How Good Is The Fluval U3

[alexiooc]

Im in the process of choosing a bigger tank to house my fish in. At the moment im almost certain I'm gettig the fluval Roma 125 which comes with te fluval u3 internal filter. So my question is, is this filter good enough to filter the tank on its own or should I get an external aswell? If so, which external should I get?

Obviously I know externals are better but is it worth the extra £80 or so?

Thanks in advance for your advice!

 

[RipSlider]

Hi,

Hard to say how to value the externals. Depends on how you think.

The u3 is a good filter. I.e. it sucks water in, cleans it and strips nitrates. Does what it's meant to do.

An External will give you more space in your tank, more media capacity to give you a bigger safety margin or an extra fish or two - and makes it much easier to do filter maintenance. If your running a high tech tank, it also lets you get to the water easier - for example I run a fluid bed filter, and it's driven from my external.

There's no right answer on this one. The filter your getting is going to do OK. Moving to an external gives you some more benefits, but you pay for them.


I guess a different way to ask the question is "Whats the best way to spend my money". Looks like your going to spend about £180.

The tank is a 31 inch tank. If you go to AquariumClassifeds you'll find a 3 foot tank and lid for £40. a pair of t5's and ballasts will set you back £50. So thats £90. £80 gets you an ehiem Ecco Pro 200 filter ( ehiems are expensive compared to other filters of the same size, but amazing quality ) or a Fluval 205 - bit of a bigger filter, but it's not an ehiem.

So thats £170.


Also don't forget that you can sell the Fluval u3 and use it towards the external.

 

[Noahs ark6]

I've got the exact same tank and filter. I'm not impressed with the filter, i find it does'nt keep my water clear and i can always see large bits of debris, and i'm not even that heavily stocked. I'm planning on getting an external.

 

[The Duke]

Hi. I have had the u3 for a couple of weeks in a 100 litre. Very quiet and I like the options for the water output. Also, the filter pads being in neat slots is impressive and very convenient. As for how it performs with a stocked tank.....I don't know as I am still into my fish less cycle

 

[UKSPEED]

I've got a U3 and it seems ok for filtration, but i often see bits floating around still like others have said. Also had to send my first one back because of rattly noises, this was after fluval replaced the impeller and impeller rod. Now my second one makes a similar noise and doesnt seem to be the quiet filter it's meant to be. Maybe I have just been unlucky.

 

[ZoddyZod]

I ran a U3 on a moderately stocked tank and I felt it did a good job. However, it's unlikely to be up to the task if plan to plant the tank, you'll need much higher turnover than the U3 can provide.

also, crud builds up around the back of it, so remember to give it a good rinse during regular maintenance.

 

[JasonOB]

I have one in my 90L, does the job but Zoddy is correct. My Tank is heavily planted and even with the filter slap in the middle of the back wall, not very attractive but there to try and maximise flow, it does struggle at times. I'll be migrating to an external soon. Plus an external does free up more tank space (for more plants!! )