Two Aquaclear 110s Vs Fluval Fx4

Lol!!! Just showed hubby this thread and now he’s asking if we should get the FX6? Overkill, right for 90 gallons? I think he’s hinting that if we overfilter then we can go two weeks between water changes. I don’t think it works like that, does it? Like Old mentioned, the fish need the replenishing of minerals etc.

It is overkill but also allows for longer periods between cleanings, also there is no such thing as to much filtration. I had a FX4 on a 75 and run a FX4 & FX6 on a 150 so I may have a bit of bias. I clean mine every other week or so but I have about 37 fish in the tank.

 

It is overkill but also allows for longer periods between cleanings, also there is no such thing as to much filtration. I had a FX4 on a 75 and run a FX4 & FX6 on a 150 so I may have a bit of bias. I clean mine every other week or so but I have about 37 fish in the tank.

Ok this is something we may consider it’s not much more for an FX6. Would it blow the fish around in the tank, or can you adjust the flow somehow?

 

Ok this is something we may consider it’s not much more for an FX6. Would it blow the fish around in the tank, or can you adjust the flow somehow?

It should be alright but you can adjust the output direction and use the aquastop valves to adjust the flow if needed. Be sure that it will fit in the space, it's not small.

 

It should be alright but you can adjust the output direction and use the aquastop valves to adjust the flow if needed. Be sure that it will fit in the space, it's not small.

Sweet!!! We just ordered an FX6 on sale through Petsmart!!! We pick up the tank and stand on Saturday, if it doesn’t fit, we’ll exchange it

Thanks so much for all your help! I feel excited, we are one step closer to having this tank set up

So sorry to disturb again, would Seachem Matrix work as biomedia in the FX6? Or is the flow too fast for it to work properly? I can’t remember where I read it, but I saw somewhere that matrix might be wasted in a canister because of the fast flow of water? Or maybe I misread.

 

So sorry to disturb again, would Seachem Matrix work as biomedia in the FX6? Or is the flow too fast for it to work properly? I can’t remember where I read it, but I saw somewhere that matrix might be wasted in a canister because of the fast flow of water? Or maybe I misread.

Matrix should be fine in the FX6. Make sure you get the big 1gal/4L bucket. When you set it up, just add the BioFoam on the bottom with a polishing pad and fill the rest with BioMax and Matrix. Skip the carbon. Save it for when/if you medicate your tank and need to suck it out after the treatment.

I was going to mention that I have a FX4 and 406 on my 75 gallon (1083 gph) so a FX6 isn't crazy on a 90g (at least in my mind ).

 

Matrix should be fine in the FX6. Make sure you get the big 1gal/4L bucket. When you set it up, just add the BioFoam on the bottom with a polishing pad and fill the rest with BioMax and Matrix. Skip the carbon. Save it for when/if you medicate your tank and need to suck it out after the treatment.

I was going to mention that I have a FX4 and 406 on my 75 gallon (1083 gph) so a FX6 isn't crazy on a 90g (at least in my mind ).

That’s great to know, thank you! I can’t believe this is all happening!

 

I recently upgraded the filtration on my 55G community tank. I went from an AC110 and Fluval C4 to a Fluval FX4. The FX4 is leaps and bounds better than the HOB's. Greater flow, lots of media space despite some of the online complaints and is sooooooooooooo much more quiet than either HOB. With all the mechanical filtration on the FX series, there's no need for a filter booster. Maintenance has been a breeze as well. I went from weekly maintenance to monthly. I could easily go 2-3 months between cleanings, but my OCD won't allow it. Looks like Petsmart has locations in Canada. They put the FX filters on sale often. I paid $199 for mine, which is close to what you'll pay for 2 AC110's. If possible, the FX6 would be better for your tank. When you consider how much you'll pay for fish and plants, good filtration is a minor investment.

 

Sweet!!! We just ordered an FX6 on sale through Petsmart!!! We pick up the tank and stand on Saturday, if it doesn’t fit, we’ll exchange it

Thanks so much for all your help! I feel excited, we are one step closer to having this tank set up

So sorry to disturb again, would Seachem Matrix work as biomedia in the FX6? Or is the flow too fast for it to work properly? I can’t remember where I read it, but I saw somewhere that matrix might be wasted in a canister because of the fast flow of water? Or maybe I misread.

I would think Matrix is fine, I've used it in canisters without issue in the past. Also keep in mind that the FX filters usually include media, at least the ones I purchased did. Another really cool item that you can add to a FX is the gravel cleaning kit. Here is a link to it and to a video, it makes it easy to clean the substrate without having to do a water change.

 

I've been trying to buy the gravel kit, but cannot find it in stock anywhere.

