fx5 possiblity-anyone any opinions on it?

Don't forget that the FX5 also comes with an extra valve that you can hook a hose to and and then to the output of the filter for fast water changes. The filter also has a pirge valve so you can drain it and make it easier to carry for servicing.
 
nc0gnet0 said:
As far as the dual outputs, i am not sure what you are refering to, the fx5 has one output hose that has a dual head on the end. I don't really consider that a dual output, but maybe others do.
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Your right, its only duel in so far as diffusion and my point was that even after going from 1 inch to two outputs (diffuser) the pressure and outflow are still impressive, so much so I turn it to face the corner to keep the current down from pushing plants down or making bald spots (remove sand) from the bottom.

I wish now that some of my tanks (twin 80's) were drilled in the back so I could hook them up in series for 1 FX5.
 
DrgRcr said:
Don't forget that the FX5 also comes with an extra valve that you can hook a hose to and and then to the output of the filter for fast water changes. The filter also has a pirge valve so you can drain it and make it easier to carry for servicing.
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Your right also, that extra hose connector comes in handy for a variety of applications including the ability to drain the canister by just using the already connected outflow hose back into the tank by using a purge valve to let air in but no water out as the pump drains filtered water back into that tank, and my sump (Tom's PS4) responds by taking up the extra water into the sump temporarily.

In fact if you choreograph the valve correctly you don't even need to install a purge valve to drain the canister back into the tank, all one has to do is install the extra aqua-stop valve provided into the intake side without a hose, then when the pump is turned on and negative pressure builds open the outflow valve then crack the intake valve open to allow air to replace water as the pump removes water from the tank.

Using this method I have been working on is how to service my FX5 like a sump from inside the cabinet. If a sump which collects sand and debris in its tank can be left while the media and baskets are only serviced why cant the FX5 since the canister body stays much cleaner due to the high pressure. So I'm working on replacing the two lift out T handles with crossed carry strings for each individual basket so that the lid can simply be removed like a sump and just the baskets which include the built in circumference sponges can be removed individually cleaned and replaced just like on a sump eliminating the need to remove the canister except every year or so.
 
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I have an fx5 on my 80g cichlid tank and its been running great for me although I still prefer my eheim 2026s for my smaller tanks.

I'm picking up a 6x2x2 tank this weekend hopefully. Would you recomend 2 of the fx5s? Im thinking an intake in each corner and the 2 outputs in the middle aimed oppopsite each other or the outputs in each corner and the intakes 2' in from the side walls.
 
Jaykit said:
I have an fx5 on my 80g cichlid tank and its been running great for me although I still prefer my eheim 2026s for my smaller tanks.

I'm picking up a 6x2x2 tank this weekend hopefully. Would you recomend 2 of the fx5s? Im thinking an intake in each corner and the 2 outputs in the middle aimed oppopsite each other or the outputs in each corner and the intakes 2' in from the side walls.
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I know my FX5 is more then enough filter capacity for my 244 tank even though I also have a Tom's PS4 sump on it as well. This became evident after cycling when I had to remove allot of slime from the aquarium walls and driftwood ornaments inside the tank. at the time the slime was free floating in the tank my sump had just been cleaned and the FX5 was in the sink getting a cleaning as well. More then an hour had passed with the sump running and the free floating slime as I was also doing other things but once I got the FX5 hooked back up and turned on it only took 15 minutes for the FX5 to eliminate all the free floating slime from the 244 tank while the sump had hardly put a dent in it after almost 2 hours. In all fairness probubly due to the sump using a skimmer and not a deep intake, something I intend to change.

No matter how you decide to arrange your intake and out flow hoses remember its ideal to place the outflow hose directly above the canister and as short as possible since the pump has to work to pump the water out , the shorter and straighter the distance between the outflow and canister the better. The intake on the other hand can be as far from the canister as you like as gravity and water pressure provide all the free force necessary to carry the water back to the canister. This of course is true with any canister or sump, something allot of people overlook and wonder why their canister performance suffers.
 
In all fairness probubly due to the sump using a skimmer and not a deep intake, something I intend to change
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Do you have any powerheads in the tank to bring the free floating debris to the surface? Make sure you plan for a power failure with a deep intake on a sump.

But I digress i run a simular setup on my 200g with a 30 gallon wet-dry of a pre-drilled skimmer setup pumping 1000 gph and a eheim 2028 drawing water 2" above the bottom.
 
cwo4gunner thanks for the info, I remember reading through your tank post about the slime and cleaning it up. I had forgotten about putting the output closer/with less hose to the filter as this is easier on the pump(ie more output). I will change that on my 80 as it is currently set-up as the longer of the 2 hoses.
 
nc0gnet0 said:
Do you have any powerheads in the tank to bring the free floating debris to the surface? Make sure you plan for a power failure with a deep intake on a sump.
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Free floating debris only seems to be a problem with gravel and not so much fine sand. I only use power heads to oxygenate as my O2 test have shown that they make substantial difference over air wands and surface areas alone and as new studies have shown air bubble rupture in streams, rivers and oceans play a much bigger role in water oxygenation then what was previously believed with regard to the old surface area only theory.

The Toms PS3 & 4 series skimmers have a unique auto water lift system that automatically stops the flow of water in both directions during a power outage and then automatically restarts the priming in the HOB skimmer using that same small skimmer pump called the aqua lift. So it makes no difference how low the skimmer is set or how low I install a down tube to the bottom of the tank becasue the system is designed to automatically stop & restart the HOB siphon during power outages.
http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsUS/ctl3684/cp19172/si2219838/cl0/tomskimmerboxautostopandstart
 
:goldfish: well ive got my fx5, its 2nd hand, but it made it affordable after the car failed its mot the first time :irked: but ye it works well, its a bit noisy but its not as bad as the rena was, and so far its seeming to do a great job. im happy :cool: so are the fish i think :goldfish:
 
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