter long-term in the comment section - that is what it is for. Thanks in advance. As long as you avoid using damaging water conditioners which starve the bacteria in the system by messing with the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate there is no reason why you shouldn't be able to achieve a full cycle (0-5ppm nitrate) when your filter is properly sized and set up well with suitable filter media. That's what this series of videos is all about so if you've found this video useful please share it on Facebook, whatever Twitter is now or any other 'social' media sites. If you'd rather watch these videos with no ads then check out my Odysee channel here: odysee.com/$/invite/@PondGuru:0 I have my settings on TH-cam to be the bare minimum of one skippable advert at the start of my videos so if you see more than one advert on my videos please let me know and I will challenge TH-cam. RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS ON AMAZON: goo.gl/jMaBWy INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/pondguru_outdoors/ FILMING EQUIPMENT: Panasonic HC-VX870 HD camcorder geni.us/3UwE +Rode stereo microphone: geni.us/4OL +Rode 'deadcat' mic cover: geni.us/1pmn JVC Everio quad proof HD camcorder: geni.us/e09e +Rode 'deadcat' mic cover (opened up and held between tripod and camera base) geni.us/dee24 Zomei Z666 tripod: geni.us/1a1af3 Manfrotto MTPIXI-B PIXI mini tripod: geni.us/87f7 RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS ON AMAZON: goo.gl/jMaBWy INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/pondguru_outdoors/ If you've enjoyed this video please check out the playlists on my channel for hundreds more - on a variety of subjects. Feel free to share or link any of my videos on facebook, twitter, forums etc. for the benefit of anyone you think may also enjoy watching. See you next time. Pondguru (Richard)
Great video Richard, some very useful information especially on the water additives pushed by affiliates of a major chemical company in USA. I’ve just received upgrade kits for 3 new FX6 filters, arrived in Australia in a couple of weeks after orded, looking forward to setting the filters up with the sponges and bio ultimate media, i’ll post updates of the parameters of the 2 /180gal cichlid and frontosa tanks as the media matures, thanks again,Steve, queensland Australia
Good one - as long as you're using enough media for the situation and allowing the bacteria to thrive (by not using prime) the results should be great - It would be great to hear how you get on.
Nice one, great video as always mate... I have the FX4, set it up as per your video ages ago, got all my filters & media from you... Great stuff.. Also, dont forget where the in water hits the bottom of the filter, you can put some of the fluval media round that outer channel to catch the big bits.. 👍👍
Yes, good point - since there is no bottom drain in this model of FX filter that would work but to be fair the small channel would probably only fit Eheim mech into it.
Basically anything which doesn't mess with the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate is fine to use and will make the water safe for life - that's 95% of them out there. I always recommend API Stress Coat since I've never heard of any problems maturing a system while using that one - it works well and is good value. Luckily the damaging conditioners (e.g. Prime, Safe, Aqua Essential, Fritz Complete etc.) all have what they do (detoxify / remove / bind the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate) written on the front of the bottle as a selling point when it really should be a warning.
Anything which doesn't claim to 'remove / detoxify / bind' the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate - as a normal dechlorinator API Stress Coat is great since it simply allows the water to be safe for life and doesn't mess with the food the bacteria needs.
I love these pimp my filter videos just some constructive feedback, you would receive more views if your thumbnails were more eye catching with graphics etc like the other fish aquarium TH-camrs.
Thanks for that - You are 100% correct and I really need to make an effort for the thumbnails since my poor quality pictures are letting the channel down. I'm hopeless with anything computer related but have been working on a template for this series of videos. It's still not very good but the thumbnails will be 10x better than the mess they are now.
Loving your video's (and I've binged quite a few today). I'm researching a filter for a 6ft tank I've just bought. Keen to know what you'd recommend for a 540L tank. I've also read lots of opinions on Reddit stating foam is as good as matrix/biohome because you don't get denitrifying effects from such small media. Keen to hear if you've got a video testing that?
