Anyone Use A Fx6? & Some Sad News.

[goldfinger]

Hi people hope everyone is doing well? 
I lost two large goldfish over the Christmas holiday.

We were gone for a whole month and left the fishes to some family who house sat for us.
He feed way too many pellets and only told me the first fish had died on New years day.
We only came back last week and found the tank blanketed with rotting food and white fungus.
The Ehiem 600 intake pipe clogged with mould and fungus. Didn’t even check for ammonia levels just drained out the whole tank and took out the plants that had over grown due to the timer being left on. 
So I took out the plants stuck them into a large bucket and rinsed them off any food that got trapped near the stems. Stuck normal tap water so they could do with the minerals and left them for three days in day light.
The tank took three days on and off drained out the filter and tank stuck the gravel under running tap with a sieve then rinsed three times in chlorinated tap water.
Tank just cleaned with new sponge and water left to dry.
The filter was washed top to bottom and the noodles had so much clogged rotting stuff it actually hid 80% of the noodles so had to take them out and rise under tap water until I could see the noodles again.  Filter sponges the same, quick rise.
Filled safe water and started another cycle, but think there must still be good bacteria as the plants are floating in the tank and the gravel still has some mouldy food on it.
Its been day four and Ammonia reads 0.25ppm Nitrite 0ppm Nitrate 5.0ppm
I left some rotting food to help the ammonia, but thinking I should just hoover up any last bits of mouldy food off the gravel? I could just stick some crushed snails instead?
 
On another note:
Looking at the FX6 for my 350l tank, but would like to hear other people’s opinions on it I’m a tad worried about the flow rates on outtake being to powerful? 
Starting a fresh with at least three fancies and decided that a larger filter might be less risky leaving other people to look after the fish?
My logic is bigger tank larger filter less risk over time as my own experience tells me that larger the tank easier to maintain?
Any advice would be good as I'm spending money as an anti-depression of losing my fishies!
Didn’t want to start again so early but if I don't I might not start again.

 

[techen]

I own a FX6 on a 450 litre tank and my LFS recommend me two if you wanted decent flow. Because the outlets are huge there's no issues with high flow rates.

 

[AquariumGuides]

I would say that two is probably a bit overkill but on a tank that big, especially with the huge outlets, you'll have no issue with high flow rates. 

 

[sawickib]

I have a fx5 on my 180 gallon and have 2 other HOB filters with it, seems fine to me, extra filtration does help, and the extra biomedia as well, you wont use all of it with 3 goldies, so when over feeding occurs there is extra area for bacteria to grow and stop huge ammonia spikes.

 

[goldfinger]

I'm looking to pick a FX6 on wednesday there is just enough space next to the tank on my right which helps to block out some light from a window right next to the tank.
I'm still worried about the flow rates being too strong as I recalculated the tank itself can hold 300ltrs or 80gallon (US).
I'm looking at a 120cm floating shelf for the lighting above so I can mount 2x60LEDS' underneath.
Getting some sliding doors to cover the tank.
The runners are still there, but at some point the previous glass has been destroyed when it was decomission last.
Not sure if Polycarb doors are going to be better, safer and lighter for the tank?
I plan on running the new filter in the old tank with the old classic 600 2017, but worried about cross contaminated from the fungus anyone know if the fungus/rotting food is actually helping me cycle right now?
At the moment I've stuck two old sponges and the bio media from the internal filter in there aswell but not actualy running with the filter in hope of getting the bacteria started quicker?
Plus both airstones are on to help oxygenate the water.

 

[goldfinger]

Belly of the beast Got a good price to boot!
Not sure how to cut the piping yet sharp knife will do I'm guessing?
Washed out all the filter in safe water the whole thing took about 18litres just to fill her up!
Plan on running in the 125litre with the other filter to kick start it.
I'm more interested to find out how much bacteria transfers over time and at what rates?
I seperated two bags of noodles one placed into the middle section the other on top of the first sponge on the last tray and left the two sponges on the the first tray?

 

 

[sawickib]

The only difference im noticing from 6 and 5 is the dials on the front, mind if i ask what they do?

 

[goldfinger]

The dials are pure reminders when you last clean the filter the numerical 1-12 on both are rotational so first is set on 1 for January the next dial will be 3(MAR) or 6(JUN) months to represent when the filter needs cleaning? But looking at the instructions it states one dial is for water changes?
A reviewer suggested the dials should actually work and some sort of alarm should go off like an egg timer LOL!
TBF If wanted bells and whilstles I would have bought a G6 for double what I paid for this!
Forgot to tighten the jubilee clips and one just poured 5litrs on the carpet!!!
Love the air purge it scared the hell out of me because alot of bubbles and water, luckly didn't fill the tank to the top, otherwise it would have gone over, but this was first prime and the hoses were full of air.
Some say the FX5 has more flow which would explain the high prices still for a FX5?
Most reviews have all said rather you own the lastest model FX6 due to its more efficient motor and slightly smaller size?
Don't think theres any thing in it, between the two TBF.  
All I know is the FX6 is quieter than my Classic 600 2217.

