Fluval FX6 High Performance Canister Filte
Fluval FX6 and FX4
High-performance outer filter
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| The Fluval external filter offers you unparalleled filter performance, maximum versatility and incredible control over the fine tuning of the water properties. With Fluval’s unique intelligent pump technology, you simply need to connect the filter to the mains thanks to the self-priming system, and the filter starts by itself. The filter then fills with water, briefly interrupts operation to deflate air and then begins with the filtration process immediately. The filtering takes place until the unit is disconnected from the mains supply. Every 12 hours the filter interrupts operation to deflate air into the system. In this way, the vacuum required for maximum efficiency is maintained. | The multi-stage filter system makes it possible to stack filter media exactly in the combination that is most suitable for your aquarium. This ensures unrestricted flexibility to create and maintain the ideal environment for your fish. | Its enormous capacity and powerful integrated motor that circulates full 2,300 litres of water per hour allow you to accurately tune the water properties in aquariums up to 1,500 litres. It can hold up to 5.9 litres of filter media and is still so compact that it fits in almost any aquarium cabinet. |
| Weight: | 9.03 kg |
| Size: | bis 1500L |
| Dimensions: | 38.35 x 39.62 x 52.58 cm; 9.03 Kilograms |
| Model: | A219 |
| Colour: | Black |
| Pack Quantity: | 1 |
| Batteries Required: | No |
| Batteries Included: | No |
| Colour: | Black |
| Quantity: | 1 |
| Size: | bis 1500L |
I finally purchased an FX6 for my new 75 gallon. I wanted a well built, well known filter to pack full of media. My 75 is well stocked with currently 35 fish of all sizes. So I wanted a canister with as much space for biological media as I could get. Top tray I have the Fluval black coarse pad then Seachem Matrix. Middle tray is Seachem Purigen, filter floss and more Matrix. Bottom tray Seachem Matrix and Fluval’s fine blue filter pad. Been running for 2 or so months and I love it. I also have a hang on back filter as well, you can never have to much filtration.
Setup was simple. moves. I like the auto-purge function. I am going to guy another one for my other tank.
J adore un super filtreur,l eau est super et mes poissons sont en sante
Needed another one for my aquarium . It is a great filter. This is a great filter and the delivery was very quick. Very good price too.
Easy to set up tank crystal clear water money well spe
This makes cleaning water so easy, with a release valve and pipe attached. It is quite noisy but doing a great job on a 400 litre tank with large fish.
Best filter I have ever had. Ability of release air by itself is amazing, just turn on and enjoy. No noise at all, good flow.
Had this running for just over a month now and I’m very pleased over all. Initially I made one mistake – I placed it on a wooden cabinet next to my tank and because of mains hum and vibration it was very loud. TIP: if your getting a hum lift the canister up an inch and see if it stops. If it does, its what its sat on at fault. Anyway, I dropped it down on to the carpet (after buying a new set of pipes grrrr) and on the floor (concreate under carpet) it is silent. Not just quiet, silent. Only thing I changed was the ceramic media for some better quality and added some black bio balls inside one of my wife’s stockings just in case of an ammonia spike.
Por todo lo dems un buen filtro!
Despus de casi un ao de uso va de lujo, una buena lavadora!!
So far so good. Just set up on my 400 gallon so we shall see. The tubing it cake with wasn’t great … hard to cut to cut to fit and place the seal back on that it came with so I bought better tubing … which sucked since I paid so much money for the filter. Fingers crossed it gets the job done
donc pollueurs,super matos bien pens,matriaux rsistant de qualit,par rapport un filtres eheim
de capacit infrieure,il est pas cher du tout!!jais calcul environ 17 litres d’eaux filtrs,la puissance est
prsente galement,mais vraiment!!!seul bmol pas des moindre,TRS BRUYANT comme filtre,en tout cas
pour ma part,donc obliger de bricoler une isolation avec du styrodur,qui attnue bien le phnomne,
l’amorage automatique et gnial,est le systme de vidange/remplissage en bas de la pompe et top Egalement,
mais paramtres d’eau sont meilleur malgr le peut de temps qu il tourne,donc je recommande,malgr le bruit.
Just honestly a great filter. Keeps water super clean and clear. Easy to set up. Absolutely love it.
Na ontvangst uiteraard snel uitgepakt.
Tot op heden ben ik zeer tevreden over deze filter, in mijn ogen is de filter zeer praktisch op gezet.
Super fijn dat de filter eerst water kan aflaten alvorens onderhoud te gaan plegen !
Persoonlijk vind ik het geluid ook erg mee vallen.
– slang goed opgemeten voor montage (je kan hem maar 1x op de juiste lengte doorsnijden, eenmaal te kort heb je pech)
– De filter media heb ik zelf direct aan de kant gelegd, aangezien ik biohome gebruik.
– tevens heb ik een extra koppelstuk bij besteld, dit is zeer praktisch met de waterwissel.
– over de betrouwbaarheid kan ik na 1 maand nog niet zo veel zeggen. Hij voelt degelijk, sterke uitstroming (wellicht te sterk voor mijn discussen)
4 sterren tot dus ver, en dat is omdat ik nog geen referentie heb wat betreft betrouwbaarheid.