If you search for 'Looking inside filter media' on TH-cam a video will come up where I show the internal structure of lots of different types of filter media. There is also a post on my 'community' tab on my channel which has a post showing parts of a study by Athens university where the Biohome processed a ridiculously large amount of ammonia, nitrite and nitrate through bacterial action in a long running test. As long as you're not using a damaging water conditioner which messes with the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate (e.g. prime) the bacteria will be free to populate all parts of a suitable media and a full cycle is easily achieved. Unfortunately there are a couple of online 'tests' being posted to forums etc. where prime was used and no full cycle was achieved when using Biohome - I could have told them that before they started the test so it was a total waste of time. The bacteria was basically starved down to a low population and in those circumstances any media will test the same in that it will be good on ammonia and nitrate through aerobic processes but have no effect on nitrate due to lack of active bacteria (through starvation). What will be you stocking the 540 litre tank with? The stock will dictate the level of filtration needed.
Hey Richard, awesome review as always. Can you please recommend some of the good water conditioners to use to maintain the bacteria as i have always used Seachem Prime which im guessing is what you are referring to. Thanks
API Stress Coat is the one I always recommend since I've never heard of any problems establishing the filter while using that one - it simply makes the water safe for life. However, anything which doesn't mess with the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate will do the job of making water safe. You will only notice the difference in nitrate level if the filter is suitably sized and set up to achieve a full cycle with enough media for the tank and stock so if the filter is under-sized or set up with plastic balls / rings etc. the nitrate will be high no matter what conditioner / dechlorinator you use since it needs enough active bacteria in the system to process the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate.
Cheers Richard, I have a 600L with the Aquael Hyper Max 4500 which is filled with Seachem Matrix and I have a 400L with a FX6 which is also filled with Seachem Matrix so I may try a different water conditioner to see if it helps to get me a full cycle and reduce my nitrates.
@@08CL9 As long as you have plenty of media which can support the anaerobic bacteria in the system then a full cycle should be achieved in any stocking scenario. For the Biohome Ultimate that would be 6kg for a normally stocked 600 litre tank and up to 12kg for a heavily stocked 600 litre tank, 4kg for a normally stocked 400 litre tank and 8kg for a heavily stocked 400 litre tank. Unfortunately the low quality pumice sold as 'matrix' is so variable in quality that there is no way to accurately predict how much of the pumice it could take to achieve a full cycle - you could be lucky and get decent rock. Let me know how it goes.
On the 'Filter KIts' page there are a nation of different kits including the FX5/6, FX4 and FX2 - it sounds like you're looking at the home page? It only has a small selection of products on it and all the filter kits are on the 'Filter Kits' page. Regards, Richard
That's why I regularly mention that you can expect flow to reduce by 40%-50% during normal use compared to the manufacturer's claims. It will reduce more as the fine pad gets clogged. It is good to see some manufacturers (e.g. Aquael) giving a max. flow rate (which is never achievable) and a realistic flow rate once the filter is set up and placed under the tank. How did your work out? What was the percentage drop? And what filter did you test?
Very nice one again, i always like your videos. But the last sentence .. your filter is dead.. how do you know if your filter is stil healthy? I have oase biomaster 350 setup like you adviced. but its having trouble to keep my goldfish tank (1meter) with 8 fish clean, and i have to 50% water changes weekly. I use the orange prefilters an clean them every 2 weeks.. Goldfish are poopers :)
You know if the filter is working by testing the levels of ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. The nitrate is the main indicator of filter health since it is easy to keep the ammonia and nitrite at 0 with minimal filtration (aerobic bacteria responsible for processing ammonia and nitrite live everywhere in the system and a decent substrate with foam filtration is usually enough to ensure 0 ammonia and 0 nitrite in most situations. For heavy stock situations with no plants the higher the nitrate is a week after a water change the more the filter is failing and if it is 60-80ppm the filter has very little going on. The lower the nitrate the better the filter is working.
Unless the spray bar has a very limited amount of extremely small holes it won't put extra back pressure on the pump. I'm sure that someone will have reviewed the FX spray bar online but it isn't something I've had a look at.
Hello Richard Great work! I have a have a HOB filter that you might be interested in reviewing. And as far as I can see you have not reviewed? How do I contact you? I’m retired and not that media savvy!
Am I right in thinking that as soon as you open your filter up to clean it and expose the anaerobic bacteria to oxygen then you basically have to start the process again?
