Fluval 3 Plus Vs Fluval U2

[emilythestrange]

Hi, basically I will be moving house in about a month, and ive always had problems with my fluval 3 plus, its motor wont start again once the electric supply has gone off, which then i have to strip it down, squeeze out the foam in tank water, then reassemble and try again, with often no prevail! ive had to flick the blue motor to try and get it on again.

I have a 100L tank at present, but i will get a 110L Juwel Rekord, and im seriously considering getting a new filter, however I can't get a new fluval 3 plus, as they seem to have been replaced with the U1,U2, U3 series of underwater filters, that look rather different.

Does anyone have a U2 fluval filter, is it extremely quiet? as i adjust the noise and bubble on the filter i have atm, and also i only use the two foam pads, no carbon, and the U2 description makes it sound like its no optional to take it out and just use foam. the foam pads look smaller in the u2, so im worried that this wont keep the filtration going the same, as the media is smaller.


Please advise

 

[emilythestrange]

bump

 

[Smells a bit fishy]

I have a U4 after having a plus 2 and its far far better. So I would get the upgrade. I also had similar issue with the power. Very annoying.

Does the U2 support ceramic media? If not i would be tempted to go for the U3.

 

[Alex.]

Yeah, I'd go for the u3 if I were you...

 

[emilythestrange]

ceramic media? I was only going to use the foam part of the filter, as ive not used carbon or anything in this one.
The foam should be enough?
Im not going to stock up to the maximum, the u2 filters up to 110L, but the u3 starts at 90L - 150L, and im planning to somehow get hold of endlers, and have guppies (all male of course), in past experience guppies have their tails ripped from a strong filter current, (or at least the weak ones from pets at home couldnt stand the current)

 

[emilythestrange]

I have a U4 after having a plus 2 and its far far better. So I would get the upgrade. I also had similar issue with the power. Very annoying.

Does the U2 support ceramic media? If not i would be tempted to go for the U3.

Cartridges on both sides hold one foam and one carbon filter each. The center cage holds BioMax ceramic media.

Fluval U2 Underwater Filter with three-stage filtration is ideal for use in fresh, marine or reptile environments. Stage 1 foam removes large particles. In stage 2, the poly/carbon cartridge traps fine debris, improves water clarity and removes impurities. In stage 3, BioMax provides optimal biological filtration efficiency. "

does this mean it does?

also wont changing to this filter with 3 different types of media affect the cycle of the tank?

 

[Alex.]

Trust me, the U3 is far from powerful enough to 'rip a guppys tail apart'... I had a tetratec ex1200 on a tank of a similar size which is rated for tanks up to 500ltr and even that didn't create anywhere near enough current to damage any fish.

The U2 is right at the top of its limit for that tank and the U3 is only a touch more to buy, why bother with the smaller, less efficient filter?

 

[emilythestrange]

I wonder what the size difference is? Im guessing that the u3 takes up more space, which is the only negative... as i dont really want to knock off 10% of the available room

 

[Alex.]

According to a quick google search, the U2 is actually 0.5cm wider than the u3 but the u3 is 7.5cm longer.

So a couple of inches in it really at best. It's always better to over filter than under filter from what I constantly read - and the u3 isn't even over filtering, it's just more comfortably filtering.

 

[tomtomtom1230]

It would be more beneficial in my eyes to save up a bit extra and get a fluval 106 external for a tank that is 100 litres and over. Any smaller and I'd say use an internal but for a tank that size it's gotta be an external for me. Sure they're a bit more expensive to buy but you'll never go back to internals on larger tanks once you've used an external. Just my 2 pennies.

 

[emilythestrange]

According to a quick google search, the U2 is actually 0.5cm wider than the u3 but the u3 is 7.5cm longer.

So a couple of inches in it really at best. It's always better to over filter than under filter from what I constantly read - and the u3 isn't even over filtering, it's just more comfortably filtering.

Yeah i guess the space under the filter doesnt have much use anyway, as the fish dont really like to swim under it, so it doesnt mattr whether its longer or not...
As im going from a open topped tall tank to a rectangle with a lid, ive always positioned the filter towards the left or right of the tank pushed into a corner., is this the best way to put it? due to wires etc getting in the way