 

HOLY MOLY, THAT’S A BIG FILTER!!!! Just unboxed the FX6, it’s massive! Now I understand how the biomedia capacity of two AC 110s could never match the FX. I’m really hoping this thing fits, I have my heart set on it. The first thing that came out of my mouth was “I’ll never have to cycle another tank again!” Lol, once this is established, I could just easily take out a handful of media and throw it in a new filter. Amazing.

I recently upgraded the filtration on my 55G community tank. I went from an AC110 and Fluval C4 to a Fluval FX4. The FX4 is leaps and bounds better than the HOB's. Greater flow, lots of media space despite some of the online complaints and is sooooooooooooo much more quiet than either HOB. With all the mechanical filtration on the FX series, there's no need for a filter booster. Maintenance has been a breeze as well. I went from weekly maintenance to monthly. I could easily go 2-3 months between cleanings, but my OCD won't allow it. Looks like Petsmart has locations in Canada. They put the FX filters on sale often. I paid $199 for mine, which is close to what you'll pay for 2 AC110's. If possible, the FX6 would be better for your tank. When you consider how much you'll pay for fish and plants, good filtration is a minor investment.

I don’t think the FX6 will go down to $199 here, we got it at Petsmart for $399 with $20 off. The FX4 was around $349 so not much difference between the two! The AC 110 at Petsmart is about $110 so $220 for both, could get $40 off if you split your order into two for the ACs. Canada doesn’t seem to get the same deals as the US, unfortunately!

I would think Matrix is fine, I've used it in canisters without issue in the past. Also keep in mind that the FX filters usually include media, at least the ones I purchased did. Another really cool item that you can add to a FX is the gravel cleaning kit. Here is a link to it and to a video, it makes it easy to clean the substrate without having to do a water change.

That gravel cleaner is so cool! Would be handy with messy fish in between water changes.

 

That FX gravel thing...never used it. I have it but it’s just junk to me.

The FX is huge. It’s always good to measure the space before you install it. I got one and I didn’t have the space for it. Luckily I acquired a new tank with a stand that can store it.

 

That FX gravel thing...never used it. I have it but it’s just junk to me.

The FX is huge. It’s always good to measure the space before you install it. I got one and I didn’t have the space for it. Luckily I acquired a new tank with a stand that can store it.

To each their own, I use the grave attachment regularly. I received mine free from Fluval as part of a promo they were running.

The FX6 is a beast, I always recommend measuring first.

 

Yep, didn’t think to measure the stand when we went to look at the tank the other day. It’s a used set up, but next time we buy a used set up, I’ll ask for dimensions of the stand and stand doors!

Hubby is supposed to go pick up the tank and stand in a couple hours ..... I’m so nervous and excited! I hope the tank survives the move!!! I’ll be so devo’d if something happens to it while moving it.

We’ll just check if the FX6 fits the stand when it gets here. If not, then we can return it and we’ll be on he hunt for alternative filtration. Maybe two smaller canisters? I guess I should wait and see how this afternoon pans out.

 

Yep, didn’t think to measure the stand when we went to look at the tank the other day. It’s a used set up, but next time we buy a used set up, I’ll ask for dimensions of the stand and stand doors!

Hubby is supposed to go pick up the tank and stand in a couple hours ..... I’m so nervous and excited! I hope the tank survives the move!!! I’ll be so devo’d if something happens to it while moving it.

We’ll just check if the FX6 fits the stand when it gets here. If not, then we can return it and we’ll be on he hunt for alternative filtration. Maybe two smaller canisters? I guess I should wait and see how this afternoon pans out.

If the FX6 doesn't fit the FX4 is shorter and would be ample filtration for that size tank as well. The picture I posted is a FX 6 and FX4 side by side.

 

The tank and stand are here and the FX6 fits!! Hooray!!

 

Ok, so this being our first canister, I hope we set this thing up right! We were in a hurry to set up the filter because I was hoping to keep the BB alive from the old canister that came with the tank. I’m not really all that hopeful any survived, but anyways, that’s why there’s no sand or anything else at the moment.

So my question is, do the intake and outake positions look ok? I’m worried the outake nozzle is too high. The instructions said to put it 1 inch below water level. We put it lower than that because we wanted to account for evaporation while we are away from home. When we first started the filter, I guess it did it’s priming thing, and I had one nozzle pointed towards the surface for surface agitation. The water was pushed out the outake so hard, that it spilled out the back of the tank! I know that the canister shuts off every 12 hours to get rid of air and then starts up again. I’m worried about water spilling out over the top of the tank again, so I pointed both nozzles down. It looks like it hasn’t spilled over again. But there’s hardly any surface agitation.

