External filter

[charliebankston]

It's good to hear that I perform well enough to be kept local for a while longer. If fact I hear it on a daily basis. Come on Charlie, let the OP read about what you think is an "okay" filter?

Haha! I did give my opinion on the 3 brands I own. Because I have so many, I've gravitated toward the lower cost of sunsun. Also, if most are the same, then I can buy one type of sponge/ media and not have 15 different types lying around. But I have no complaints with my 406. And the only complaint really with the eheim 2215 and 2217 i have are the slight difficulty priming and being prone to dripping from the water intake hose where it connects to the pump

 

[Caliban07]

I used classic Eheim, fluval and JBL

Classic felt the best in terms if performance but I hated stopping that thing once it got going.

Fluval are good middle of the road canisters. I’ve had a 205 and 206 and a 106. Not really many complaints. 205 was the better one though.

Overall JBL e1501 I had was the best. It has a huge button you just press a few times. Normal tubing, easy to assemble and clean. The thing is was a beast. Just wanted to throw JBL in to the mix

 

[charliebankston]

Jbl gets good reviews too

 

[Mr. Overfilter]

Ive never seen the G series before. Someone was looking for a low height cannister for a 65g tank a while back because they had an unusual cabinet that only had 18 inch available height and wasnt tall enough for most cannisters. We couldn't find one that worked, so they ended up with one sat on the floor next to the cabinet (they had a spare FX6 and used that from recollection). Perhaps something from that range might have worked.

I'm glad you haven't because you might have been tempted to pop for one. I've made many stupid decisions in the past, but buying a G6 was really bad. It had all the (on-paper) features that would draw me in, including a LCD display. When I learned that it had to be cleaned weekly for the best results, I waited for something to break and tossed it. What do you think of the fx4? If it's the baby fx6 in function it has to be a passable choice. Though it took nearly half an hour on the phone with fluval support to understand fx series flow-through and why white foam in the unit would turn red after extended use.

 

[Aiken Drum]

I'm glad you haven't because you might have been tempted to pop for one. I've made many stupid decisions in the past, but buying a G6 was really bad. It had all the (on-paper) features that would draw me in, including a LCD display. When I learned that it had to be cleaned weekly for the best results, I waited for something to break and tossed it. What do you think of the fx4? If it's the baby fx6 in function it has to be a passable choice. Though it took nearly half an hour on the phone with fluval support to understand fx series flow-through and why white foam in the unit would turn red after extended use.

We considered the fx4, it would fit in his cabinet, but when the space needed above the filter for hoses and valves etc was taken account of, it didn't fit. I think the FX4 is 16" ish + say 5 or 6" needed for hoses. He had 18" space. That G6 is 13" so it might have fitted. It was the weirdest aquarium cabinet, with no thought whatsoever given to canister filters (picture attached). We also considered HoB or internal filters but he didn't like the idea for some reason. He never did get back to me on what he ultimately decided on, but seemed dead set on using his FX6 as he got it cheap, so it probably got sat on the floor next to the tank with the flow turned right down.

 

[Coco60]

If money is no object buy Oase Biotherm 600 Germany made. With its pre-filter compartment only takes five minutes a week to clean it up REALLY !! You can also have the integrated heater model !

 

[Mr. Overfilter]

We considered the fx4, it would fit in his cabinet, but when the space needed above the filter for hoses and valves etc was taken account of, it didn't fit. I think the FX4 is 16" ish + say 5 or 6" needed for hoses. He had 18" space. That G6 is 13" so it might have fitted. It was the weirdest aquarium cabinet, with no thought whatsoever given to canister filters (picture attached). We also considered HoB or internal filters but he didn't like the idea for some reason. He never did get back to me on what he ultimately decided on, but seemed dead set on using his FX6 as he got it cheap, so it probably got sat on the floor next to the tank with the flow turned right down.View attachment 319151

A cabinet designed for the hardware guy? I'm surprised. I've popped for two major upgrades since last I posted here. One of them was an FX4, after watching a 406 die all over the floor. The FX4 is a beast, especially when paired with a 600. Fluval has managed to improve the pump electronics as well. It primed and purged itself so smootlhy that I couldn't tell it was working initially.

 

[Mr. Overfilter]

If money is no object buy Oase Biotherm 600 Germany made. With its pre-filter compartment only takes five minutes a week to clean it up REALLY !! You can also have the integrated heater model !

One correction, the 600 is German-designed and Italian-produced. It's a good filter once you know its quirks. I keep hearing that there's a v2 upgrade coming for the Biomaster line. Well, back to exile...

 

[charliebankston]

One correction, the 600 is German-designed and Italian-produced. It's a good filter once you know its quirks. I keep hearing that there's a v2 upgrade coming for the Biomaster line. Well, back to exile...

Man, you've been gone a while. I thought you froze to death or something

 

[Mr. Overfilter]

Man, you've been gone a while. I thought you froze to death or something

Nah, I froze to death in 1968 during the BIG one. I was so young I just got better. I was sorry to hear that Texas was having power issues during unprecedented winter weather. I hope that you, the misses and your water are fine, Charlie.

 

[charliebankston]

Nah, I froze to death in 1968 during the BIG one. I was so young I just got better. I was sorry to hear that Texas was having power issues during unprecedented winter weather. I hope that you, the misses and your water are fine, Charlie.

Haha! We pulled thru. It was pretty Chilly. We lost a few fish but none of the big ones. Her betta was the only major loss. Shopping for generators before hurricane season, lol

 

[Mr. Overfilter]

Haha! We pulled thru. It was pretty Chilly. We lost a few fish but none of the big ones. Her betta was the only major loss. Shopping for generators before hurricane season, lol

Pretty chilly, huh? Way to earn that tough guy rep you Texans have! Perhaps Abbott will use this as excuse for a fleet of Colorado-style plow/salt trucks? Bettas are starting to catch my eye. They're beautiful in a delicate sort of way. You know, like a new CPU out of the box.