Fluval External Filter

I have been an Eheim fanboy for quiet some time. Lately though, I am seeing that other manufacturers have upped their game. I have a Pennplax Cascade 1200 which is well made and has great flow. This Fluval 306 is Fluval's current 300-series canister. I haven't owned a Fluval canister filter for the last 15 years. The quality of materials of this 306 is immediately noticeable--it is solid and well built. I have a Rena Filstar XP3 filter and the plastics for some parts are not rigid enough (especially quick-disconnect unit--had a leak issue)--not so with this canister. The flow in this filter is such that water enters the inlet, is met by coarse foam spanning the height of the canister chamber. Water then moves through 3 media baskets that you can put whatever you like in. This canister does come with fine foam,ceramic biomedia, carbon pouches--everything you need to get started. The 306 is a well-designed filter system in my book.

The canister filter works great and has great flow. It is listed as being for up to 70gal, and I am using it at full output in a 58gal. Perfect flow. You can adjust the output down if you like by using the flow control lever on the Aquastop valve. This is the same valve that allows you to shut the water to the hoses off completely when disconnecting and servicing the unit. The canister is very quiet. The output nozzle is rather simple and can only be turned in the direction you want it to be aimed. It does not have a spray bar, nor does it have a deflector to adjust vertical spread. I have to say that the hose guides that steer the hose into the tank where you connect it to the input/output hardware is very unique. I like it better than the plastic hardware that every other canister filter uses. It has suction cups inside and outside the tank making it very stable. There is also a unique priming lever that you can use to purge the canister of air when connecting it for the first time--it took quite a few pumps but it works as advertised.

PROS:

+quality materials used and built solid

+quiet operation. Have no complaints at all about operating noise.

+Aquastop disconnect works great for reducing flow or shutting off completely to service canister

+excellent filtration: 1 coarse sponge + 3 media baskets (in succession)

+Hose guide brackets work really well, very stable

+media included

+easy and effective priming mechanism

+powerful flow! Flow is equal to filters rated for larger tanks--I'm guessing tank size rating due to relatively small size of the unit (ie. filtering media). I for one love that it has more flow. Many I know have two canister filters per tank for water movement.

+ribbed plastic hose is very flexible and stays kink-free. In theory it may not be optimal for flow and over time may collect more sediment more than smooth-walled tubing.

CONS:

-very basic output nozzle--can be turned but has no height deflector. No spraybar also if that is your thing. The output nozzle also shakes from all the flow. I bought a suction cup holder (like the included one for the intake stem) to steady it--works great!

All-in-all, a great canister filter!!! Definitely superior to my Eheim classic 2217 and cheaper too! I would also choose this over the Rena XP2/3. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this canister to anyone. If any long-term issues arise, I will update this review. I am now definitely a Fluval fanboy!!!

I uploaded a short video.

I have 2 aquatic turtles. No filters worked even relatively decent until I got this Fluval filter. I was doing complete water changes in my 75 gallon tank every week. This filter changed all of that. It keeps the tank super crystal clear! It's totally and completely silent, which is the best part. It aerates the water. I cannot say enough about how great this filter is! If you have fish, you'll love it. If you have turtles, don't waste money on any other filter, this one works best. I've tried them all!

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I have a 55 gallon aquarium with several very large cichlids in it. Cichlids are fish notorious for filthying up a tank and mine are no different. Before this filter arrived, I was keeping the tank clean with two hang on the back type AquaClear filters (which if you must have a hang on the bank type of filter I do recommend that brand above all others). Each of the AquaClear filters was rated for a tank larger than the one I have. Still, the water never seemed quite clear, despite monthly filter maintenance and weekly 50% water changes.

Since installing this Fluval my tank water is so clear it looks as if the fish are floating in air. My fish are even more vibrantly colored, indicating to me the water quality has improved. It comes completely loaded with media which you will need to rinse before using.

My favorite part about this filter is how amazingly quiet it is. My aquarium is located in my bedroom and we are used to the constant waterfalls and impeller noises from the two hang on the back filters we were running, which were the quietest we had owned. The first night we ran this filter the silence actually kept us awake! We still have to walk up to glance into the tank periodically so that we can tell it is even running because it is so quiet.

It is also super easy to maintain. There is a lever on the top which stops water from leaving the lid like a switch. You then simply remove the lid and do what you need to do. Even starting an empty filter is a breeze as it self primes and the self priming actually WORKS!!!

If you are used to hang on the back filters, expect this filter to take more time to install. It took me about an hour as I have never installed this type of filter before and I misunderstood where the gasket was to be seated. Yes, it was a very wet mistake. :-)

The instructions could be better. The device is actually simple to install but the instructions make it seem more complicated than it is.

We have only ran this for about a month but I can tell this is one of those rare products that is so well made it will be passed on to my children. I cannot give it high enough praise.

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I purchased 2 Fluval 406 for a new 100 Gal Freshwater tank. The major difference from the 405 filter is the priming mech which on the 406 is easier to get started and was completely redesigned very nice! Also the motor clamps are stronger and easier to open when cleaning is required. The impeller cover on the 406 is very strong and looks like it will never need to be replaced like on the 405 which can break when cleaning. The only drawback is that parts for the 06 series are not readily available yet. I have had this filter for about 15 months and I am still very pleased with my water quality. I also purchased a Eheim 2076 Pro 3E for my 40 Gal breeder and I am regretting it already the water is cloudy and I believe that it is due to bypass issues. I replaced it with one of my fluval 406 cannisters from my 100 Gal to verify that it is an issue with the Pro 3E and it only took about 12 hours to completly clear my cloudy 40Gal tank. If anyone has a comment or suggestion on how to fix this issue with my Eheim please post a comment I would very much appreciate any suggestions to resolve this issue.

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Overall I love this filter. The majority of the parts are made of high quality plastic (with the exception of the ribbed tubing...17mm ID and 21.8mm OD as measured with a caliper is nearly impossible to replace with anything else that is readily available). The clips for hanging the intake and outlet hoses on the side of the aquarium however provide a robust mounting mechanism and they look cool as well, like they were designed by Dino de Laurentiis for the set of Dune or something. The pump motor is quite powerful. It does hum and vibrate somewhat with a small amount of impeller rattle that becomes evident when listening closely to the unit. I would compare it to the noise generated by a small air pump.

The variable flow control provided by this filter is very useful for stirring up crud from the bottom of the tank. I run the filter continuously at ~50-60% power and once a day I will crank it up to full power for a few minutes which helps to keep the surface of the substrate clean and reduce the frequency of full-on gravel vacs. My fish absolutely love to play in the jet of water created by the directional outlet and yet I can keep the flow rate below what would bother my shrimp (unless they happen to swim directly into the path of the return jet and get an express trip across the aquarium which they occasionally do). The intake tube will need to be covered with a piece of mesh or a nylon filter media bag if you intend to have fish fry or shrimplets swimming around because they will be easily sucked into it and get fluvalised. I recently discovered this the hard was as while cleaning the filter I found two shrimp that had probably been feeding near the intake and gotten filtered. Amazingly they were both still alive and seemed none the worse for wear.

After reading about seal leak horror stories from other users of various brands of canister filters, I would advise investing in some high quality silicone grease to lubricate all readily accessible o-rings and seals. I use Dow Corning high vacuum grease. It's pricey but a tube will last you a lifetime or three. It doesn't take much, just a THIN FILM applied with a toothpick each time you service your filter will keep your seals from drying out and add years of life to them.

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