I added a sponge filter I had on hand rated for 40 gallons. It is helping with surface agitation. My first time using a sponge filter so now I have more questions, lol. Is it better to have big, blobby bubbles or fine bubbles for gas exchange at the surface? Does it matter? If I need finer bubbles, would adding a small airstone to the sponge filter work? Also, I wanted to use sponge filters to work as back up in case the power goes out while we’re away. The current sponge is only rated for 40 gallons, is that enough? Or do I get a second sponge to run as well? The air pump is working as I hoped so far. It takes four D batteries but also plugs into the power bar. It works with the power bar, and when I turned the power bar off, it switched to batteries! Cool!


And I forgot the picture

 

When you first set up the filter, there can be a lot of air in the canister and will cause huge bubbles like you described but that shouldn't happen after the initial set up unless you have an air leak in the hose or canister and even then, it won't be as bad as you experienced. You can unplug it to let the air bubbles in the canister rise up and plug it back in to purge the air. It will also stop for 3 mins a min or two after you plug it in. Straighten out the output and point the nozzles up a bit to get some surface agitation.

When you do canister maintenance, plug the filter in before you fill the tank (output above the water line) so the canister fills up and you don't get huge bubbles. Unplug and fill the tank. When the water level is where you want it, plug the canister back in and you won't have a mess.

Adding substrate after filling the tank usually will give you really cloudy water for a few hours to a couple of days.

 

I agree with DarkOne, you're going to want the output closer to the surface for adequate circulation and agitation of the surface. After the initial air purge during setup and after cleans you will not get the big bubbles. I checked mine and they are about 2.5 inches below the water line and I haven't had a problem. Also, once it's setup, keep an eye out for dead spots in the flow. It can be an issue in larger tanks and allow detritus to build up and increase ammonia/nitrite/nitrate levels. Dead spots can usually be corrected with adjusting the output of the filter or with powerheads/wave makers, just something to be aware of.

 

When you first set up the filter, there can be a lot of air in the canister and will cause huge bubbles like you described but that shouldn't happen after the initial set up unless you have an air leak in the hose or canister and even then, it won't be as bad as you experienced. You can unplug it to let the air bubbles in the canister rise up and plug it back in to purge the air. It will also stop for 3 mins a min or two after you plug it in. Straighten out the output and point the nozzles up a bit to get some surface agitation.

When you do canister maintenance, plug the filter in before you fill the tank (output above the water line) so the canister fills up and you don't get huge bubbles. Unplug and fill the tank. When the water level is where you want it, plug the canister back in and you won't have a mess.

Adding substrate after filling the tank usually will give you really cloudy water for a few hours to a couple of days.

Thanks again for your help!

I know it would’ve been preferable to rinse the sand and put it in the tank beforehand. I just didn’t have time as I was rushing to try and save the BB, don’t think it worked anyways though! We got a length of PVC pipe, so will try to target the sand to the bottom and hopefully not get too cloudy. If it gets bad, I’ll just drain the tank, I don’t really have a cycle going yet, ammonia hasn’t moved at all, so I don’t think I’d lose anything to drain the tank.

I agree with DarkOne, you're going to want the output closer to the surface for adequate circulation and agitation of the surface. After the initial air purge during setup and after cleans you will not get the big bubbles. I checked mine and they are about 2.5 inches below the water line and I haven't had a problem. Also, once it's setup, keep an eye out for dead spots in the flow. It can be an issue in larger tanks and allow detritus to build up and increase ammonia/nitrite/nitrate levels. Dead spots can usually be corrected with adjusting the output of the filter or with powerheads/wave makers, just something to be aware of.

Ok, many thanks for all your help. Our output nozzle is a few inches lower than what yours is. I’ll see if hubby can shorten the hose a bit to get it higher up.

 

I wouldn't worry about air build up in the filter. The FX series will automatically purge any air from the filter every 12 hours. As for the output, I have the nozzle placed in the center of the tank pointing upward towards opposite corners. This agitates the surface and moves the water on both sides of the tank.

 

I wouldn't worry about air build up in the filter. The FX series will automatically purge any air from the filter every 12 hours. As for the output, I have the nozzle placed in the center of the tank pointing upward towards opposite corners. This agitates the surface and moves the water on both sides of the tank.

Thanks! How many inches below the water line do you have your nozzle?

 

Thanks! How many inches below the water line do you have your nozzle?

Hmm. It's the standard out of the box setup. I didn't make any modification. As long as the surface is moving, it's exchanging gas.

 

I set up a new 100 gallon last night, 60x18x20
fx6, c4, c4,
thought the fx6 could potentially be overkill for a tank that size but its not, c4's move a little water too
my c4's props are getting clogged with sand, keep shutting down