Equipment Review and Discussion :: fluval fx5 or Eheim pro 3 2080

[swiltz]

Hi guys! im planning to get either one of these filters for my 3 4 inch res, housed in a 125 gallon tank. Both filters have their benefits, with the fx 5 having a superior pump rate or 925gph, bt only 6 litres of bio media cap. But it has a whooping 25litres of foam around the sides for mechanical filtration!
The eheim on the other hand pushes water at ard 500gph, and has 18 litres of bio media storage...

Will the big diff in bio media capacity make eheim superior for water purification? or will fluvals superior pump actually make up for it?


Which filter would be a better choice for turtles overall? in in terms of water quality and frequency of cleaning?Price isnt an issue as i intend to invest in a good filter for long term use


Thanks in advance guys!!

[VeipaCray]

The Fluval's pump is 607GPH through the media and 925 at the pump (925 is a useless number). The media numbers are a bit misleading. The FX5 is the size of a 5 gallon bucket... it's huge. The effective performance of the FX5 and the 2080 are roughly the same.

For turtles, we have a filter sizing in this thread: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=30145

2080 - uses a bit less power, probably the best filter you can buy period. 3x the cost of a FX5
FX5 - has a bit more flow rate than the 2080, has a very good adoption & success rate on this forum, 1/3rd the cost of the 2080.

I had the funds to buy either filter and chose the FX5 myself.

[swiltz]

ok! icic. I will also get the fluval myself! Is it ok if i placed my filter at the same height as my tank? will there be any draw backs?

[VeipaCray]

Both of those canister filters should be placed below the tank. They work on a gravity fed siphon to draw water in which requires the difference in height to function. Pumps in almost all canister filters (except the garbage API Nexx filter) don't actually suck water in. The canister filters draw water in from the siphon and use the pump to push water out.

[swiltz]

noted with thanks man