charleyfandango
New Member
After many years of internal filters I finally decided to go with an external. Having read up on the Fluval FX series, I went for the baby of the bunch, the FX 2.
On the whole I do like it. At £225 is was not the most expensive, nor was it the cheapest on the market.
I did my own mix of media as always...although I did keep most of the sponges as they were.
Currently in use :
JBL BioNitratEx
JBL SilicatEx
Fluval ZeoCarb
Plastic spikey bio balls
JBL Symec
The best bits about the filter :
Good flow
Automatic purging every 12 hours
No manual priming...just plug it in and away it goes (no need for arms like Popeye to get it to work)
Extremely quiet
Easy maintenance
Easy to lift and carry - something important if you have limited mobility or limited upper body strength
Easy to adjust the flow
The bad bits :
The hoses are huge (width wise), black and frankly are virtually impossible to hide, so quite unsightly
The hose carriers that fit to the aquarium would probably suit a rimmed aquarium more than my rimless and the clips that hold the hoses are very weak, I ended up using cable ties to prevent the hoses from pinging off.
The hoses aside, the filter is certainly the best I have used, ease of use and user friendly. I like the fact that it is quiet and is essentially a plug in and walk away rather than have to do a full workout just to prime it.
Value for money, definitely. Cost to run at 27 watts is very good for a powerful filter.
All in all the baby FX is a nice filter, user friendly and church mouse quiet. I am glad I bought mine and would recommend it to anyone needing a quiet and efficient filter that doesn't cost the earth to buy or run.
On the whole I do like it. At £225 is was not the most expensive, nor was it the cheapest on the market.
I did my own mix of media as always...although I did keep most of the sponges as they were.
Currently in use :
JBL BioNitratEx
JBL SilicatEx
Fluval ZeoCarb
Plastic spikey bio balls
JBL Symec
The best bits about the filter :
Good flow
Automatic purging every 12 hours
No manual priming...just plug it in and away it goes (no need for arms like Popeye to get it to work)
Extremely quiet
Easy maintenance
Easy to lift and carry - something important if you have limited mobility or limited upper body strength
Easy to adjust the flow
The bad bits :
The hoses are huge (width wise), black and frankly are virtually impossible to hide, so quite unsightly
The hose carriers that fit to the aquarium would probably suit a rimmed aquarium more than my rimless and the clips that hold the hoses are very weak, I ended up using cable ties to prevent the hoses from pinging off.
The hoses aside, the filter is certainly the best I have used, ease of use and user friendly. I like the fact that it is quiet and is essentially a plug in and walk away rather than have to do a full workout just to prime it.
Value for money, definitely. Cost to run at 27 watts is very good for a powerful filter.
All in all the baby FX is a nice filter, user friendly and church mouse quiet. I am glad I bought mine and would recommend it to anyone needing a quiet and efficient filter that doesn't cost the earth to buy or run.