I can see why you'd think that (and there are many people online claiming that is the case) but the survival of bacteria comes down to what type of media is holding the bacteria. For example, if you are using plastic balls, ceramic rings etc. which have all of their surface area externally there will be very little anaerobic bacteria living on it unless the filter is extremely slow flow (and the water is deoxygenated). In that case when you remove the media from the filter the bacteria is exposed to air immediately which will have a negative effect on the population directly in line with how long it is out of the filter. However, if you're using good quality porous filter media the bacteria survives in it for much longer when it is removed from the filter and cleaning is no problem. That's because the media holds onto the water inside it and creates a 'water jacket' protection to retain the anaerobic bacteria living deep inside it. In the case of the Biohome the bacteria is protected so well that cleaning the media under a tap isn't a problem - the water protecting the bacteria inside it can't be washed out by more water and the only way the bacteria suffers a large population crash is when the media is left to dry out completely which will starve it due to lack of food. Similarly bacteria will be starved when damaging water conditioners (e.g. Prime) are used which has a devastating effect on bacteria by starving it of the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate it needs to prosper. That's why I always recommend a simple dechlorinator (e.g. API Stress Coat) which makes the water safe for life and allows beneficial bacteria to prosper in line with the available food. Hope that makes sense.
You wouldn't necessarily run a carbon impregnated pad would you? Either way I have an older FX5 that I intend to use later. Thanks so much for posting this!
@@kerrypitt9789 You don't need carbon unless you need carbon. Usually you only need carbon if you have bogwood or almond leaves which stain the water with tannins or you need to draw in residual fish treatments after a course of treatment. Unfortunately most filter companies will put carbon into their filters since it masks the side effects of a failing filter (smell from high ammonia) and guarantees monthly sales from anyone who has bought the filter based on the promises of how much water it will filter and hasn't upgraded the filter. Currently I'm not aware of any filter which is set up with enough media to properly process all the waste from a tank of the size the manufacturer claims the filter will cope with. If you have a sensibly stocked tank and a well set up filter you won't need carbon.
For a normally stocked tank? Yes that would be a decent choice. If the tank was heavily stocked tank (e.g. Cichlid, Goldfish etc.) then you'd be better off with the FX6 as it holds 5kg of media.
It looks decent but the pores in the media are very large so water will fly through it. However, it would be decent in a really slow filter where the water becomes deoxygenated as it slowly flows through it. It's certainly more useful than the media which is supplied in the FX filters and I reckon that Fluval could afford to fill the trays with their better media instead of including an amount of inferior media which amounts to a token gesture.
My first reaction when I saw an FX filter was "it looks quite old fashioned", I realised instantly there wasn't enough media in there and the cynical reason the foams were white. It's also annoyingly over-complicated. It feels like there are much cheaper, more modern filters out there now and Fluval hasn't moved on. Oase keep improving their filters. Allpondsolutions have some great cheap filters, But 'The Industry Standard' Fluval FX filters are stuck in the past.
Yes I can't disagree with any of that - the FX filters work well but hold very little media for the size of them and the lack of an easy to clean pre-filter is glaring in light of the filters from Oase and Aquael. The size of tanks they are recommended for has always been ridiculous but all manufacturers exaggerate the filter capabilities to one degree or another.
Nice one Richard. These fluval Fx's are great filters and really well made, but the amounts of biological media they can hold is just a massive let down, considering the size of the thing and it's cost. And the claims on tank size that it can filter must never take nitrate levels into account, just being for basic Ammonia to nitrite to nitrate that can be off the scale. In a large tank with a moderate fish load, this would not be good enough to keep the water clear of floating particles. As I say ,they are good filters but way over exaggerated on their actual filtering capabilities.
@@MDBD2405 I agree with what you are saying, but when you see the hulking great size of the box at the start of the video, and then the size of the filter, the small amount of biological media it can hold is really disappointing,and let's it down hugely in my opinion.
@@Les-OZZYTHEOSCARoh I see what you mean now yes you are right about the biological media, it is a poor show on Fluval they should like Richard said just do Way with the red trays and add more media, other than that, they are really well-made filters that last a long time.
@@MDBD2405 No ,I'm saying that this filter will not even hold 3 kg of biological media in total. For this filters overall size and cost, that is a pitiful amount. .