 

[sawickib]

It might be, it looks exactly the same to me besides the top dial, idk about flow rate, on a 180 gallon its kind of needed haha its got 2 other filters on it too so i like the power

 

[ShinySideUp]

I have an FX5 on my 640 litre tank and it copes very well with my whole stock list (see sig). Having dials [on the FX6] to remind you when you last cleaned the filter seems a bit of a gimmick, just something to get in the way perhaps.
 
One thing I might add. My filter came with a 'polishing' filter and I quickly learned not to use it. It blocks up quite quickly and I found I had to take everything out at no more than two-weekly intervals and replace or clean the fine filter material; this is a bit of a trial due to the weight and size of the thing and TBH, apart from the fine filter, not actually necessary. I bought a Fluval U4 internal filter and filled it with fine filter material and this successfully takes out any fine particles from the water and I can clean it out in about two minutes. The FX5 I leave running without cleaning for a month to six weeks and then give it a good clean along with the hoses which tend to gum up a bit. The extra internal filter, if you can hide it, is definitely a good move, at least it is for me.

 

[goldfinger]

It might be, it looks exactly the same to me besides the top dial, idk about flow rate, on a 180 gallon its kind of needed haha its got 2 other filters on it too so i like the power

 
Not much to report one of the outlet valves was not on tight enough as this morning I heard some water bubbles on the lid. Pushing it down maybe 3mm, heard the lock click and all was good!
But 180G is a serious tank indeedie! Nothing wrong with overkill when it comes to filtration IMHO. After all got about 2600 litres going though a small 125ltr tank for cycling!
I like how you can turn the flow down on the valves didnt realise you could always thought it would cause head pressure damaging the motor, but apparently the CPU on the motor is a clever little fella and controlls the flow according to its head pressure and will not over strain the motor itself!
 

I have an FX5 on my 640 litre tank and it copes very well with my whole stock list (see sig). Having dials [on the FX6] to remind you when you last cleaned the filter seems a bit of a gimmick, just something to get in the way perhaps.
 
One thing I might add. My filter came with a 'polishing' filter and I quickly learned not to use it. It blocks up quite quickly and I found I had to take everything out at no more than two-weekly intervals and replace or clean the fine filter material; this is a bit of a trial due to the weight and size of the thing and TBH, apart from the fine filter, not actually necessary. I bought a Fluval U4 internal filter and filled it with fine filter material and this successfully takes out any fine particles from the water and I can clean it out in about two minutes. The FX5 I leave running without cleaning for a month to six weeks and then give it a good clean along with the hoses which tend to gum up a bit. The extra internal filter, if you can hide it, is definitely a good move, at least it is for me.

Yeah been told about clogging and such and have realised this is more mechanical filter than bio. I didnt even realised the carbon pad was at the bottom which will need changing after a couple of months.
Can get costly so will fill the void with another sponge I guess?
That hose is a serious issue with me, my ehiem green pipes are flowing with algae and with that ribbed hose I see problems arising in the future will have to modify it somehow to take soild PVC pipe.
On the other hand its much easier to bend the hose around those clips being more flexable ribbed!
Dont' think I would leave the filter running for six months without cleaning it though...... like some have LOL!

 

[ShinySideUp]

Without the clogging affecting either carbon or fine filter (because they wouldn't be there) you can quite happily leave the filter alone for a month, six weeks, even two months at a push. I generally clean mine every six weeks and include the hoses (with a bottle brush gaffer-taped on to the end of a thin garden cane). I have some hexagonal ceramic pieces in the top of the filter (the first basket in the water flow), in the second basket I have some of those little plastic ball-things that come with a TetraTec filter plus some coarse foam filter material then in the bottom basket I have some finer, but not too fine, foam filter material and then of course there is the supplied coarse filter material around the edge of each basket. This gives me a huge bio-filter mass that is quite clog-free in the medium term. As I said above, my Fluval U4 deals with the fine particles.

 

[goldfinger]

Good to know shiny! I've got most of my bio media in the Ehiem noodles first layer, second is a course sponge third more noodles and plastic bio balls then another course filter final layer is just fine polyster wool.
 
I plan on getting Rena XL super micro pads for the FX6 to replace the carbon pad once its run its course. But pretty happy for now. I have some Ehiem bio balls comming so might stick some into the second tray on the FX6.
 
A small update the FX6 made some gurgle noises like the dome lid had about an inch of air gap. The system is supposed to be self prime, but I think I didn't fill the canister enough and there is a dead spot on top of the lid.
I took off both intake and outake connectors and shook the canister the water level dropped form the connector outlets.
All I did was self prime it again by filling the ports up with water and shaking it until the air was completely gone. Hooked the hoses back and started it up. Bingo the gurgling noise has completely gone and the FX6 motor seems to be pumping a bit faster, guessing less restriction from the air pocket!
Its been 7 days and the FX6 is one to recomend to anyone who is looking to upgrade. I'm an Ehiem fan, but have to say when Fluval gets something right the beast is well made, powerful and is silent!