# FX5 Problems



## lewmel (Dec 25, 2008)

I am debating whether to buy the FX5 and have read the reviews here, but found another forum that a few people reported problems with the FX5 after a year or two.
I am curious if anyone here has experienced problems with this filter.
Thanks


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## kfig7 (Nov 24, 2008)

lewmel said:


> I am debating whether to buy the FX5 and have read the reviews here, but found another forum that a few people reported problems with the FX5 after a year or two.
> I am curious if anyone here has experienced problems with this filter.
> Thanks


I think you can probably find mixed reviews on just about every filter. No matter how good a filter is, there will always be defects and people who have bad experiences with them. Heres a good link for some FX5 info.

http://innovationlandscaping.com/fx5/


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## lloyd (Aug 24, 2005)

i currently have 3 fx5 working in my fish room. one, since the first week they arrived on the market. i have had no negative issues enough to regret buying. 1) the third valve, for draining, is a bit mickey. i bust one finger flange off it and now it is near impossible to turn. 2) they are heavy to lift when full, but don't let that convince you to buy a wheeled eheim (pro3), because they don't climb out of a cabinet any easier. 3) flow rates are decent, but the unit needs assistance for any heavily stocked tank exceeding 150gal., IMO., if you like clear water. 4) deep tanks need the assistance of power heads to stir up floor areas. the return is divided into two outputs, and as a result, cannot create any visible turbidity beyond 16". HTH.


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## clgkag (Mar 22, 2008)

I have one that is about 2yrs old and haven't had any issues with it. I have 2 more about 6 months old and no problems. I haven't had any issues I have heard discussed except micro-bubbles. When they start I know it is time to change filter floss.


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## lewmel (Dec 25, 2008)

Filter Floss is just one of your media applications?
I am also trying to research which medias to use in which basket, any recommendations?
Thanks


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## gherlevi (Dec 16, 2004)

I've got Seachem's matrix in mine, and some crushed coral, along with the FX5 blue filter pad. The blue pad clogs in my tank after about a month, and the sign is the appearance of micro bubbles.

One other trick I learned is that I use two Eheim 2215 coarse blue pads at the bottom of two of the baskets. They fit perfectly, and it makes cleaning the loose media easier. Stick a blue Eheim pad in the basket first, and then dump the matrix or crushed coral on top.

I've been running mine for about 8 months, with no issues. Once I figured out that micro bubbles are a sign of needing to clean the filter, I've been very happy with it.


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## lewmel (Dec 25, 2008)

How often do you change the matrix, and how many liters should I order? It says 1-2 L per 100 gallons. My tank is 125g, but do I completely fill up the basket with the matrix or only put about 2.5L in?
Thanks


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## Rockydog (Oct 21, 2007)

You never change the matrix, just rinse in tank water when you service the filter. Get as much as you can in the chamber. That is where most of your bio filtration will be.


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## lewmel (Dec 25, 2008)

Does it matter which basket it is in?


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## gherlevi (Dec 16, 2004)

I've got crushed coral in the top basket, and matrix in the 2nd and 3rd baskets. You could go matrix in all three baskets.

Any biomedia will do fine. Matrix, or Eheim's effisubstrat, or biomax, or whatnot. You'll have people recommend pot scrubbies, but I'm suspicious of a bunch of pot scrubbies supplying enough surface for biofiltration in a canister.

Incidentally, the matrix is very light. In fact, some of it actually floats, which at least tells me that it is very porous, and thus good for biofiltration.


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## lewmel (Dec 25, 2008)

Is a 4L bottle enough for one basket?
Thanks


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## gherlevi (Dec 16, 2004)

I got a 4 liter bucket online and that is more than enough to fill three baskets in the filter.


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## lewmel (Dec 25, 2008)

The pet store owner (one referred from this forum, is telling me that I dont need any additonal media for it, he says the sponges are fine by themselves, but if I wanted I could put one basket of carbon or matrix. This is getting more confusing! LOL


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## Rockydog (Oct 21, 2007)

Sorry, the pet store owner is *wrong*. You need the course sponges to catch the heavier detritus (encircling the outer perimeter of the baskets -- mechanical filtration), which slowly dissolves into smaller pieces.

The top basket should have a less course filtering materia (I would use quilt batting (comes on a roll - buy by the yard at Wally World)cut to fit and put several layers in.

The middle basket I would use Seachem *Renew* (works like carbon but doesn't strip the water of essential elements but does work very well as a sub micron mechanical filter) - just lay in 1 piece of the precut quilt batting first then fill with the Renew and add 2 layers of quilt batting. This way the renew is sandwiched between.

