Equipment Review and Discussion :: Fluval 403, 404, 405?

[BullDog]

In my browsing of various online buy and sell sites, I've seen fluval 403, 404, and 405. I'm assuming 405 is the new "generation" compared to 404. Does anyone know any difference between the 404 and 405?

[jenaero]

The difference? About $200. Not sure why. I bought the 404 for I think $160 because the 405 at the same store was $300+. Btw, the 404 works great for my 125gal.

[marisa]

There's a (very) brief description of the differences here: http://www.aquatics-online.co.uk/Z031050.asp

[BullDog]

Thanks for the link Marisa!
It says one of the new things is "Pre-packed media". I'm assuming that means the stuff is in little bags like the aquaclear media? That might be handy... I was looking of ebay and there was a 405 for a good price, but all the stores in my town only carry the 404 media... Which means I'd have to order all my media online, which would be a pain...

[jenaero]

in the 404 the charcoal is prepacked but the biomedia is loose..no biggie. I wouldn't call it an inconvenience.

[marisa]

I used to order replaceable media like charcoal online in rather large quantities so it doesn't have to be done so often. I don't think you absolutely use the Fluval media in the filter, though, so you wouldn't be limited to just that. I think a lot of biomedia is loose (the ceramic rings in the XP3 are), and I don't think that's a negative--it can be rinsed in the tank water more thoroughly.