fluval 306 canister filter!!

[awilson133]

I was thinking about getting a fluval 306 for my 55 gallon FW.. are they good? what are the advantages and disadvantages. ive went through youtube and couldnt find anything useful

 

[toddnbecka]

I've used fluval 304/305's, wasn't impressed with the overall quality, particularly compared to eheims. I still have several older eheim Pro and Pro II canisters running, replaced and sold off the fluvals.
For easier maintenance I really prefer aquaclear hob's, ran 2 70's on my 55's before I upgraded to 75's. The canisters are useful if there isn't enough clearance between the tank and the wall for hob filters.

 

[jcolon]

Fluval makes quality canisters, in general you can't go wrong with one, though there are other brands out there. It comes down to how you set up the media trays. With a 305 / 306 I'd say do poly fill in the bottom tray and ceramic rings on the upper two.

My 404 is a hand me down ... Over 5 years old and it's still running strong.

 

[foster53]

I replaced the Fluvals I had with Rena XP's. I am with toddnbecka on the Fluvals, not real impressed with them. The double shut off to unhook them was a pain, and the intake & return hoses were too stiff. Just my take on Fluvals.

 

[awilson133]

whats is polyfill ? lol

 

[stan23]

I can't speak to other brands of canisters, but I've had my Fluval 204 running my 20H for over 10 years. It still performs flawlessly. It's hidden in the bottom of my cabinet which allows the cabinet and tank to be within two inches of the wall.

I love the way you can customize the media you put in the baskets and you aren't restricted to proprietary products.

I have an AquaClear 30 hob in my 10g and I don't like it nearly as much.

 

[awilson133]

I actually really like the xp2 & xp3 I think the xp3 would be a lot better for my 55gallon . they seem easier to clean

 

[awilson133]

but the fluval looks good too..lol

 

[don_chuwish]

Using a 305 here, on 36G. Don't have a long history or anything to compare with but so far I really like the build quality. And as mentioned by others the ability to customize the filter media is nice. I have their 'bio-foam' in the bottom two compartments, then their polishing pads in the middle, covered over with bio-max ceramic tubes, then more bio-max in the top. There's enough room left in the top to put in purigen or carbon sachets as needed.
The polishing pads catch an impressive amount of fine crud and are easier to rinse & re-use than loose floss or polyfill.
But I will say that I'd rather have a proper sump & skimmer than a canister. I just don't have a space for it.

- D

 

[awilson133]

yeah what I really like is that you can customize the media you can put in on the fluval 306.

 

[awilson133]

ive also heard.that the fluvals are notorious for leaking..though..

 

[jcolon]

whats is polyfill ? lol

Polyester fill, a great bargain compared to filter floss. I bought a 20oz bag back in April and at a rate of two filter maintenance per month, I
still enough to last me till this April. Did I mention that for the past 5 months I've been stuffing two media trays with poly-fill?

 

[foster53]

yeah what I really like is that you can customize the media you can put in on the fluval 306.

The Rena's have the same capabilities. 3 full media trays, you can add what you like. The thing i like with Rena's, the media tray has horizontal dividers opposed to vertical in the Fluvals. I had no problem with the performance of the Fluval, just some other issues.

 

[Retired_AF]

I have a Fluval 305 for my 37-gallon tank. I love how quiet it is and how clean my tank stays with it. I have never had problems with it since I installed it 8 months ago. For filtering, I use ceramic rings in both halves of the bottom two drawers and use polyfill in the top drawer. I saved the carbon bags in case I ever have to medicate the tank, but do not use them normally. the only thing I recommend that they dont really stress is to keep the gasket moist with petroleum jelly. I clean the gasket with every maintenance and recoat it with a thin film to maintain moisture and to enhance the seal.

 

[Retired_AF]

ive also heard.that the fluvals are notorious for leaking..though..

From what I have seen, most leaks are caused by improperly lubricated gaskets. Dry rubber will try to roll out of the groove when pressure is placed on them such as when trying to install the top or the water lines. Most people that take time to use a dab of petroleum jelly on the gaskets have few problems in that area. That isnt to say there cant be some gasket failures, it just greatly reduces the possibility.

A mispositioned gasket will get crushed or cut and will leak, naturally. Lubrication helps the gasket slide into place, and tends not to roll.

Not hating, just passing on my experiences...

 

[Mr. D]

I have a 306 and love it... Keeps the water quality great, the compartments are awesome and big enough to house as much media as u want for a 55gl(I have it on the same size tank)... Just regular maintenance every 2weeks-month depends on tank itself....I love sponges in the 1st level compartments to, keeps bio-media clean.

I use it for planted discus tank.
And as for the drying out of the rubber, dip in old tank water on occasion or wat the post b4 said

Never had a leak with a 205 or my newer 306

 

[SLoViper]

Im running both 305 and 306 on my 75 gallon and must say that im impressed how quiet these filters are running. my water is crystal clear too.

 

[skywhitney]

I'm actually running a 406 on my 67g and i love it! Its basically silent, easy maintenance, adjustable flow is great. Ultimately I don't think you can go wrong with either a Fluval or Rena. With proper maintenance on gaskets and seals either one will do great!

 

[awilson133]

alright cool. thanks everyone for being so helpful