Fluval filters

[Jeff Cogs]

I am looking into a Fluval filter for a 75 gallon tank that I want to stock with freshwater tropical community fish. I wanted to see what filter you guys would recommend. I am looking at the Fluval 407 or the FX4. I am also planning on getting an under gravel filter with a
AquaClear 70 Powerhead, 400 Gallons per Hour not sure if want one or two on opposite sides of the tank. I’ve been reading reviews and some people are saying that the FX4 doesn’t have to be cleaned every month I wanted to see if this is how anyone who has one feels and if the same is true for the Fluval 407. Thanks for any and all tips.

[m.j.gomez]

Originally Posted by Jeff Cogs

I am looking into a Fluval filter for a 75 gallon tank that I want to stock with freshwater tropical community fish. I wanted to see what filter you guys would recommend. I am looking at the Fluval 407 or the FX4. I am also planning on getting an under gravel filter with a

AquaClear 70 Powerhead, 400 Gallons per Hour not sure if want one or two on opposite sides of the tank. I’ve been reading reviews and some people are saying that the FX4 doesn’t have to be cleaned every month I wanted to see if this is how anyone who has one feels and if the same is true for the Fluval 407. Thanks for any and all tips.

Hello, you might want to check out sunsun hw3000. Adjustable flow, adjustable uv light & 4 lrg trays for media. I've had one running for about 2yrs w/no real issues. The media trays are a little flimsy but if you are gentle w/unit during maintenance they last. Other than that I think it's a great filter for price. Hopefully this helps you!!!!!

[Aiken Drum]

I would be happy with a 407 on 75g tank so long as you arent planning to seriously overstock.

My metric for picking a filter is 1kg of biomedia per 100 litres (25g). So for your 75g thats 3kg of biomedia. A 407 has 4 baskets, each basket holds about 1kg. Bottom basket for sponge and polishing pads, 3 baskets for 3kg total biomedia. I would be happy with that even without the undergravel filter. The only issue with this would be no room for chemical media should i ever need some, but i would just add in a spare filter temporarily with chemical media if the need arose.

An FX4 is overkill IMO for that sized tank. If you are talking about goldfish and need that additional capacity and turnover rate then a FX4 might be the way to go though. I would start to consider an FX4 at double your tank size, but even then i would probably opt for 2 x 407s for redundancy.

As to cleaning a filter monthly, i try to clean monthly, and by cleaning i mean rinse out the sponges and rinse down the biomedia in dechlorinated water and clean the impeller cover, impeller shaft, impeller, and inside where these parts sit. The impeller is the moving part and where wear occurs and cleaning these makes those parts last longer.

Do you have to clean monthly? No, but your impeller will wear quicker and need replacing more often and sponges will clog more and reduce flow rates. Then when you do clean them it will have a bigger negative impact on your biological filtration than if you do maintenance more frequently.

But its really up to you. Many people opt for less frequent maintenance than i do and have no issues. Personally spending half hour a month to just rinse out some media and wipe down a few parts isnt a big issue.

[Jeff Cogs]

Thanks for the advice. I think I’d rather stick to the Fluval vs the sunsun. So you don’t think I need an under gravel filter? What about using an UGF so I more room for chemical media in the 407 and the UGF to take care of the bio media. Plus I could use the power head on the UGF to aerate the water more.

[Aiken Drum]

Im saying you dont need the UG filter, but if you can find some benefit to it and want to have one, then thats what you should do. Your proposal of having UG filtration and leaving a bit of spare space (ie 1 basket) in a 407 for chemical media as needed is a good idea.

[m.j.gomez]

Originally Posted by Jeff Cogs

Thanks for the advice. I think I’d rather stick to the Fluval vs the sunsun. So you don’t think I need an under gravel filter? What about using an UGF so I more room for chemical media in the 407 and the UGF to take care of the bio media. Plus I could use the power head on the UGF to aerate the water more.

If set on using a ugf have you considered doing a reverse flow ugf. This will push waste up from ugf plate & into water collum so canister can filter. It still utilizes gravel as a biomedia but you don't have all the gunk buildup as a normal ugf has. You'll still need to gravel vac but it won't be as bad.
Eheim has even come up w/one that hooks up to their canisters. Here's a pic.

[Jeff Cogs]

Thanks for the heads up M.J. on the eheim but the power head I’m looking at the AquaClear 70 Powerhead has a reverse flow on it to do just what you’re talking about.