Well after about 3 weeks of waiting and just running my Penguin 500 HOB filter after my 2nd hand Fluval 404 broke down I bought a new canister today. I decided to buy a Fluval 305 which is rated for a 70 gallon tank to use on my 75 gallon along with my Penguin 500. 185 gallons per hour flow rate and a really great design.
I figured since I bought one i'd share my experience with it for others who might be looking to get one. First of all I think they've come a long way since their older canister filters and I really like the setup. The filter actually comes with a DVD on how to set it up properly. Another cool perk is that the media chambers actually come stocked with media upon purchase meaning you don't have to buy anything to get going.
This particular model the 305 has 3 small baskets that stack on top of eachother in the canister itself and a long screen for removing larger pieces of debris. The long screen is washable and reusable and is designed very well, I found it very easy to assemble. The 3 small baskets are divided into 2 sections each meaning there is a total of 6 compartments for different media that you may wish to add. The default setup comes with 3 baskets of activated carbon and 3 baskets of "Fluval Biomax" which is like bioballs or any other bacteria hosting media.
I found the DVD very informative for the setup, it goes through maintainence and initial setup and even talks about why you want to put certain types of media in certain positions in the basket. The Fluval series comes in the 105, 205, 305 and 405 and the difference is really just the power of the pump and number of baskets in the canister. Another great thing about this canister for me is the ease of which the canister can be pulled out, all you do is flip 2 switches, one to cut off the intake/output to stop water flow after you've turned off the filter and another to remove the intake/output assembly. Then you just lift up the canister and do what you have to do. The attachments for the input and output on the tank are very sturdy and secure in such a way that the hoses will never slip down and fall out of place. The tubing for the input/output is also designed so that you can cut it to meet your personals needs of length etc.
One last really cool feature is the self priming pump to get the siphoning going and get the air bubbles out of the canister, its simple and easy to use. Also getting to the impeller for maintainence is really easy on this canister. I really like this filter series and I thought i'd share. If anybody has any specific questions let me know and i'll answer. Well worth my 130$ from the LFS.
http://www.petsmart.com/global/prod...T<>prd_id=845524441812923&bmUID=1144297927311
http://www.fishsupply.com/sinhg-a0210.html
I figured since I bought one i'd share my experience with it for others who might be looking to get one. First of all I think they've come a long way since their older canister filters and I really like the setup. The filter actually comes with a DVD on how to set it up properly. Another cool perk is that the media chambers actually come stocked with media upon purchase meaning you don't have to buy anything to get going.
This particular model the 305 has 3 small baskets that stack on top of eachother in the canister itself and a long screen for removing larger pieces of debris. The long screen is washable and reusable and is designed very well, I found it very easy to assemble. The 3 small baskets are divided into 2 sections each meaning there is a total of 6 compartments for different media that you may wish to add. The default setup comes with 3 baskets of activated carbon and 3 baskets of "Fluval Biomax" which is like bioballs or any other bacteria hosting media.
I found the DVD very informative for the setup, it goes through maintainence and initial setup and even talks about why you want to put certain types of media in certain positions in the basket. The Fluval series comes in the 105, 205, 305 and 405 and the difference is really just the power of the pump and number of baskets in the canister. Another great thing about this canister for me is the ease of which the canister can be pulled out, all you do is flip 2 switches, one to cut off the intake/output to stop water flow after you've turned off the filter and another to remove the intake/output assembly. Then you just lift up the canister and do what you have to do. The attachments for the input and output on the tank are very sturdy and secure in such a way that the hoses will never slip down and fall out of place. The tubing for the input/output is also designed so that you can cut it to meet your personals needs of length etc.
One last really cool feature is the self priming pump to get the siphoning going and get the air bubbles out of the canister, its simple and easy to use. Also getting to the impeller for maintainence is really easy on this canister. I really like this filter series and I thought i'd share. If anybody has any specific questions let me know and i'll answer. Well worth my 130$ from the LFS.
http://www.petsmart.com/global/prod...T<>prd_id=845524441812923&bmUID=1144297927311
http://www.fishsupply.com/sinhg-a0210.html