Unfortunately it's pretty much one of tje best we have to work with and luckily substrate plants decor as well as sponges help in housing beneficial bacteria as well
It does seem complicated but the design ensures that there is a massive increase in the mechanical filtration compared to conventional filter designs. It's just a shame tha the filters hold nowhere near enough biological media for Fluval's recommended tank size. You're not the only one who thinks it's complicated as I've seen some big channels on TH-cam making a total balls of explaining how the filter works, lol
@@pondguru , not for me tho, I’ve got a pre filter to a 1400 all pond solution’s external and 3kg of your bio media and it does the job ( thank you ) fancy goldfish 125l tank. Maybe Ott, but they💩 a lot . Only 4 fish tho’
@@mrquiff123 That sounds perfect to me as the 3kg of media would be suitabel for up to 150 litres for a heavily stocked tank. Goldfish are just a sort of carp and the anagram of 'carp' lets you know what they produce lots of, lol
Ideally the chemical would be last so that the bacteria in the biological zone gets first chance at any trace elements and food it needs to prosper. If that is stripped out before the biological zone then the bacteria will probably be operating at a lower population. All sewage and water treatment plants go mechanical, biological then chemical for that reason and a filter on a pond or aquarium is just a minaturized version of the same process.
Again telling it how it is, yes that is how they make their money. sell expensive filters and then sell the media. all a con. but here you are telling everyone again. BTW oase has finally listened and made an upgrade to their biomaster with bigger and better holes in the tube. Well done for keep bringing it up. another great video.
Great filters. But time has moved on. Aquael Hypermax blows the FX 5/6 out of the water on both flow rate and more importantly media capacity. Small things too like having to unscrew the motor housing to get at the impeller for cleaning. And those annoying screw tab things to remove the lid. And no pre-filter if you want one. I'm heading for the bunker now in case the Fluval Fanboys get triggered. 😂
Time has indeed moved on and those points you make are valid. Luckily Fluval haven't compromised on build quality even if the actual design is outdated compared to newer models from other manufacturers. Compare that to Eheim and it's clear why Fluval still have a big market share. It is good to see the newer companies coming up and challenging the status quo since it drives innovation and that can only be good for the end user.
Fluval FX2 (Amazon): geni.us/skvs7
Filter media, filter kits and foams: www.filterpro.co.uk
Eheim Substrat Pro: geni.us/98euQaB
The FX2 is another very well made filter from Fluval which is only let down by the tiny amount of biological filter media which comes with it.
The Fluval FX2 filter can easily be upgraded by adding 2.5kg (5.5 lbs) of Biohome Ultimate in the 2 trays, making the FX2 suitable for a normally stocked tank up to 250 litres (66 US gallons) or a heavily stocked tank up to 125 litres (33 US gallons) - for a full nitrogen cycle, not half a job.
*TIME STAMPS*:
00:00 Intro
01:48 Comparing the FX2 to FX4, FX5, FX6
02:20 Looking inside the filter
04:15 Comparing the FX2 filter trays to the FX4, FX5, FX6 filter trays
05:40 Fluval set up (foams)
06:30 Fluval set up (biological and chemical media)
08:25 Upgrading the FX2 filter (foam options)
16:45 Upgrading the FX2 filter (biological media)
19:10 Summary of changes
20:04 How Biohome filter media works and how I worked out how much media to recommend
21:42 Tank size / stock recommendations
23:06 Warning about (some) water conditioners
24:52 Outro
Please post your reports of using the Fluval FX2 canister filter long-term in the comment section - that is what it is for. Thanks in advance.
As long as you avoid using damaging water conditioners which starve the bacteria in the system by messing with the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate there is no reason why you shouldn't be able to achieve a full cycle (0-5ppm nitrate) when your filter is properly sized and set up well with suitable filter media.
That's what this series of videos is all about so if you've found this video useful please share it on Facebook, whatever Twitter is now or any other 'social' media sites.
If you'd rather watch these videos with no ads then check out my Odysee channel here: odysee.com/$/invite/@PondGuru:0
I have my settings on TH-cam to be the bare minimum of one skippable advert at the start of my videos so if you see more than one advert on my videos please let me know and I will challenge TH-cam.
RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS ON AMAZON: goo.gl/jMaBWy
INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/pondguru_outdoors/
FILMING EQUIPMENT:
Panasonic HC-VX870 HD camcorder geni.us/3UwE
+Rode stereo microphone: geni.us/4OL
+Rode 'deadcat' mic cover: geni.us/1pmn
JVC Everio quad proof HD camcorder: geni.us/e09e
+Rode 'deadcat' mic cover (opened up and held between tripod and camera base) geni.us/dee24
Zomei Z666 tripod: geni.us/1a1af3
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RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS ON AMAZON: goo.gl/jMaBWy
INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/pondguru_outdoors/
If you've enjoyed this video please check out the playlists on my channel for hundreds more - on a variety of subjects.
Feel free to share or link any of my videos on facebook, twitter, forums etc. for the benefit of anyone you think may also enjoy watching.
See you next time.
Pondguru (Richard)
Great video Richard, some very useful information especially on the water additives pushed by affiliates of a major chemical company in USA. I’ve just received upgrade kits for 3 new FX6 filters, arrived in Australia in a couple of weeks after orded, looking forward to setting the filters up with the sponges and bio ultimate media, i’ll post updates of the parameters of the 2 /180gal cichlid and frontosa tanks as the media matures, thanks again,Steve, queensland Australia
Good one - as long as you're using enough media for the situation and allowing the bacteria to thrive (by not using prime) the results should be great - It would be great to hear how you get on.
@ Ok, i’ve put 5kg of ultimate in each filter, i’ve ordered flourish XL and stress coat, no more Prime, cheers Steve
@@stevewilson9632 Sounds like a recipe for success to me - best of luck with the tank and let me know how you get on with it.
Thanks for replying to my question as always good informative video, I have ordered biohome for a fluval 307.
Thanks for the order and best of luck with the tank.
Richard, as always it was pleasure to watch a new video 😉
No worries and I'm glad you found the video useful.
Thank you Richard, always informative.
No worries and I'm glad you found the video useful.
Keep up the good work Richard 👏 🙌
Will do no worries - thanks for watching and appreciating the videos.
Love ya work Richard
No worries and I'm glad you found the video useful. Thanks for watching.
Many thanks! I’ve learned so much from what you’ve said. Will have an invested interest in what you have to say from now on.
No worries and I'm glad you found the video useful.
Always a good day when there is a new Pondguru video.Crack open a tin and enjoy...
One of these days I'll upload 20 videos in a day to see how hammered you end up, lol
Thanks for watching and appreciating the videos.
Very informative video as always Richard, thank you.
No worries and I'm glad you found the video useful.
Nice one, great video as always mate... I have the FX4, set it up as per your video ages ago, got all my filters & media from you... Great stuff..
Also, dont forget where the in water hits the bottom of the filter, you can put some of the fluval media round that outer channel to catch the big bits.. 👍👍
Yes, good point - since there is no bottom drain in this model of FX filter that would work but to be fair the small channel would probably only fit Eheim mech into it.
Another great filter setup 👍 could you recommend a few options for ordinary declorinators please Richard?
Thanks
Aaron
Basically anything which doesn't mess with the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate is fine to use and will make the water safe for life - that's 95% of them out there.
I always recommend API Stress Coat since I've never heard of any problems maturing a system while using that one - it works well and is good value.
Luckily the damaging conditioners (e.g. Prime, Safe, Aqua Essential, Fritz Complete etc.) all have what they do (detoxify / remove / bind the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate) written on the front of the bottle as a selling point when it really should be a warning.
@ magic much appreciated 👍
@@pondguru thank you
Hi mate awesome video as always what water conditioner do you recommend? Cheers
Anything which doesn't claim to 'remove / detoxify / bind' the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate - as a normal dechlorinator API Stress Coat is great since it simply allows the water to be safe for life and doesn't mess with the food the bacteria needs.
Thank you for the reply ill give that a try. @@pondguru
Thanks for the information!
No worries and thanks for watching.
Интересно!
Спасибо за Ваш опыт и рекомендации.🤝
Для Вас мой лайк 👍👍👍👍 из России ❤
Не беспокойтесь, я рад, что видео оказалось для вас полезным. Спасибо за просмотр и хорошего вам дня.
They have premium media now call Bio FX. They are pretty good.
Yes, that looks decent. I haven't had a chance to look at it under a microscope yet but the outside definitely looks promising.
I love these pimp my filter videos just some constructive feedback, you would receive more views if your thumbnails were more eye catching with graphics etc like the other fish aquarium TH-camrs.