Positive
You can take the entire filtration system out and clean it (very hard to do with sump, and yes, detritus/other waste can get past your mechanical filtration, and get stuck on your biological media/tank walls/etc)
Very quiet
Good flow through aquarium… can be a negative
I use mine on a 75g tank, and a sand substrate. The flow is so nice that all the detritus ends up in the canister, and I never have to gravel vac the sand, like, ever. I had to use one 530 GPH wave maker to assist with one dead spot, but it cost like 12 bucks. The detritus has to end up somewhere. Either you have to gravel vac it out, or it gets stuck in your mechanical filtration. I’d rather just concentrate it in one spot (the canister) so I don’t have to look at it, and clean out my canister once every two weeks in a heavily stocked African cichlid 75g tank.
Keeps the tank sparkling clean, Ammonia/nitrites at zero, and Nitrates are 10ppm after a couple months of use (could be higher later, I’ll be sure to monitor it closely)
Negative
Expensive
More difficult maintenance than hang on back, but less frequent.
Too much flow can be a problem for some fish
Big
Tips
1. Buy an extra outlet valve, and attach a 1 inch pond hose to it. and BOOM you have a python that is MUCH faster. I can fill 40 gallons of water for a 50% water change in about 5 minutes from a storage container 20 feet away in my bathtub that already has dechlorinator/buffer/cichlid salt in it, and I stick a digital thermometer in the storage container when filling it to make sure I don’t shock my fish with a sudden temp change that is EASY to do with a python.
2. The drain valve is painfully slow for large water changes, but this is an option as well. Use a 5/8 inch reinforced hose, like this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MRUROKO/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_10?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1. Taking the hose off can make a mess if you have leftover water in the hose, so you can use a 5/8 quick release fitting with valves. (valve shuts off flow of water when the fitting is released). Part numbers: HFCD221012 HFCD171012 This will make the flow rate even slower (valves slow water flow when they are this type), but it eliminates the chance of making a mess.
3. How to keep the inlet/outlet hoses out of the way during maintenance:
A. Attach a 3m command strip hook to the underside of the aquarium, right above the canister filter.
B. Attach a loose zip tie to the outlet and inlet valves
C. When moving the canister in/out of the aquarium, hook the inlet/outlet hoses to the underside of the aquarium so they are not in the way
4. Make sure when setting up the aquarium that the outlet valve is as short and direct as possible. The inlet can be long, as it is gravity fed through the principles of a syphon, but the outlet has to be actively pumped by the canister, and flow rates can be much slower if it is far away. I guess you could use this knowledge to your advantage if you desire lower flow rates.
fill with bio-ceramic and say goodbye to Ammonia and Nitrite
la filtration est de haut niveau, l’eau est trs propre, et les intervalles de nettoyages sont tres espacs. seul petit bmol, le filtre n’est pas trs silencieux (mais c’est subjectif et dpends de l’endroit ou il est plac), et il manque quelques masses filtrantes dans la boite (le volume disponible dans les paniers est impressionnant)
great filter got it for my 65 gallon. works like a charm.
The good:
Finally very high adequate flow for large aquariums and is overdue!
Lid retainers are certainly better than earlier Fluval canister filters! Plastic twist lock with metal nuts and bolts to hold the top cover down instead of fragile case clips made of plastic!
Excellent shut off valves with better coupling design instead of those HORRIBLE plastic hose retainer nuts used in earlier Fluval models.
Tee bar handles used to hold the media baskets together and assist in removal/installation.
Pump is now in the bottom for better startup and priming instead of mounted ontop like earlier requiring much tipping filter on side to prime and burp.
The purging or drain hose and valve on the bottom is a very good idea because the filter especially the FX5&6 are heavy as is but much heavier when filled with water.
Now the needs improvement list:
The inlet strainer is extremely coarse with numerous online concerns about small inhabitants ending up in filter and videos actually showing this as a problem! My concern as well as I have fry swimming around. I glued a black plastic screen over strainer! Have an optional Prefilter sock or sleeve available to pull over this strainer. Optional because if you have larger inhabitants this won’t be required.
The coarse filter sponge is a very poor thought and design! You will find many FX4,5,6 owners are throwing this overly coarse sponge out and replacing it with pond filter foam available in the black, blue, green, coarse, medium, and fine assortments. I will do this when my order arrives as this filter is struggling with removing fine particulates as the media is quite simply just too coarse and it passes through.
There should be optional spray bar available instead of just spray nozzles as having a high volumn blast in one part of a large aquarium doesn’t provide uniform cleaning of debri. My aqaurium is 6 feet long so I constructed a 6 foot spray bar that does a better job and is gentler to the inhabitants.
The rim connectors are VERY GOOD BUT FLUVAL NEEDS TO PROVIDE BETTER INFORMATION!! There are MANY enquiries and concerns on the internet about them. Many including myself think they are too narrow for large thick rims like my aquarium to the point of some cutting part of their rim flanges used for supporting the cover glass or trimming the rim connectors. Fluval NEEDS TO INFORM customers that they WILL FIT but EXTREME pressure, bending etc. is required to get these to FLEX WIDER than the rim and flange and once they slide past will snap correctly in place with a sharp bang! Many including myself were concerned of breaking them in the process but they are strong and flexible. PLEASE PROVIDE THIS FACT IN MANUAL! If you are a senior or somebody with not much strength in your hands you will have problems requiring help with the rim connectors and yes they are removable as well if a metal tool is used to compress the tongue by carefully prying against the rim and NOT the glass.
The purge or drain valve on the bottom is a great needed Idea BUT extreme caution is required while removal and returning to aquarium cabinet as this valve protrudes and is somewhat delicate! A bit of a protective guard would be a great idea.
I have a 120 gallon tank setup as freshwater. Replacing a Inland Seas Nu-Clear Model 506 with pump that is rigged into the bottom of aquarium. I will enter the brand of pump later. ALWAYS was a struggle to set it back up after cleaning and keep it from leaking.
