I currently own a 55 gallon tank with a pleco and an oscar, and this filter has kept my tank crystal clear since i got it. If you know oscars then you know how messy they can be. I highly recommend this filter to anyone with a 55 gallon tank. My roommate has a 150 gallon with 7 red devils and two plecos, and has the Fluval 304 (older model to this 305), and even his tank is clear, its not perfect but for being as clear as it is with only a filter made for a 70 gallon tank, i can honestly say that Fluval filters are GREAT products.
I purchased the Fluval 305 filter (from a different vendor) to replace an older Penguin 350. The install was in an established 55 gallon aquarium with two, 5 year old (mated pair) Jack Dempsey cichlids and several small Cory catfish. The set up was fairly easy and the water is now absolutely clear. The fish seem more active now, I'm guessing because of better quality water and the better overall circulation. The Penguin would do a good job of circulating water in one part of my (rather long) tank but the other half never got much flow. With the 305, I am able to angle the filtered water output so that I get total tank circulation. Also, the Fluval has much more filter media space and options, that makes a BIG difference. The price of the two above mentioned filters is way different. The Penguin 350 is a good filter, the Fluval is an excellent filter. The Fluval is truly worth the extra $$ and I would recommend the Fluval 305 to anyone. :)
Ken
Edit 12 Feb 2010 added:
As a FYI. The FLUVAL '3 Plus' filter pads WILL NOT fit this unit (too well, it is a little loose). You will want to purchase filter pads that says '204/304' on the package, and that works fine. The 204/304 media that I bought came in a two pack, four pads are required for a complete replacement. From my limited experience with this media It is 100% reusable, can be rinsed, and is fairly rugged. You may not need to replace it, I like to have some replacements on hand 'just in case' ;)
ken
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First there are a few things to consider I have a 40gal tropical tank which is more than a little over capacity (fish-wise). I have had other filters in the past on other 29-55 gal tanks. Given this information this is one of the best filters I have had the pleasure of owning. This unit will keep the water very clear if you are willing to load the media in it correctly and do just a bit of maintenance. I also recommend using the "polisher" pads about 3-4 times a year as it does a fine job of Tidying Up. For those that have complained about priming when reconnecting Fill the filter with water at about the same temp as your tank. Then after connecting the unit and starting it up, gently rock the filter from front to back to release any trapped air. Also I would recommend NEVER changing the Biomass in the final stage Unless you have a major disaster in the tank. Also keep a spare impeller and outer seal on hand (just in case) while you may never need them, it would be better to have them and not need them than to need them and not have them. My personal mix of media is Carbon(very thoroughly rinsed) in the 1st stage, Clearmax in the second stage (followed on top by a polishing pad *Temporary*) then a mix of Eheim Substrat Pro and Fluval BIOMAX. Personally I would recommend against changing all of the Clearmax at one time, I change one side then the other in rotation. Similarly I would recommend against changing both front and back sponges at the same time. I replace the front and lightly clean the rear and rotate them (rear to front) quarterly as more than this is not needed and reduces beneficial bacteriological filtration. NOTE: While I am not an Expert, my fish are happy with my maintenance routine and the old man in the tank (a common pleco) is over a foot long after a couple of years and started as a mere 1.5 inch baby.
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I have had my Fluval 305 for 4 months now.
Pros:
-Quite, very surprised at how very quite this guy is. I can hardly tell anything is on.
-great concept. Water is first filtered by mechanical filtration (sponges), then it makes its way upward through chemical (carbon) and biological filtration (clay beads). I have found the carbon replacement bags to be overly priced. My suggestion is to just buy yourself some bulk filter carbon and a filter bag and save yourself some money.
-Since the pump pulls the water through the canister, you don't risk shrimp or small fish that might get sucked up in the intake being chopped up by the pump. Instead they get as far as the sponge in the canister and stop there.
-Great customer service, called them one time and was never put on hold or heard nice music. The phone rings and someone actually answers.