Thanks for that - You are 100% correct and I really need to make an effort for the thumbnails since my poor quality pictures are letting the channel down.
I'm hopeless with anything computer related but have been working on a template for this series of videos. It's still not very good but the thumbnails will be 10x better than the mess they are now.
Loving your video's (and I've binged quite a few today). I'm researching a filter for a 6ft tank I've just bought. Keen to know what you'd recommend for a 540L tank.
I've also read lots of opinions on Reddit stating foam is as good as matrix/biohome because you don't get denitrifying effects from such small media. Keen to hear if you've got a video testing that?
If you search for 'Looking inside filter media' on TH-cam a video will come up where I show the internal structure of lots of different types of filter media. There is also a post on my 'community' tab on my channel which has a post showing parts of a study by Athens university where the Biohome processed a ridiculously large amount of ammonia, nitrite and nitrate through bacterial action in a long running test.
As long as you're not using a damaging water conditioner which messes with the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate (e.g. prime) the bacteria will be free to populate all parts of a suitable media and a full cycle is easily achieved.
Unfortunately there are a couple of online 'tests' being posted to forums etc. where prime was used and no full cycle was achieved when using Biohome - I could have told them that before they started the test so it was a total waste of time. The bacteria was basically starved down to a low population and in those circumstances any media will test the same in that it will be good on ammonia and nitrate through aerobic processes but have no effect on nitrate due to lack of active bacteria (through starvation).
What will be you stocking the 540 litre tank with? The stock will dictate the level of filtration needed.
Looking forward to receiving my fx6 tomorrow with 5kg of biohome ultimate, just got to grab the medium and course sponge pads you recommend.
Nice one - best of luck with the tank.
Hey Richard, awesome review as always.
Can you please recommend some of the good water conditioners to use to maintain the bacteria as i have always used Seachem Prime which im guessing is what you are referring to.
Thanks
API Stress Coat is the one I always recommend since I've never heard of any problems establishing the filter while using that one - it simply makes the water safe for life.
However, anything which doesn't mess with the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate will do the job of making water safe.
You will only notice the difference in nitrate level if the filter is suitably sized and set up to achieve a full cycle with enough media for the tank and stock so if the filter is under-sized or set up with plastic balls / rings etc. the nitrate will be high no matter what conditioner / dechlorinator you use since it needs enough active bacteria in the system to process the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate.
Cheers Richard, I have a 600L with the Aquael Hyper Max 4500 which is filled with Seachem Matrix and I have a 400L with a FX6 which is also filled with Seachem Matrix so I may try a different water conditioner to see if it helps to get me a full cycle and reduce my nitrates.
@@08CL9 As long as you have plenty of media which can support the anaerobic bacteria in the system then a full cycle should be achieved in any stocking scenario.
For the Biohome Ultimate that would be 6kg for a normally stocked 600 litre tank and up to 12kg for a heavily stocked 600 litre tank, 4kg for a normally stocked 400 litre tank and 8kg for a heavily stocked 400 litre tank.
Unfortunately the low quality pumice sold as 'matrix' is so variable in quality that there is no way to accurately predict how much of the pumice it could take to achieve a full cycle - you could be lucky and get decent rock.
Let me know how it goes.
Do you mean Seachem prime Richard 😂 that defo messes with the bacteria and water, API water conditioner is the one I stick with.
That is a good choise and yes - anything which messes with the food bacteria needs affects the population.
Only see the up grade for the fx 5 and 6 on yr site
On the 'Filter KIts' page there are a nation of different kits including the FX5/6, FX4 and FX2 - it sounds like you're looking at the home page? It only has a small selection of products on it and all the filter kits are on the 'Filter Kits' page.
Regards,
Richard
Iv removed the strainer and replaced with a foam inlet pre filter.. just take it off and rinse when doing my water changes.
That is a good soultion - nice one and thanks for sharing.
You should try putting a water flow meter in the intake to the outtake and check the gph after you load it with media, I have and you would be shocked
That's why I regularly mention that you can expect flow to reduce by 40%-50% during normal use compared to the manufacturer's claims. It will reduce more as the fine pad gets clogged.
It is good to see some manufacturers (e.g. Aquael) giving a max. flow rate (which is never achievable) and a realistic flow rate once the filter is set up and placed under the tank.
How did your work out? What was the percentage drop? And what filter did you test?