I have had quite a few Fluval filters in the past and have two for far smaller tanks that I really like.
Now, the setup I found two things you should know. The directions are quite clear and very specific with plenty of illustrations. This is hard to find, I usually see half-baked instructions lacking details and pictures. The only thing I found incorrect with the setup instructions was they say you need two (2) tools, a box cutter and a Phillips screwdriver. You will find the box cutter is for splitting the tubing, as it is one tube that you separate for the intake and outtake, allowing you to form your own length. All my other Fluval filters are supplied like this, where the length is important to have least as possible with not much slack and no dipping or looping. The screwdriver is for tightening the hole clamps. The clamps are just your typical hardware clamps but the ones supplied to me were slotted so a regular screwdriver was necessary, not a Phillips.
No big deal. I am surprised the hose clamps are so typical when much of the other parts are customized and made for specifically for the unit.
EDIT: Be careful cutting the tubes! Remember that only the rubber sleeve end will fit the filter connection while the other cut end will fit the tank (in and out tubes) connections. These sleeves come GLUED on to the tube ends so there is no way to change them. You can purchase replacement tubes with the ends and there are some sleeve ends only that can be attached to an existing tube for sale on Amazon.
IMPORTANT! — Now I read some complaints about the setup that they plug it in and it runs for a short time then stops. They keep restarting and the filter just shuts off after about a minute. It will not run and longer than that.
I was experiencing this same issue and thought to myself why didn’t listen to these comments? Then I reread the instructions and they clearly indicate in one sentence (that I looked over), is the filter intentionally shuts off after a minute to clear the air and then restarts after two minutes!
So I just waited two minutes and it started back up running gracefully and as smoothly as I expected. The pump is very quiet for it size.
Only lacking I see if maybe the force of the water is quite slower than my from filter setup but as long as it cycles it will do the job. The water was clear within a day and the pump is running nonstop with no issues since then.
The best filter.no noises nothing.very easy to use
Running on my angelfish 75G tank. Filled it with better sponge media and floss, tossed the included rings away and used 8-9lbs of BioHome small in it. If you follow the directions, there should be ZERO leaks whatsoever with this system. I have seen a lot of videos and pictures where buyers did not follow directions, the biggest being they connected the wrong end of the ribbed hose the filter nozzles; there’s a reason they give the hose a finished end and hose clamps, so do it right. ZERO leaks. I cannot hear it running inside my aquarium cabinet at all.
This is the 2nd one I have bought now have 1 in each of my tanks and they are great
Easy to set up and work perfectly with great clear water
Replaces fluvial 306&406
Quiet operation and easy to clean
Expensive but good
This filter should be placed below the water line of your tank.
Read up a lot about this. Decided to upgrade from the Fluval 306 canister filter that came with my Fluval Roma 240 Aquarium. Had to modify (cut the shelf) to get this to fit. It’s huge.
Disappointed it now doesn’t have the Date dials. Plus the unit supplied on Amazon came with a European two pin plug which is annoying.
Noisier than the 306 but a much better filter. Particularly like the valve for water changes. Makes it so easy to do!
Excellent product, tested the water and the quality is almost perfect!
Easy to set up, surprisingly quiet compared to my previous canister filter from allpondsolutions. I nearly didn’t buy this filter due to the hose clamps that I knew would be too big for the gaps on each side of my tank lid but the inlet pipe strainer has suckers that attach to the side tank wall to keep that in place. I pushed the outlet hose through the opposite gap on the lid and attached the multi directional nozzle that floats just under the surface and this does not impede the water flow. I filled the canister with tank water before fitting the lid with hoses attached, and switched on. After a few gurgles the filter ran for about 30 seconds and stopped. I waited a minute and gently moved the canister and this dispelled more air and the filter has been running nicely. The best thing is how quiet this filter is and all parts look like they will last for years.
It’s been holding up very well. Well made product. Made in Italy. The only reason I give only four stars is that the output isn’t as strong as I expected, but it’s good enough for my 40 gallon tank. Very good product for the price I paid.
I bought an FX6 in 2013. Five years later . . . .like brand new.
I’ve been keeping fish for more than 25 years. During that time I’ve used many different types of canister and HOB filters. My main recollection with previous canisters was the rage and frustration of priming them, fitting finicky rubber gaskets, dozens of fussy parts. . . After those experiences, the FX5/6 were such a joy. They’re simple to assemble, and they prime immediately.
Nothing is perfect, so here are pros and cons to help the prospective buyer:
PROS:
1. Huge capacity. Imagine a 4-gallon bucket filled with media, with a powerful motor in the lid.
2. Moves a lot of water, and keeps the tank sparkling.
3. Starts instantly and runs like a dream.
4. Reliable – I’ve been running an FX5 continuously for 7 years; and an FX6 for 5 years. I’ve never once had any repair issues or problems of any kind. The only maintenance I do is clean or change the media as needed.
CONS (and these would probably be better described as “things to consider before getting one”).
1. Powerful enough to suck up fish. In my 120g, I previously had jewel cichlids. They spawned, and whenever I would clean the filter I would find babies inside. Again, this is not a defect, this is just a cautionary note to be smarter than I was about where you use the filter. I currently have guppies in the 120g. They have hundreds of babies. Again, on any given day I’ll find a dozen babies in the filter. (FWIW, you can adjust the flow, although I’d suggest that if you need reduced throughput, you might just get a smaller and cheaper filter).
2. It’s heavy and awkward. Hey, it’s a 4-gallon-ish bucket filled with water and filter media. It’s heavy. As another reviewer noted, I have to heave it out of the cabinet and haul it outside to maintain it.
