Got my latest 'toy' from bigals on thursday. So far I am extreamly pleased with it. Granted, its only been up and running for a little over 24 hours, but so far so good. Here are a few things I have observed:
Instructions- These could use a little revamping. In the manual you have a blue dozen pictures of the filter and the parts, but no explination untill later in the manual. For people who like to 'speedread' the manual and jump headfirst into it, this is kinda a headache because youve got the pictures right there, but dont know what you are looking at.
Ins and Outs- hehe, after I filled the media trays and hooked up the hoses and tried to prime it, I couldn't figure out why so little water was entering the suckion hose. But when I realized that I had the out going to the in, and the in going to the out, it all went so much smoother....
Priming- I belive that I saw CFM state elsewhere that once you get the hang of how to prime it, it starts easy. This is very true. After I worked out the above, it took very little time for the canister to completley fill as well as the hoses.
Noise- There was a little when it was first started. It was just traped air making its way thru the filter. Tilt it a few times as the manual states, and all gone. I didnt realize just how quite the filter really is untill this morning. I could hear the fans start spinning over the filter. Now thats what I call quite.
Output- I needed the return nozle to be further under the surface that what it was able to do on its own. Simply done, I took a little bit of extra strainer pipe, a 2in section of 1in vinal tubing, hooked them togeather with the supplied return, and voila! Now its three inchs under the waters surface.
Accesories- Idealy I would like to have a spray bar under the water for more circulation. I have yet to run accross one for the Fluval. I'll keep my eyes peeled, but I figure that if it comes down to it, I could easily make one.
Apperence- Now, there is a large lighted area in the corner of my tank where the HOB used to sit. The two pipes look so much neater in the tank, and are a whole lot easier to hide.
Ease of Use- Very easy. The motor housing can be a bit of a pain to squeze on, but I would rather it be hard to get on, then too easy. At least I know its sealed good. I also like the quick disconnect valves. Allows me to leave the hoses where they are, and move the filter to a more convenient place for maintaince.
Overall, I really like it so far. Another big plus, now my wife has one less reason to NOT buy a larger tank.
Instructions- These could use a little revamping. In the manual you have a blue dozen pictures of the filter and the parts, but no explination untill later in the manual. For people who like to 'speedread' the manual and jump headfirst into it, this is kinda a headache because youve got the pictures right there, but dont know what you are looking at.
Ins and Outs- hehe, after I filled the media trays and hooked up the hoses and tried to prime it, I couldn't figure out why so little water was entering the suckion hose. But when I realized that I had the out going to the in, and the in going to the out, it all went so much smoother....
Priming- I belive that I saw CFM state elsewhere that once you get the hang of how to prime it, it starts easy. This is very true. After I worked out the above, it took very little time for the canister to completley fill as well as the hoses.
Noise- There was a little when it was first started. It was just traped air making its way thru the filter. Tilt it a few times as the manual states, and all gone. I didnt realize just how quite the filter really is untill this morning. I could hear the fans start spinning over the filter. Now thats what I call quite.
Output- I needed the return nozle to be further under the surface that what it was able to do on its own. Simply done, I took a little bit of extra strainer pipe, a 2in section of 1in vinal tubing, hooked them togeather with the supplied return, and voila! Now its three inchs under the waters surface.
Accesories- Idealy I would like to have a spray bar under the water for more circulation. I have yet to run accross one for the Fluval. I'll keep my eyes peeled, but I figure that if it comes down to it, I could easily make one.
Apperence- Now, there is a large lighted area in the corner of my tank where the HOB used to sit. The two pipes look so much neater in the tank, and are a whole lot easier to hide.
Ease of Use- Very easy. The motor housing can be a bit of a pain to squeze on, but I would rather it be hard to get on, then too easy. At least I know its sealed good. I also like the quick disconnect valves. Allows me to leave the hoses where they are, and move the filter to a more convenient place for maintaince.
Overall, I really like it so far. Another big plus, now my wife has one less reason to NOT buy a larger tank.
