Fluval 405 Canister

Andyoybna

I have this filter currently set up on a 33G Long tank housing 2 Jack Dempseys, male is about 8-8.5", female is 6-7"

As far as the set up goes, it was really easy, all the plumbing and tubing fit together well, I really like how the it has screw down seals, and feel very confident with them. Also, it comes with flexible tubing, which is definately a plus. It comes with a full color instruction manual, and an instruction CD, which I have to admit... Didn't look at, which I should have... since I overlooked installing the seal, and emptied about 3 gallons of water onto my floor before I could stop the syphon, It also took me two tries to get the seal on there right.

Priming: For me was very easy, I used the self primer pump, and in seconds the canister started to fill, once it was full, I plugged it in and its been running since, even through power outages.

Media/filtration:
The water first goes through two different sponges, then starts at the bottom of the cansiter and works its way up through 4 different media trays, it comes with 2 trays of carbon, and 2 trays of ceramic (very techinical word now) "thing-a-ma-bobs" (check the dictionary on that one). Of course, as with any canister... you can put anything you want in the trays, or even take the trays out and fill it with say.. .Live rock, matrix rock, filter floss... whatever floats your boat, or maybe in this case... your fish!

Water quality:
Well, this is the only filter that has kept the water clear with these Jack Dempseys for an extended period of time, and has extended the time between my water changes, I was doing water changes because of dissolved organics, and floating wastes from their messy eating habits, however this canister seems to suck every leftover piece of food up even before it falls down into my very course gravel, also the carbon does a nice job of polishing things up as well.

Manufacturer Info:

21 Watts
340 GPH
4 Media Baskets
Capacity: 2.25 Gallons
Reccomended tank size: Up to 100 Gallons.

Overall, I really have nothing bad to say about this filter, it works well, it does the job it is supposed to do, keeps the water clear, and was very easy to set up and use.

Tbx

Are you able to take out the pump and add a bigger one if you decided to upgrade to a bigger tank?

pappyy3

Hi

Good Basic Review. I Agree the Fluval Canister filters have come a long way in the last decade and now produce some excellent filters. They certainly give other brands a run for their money.

I've switched from Eiheim to Fluval for a while now and the Fuvals win hands down.

I had lots of problems with the Eiheims - especially the motor housings which seem to be poor quality and kept cracking after only 12 months !!

Oh well - goodbye Eiheim & Hello Fluval

smudge2uk

i have the 05 canister filter and it has been the best and easiest filter i have ever had.

Tommy Gun

Andy, Andy, Andy....you know that I have to add some of my own experiences with this filter as well, LOL. Here they are:

The first cannister filter I ever bought was the Fluval 405 and I was immediately told that I should just throw out the plumbing it came with and use my own that I could buy at a hardware store. I did that and agree it was a good idea.

I placed this filter on a saltwater tank, so I cant really say much about how it works on freshwater tanks. I only wanted it for use as a 'water polisher', or in other words, take out the finite particulate matter in my tank, and for that, I have to say it does a good job at that. However, the thing that gave me a sour taste in my mouth is that it would create a lot of microbubbles and blow them into my tank....making the water polishing effect worthless.

HOWEVER, and this is a big however, I realize that this might have been limited to only the exact filter I bought and I am in no way saying that all Fluval 405's are junk. Still, I did try to contact the company and ask what I should do about this problem and I consistantly was told that it was 'operator error', which I have a hard time swallowing because it really doesnt take a rocket scientist to use one, and I am not exactly the more clueless man on earth. Coupled with the fact that I have had good success with other cannister filters, I feel that I was not given the benifit of the doubt by the company.

k.maccallum

i have a question about canister filters. i have an eheim canister but i do not think it came with media trays..i think this because i have never heard of media trays... can i buy them..or make them?

Heymybigfish

wow, you have a 405 on a 30gal tank>? i have a 305 on a 55, and its almost overkill....the output is a great powerhead, lol.

hlsarge

. If not Fluval 405, what would be your recommendation for a 70 gal fw tank?

hlsarge

What would you recommend that one should look at or consider?

hlsarge

This is the third time I've tried to reply to this. I need to purchase a new filter for my new 70 gal. tank (FW) which has not arrived yet. I had been pursuaded to purchase the Fluval 405, based on recommendations from the LFS. What other canister filters would you suggest I consider?