3. You may need to tinker with the selection and placement of filter media. A Google search will yield multiple hits from people who have suggestions and opinions on the topic. I may still be doing it wrong. From bottom to top I have a water polishing pad, two foam pads, and ceramic tubes. For some reason, the polishing pad gets saturated first, and ends up being the reason for reduced flow, while the others are only somewhat dirty. My tank is moderately planted, and I can go through perhaps 4-5 weeks between filter cleanings/media changes.
4. You’ll want a towel when disconnecting the filter from the hoses for cleaning. I have not found a way to keep about half a cup of water from escaping whenever I disconnect.
5. It may take some elbow crease to depress the “buttons” (wrong term) to release the hose from the filter body. You have to depress them and lift the hose off, and sometimes it requires some effort.
6. Expensive. It just is. That’s a lot of money to drop on a filter. But I think it’s well spent. I imagine you’re paying for a powerful and well-built motor. No other piece of aquarium equipment (excluding the tank, of course) has lasted me 7 years – let alone in like-new condition. I feel that I easily have another 7-plus years out of it.
Bottom line? I see no need to look for alternative filters for large tanks. I just bought a 300g aquarium, and when it arrives I will be furnishing it with another FX5 or FX6.
Nachdem ich meiner Schildkrte ein greres Becken ermglicht habe, entschied ich mich fr diesen Filter. Vergleiche mit Eheim und hnlichen habe ich gemacht, aber ich fand keinen vergelichbaren mit dem Preis und der Leistung, die in den Infos angeben ist. Und ich muss sagen, ich bereue es nicht. ber die Lnge von 2m macht er eine schne Oberflchenbewegung und saugt zuverlssig alles in Bodennhe oder hnliches an. Mein Bedenken, dass die Guppys den Filter nicht berleben, haben sich nicht besttigt. Lediglich von einem musste ich mich verabschieden. Der Ansaugkorb ist grozgig, dennoch einfach und kompakt strukturiert und fngt durch den eher engmaschig angelegten Korb, alle Pflanzenreste ab. So finde ich nur einzelne, kleine Pflanzenreste im Filter. Den restlichen Mulm oder sonstige berbleibsel von meiner Schildkrte fngt er auf.
Die Installation ist einfach und gut in der Anleitung beschrieben.
Ich habe als Bodengrund einfachen Spielkastensand, welcher nachdem das Becken voll war, natrlich das Wasser erstmal sandig alles andere als klar gefrbt hat. Nach zweimaligen Filter auswaschen und ersetzen der Medien durch Filterwatte und Flies, konnte ich nach 5 Tagen nahezu kristallklares Wasser feststellen. Die Suberung des Filters ist auch einfach und gut in der Anleitung beschrieben. Allerdings, das sei dabei gesagt, es sind, wenn der Filter voll Wasser ist, knapp 20l Wasser drin. Man kann das Wasser im Filter selbstverstndlich vorher ablaufen lassen, dafr bentigt es aber einen weiteren Schlauchaufsatz, da der mitgelieferte Schlauch, der auf den Ablassstutzen passt, nur 1m lang ist. Auch kann man ber das Ablassventil einen Wasserwechsel vornehmen, was auch sehr gut in der Anleitung beschrieben ist.
Zur Geruschkulisse, was auch bei mir ein Thema war, was ich abgeklrt haben wollte, kann ich jetzt sagen…. Ja man hrt ihn. Ein leises Brummen ist wahrzunehmen. Bei mir steht er, das sei dazu gesagt, aber frei im Raum. Ich habe keine Erfahrung wie es ist, wenn er in einer Art Schallschutzkiste oder einem Schrank steht. Aber es ist definitv ein leises Brummen, was ich aber nicht als strend empfinde.
Ganz lustig und regelmig noch zu Verwunderung fhrend, ist die automatische Abschaltung nach/alle 12 Stunden 😀 Das macht der Filter um mgliche Luft im Inneren freizusetzen. Man sollte beachten, der Filter macht das zuverlssig, alle 12 Stunden. Sprich wenn man ihn um 16 Uhr in Betrieb nimmt, schaltet er sich auch um 4 Uhr nachts aus, es blubbert und er springt nach einer Minute wieder mit Geblubber an. Dieses Phnonem lie mich das erstemal senkrecht im Bett sitzen. Also bin ich hingegangen und habe abends um 9 den Stecker gezogen und wieder eingesteckt. Und morgens um 9 (eben 12 Stundne) blubbert er zuverlssig wieder, 1 Minute Ruhe, und sprang anschlieend wieder an. Jetzt strt es niemanden mehr.
Das Wasser ist kristallklar, die Oberflchenbewegung gut/auf 2m ausreichend, einfach Montage und Pflege, einfache Handhabung, super Filter.
Ich wrde den Filter jederzeit wiederkaufen!
arrived in good time and is doing a good job.
Hatte vorher immer Eheim Filter. Aber die Serie FX4 bis FX6 finde ich besser.
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Habe die anderen Bewertungen gelesen und ergnze daher meine Berwertung.
Ich habe in alle drei Filterkrben nur Siporax. Filtere damit ein 720 Liter Tanganjikabecken und brauche den Filter nur einmal im Jahr reinigen. Der Durchfluss lt kaum nach. Die kleine Pause alle 12 Stunden ist wirklich eine gute Idee um vielleicht vorhandene Luft im Filter entweichen zu lassen.
Klare Kaufempfehlung.
3/25/18 UPDATE – No issues what so ever. Polished, clear water continues.