Very nice one again, i always like your videos.
But the last sentence .. your filter is dead.. how do you know if your filter is stil healthy? I have oase biomaster 350 setup like you adviced. but its having trouble to keep my goldfish tank (1meter) with 8 fish clean, and i have to 50% water changes weekly. I use the orange prefilters an clean them every 2 weeks.. Goldfish are poopers :)
You know if the filter is working by testing the levels of ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. The nitrate is the main indicator of filter health since it is easy to keep the ammonia and nitrite at 0 with minimal filtration (aerobic bacteria responsible for processing ammonia and nitrite live everywhere in the system and a decent substrate with foam filtration is usually enough to ensure 0 ammonia and 0 nitrite in most situations.
For heavy stock situations with no plants the higher the nitrate is a week after a water change the more the filter is failing and if it is 60-80ppm the filter has very little going on.
The lower the nitrate the better the filter is working.
Any Fluval FX Spray Bar
Reviews?
Is it true
that spray bars puts pressure on the filter motor and causes them to burn out?
Unless the spray bar has a very limited amount of extremely small holes it won't put extra back pressure on the pump.
I'm sure that someone will have reviewed the FX spray bar online but it isn't something I've had a look at.
Hello Richard Great work! I have a have a HOB filter that you might be interested in reviewing. And as far as I can see you have not reviewed?
How do I contact you? I’m retired and not that media savvy!
It was good to speak yesterday and I look forward to featuring the filter in this series.
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Am I right in thinking that as soon as you open your filter up to clean it and expose the anaerobic bacteria to oxygen then you basically have to start the process again?
I can see why you'd think that (and there are many people online claiming that is the case) but the survival of bacteria comes down to what type of media is holding the bacteria.
For example, if you are using plastic balls, ceramic rings etc. which have all of their surface area externally there will be very little anaerobic bacteria living on it unless the filter is extremely slow flow (and the water is deoxygenated). In that case when you remove the media from the filter the bacteria is exposed to air immediately which will have a negative effect on the population directly in line with how long it is out of the filter.
However, if you're using good quality porous filter media the bacteria survives in it for much longer when it is removed from the filter and cleaning is no problem. That's because the media holds onto the water inside it and creates a 'water jacket' protection to retain the anaerobic bacteria living deep inside it. In the case of the Biohome the bacteria is protected so well that cleaning the media under a tap isn't a problem - the water protecting the bacteria inside it can't be washed out by more water and the only way the bacteria suffers a large population crash is when the media is left to dry out completely which will starve it due to lack of food. Similarly bacteria will be starved when damaging water conditioners (e.g. Prime) are used which has a devastating effect on bacteria by starving it of the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate it needs to prosper. That's why I always recommend a simple dechlorinator (e.g. API Stress Coat) which makes the water safe for life and allows beneficial bacteria to prosper in line with the available food.
Hope that makes sense.
You wouldn't necessarily run a carbon impregnated pad would you? Either way I have an older FX5 that I intend to use later. Thanks so much for posting this!
@@kerrypitt9789 You don't need carbon unless you need carbon.
Usually you only need carbon if you have bogwood or almond leaves which stain the water with tannins or you need to draw in residual fish treatments after a course of treatment.
Unfortunately most filter companies will put carbon into their filters since it masks the side effects of a failing filter (smell from high ammonia) and guarantees monthly sales from anyone who has bought the filter based on the promises of how much water it will filter and hasn't upgraded the filter. Currently I'm not aware of any filter which is set up with enough media to properly process all the waste from a tank of the size the manufacturer claims the filter will cope with.
If you have a sensibly stocked tank and a well set up filter you won't need carbon.
Would this be okay on a fluval roma 240l
For a normally stocked tank? Yes that would be a decent choice.
If the tank was heavily stocked tank (e.g. Cichlid, Goldfish etc.) then you'd be better off with the FX6 as it holds 5kg of media.
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What do you think of the FX bio media
It looks decent but the pores in the media are very large so water will fly through it. However, it would be decent in a really slow filter where the water becomes deoxygenated as it slowly flows through it.
It's certainly more useful than the media which is supplied in the FX filters and I reckon that Fluval could afford to fill the trays with their better media instead of including an amount of inferior media which amounts to a token gesture.
