How To Clean A Fluval FX4 & FX6 Canister Filter. 

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Great video thank you so much really informative. We’re new to tank life and was really worrying about maintenance on our fx4

Thanks for the shout out and video mate. Cleaning my FX6 for the first time next week and this is spot on 👌

Thanks for the video. This was really helpful. Are there any fish tank lights you recommend for a 55 gallon tank?

Are both filters quite enough for living room, cheers gr8 video

I left one thing out. The sponge that comes in an fx6 or 4 is 30 ppi. This is the best bio media there is. There's only one media that's better and because most people don't have room or the energy to setup a moving filter the sponge wins. 30 ppi sponge isn't mechanical filtration it's bio. Mechanical filtration catches the debris at the surface. 30 ppi sponge doesn't. The debris works into it where beneficial bacteria take care of ammonia and nitrite and other bacteria and small organisms break down the debris. Keep the sponge that comes with the fx6 it's that size for a reason. The fine sponge in the video is mechanical filtration due to the ppi. It clogs quicker and doesn't provide as good of an environment as the 30. You don't need the fine sponge anyway. As the bio film develops in your sponge it will catch finer and finer particles. I run tanks on 100% sponge and are crystal clear like tanks with floss. Let the bio film do it's job.

Hey mate! Love the video. I am wanting to upgrade my old fluval sponges to the same as this with coarse and fine, If I leave the media can I just rinse the new sponges in tank water and throw them in the filter and dose with prime daily for a bit?

Nice vid man but you skipped the only step I was trying to find...when you first disconnect the filter does water spill out from the hoses or are they already drained? Just don't want to pull a hose off and have gallons of water all over the floor. Thanks.

Hello. 500 liter aquarium, would you choose 407 or fx4?

Many thanks for info. I will be getting 2 x Diamond Terrapins turtles soon. They naturally swim about 150-200 liters of water. But what should I take FX4 or FX6? Both have the same power consumption. FX6 are intended to last longer?

Noticed the red sticks left off they are a pain for me I can only use one hand ugh so if I can just drop in and go yes

Is it best to have the Bio Media loose in the filter or can you use nylon bags and fill them up ?

For anyone watching this. If you open your canister and it's that clean replace the floss and put it back together. Over cleaning can cause full blown cycle or mini spikes. Also do not clean your filter monthly. It takes a month for a filter a month for the bacteria to recover from a cleaning. So if your cleaning monthly it's always recovering. If you clean to much your filters aren't running at max efficiency and if you don't clean enough it won't run at max efficiency. When you clean your media including sponge you don't need to leave it in tap water. The only time the bacteria will die is if the media dries out. In the 5 minutes it takes to clean a filter it won't dry out. Last but not least the tap water myth. Rinsing your media in tap water doesn't kill of your bacteria. Why doesn't it? Because the concentration of % of chlorine in tap water is so low you would literally have to soak your media in tap water for over an hour and a half to kill the bacteria. This is proven and is fact. If tap water had enough chlorine to kill your bacteria in the time it takes to rinse a sponge you, your pets, ect wouldn't be able to drink it. It would kill all the bacteria in gut and burn your insides. Make you sick at a minimum and possibly kill you. Why people think it kills bacteria is because it's so easy to over clean your media under a tap. The chlorine isn't killing it you're literally washing it down the drain. One more thing. Sponge grows more bacteria than the ceramic or sinter media. That film in your sponges is a bio film. Your beneficial bacteria. Ok here's the last thing. Your canister or any filter for that matter has nothing to do with your nitrate level. The amount of and size of your fish plus how much you feed them determines the nitrate level. If what this video tells you is true my 120 gallon tank should have nitrate level through the roof. It has 45 adult 5-7 inch African Cichlids in it. They get fed twice a day everyday. It has three filters in it that get cleaned when needed so about every 3-6 months or so. This tank never goes over 30 ppm nitrate. On top of that this tank and my 16 other aquariums grow zero algae ever. Do Not over clean your filters. Do Not under clean your filters.

Where can I finds those wide mouth cleaning buckets? The filter trays dont fit inside my homedepot 5 gallon buckets

Veel dank voor info. Ik krijg binnenkort 2 x Diamond Terrapins schildpadden . Ze zwemmen natuurlijk ongeveer 150-200 liter water. Maar wat zou ik beste FX4 of FX6 nemen? Allebei hebben hetzelfde stroom verbruiken . FX6 zijn bedoeling voor langer mee?

I have an fx6 not very convenient to have in a Brooklyn NY apartment. So my fx gets really nasty I have to clean the hoses. My trays are stained.

What setting do you use on the dial on the lid ?

When connecting the pipes back on, how do you stop the muck from inside the pipes from blowing out the outlet as soon as you turn it on. Happens every time I clean it? Cheers

Unfortunately, Fluval fx4 is extremely expensive ...is it worth the price?

I have my filter floss on the bottom. Should it be on the top?

Please someone anyone you!😂 Why isnt the hose cleaning included in these videos 😢😢😢

You didn’t show the must important part! When I took of hose water came shooting out!! Was such a mess

Also noticed you've taken those annoying red handles off the sides of the baskets that hold them together. Non essential part then?

K1 in a static filter does nothing

too bad they don't make also a inline CO2 diffuser and a in line heater for the FX4-FX6. FLUVAL WAKE-UP!!! I wrote them to inquire why not ...maybe if enough of us do they will!!!!

For a much better learning experience you should have shown us how you disconnected the bucket and not made a mess ? I'm trying to figure that out still being said all these steps are pointless to me until you teach me step one .. 🤦🏻‍♂️ hate when people skip the most important step of all....