6/14/18 UPDATE – 6 months in, 3 turtles doubled in size (one died RIP) and over 100 guppies (the breeding “rabbits” of fish!!)…totally polished crystal clear water and NO issues what so ever – love love love this filter. 11/6/18 UPDATE – No issues, could not be more pleased. Added 3 baby turtles.
I’ve kept fish for almost 50 years…just buy it!!!!
11/16/19 UPDATE – Still kicking B___, 7 turtles growing and happy – 5 painted varieties and 2 pink belly sideneck turtles – and guppies galore, plus Cory’s…I clean every 90 days – carbon, Purigen, and bio max = crystal clear – no leaks, no issues what so ever – quiet easy clear water!!!! Can not more highly recommend.
The Fluval FX6 is big but I managed to fit it under my aquarium but had to remove the shelf.
Despite being a woman, I managed to set this filter up on my own, connect the hoses and fill it with water before turning it on. Fluval recommend you do this in one of their YouTube videos. All I had to do was to switch the unit on by plugging it in and wait. The filter will start up, then stop for a minute before running continually. So much easier to operate than the Ehiem. The Ehiem was a nightmare compared to this filter. I wholeheartedly recommend, brilliant and stress free set up 🙂
Always had Eheim external filters but never again. This is an amazing bull work of a filter. Fantastic throughput and extremely quiet. It is quite big therefore I have it sitting in the living room outside the cabinet as it will not fit (I knew his before I bought it) The tank water is the clearest I have ever witnessed in any of my tanks.
UPDATE – Cleaned it for the first time and to my horror found 4 baby Malawi, one quite large, living in the filter. Intake strainer has wide slats!! Called Fluval and will try a coarse sponge inside the strainer. A net over the strainer is also an option.
Received product, a little noisy. But very good at keeping my 240 litre tank clean, many thanks
Keep in mind you need to fill the canister with water, close it (don’t over tighten the screws) and plug it in. The intake must be fully submerged. The canister will run for about 1-3 min then stop for about 5 min and then turn back on. The 5 min rest period allows the filter to purge air from the system.
Very happy with this purchase.
PROBLEM SOLVED!!!! I talked to some other people on a turtle forums and they said that I may have had air inside the filter or lines. Sure enough that’s what it was. After the air escaped out the filter started working again and flowing and since then it has not turned off. Before it kept turning off and off and off until I unplugged it and plugged it back in again then it started working again. Obviously air in the lines or inside the filter will cause it to shut down and stop the flow. Nut now its flowing and working. 🙂 I’m happy now. I thought I had a bad pump filter.
I bought it for a 75 gallon aquarium I am in the process of setting up. When it arrived, I installed the filter in my 26 gallon bow front (a bit of an overkill I know) just to see how it worked and to get it ready for the larger aquarium.
Set up was extremely easy, all the required media was included with the filter. I also used media from the filter it replaced to keep the bacteria count up. I plugged the filter in and it immediately started working. Again, this is overkill for the 26 gallon as it creates a lot of flow! After one minute it shut off and I thought something was wrong so I unplugged it and plugged it back in. After one minute it shut off again! This time I read the directions and learned it is supposed to do that to purge the air out of the system (it does this every 12 hours as well). After this cycle it fired back up and has been running ever since.
The fish seem to not be bothered by the extra flow it creates (clown loaches), and the aquarium looks crystal clear now!
I do wish it came with a spray bar, but unfortunately Fluval does not manufacture one for it. I will be making a DIY spray bar in the 75 gallon aquarium once I set it up. It is also a very large filter, about the size of a 5 gallon bucket (give or take a little bit).
So far I am very pleased with this purchase (although I wish it didn’t cost so much) and do recommend it. We shall see how it performs over time, though.
Love love love. Way better clamps than the FX5, no breakages so far!!
UPDATE – Still crystal clear 250 litres tank with to 4″ yellow Bellied Slider turtles and two 4″ pleco’s, will be buying another for another tank I have soon.
Amazing product, Keeps the aquarium crystal clear even after a month of use with two Yellow Bellied Slider turtles and around 30 assorted small fish (if you can get your intake and outtake located correctly it will remove most of the nasty stuff.
I feel the intake isn’t very powerful though considering the power of the outlet I’m not sure how that is, on the one there is absolutely no danger of small fish or turtles getting stuck to the intake, this was a concern as I did not want my little hatchling turtles to drown. But on the other I find that fecal matter even just below the intake does not get sucked up, this is probably in part due to the large size of the intake cover which as I said prevent drowning and fish getting sucked in etc.
If you get it setup correctly it is silent, just a hum…mine was so quiet I ended up just leaving it under the stand and not routing it into an airing cupboard nearby as was my original plan.
For anyone with trapped air or noise I have two pieces of advice…
1) Tighten the Jubilee clips around the intake and outlet valves at the filter canister. As I was tightening around plastic I did not tighten them too much for fear of cracking the plastic but that let air in and so I had to tighten it.
2) If you do not push the intake and outlet tubes that go in the tank onto the hoses really hard these can let air in.
3) MOST IMPORTANT – The rubber connector that joins the intake stem tube to the intake hose MUST be below the water, this is actually hidden away in the manual. If it is not underwater you will get air in the filter and hear a sloshing every 6-8 hours before it purges air again.