My first reaction when I saw an FX filter was "it looks quite old fashioned", I realised instantly there wasn't enough media in there and the cynical reason the foams were white. It's also annoyingly over-complicated.
It feels like there are much cheaper, more modern filters out there now and Fluval hasn't moved on. Oase keep improving their filters. Allpondsolutions have some great cheap filters, But 'The Industry Standard' Fluval FX filters are stuck in the past.
Yes I can't disagree with any of that - the FX filters work well but hold very little media for the size of them and the lack of an easy to clean pre-filter is glaring in light of the filters from Oase and Aquael.
The size of tanks they are recommended for has always been ridiculous but all manufacturers exaggerate the filter capabilities to one degree or another.
Nice one Richard. These fluval Fx's are great filters and really well made, but the amounts of biological media they can hold is just a massive let down, considering the size of the thing and it's cost. And the claims on tank size that it can filter must never take nitrate levels into account, just being for basic Ammonia to nitrite to nitrate that can be off the scale. In a large tank with a moderate fish load, this would not be good enough to keep the water clear of floating particles. As I say ,they are good filters but way over exaggerated on their actual filtering capabilities.
Most filters exaggerate their capabilities including oase and eheim. With fx filters just lose the red trays and you get way more media in the filter.
@@MDBD2405 I agree with what you are saying, but when you see the hulking great size of the box at the start of the video, and then the size of the filter, the small amount of biological media it can hold is really disappointing,and let's it down hugely in my opinion.
@@Les-OZZYTHEOSCARoh I see what you mean now yes you are right about the biological media, it is a poor show on Fluval they should like Richard said just do Way with the red trays and add more media, other than that, they are really well-made filters that last a long time.
@@MDBD2405 No ,I'm saying that this filter will not even hold 3 kg of biological media in total. For this filters overall size and cost, that is a pitiful amount. .
Unfortunately it's pretty much one of tje best we have to work with and luckily substrate plants decor as well as sponges help in housing beneficial bacteria as well
Is it me or does that filter look complicated how it runs?
It does seem complicated but the design ensures that there is a massive increase in the mechanical filtration compared to conventional filter designs. It's just a shame tha the filters hold nowhere near enough biological media for Fluval's recommended tank size.
You're not the only one who thinks it's complicated as I've seen some big channels on TH-cam making a total balls of explaining how the filter works, lol
@@pondguru , not for me tho, I’ve got a pre filter to a 1400 all pond solution’s external and 3kg of your bio media and it does the job ( thank you ) fancy goldfish 125l tank.
Maybe Ott, but they💩 a lot . Only 4 fish tho’
@@mrquiff123 That sounds perfect to me as the 3kg of media would be suitabel for up to 150 litres for a heavily stocked tank.
Goldfish are just a sort of carp and the anagram of 'carp' lets you know what they produce lots of, lol
I was always told foam, chemical then bio media. With how you run it dose it have any benefits or dose it just not matter?
Ideally the chemical would be last so that the bacteria in the biological zone gets first chance at any trace elements and food it needs to prosper.
If that is stripped out before the biological zone then the bacteria will probably be operating at a lower population.
All sewage and water treatment plants go mechanical, biological then chemical for that reason and a filter on a pond or aquarium is just a minaturized version of the same process.
I guess I have some media to switch around
Again telling it how it is, yes that is how they make their money. sell expensive filters and then sell the media. all a con. but here you are telling everyone again. BTW oase has finally listened and made an upgrade to their biomaster with bigger and better holes in the tube. Well done for keep bringing it up. another great video.
Yes, it only took them 5 years, lol
Thanks for watching and appreciating the videos.
Great filters. But time has moved on. Aquael Hypermax blows the FX 5/6 out of the water on both flow rate and more importantly media capacity.
Small things too like having to unscrew the motor housing to get at the impeller for cleaning. And those annoying screw tab things to remove the lid. And no pre-filter if you want one.
I'm heading for the bunker now in case the Fluval Fanboys get triggered. 😂
Time has indeed moved on and those points you make are valid.
Luckily Fluval haven't compromised on build quality even if the actual design is outdated compared to newer models from other manufacturers.
Compare that to Eheim and it's clear why Fluval still have a big market share.
It is good to see the newer companies coming up and challenging the status quo since it drives innovation and that can only be good for the end user.
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