Cons:
-Leak after 4 months. Not sure what caused it. The leak only occurs when the pump is off and a siphon has been created-creating higher water pressure in the canister. So I didn't experience a big leak in the middle of the night, I didn't notice. Rather it was after a water change. Customer service was great. However turn around time is about 10 days. Which means you'll have to find alternative filtration for that time. Also my O-ring was well lubricated with petroleum jelly after each cleaning-so it wasn't the problem. The customer service suggested a hairline crack, she said they have seen that before.
-I thought the clips on the side of the tank were a bit flimsy, as well as the flap that inserts the hose into the canister. I was expecting both to be more durable and create a tighter squeeze. Neither did on my canister. Maybe mine was a dud.
Overall I liked the product. I would give it 4.5 stars if the leak hadn't occurred. So I am discounting 1/2 a star for flimsy latches and flimsy hose flap and 1 star for the leak-which could have been a lot more drastic then it was. I will see how the replacement works and how customer service ultimately handles my claim. Will update.
Update:
Customer service was amazing. I am sure not many of the Hagen products have problems since I never was waiting on the phone very long for support. As mentioned above I noticed a leak in my filter once the siphon had started but the pump wasn't on-meaining there was water pressure in the canister from the siphon. I think once the pump was one the water pressure was less because the pump was moving water out of the siphon. I called customer service and they had me send out the entire canister for inspection. That cost about $14, which I paid. 10 days later I emailed them for an update. I think they had forgotten about me, because they asked for info on when I sent the product and the tracking number, etc. Once they got this info they immediately responded that they had discovered a hairline fracture in the motor head and would be sending me a new unit. I received the new unit in the mail 3 days later. However they forgot to return my canister-just the motor head. I called them about this and they apologized and overnighted me a canister, which I got the next day. I think complete turn around time was 15 days.
Since then this unit has worked just like the old, no leaks for me. The clips on this new unit are a bit tighter and require a bit more muscle to close the head onto the canister. The housing unit clip is still pretty flimsy, but it works, so i guess no need to complain about that. I think it deserves a 4.5 star rating and would certainly give it 5 stars if the unit last a few years. Since all my other hagen products have lasted forever, I don't see why this wouldn't.
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I have had this filter for almost a year and I have yet to find any fault with it. It holds lots of filter media (charcoal, ammo-carb, etc.) which gives it the ability I had hoped for long intervals between maintenance. I currently have this connected to a 29 gal. tetra tank (the fish, not the brand) and while I know that this filter is over-sized, it provides great filtration and the high rate of water flow (I have it wide open) seems to please my riverine tetras and they will frequently play in the current (a habit that seems to be related to feeding they grab food as it flows by). If I choose, I can use this for a larger tank in the future. The built-in primer pump is a great feature and makes it very easy to get a flow started. You will only need to use it once, unless you allow air into the intake line.
Setting up the filter will take some time. This is not a "hang on the back and plug it in" filter. You will find it much easier to install in an empty, or nearly so, aquarium. There are hoses to be cut and suction cups to hold them against the back wall of the tank. As you are cutting the hoses to fit, it will be obvious why this moves so much more water than the hanging style, and because you can mount the hoses at opposite ends of the tank, you will get superior filtration across the whole tank. I can easily go 6 weeks without a change I have 45 tetras and one plecostomus in the tank, so it is not a light load. I check chemical levels every week, and have never had an increase in ammonia, nitrates, or nitrites. The water is crystal clear. If you are adding this to an existing setup, reuse the old water so that there is a good supply of bacteria. The filter media will hang onto some of the bacteria (as it should) leaving a shortage in the tank. All new water would be inviting an ammonia bloom, so pick up some ammonia neutralizer to have on hand just in case (not a bad thing to have in your permanent maintenance kit). Take a few minutes to understand the logic behind the media placement, and you will be able to fine tune this filter to your individual needs. You can have more than one media per chamber, and you have six cambers to work with. Each chamber holds about three times the media present in the bio-bag of a hanging filter, so it is easy to see why it filters so well. I can't imagine ever using a different filter.
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Arrived quickly & works as described. My Aquatic plants & fish like it! It DOES NOT put off the yellow cast that some brands do. Very nice!