A few gripes…
1) I have a rimless Aquarium, so just a glass tank with no lip, as such I could not use the standard clip on bracket method. Fortunately Fluval supplied 4 tiny suckers with each Hose bracket to sucker the bracket to the back of the tank to keep the hoses in position rather than clip…honestly I am grateful they thought of those of use with rimless tanks but the bracket wont stay put and the hoses are not too short or too long, The suckers even wet correctly just do not stick to the back, maybe because of the backing plastic on the tank that blacks it out…I might try reversing the bracket even though that is incorrect but the tiny suction cups pinged off and I probably wont find them.
2) The outlet nozzles are too inflexible, I use my FX6 in a small 50 us gallon (196 litre) tank and so I want to direct the flow but the Y shaped output results in water current everywhere, finally got it settled by bouncing one of them off the side of the tank but not ideal. Worse still Fluval haven’t bothered to make any different outputs I can purchase (can’t give them money!), I do not have time to DIY one myself.
Still, I intend to buy more of these in the future when I upgrade to a 210+ US Gallon tank I’ll use two FX6’s as turtles generate a lot of waste and this does the trick really well.
I have been running this filter for approximately 3 months. No problems so far.
Pros.
Easy ‘ABC’ set up.
Pretty much silent running which should be applauded for the size of the filter and power rating of the pump.
I’ve noticed a dramatic change to the clarity of my water- pretty much crystal clear on my marine system.
Excellent build quality and the aesthetics pleasing. The plastic is a higher grade than the cheaper looking alternatives.
Unrivalled power/Excellent flow and turn over rating at an economical 41 watts.
Hosing is easily ‘workable’ and I find it aesthetically pleasing compared to other types.
Self priming!
Innovative water change capabilities (see promotional video)
Volume and media capacity.
Availability of parts.
Free voucher to claim a gravel vac.
Cons.
Nothing experienced as of yet.
Replacement pump extremely expensive should it malfunction.
I did experience a few problems as others have described during the initial set-up; noise/gurgling and the release of air bubbles. This is not the filter but a set-up issue I found; such as the screws which connects the lid was not secured tight enough which subsequently somehow allowed air into the system causing these issues. Also I found adjusting the hosing as described in the manual cured the problem. Be patient.
I have been a keen hobbyist since the days of the under gravel filter, and in my view Fluval over the years has become an established brand name which delivers on whats advertised. For example; the 406 advertises 1450lph and it gives you precisely that and not a 1/3rd of it like other filters on the market tried and tested.
Definitely two thumbs up for this filter. A tad pricey but the quality and specifications (from what i’ve seen first hand) …deliver.
Vorteilhaftes Handling:
Generell berzeugt der Fluval FX6 im Vergleich zu meinem Eheim Prof 3e durch hohe Benutzerfreundlichkeit. Wenn ich ihn sauber mache (mittlerweile alle 3 Wochen, abhngig vom Besatz und Ftterung geht das auch Monate gut), dann schliee ich die beiden Ventile fr Zu- und Ablauf und lasse als erstes durch das untere Splventil die Hlfte des Wassers ab. Dadurch gibts keine Pftzen mehr, wenn man die Schluche oben abzieht und der Topf lsst sich deutlich leichter aus dem Unterschrank hieven. Beim Zurcktragen mache ich ihn allerdings voll, weil er nur bei hohem Fllstand startet und einmal schon nicht wieder anging.
Das Splventil nutze ich auch fr Wasserwechsel, ein Gardena-Stecksystem mit Hhnen fhrt ber einen Schlauch direkt zum Abfluss. Ich nehme den FX dafr meist vom Strom, dann fliet das Wasser schneller ab. Hier muss man nur aufpassen, dass man nicht versehentlich das ganze Becken leert. Bei der Gelegenheit kommt auch ein wenig Dreck aus dem Filter, wenn man schttelt.
Wasserwechsel ist somit total einfach: Schlauch anstecken, Splventil auf, per Ventil Druck auf den Einstrmer im Becken geben, damit das Wasser die Richtung zum Abfluss nimmt und nachher Strom abstecken.
Leider setzt er sich ungleichmig zu, ich muss ihn wohl nochmal neu packen und verzichte dann auf Zeolith zugunsten guter alter grober Filtermatte. In den anderen Krben findet sich Siporax abgedeckt mit den mitgelieferten runden Matten. Eine davon ist mir aber zu fein. Aus einem Forenthread erhielt ich den Tipp, diese Abdeckmatten in der Mitte zu durchlcher und zwei vertikale Siporax-Rhrchen reinzuklemmen fr garantierten Durchfluss auch wenn es schon zugesetzt ist.
Alle 12h stoppt der FX6 fr eine Minute fr die Entlftung und fngt dann abrupt wieder an, nicht erschrecken. Die zwei Drehrdchen auf der Oberseite haben keine Funktion, erinnern nur an Wasserwechsel und Wartung.
Die Verarbeitung ist berwiegend sehr gut Deckel und Topf sind dicht und robust. Die Pumpe hab ich in dem einem Jahr Betriebszeit schon mehrfach abgemacht und ein wenig Sand und Schnecken rausgeholt. Bei den Schrauben muss man aufpassen, nicht zu fest anzuziehen.
Eine groe Schwachstelle hat er allerdings, deswegen auch nur 4 Sterne: Das kleine Splventil ist schwergngig und gleichzeitig sehr filigran. Jedes ffnen und Schlieen bewegt den Dichtungsring so, dass es tropft. Immer nur ein bisschen aber sehr gewhnungsbedrftig!
