What do you all think of Fluval filters, do they do the job? Can adding Carbon wafers help?

Question

thanks for your advice, i am a newbie!

Answer 1

I love my fluval filtration system. It is simple to operate and it works great. When I first got started, my fish man told me to get a fluval. I was a little annoyed by the price but I've had it now for almost 7 years and I love it, low maintenance and I don't even change my water as often as I used to so in a way I'm saving money on salt. I'm sure someone one here is going bad mouth them but I can't say enough good about them. I use the foam pad that it comes with, the little ceramic pieces (for the bio filtration) and then I buy loose carbon and I put it in pieces of nylon panyhose and knot the ends. I replace my carbon probably every 3 months (I'm kinda lazy but I don't have many fish in there either), never wash the ceramic pieces and I rinse out the foam, (which can be replaced if it ever needs it) .

Answer 2

Fluval are decent filters - certainly not the best of the canisters, but reliable and effective none-the-less.

Carbon is a debated issue. Some people use it, some don't. Carbon absorbs trace elements from the water. The biggest problem is that it can't differenciate between the good and the bad elements, and ends up removing some of both. I, and many experienced aquarists I've spoken with, have found the removal of carbon from the system has no effect on the tank, and is one less thing needing replacement every two or three weeks (the lifespan of the carbon - anyone who goes months without changing it is already prooving the tank does just fine without it).

Answer 3

I have a Fluval 104, (2) 404's , and an FX5. I personally love them. I however donot run carbon in any. Carbon's life lasts 2 weeks tops, and I donot clean my fluvals that much. With regular water changes, carbon is not needed unless removing medication. I run my Fluvals with ceramic rings, and filter floss or sponges in the baskets. Basically setup for mechanical and biological filtration. Great filter, you cant go wrong with a fluval IME. Try the 04 models as they are cheap now after the 05's came out.