The bottom basket is for the Matrix (you want the cleanest water possible getting to the bio media so as not to plug the pores - you can put 2 layers of the quilt batting on top of the matrix as a final step in mechanical filtration before the water gets to the bio media.


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## gherlevi (Dec 16, 2004)

You'll get all sorts of tips regarding what media to put in those baskets. For example, I don't use carbon at all, or any chemical filtration unless I need it for a specific reason.

But...

I think almost everyone will agree that something is better than nothing! What's the point of having filter media baskets... with no media?

I'd say make sure there is at least some sort of bio media in there. Your choice depends on cost and "expected degree of effectiveness." For some, that means pot scrubbies are your best bet. For me, it was the pricier Matrix. For others, it's lava rock. Any porous surface that will hold bacteria is a major improvement over blank space filled with water.


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## Razzo (Oct 17, 2007)

I've got two FX5s and like them. My only problem is one of the twisty knob deals on top got unattached and is a pain in the rump to get back on. Other than that, I have had no problems. I use the fine filter pad (3) in the bottom basket / BIO-Max in the middle basket and Prefilter in the top basket. I didn't realize the bottom basket is where the bio media should go as it gets the cleanest water. If that's true then I need to shuffle my order. I recall that being the recommendations in the owners manual (I need to recheck this  ).

On my 125 gallon tank, I use an FX5 with an AC110 (I also run one Emp 400 as a seeded backup filter in case I need one for a hospital tank in an emergency situation). On my 265, I run an FX5 with 3 HOB filters (AC110 & Emp 400s). I do not use powerheads to stir up mechanical waste off the substrate so the filters will catch it (my philosophy is that, that is my job via vacuuming - I want my filters to run as clean as possible for biological filtration). Just my personal philosophy.

I don't use chemical filtration unless I need to remove meds from the tank.

In summary, I like my FX5s and would buy another one if needed.


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## lloyd (Aug 24, 2005)

gherlevi said:


> What's the point of having filter media baskets...


 these are simply 'upsell compartments'. bacteria would colonize, just as well, on the surface of the empty baskets alone. for example: hob filters work fine without.


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## lewmel (Dec 25, 2008)

I just want to say THANK YOU to everyone that replied, all of your help and advice is much appreciated.


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## lewmel (Dec 25, 2008)

One more thing,
Does the FX5 filter from Top to Bottom, or Bottom to Top
I just looked over the owners manual and it appears that it filters from bottom to top, but a few forum members have told me other wise.


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## clgkag (Mar 22, 2008)

water flows in the inlet to the bottom, up through the outside foam blocks, down the media baskets and out the bottom of the housing.


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## lewmel (Dec 25, 2008)

Thanks,
It was hard to picture, since the filter has not arrived here yet.
I just wanted to make sure that the course mechanical media went in the top basket but the online owners manual is saying that the pre filter goes in the bottom basket, which doesnt make sense to me. I would think that the pre filter media would be on the top if the bottom basket is the last media the water hits before returning to the tank.


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## Rockydog (Oct 21, 2007)

The filter comes with coarse media in the form of sponges that encircle each media basket (as clgkag explained). Don't waste a media basket by using more coarse media.


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## boredatwork (Sep 14, 2007)

This thread has a picture of the water flow through the FX5.

http://www.cichlidforum.com/phpBB/viewt ... e13b39a174

I would also suggest not using any kind of course media in the media baskets. To me that seems redundant since thats what all of the prefilter foam is there for. In my opinion anything in the media basket should be for water polishing or bio. And in my experience I have found that most "mechanical" filter media has been more than sufficient at bio filtration, so I don't even bother anymore with any specific "bio" media.


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## lewmel (Dec 25, 2008)

After researching and all of the input I have received on the forum this is the Media set up I think i will be going with. Any thoughts or comments are appreciated!

Top Basket #1 
Pot Scrubbies on top of a layer of Filter Floss

Middle Basket #2
Full of Fluval Bio Max Noodles

Bottom Basket #3
A layer of filter Floss
1.5 L of Matrix
with a Eheim 2215 Aquarium Canister Coarse Blue Pad on the bottom to prevent the Matrix from going through.


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## Solchitlins (Jul 23, 2003)

I would suggest pond matrix, it's the same stuff only slightly bigger and from what I have seen a lot cheaper, might not go through.

also why differnt kinds of bio media, unless your trying to cut costs or allready have some?


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## gherlevi (Dec 16, 2004)

Lewmel, you may be overthinking it a bit 

Don't worry about mixing different types of biomedia! Who knows which one works better anyway?

Throw some biomedia in the baskets, with maybe some fine mechanical polishing pads, and you're basically good to go.

(I do like the blue Eheim pads though to keep stuff from falling through the slots, but that's just me :wink: )


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