Gesamtfazit: Sehr benutzerfreundlich mit kleinen Schwchen. Preis-Leistung ist absolut in Ordnung und da ich sehr viel am Becken mache (WW alle paar Tage, viel Besatz und voll mit Deko) machen sich die Vorteile im Handling wirklich bemerkbar. Mein Becken ist mit 720L aber auch die gefhlte Obergrenze fr den Topf, bei 1000L aufwrts wrde ich einen zweiten hinzuziehen oder im Becken noch ber Matte filtern.
excellent for my 8ft Malawi tank good return flow, fish love i
I had been eying up this filter for months because of the great reviews everywhere on the internet so as my current filter was now broke it was a perfect opportunity to purchase the FX6. All my local fish shops had sold out of the FX6 which makes me think there may be an upgrade on the horizon. Maybe? Amazon sold it to me about 6 cheaper than my LFS.
The filter is extremely easy to set up for a standard tank. Just assemble the parts in the filter as per instructions after a quick wash of the media etc, attach the hoses to the filter and the other end in your tank and away you go. It stops after a minute or so to allow trapped air be removed automatically and that’s a nice feature. Be warned, this filter is big and powerful. This filter is designed for large tanks. Ensure you have enough room underneath or around your tank as it is a large filter. It only just gets through the cabinet doors and under my Trigon 350 tank. The filter itself is fantastic and justifies the great reviews around the internet.
The reason for only 4 stars is the same for every fluval filters that i have purchased, the hoses that are supplied are never long enough. The cost of the hose supplied must be pretty minimal to fluval so why not give another metre or so. Fluval must assume everyone has a very basic set up. I had to buy a separate hose and another pack of rubber connectors to complete my set up at a further cost of 24 with delivery just for the sake of another metre of hose. Obviously then the rubber connectors have a weak spot where leaks can occur as they are not factory sealed to the hose. Also, although it comes with media which is great as many other filters, fluval included do not usually include media, there is not enough. You will have to purchase more. If i’m paying nearly 240 for a product, then i expect the everything, especially the essentials to be adequate in quantity to start with straight away.
One more gripe although its not really Fluval’s fault but there is no inline heater on the market to fit the 1″inch hose that the FX6 requires. My tank has a decorative backing plate with a full CO2 planted set up which utilizes a Hydor inline heater that now doesn’t fit the FX6 hose. The last thing i want is a heater on show. So i’ve had to be inventive and use a Tee piece pipe which allows me to and convert the 1″inch hose to 3/4″inch that i had bought extra for my previous filter so i can use my heater without putting back pressure on the filter pump. It works a treat.
Finally, it came with a voucher for a free Gravel Vac (supposedly worth 50) which i registered online as requested. Expected delivery was 4 weeks from registration but mine came within 4 days. The vac uses the filter to clean the tank and there are demonstations of its use on Youtube. The vac is good, loads more powerful than with a standard siphon Gravel Vac and is easy to use and does the job fairly well. Because its so powerful, the gravel gets pulled up into the Vacuum easily and blocks it up. I’ve only used it once so maybe there is a better technique than what i tried but will certainly persevere with it. Some critical components to the Gravel Vac appear a bit flimsy and care must be taken not to break any as they integral to its operation.
Overall, i fully recommend this filter and is by far the best aquarium filter i have owned. The filter itself is 5 stars, but if you have a big tank expect to purchase some extra hose and extra media.
Ein Manko gibt es aber, denn die Wartungsanzeiger (Drehknpfe auf dem Deckel) sind serienmig nicht mit dabei. Wer nicht darauf verzichten mag, mu sich fr knapp 40 Euro einen kompletten Deckel mit Wartungsanzeiger extra kaufen.
possibly the best filter I’ve ever owned.
I had trouble with some other external filters not cleaning the water in my tank well enough so thought I’d go big and bought this one.
I found it easy to put together ad I like the filter baskets easy removal.
it is big, it didn’t fit in my cupboard so had to build a new unit for it.
it is a bit louder than my other smaller units but not too loud.
I have sand instead of gravel in my tank and first of all, this did cause a problem with the motor, as the motor is placed at the bottom of the filter the sand can collect near the impeller which causes loud noise and can damage the impeller. It was easy to remove and clean and I haven’t had any trouble with that since
i would definatly recomend any buy this
Very quiet when placed on carpet but in the cupboard that I moved it too its a bit louder when TV is not on.
Love the exit pipes for water and love the way it stops every 12 hours to clear out air bubbles.
Best filter Ive ever bought and has the capacity for so much in the filter. Possibilities are almost endless.
Also looks amazing!
Cons: Husband didnt talk to me for days after as he was angry I bought it XD
Excellent Filter, with huge output, very impressive flow, and a much better media design that previous models and filters.
Can’t fault one of the most powerful filters on the market!
Very good product, 400 l is done by 10 min , recommended for big tanks
I recently upgraded our turtles tank to a 75 gallon tank.
We had been using a dual filter set up to keep the water clean.
Even with dual canister filters in a 55 gallon tank we were still cleaning the tank every week or so. The water just would not stay clean.
We tried all the major brand filters over the years and had just resigned to the fact that we would probably never have clean water in the turtle tank.
Once we had to upgrade to a 75 gallon tank, I knew we would be in for an even bigger headache with cleaning.
I decided to buy this filter in hopes of not have to do so much cleaning.
Let me tell you I am shocked. Since the tank has finally cycled the water has been crystal clear for over a month with only partial weekly water changes.
Here is how we have it set up.
Bottom basket has the white wrap around filter and only ceramic rings.
Middle basket has white wrap around filter, ceramic rings and some bio balls as well.
Top basket has white wrap around filter, a very thin layer of ceramic rings and purigen powder Seachem Purigen 250ml
and on top of that is 1 blue polishing sponge.
