FLUVAL FX5 - The Monster

[roclement]

OK, what can I say...I love this thing!

Best water turn over ratio I could ever ask for, I fit more sponges in there then a bath house, it runs very siliently, self primes, actually turns itelf off once a day to re-prime and let off any entraped air! Has backflush capability, and even has it's own drain!

If it made coffee I would marry it!

Buy One!

Rod

[billeagan]

OK, what can I say...I love this thing!

Best water turn over ratio I could ever ask for, I fit more sponges in there then a bath house, it runs very siliently, self primes, actually turns itelf off once a day to re-prime and let off any entraped air! Has backflush capability, and even has it's own drain!

If it made coffee I would marry it!

Buy One!

Rod

Rod,

Are you only using sponges in the chamber?

[roclement]

Yupper! Nothing else but good old fashioned sponges!!! I have a thin layer of floss just to help keep major detritus out of the main sponges, but other than that...sponges alone, and they work great! I also added a sponge to the humongous intake assembly as a pre-filter.

It is great when you do water changes, the exaust pipe shoots out so much water that my fish think they are in a raging class 4 rapids! A real water mover!

Rod

[tacks]

Rod what size tank do you have this on? thanks Ed

[architect1]

Your so funny Rod. I bet if you put the coffee grains in it and ran hot water. I bet it would make coffee.

[roclement]

Ed, I am running this is a 180gl tank with a sand bottom with Discus and 3 juvenile Motoro rays.

You know what, at 84/85 degrees...it might brew some coffee! Wonder if the Discus would minf the dark water!!! Maybe I should try it!!!!

Rod

[billeagan]

Rod,

What type of spong material are you using??? I was thinking about moving off the media and going straight to sponges in my cansiters.

Interesting idea to use floss....

The FX5 has media buckets, correct? Are you using the sponges in buckets or just stuffing it =)

[roclement]

Rod,

What type of spong material are you using??? I was thinking about moving off the media and going straight to sponges in my cansiters.

Interesting idea to use floss....

The FX5 has media buckets, correct? Are you using the sponges in buckets or just stuffing it =)

Hello Bill,

I am using the sponge filters from a Hydor canister, the largest one they have, don't know the model but they fit in the baskets perfectly (can be found at Petsmart)! They are coarse sponges, not as dense as Hydro's, the flow of water is huge!

3 baskets inside the FX5, plus they are surrounded with their own sponges, that is were I use the floss. Kinda tough to visualize, but if you open an FX5, you will get what I mean!

Hope this helps!

Rod

[E Pain]

I just picked one up about a month ago. I have my bottom basket full of my established bio-rocks from my AC filters. The second basket is full of micro-bio-balls and the third is filled with sponges. I agree the filter works great. For my intake I removed that giant pre-filter contraption and simply took one of my AC intake tubes with a small sponge pre-filter wrapped over the end and ran it up over the intake of the FX5. It works great. When it’s time to clean that pre-filter I just slide it off the end of the intake of the FX5, makes cleaning a snap. The only negative thing I have found to be an issue with this filter is it floods my tank with very tiny bubbles. I can’t seem to remove them.

[Ed13]

OK, what can I say...I love this thing!


Yes but, can it sing!??:D Sorry,:o :D


Ed, I am running this is a 180gl tank with a sand bottom with Discus and 3 juvenile Motoro rays.



C'mon Rod, You can't type this without pics!!!!!:D :D :D :D :D
I have to get me some motoros or better yet leopoldis!

[roclement]

The bubbles are due to the intake conection being above the water line, this filter is very strong so it sucks air in via any conection that is not 100% tight, or that is above the water line.

Great idea with the intake assembly I may try that as well and get rid of that contaption!

I have no bubles with mine at all, just water stream! Very strong!!!

Rod