Goldfish and Aquarium Board Articles
Filter Profiles: Fluval FX5
By Jeramy

Type:	Canister Filter
Manufacturer:	Hagen
Types of filtration possible:	Mechanical, Biological and Chemical
GPH:	607 GPH
Tank Size:	400US gallons
Pros:	High flow rate. Large media capacity. Self priming technology. Quick disconnect hoses. Automatically shuts off and purges excess gas every 24hrs.
Cons:	Big and heavy. Approximately 17" tall and 17" wide. Fully filled with water and media it weighs between 35-45lbs. Does not include media.

Source: Hagen Product Page; product manual.

The box

The items included in the box

There are the three media baskets. The coarse sponges are included with the FX5. There are six sponges total, two for each basket. No other media is included. This filter can hold approximately 1.5 gallons of media or 5.9 liters.

Here are the three baskets stacked. Fluval includes two T-handles which makes it easy to live the baskets in and out of the bucket.

These are the hoses attached to the lid on the canister. Each connection has a valve you can close to maintain the siphon while the canister is disassembled. The connectors are at a 55 degree angle and can swivel in any direction. The lid is held down by eight thumb screws which are hand tightened. No special tools needed.

Here is the bottom of the bucket. Unfortunately the pump is attached to the base and is enclosed so I wasn't able to get any better pictures. This picture shows the drain valve. This lets you drain the cannister without having to worry about spilling or removing the media baskets first.

This last picture is supposed to be of the dual outflow. Unfortunately this was the best I could get. The outflow tube comes down into the water where there is a V-shaped piece that provides two adjustable outflows. This is a great feature to have since this filter moves alot of water and it's nice to be able to control the output.

Just to briefly describe how the filter works. Once you have filled your media baskets and install them into the bucket you add 2 gallons of water. Once you seal the canister and connect the hoses it is ready to be turned on. When you first plug it in the pump will run for two minutes while if fills the canister to its capacity. Then it shuts off for two minutes to allow any air bubbles to be removed from the system. After those two minutes the filter starts back up and continues running. It will stop every 24 hours for two minutes to let any trapped gasses evacuate the system. Otherwise it does not shut off unless the power is interrupted.

As far as the flow the water enters the canister from the intake tube where it is drawn to the bottom of the canister. It is then pumped up the sides of the media baskets through the coarse filtration pads. Once it reaches the top of the canister the water is then forced down through the center of the baskets where it passes through the 3 levels of media. Once it reaches the bottom it is then pumped back into the tank through the outflow.

Maintenance:

Close the valves on the quick disconnect hoses. Wrap a washcloth or towel around the valve and disconnect the hose. Some water will leak out when you disconnect so keep a towel under the bucket to help catch any spill.

Now remove the cover on the drain valve. You could clamp a hose onto here and drain the canister that way. I chose to carry it to the tub and drain it there.

Next, loosen all eight thumb screws and remove the top cover. Below is a picture of the underside of the cover. Note the tube is attached to the cover. This is the inlet.

Since this canister design forces the water from the top and down through the media baskets I have my filter floss on top. As you can see it did it's job!

Next I separated the basket to make sure the coarse pads were in good shape. You can also see the biomedia in these two trays.

Next I rinsed out the inside of the canister bucket. In this picture you can see the outflow tube. This pumps the clean water back into the tank.

After rinsing the inside of the bucket I replaced the filter floss, restacked the baskets and inserted them back into the canister.

At this point you want to make sure the drain valve is closed and add two gallons of tank water to the canister and reinstall the lid. Once sealed you're ready to reconnect the hoses. Once the hoses are reconnected make sure you reopen the valves on the connectors. Now you're ready to plug the canister back in.

Another nice feature of the FX5 is that Fluval includes a 3rd quick disconnect valve. It allows you to attach a 5/8" hose and run it to your tub or sink. Then you disconnect the outflow hose on top of the lid and attach this one. Plug in the power and voila! You are now draining your tank. Great feature if you have a large tank and need to do a big water change.

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