Fluval FX5 Fine Filter Polishing Pad – 3-Pack
It took about 3 weeks for the tank to fully cycle. In that time the water was murky and cloudy.
We did a 20% water change each week.
In the 3rd week the water started getting clearer and then one morning we woke up to crystal clear water and it has been that way ever since.
We do about a 10% water change every week now and the water is great.
If you have turtles, get this filter.
Set it up like i did and you will be happy.
Do not use the coarse black sponges that come with the unit or the white polishing sponges that are sold separately.
1 Star for shipping..
Amazon shipped us a returned unit, and was missing pieces and the box was heavily damaged.
I needed it in a hurry and did not bother to return, I was worried that the unit may not function properly but so far it has been solid.
A superb external filter .But only being going for 2 months with one clean.Time will tell.
Arrived quick, great condition, awesome price and fantastic product. Will continue to purchase fron selle
And is very quietly running
what can i say this is a monster filter very high output if you have a small tank then this is NOT the filter for you its for a large tank you can turn the power down to restrict the flow then i suppose it would work well in a medium size tank
it does need a lot of room also the pipes ,because of the output are large
Not much to say really, does what it is ment to worth every penny.
When the package arrived I was shocked at the size of this thing. It reminded me of a canister vacuum cleaner. After a quick unboxing, and cursory accounting of parts, I began the process of assembling the filter at 5:15 PM. At 5:45 PM, I turned it on, watched it cycle, and then settle down to a almost silent hum. I didn’t have to do anything but watch. It did it all. No sucking on the intake to get it to prime, no water splashing everywhere because you couldn’t get the hose on fast enough, and no fuss at all. How nice is that?
The outtake, while very strong, was easily adjustable, so the stream pointed upward, and away from the middle of the tank. You cannot hear one little drop of splashing water. I will be keeping Discus and they don’t like hurricane water.
Like most new tanks mine was quite cloudy, and had been for a couple of days before I started the filter. Overnight the cloudiness completely disappeared and the water is almost crystal clear.
Bottom line: while expensive it’s one of those “you get what you pay for” situations and I consider this easy to assemble, simple to start, highly efficient filter getting what I paid for. I recommend it most heartily for the reasons I have mentioned. Incredibly easy to assemble and starting is a matter of plugging it in. Very quiet and by all appearances very, very efficient. If you have one of these there is no need whatsoever to use an additional filter on a large-100-200 gallon tank. This big boy will take care of everything for you.
– Der Wasserverlauf im FX6 ist ganz anders als in konventionellen Filter, keine Probleme mit Ansaugen!
– Strmung im Aquarium ist kein Vergleich zu frher, das Wasser ist immer super klar!
– Der Ansauger ist sehr durchdacht (hatte immer Probleme mit den kleinen Krben von Eheim)
– Schluche machen sich sehr gut, die Spiralschluche haben einen super Durchlauf, und knicken nicht einmal bei relativ geringen Radien.
Ich habe aus Neugier nach einem Monat mal rein geschaut, und war positiv berrascht,vorher mute ich beim 2078 alle vier Wochen den Vorfilter reinigen, im FX6 schtze ich die Filterflche auf den ueren Ringen etwa 8 bis 10 mal so gro ein! zudem kann man ber den Splanschluss die uere Filterreihe vom grbsten Schmutz befreien.
Einziges Manko meiner Seits ist, da ich mir den nicht schon viel eher geholt habe..
Amazing filter, my murky water cleared up in a couple of hours. It was easy to assemble with clear instructions on the box, well worth the money.
does not fit in all fish tank stands as I found out,i had to put one of the units on floor next to tank.please measure first.
other wise a great unit.
uns quietly and keeps on top of the water really well
Leider war ein Plastikteil schon vor dem Auspacken gebrochen (das womit man die Schluche am Aquariumbecken fixiert). Da es mir zu umstndlich ist das ganze Ding zurckzuschicken habe ich eine andere Lsung zum Befestigen gefunden. Der Filter macht fast keinen Lrm ,ist dicht , einfach zu reinigen und funktioniert bis jetzt einwandfrei. Die Filterleistung ist akzeptabel…na ja einen grsseren Filter kriegt man ja nicht ausser in der Teichtechnik.
Im Vergleich mit anderen Filtern dieser Gre ist FLUVAL preislich ganz OK .. .wrde 5 Sterne vergeben wenn das Plastikteil nicht schon kaputt gewesen wre…gottseidank war es kein allzu wichtiges Teil deshalb nicht weiter dramatisch 😉
FAZIT : Guter unkomplizierter Filter, leicht zu reinigen, fr grssere Aquarien , macht fast keinen Lrm, ist dicht und ich wrde den Filter wieder kaufe
I love the air purge it does every 12 hours, which keeps it working great. The filter is very quiet – the only noise is dependent on whether I have the output directed below or at surface level. My large turtle’s 150 gallon tank is very clean, and the intake is the perfect combination of filtering and pass-through for stray plant or food matter.
In case you didn’t read the description properly, it comes with one (1) 13 foot hose you you need to manually cut. This is great as this system require a straight hose (no loops or twists) to reach the maximum flow. Setup time if you follow the directions is really just a few minutes of you fussing around with the inner workings of the system & cutting the hose. If you are experienced with canister filters it’s less than 10-15 minutes.
I have this filter running on a 125 gallon fresh water Oscar/Gar tank. I do run this in combination with a fluval 405 (used to run 2x fluval 405). I strongly believe that this alone would cycle the tank properly but oscars are heavy polluters. I rather be safe than sorry.
If you are a canister filter fan than I STRONGLY recommend this one.