Anyone Got A Fluval 2 Filter?

[coldcazzie]

I've just been given a 2 foot tank by a friend who also brought 2 bags of "tank stuff", which had in them, amongst other things, 2 fluval 2 filters. I've taken them apart to clean them before utilising them...it seems to me they are set up very strange?

A plastic cylindrical bit inside the rectangular cover, inside which sits 2 circular bits of sponge around a plastic pipe with holes in? Presumably the idea is that the impeller draws the water through the pipe and therefore throught the sponge, but I don't understand what the point is of housing that inside a round bit of plastic?

Has anybody removed the round bit and simply put some square bits of sponge in there/filter floss to make use of all of the space inside the filter compartment because it seems there's lots of wasted space which could be taken up with more media?!

Also, is a single fluval 2 sufficient to filter a 24x12x12 tank or not?

 

[OohFeeshy]

I've just got mine with the whole bottom full, I presume the cylinder bit is to keep the proper inserts in place.

You can get quite a bit of media in them, so in that respect it's enough, but the flow isn't wonderful. So really it's down to your preferences for filters.

 

[coldcazzie]

Am considering a female betta sorority for the tank so low flow would not necessarily be a problem...

 

[three-fingers]

I have a few of the old Fluval 3's, and since I've had them for so long I've ended up breaking/losing/cannibalising parts from them.

The clear plastic cylindrical bit in the middle fits onto the cone shaped intake on the actual powerhead, the idea is to try get an even flow throughout the whole sponge.

You don't need to use it, but it make it more efficient IMO.

Since I'm not missing them, I just stuffed the filters full of sponge/floss/carbon depending on my needs without the inner tube it and they work fine.