Fluval Fx4 Pros And Cons

After a few years away from tropical fish tanks am coming back into the hobby. I have had tanks from 10 gallon to 140 gallons. This time I will be in the 75 to 90 gallon tanks. I have had sump systems which were very good filters. The filters I am really familiar with are the Eheim Pro series canisters which I had very good luck with really like the spray bar return. I was wondering how the Fluval FX4 canister filters perform? I have never seen one in operation. I did watch a video on them and they seem to have lots of toys to go with them. Are they as good as they advertise and easy to use and do a good job at filtering. All feed back greatly appreciated

Thanks Bill

 

They’re great filters, a bit pricey, but very easy to use.

 

I've had mine for about 7 months on a 75 gallon and love it.

I was using the utility valve to drain and fill for the first few months but found that a 550gph pump and 1/2" ID hose was faster. Maintenance isn't much harder than any other canister. It helps to drain out some water so it's not as heavy. I cleaned it after 2 months and it was pretty clean so I left it for 4 months and it definitely needed to be cleaned. I think 3-4 months would work well for most community tanks.

PetSmart usually has these on sale often for $200 and that's when I bought mine. The sale is usually in stores and not advertised online.

 

Great feedback thanks may have to look into one when the time comes

Thanks again Bill

 

I have had mine on a 125g tank with plans to switch out the AC 110 to have two on that tank. I am hoping to catch a Black Friday deal. My petsmart doesn’t run good sales like Dark One seems to have at his all the time.

I started it up 6/24 and just cleaned it this last weekend. That thing was NASTY! I need to clean it about every 6-8 weeks. 3 months was way too long. Maybe once I get the second one on there they will share the load.

My tank stays really clean and the canister is not hard to clean as far as canisters go. It is not a spray bar, but two nozzles that you can move to point in different directions.

 

PetSmart is having a 20% off sale on Fluval canister filters right now, if you do decide to go with that.

 

I also have a Fluval 406 on my 75 gallon as well as the FX4. The first 2 months, I had about 50 young EBAs in the tank with a couple of 3-4" plecos. Not the cleanest fish but it wasn't too bad for 2 months but 4 months was definitely pushing it. I had sold most of the EBAs but stocked with other fish. There was no reduction of flow though which is why I went to 4 months. I have a 206 and 306 on other tanks and I can tell they need to be cleaned within a month because the flow reduction is noticeable.

The PetSmart sale might be regional but when they advertise Fluvals on sale, the in-store price is usually better. I know a few others that bought it for $200 and that's how I found out about it. I have about 10 PetSmarts within 10 miles of me and the only one that had it in stock and for the $200 sale price was 10 miles away.

 

I guess I could walk ten miles for a good deal??????????????????

Being 78 years old I could not walk 10 blocks so I guess I would drive
I will watch for there sales in store

Thanks for all the feedback

Bill

 

I picked one of mine up for the $199 deal at Petsmart, the other one was a 20% off deal. The filters are great, the only con I can see would be the filled weight when doing maintenance. But when you only need to clean them a few times a year it's not to bad.

 

I picked one of mine up for the $199 deal at Petsmart, the other one was a 20% off deal. The filters are great, the only con I can see would be the filled weight when doing maintenance. But when you only need to clean them a few times a year it's not to bad.

Use the utility valve to drain the canister before pulling out and it's not so heavy . I still keep the hose attached to the valve just so I can drain it.

 

Yep, I always drain my fx4 and fx6 down at least halfway because I carry them outside to clean. Then I just dump that water into the tub that I keep the media in while cleaning to keep it wet. I have to add more dechlorinated water.