SunSun vs. Fluval! - This Didn't End Well! 

Want more tips and tricks to care for your fish? Check out these playlists! Best Fish Keeping Tips Playlist is here: ru-vid.com/group/PLr8ew8o8WXoDLeItfzOiRG8DV-1W9qNX4 Lowering and Controlling Nitrates Playlist is here: ru-vid.com/group/PLr8ew8o8WXoD-pzZaHgtIFqurG9HZn2zz Every Live Stream is Here: ru-vid.com/group/PLr8ew8o8WXoApHjaPfc6rdr7oipfEbZ-k The Water Change Tips & Tricks Playlist is here: ru-vid.com/group/PLr8ew8o8WXoCdEYkD0rQa0OWejFk5-bHD SunSun Canister Filter Playlist is here: ru-vid.com/group/PLr8ew8o8WXoCiMWEpBFJFJGxTqJH_MdMg Fluval Canister Filter Playlist is here: ru-vid.com/group/PLr8ew8o8WXoC8gSuqdG1c4nOzlAMFTmiD

I'm a firm believer in purchasing the best filtration equipment you can afford, and there's no denying that Fluval has a reputation for building some of the best. But every time I see the FX6 with its 8 separate thumbscrews for removing the cover, a pump that requires a screwdriver and 4 screws to service, not to mention that weird-ass arrangement of circular media trays, I just want to hug my "cheap" SunSun and never let it go.

My first Fluval canister was a Fluval 403. It worked for 12 years. It would take a massive failure to lose me as a loyal customer.

Thanks again Ben for All the information you always provide for us . It is much appreciated !!

Things wear out over time great video. Thank you so much.

Another honest and fair assessment based on your own experiences.. this is why your the man!! thanks

Thanks. My Sunsun will be here in a few days. Watching canister vids, learning more.

Great video as always Ben 👍👍👍

Thank you for your honesty. I was going to purchase an FX 6 as a spare filter just in case something ever went wrong. But now I'll just buy a Sunsun instead. BTW- at the moment I'm running 2 canisters on this particular tank (high bio-load, heavily stocked Cichlid tank). I love your videos, very informative and helpful.

Great video Mr. Ben. Like all your videos always 👍. Greetings from Germany

I've been running an FX6 for over 5 years now and haven't had to replace anything to date. Very happy with it and it still runs like the day I bought it. The only fault was my own error. When you replace the motor not only should you make sure the screws are tight but also make sure the O ring is in the correct position. If not it will definitely leak. But once you work out the correct position you won't have a problem. Great video Ben!

I run a Sun Sun 303B with a 603 prefilter on my 30 gallons. The fish I have in it like a slower flow, so the reduced flow isn't an issue. It is doing a great job. While some things, like priming, are a little more difficult, it came down to budget. I'm happy with the Sun Sun purchase, and my fish seem to like it too.

Great video. I bought my Fluval 306 for my 54 gallon aquarium 5 years ago. Hasn’t missed a beat. I have heard good things about sun sun as well but I probably wouldn’t change. I think it comes down to personal preference and experience. Both seem to be quality filters.

My experience with these are love the sunsun canister no leaks, started right up, was easy to get air out and very quite. I had trouble with the Fluval. And I love the price of sunsun can't beat that when on a budget. Great video

Very informative video!Thanks !

Just ordered my sunsun 3000 love me some sunsun lol...thanks for your responses to my questions really helped me out thanks

I can give input on the Sunsun HW3000. It's an excellent canister and pushes a lot of water and is backwards compatible to the 304/704 impeller and trays. It has a much better method of attaching to the aquarium than the Fluval. The biggest advantage of the 3000 would be the adjustable flow rate and timer for the UV bulb.

GREAT VIDEO 😎👍

I've had fluval canister and it was a pain in the rear to clean and also had a couple of the components to break. Just bought a Sunsun and I can tell already it's going to be a huge improvement in cleaning and maintenance

Try comparing the fluval fx6 and sunsuns HW 5000. They’re closer in size.

I do like my 704b's, had them since June last year and they've performed flawlessly. I also got a great deal on a Resun 2800 recently and posted a couple of pics on the Facebook group last week... It's so big that a 704b fits inside the canister bucket! Flow of 740gph is insane too, it was actually digging up the gravel at the front of my 120.

Great video Ben love your video's how often do clean your fx6

Another good video Ben. I thought of a couple things while watching it. I have an FX4 and an FX6 , 3 of the 304B's and 1 404B . You mentioned that you have had some small leaks around the impeller assembly on the FX6. The large O ring that seals the housing to the FX6 main body may need replacing. O rings can go bad especially when they are being compressed often. If you were in a situation where you needed the filter to be running while waiting for a new O ring to come in the mail try doing this. Remove the O Ring from the housing and then lay something in the groove that it sits in. I have used a couple strands of yarn, then place the O Ring back into the groove and attach it back on the main unit. It doesn't take much to compress the O Ring a little bit more than normal and prevent it from leaking. Of course in a perfect world we all would have replacements of replacements on hand, lol!!! Next is about the amount of media in the FX6. The newer models come with a red tray that sits in the center of each of the larger white media trays. Never really understood the reasoning in this and I have always left them out and placed the media into main trays. This provides quite a bit of room and I recall that Pond Guru even mentioned this in one of his Pimp My Filter videos. One of the issues that I have had with the SunSun filters is the noise. I have one tank in particular that sits on an open stand and the noise is enough to keep me awake at night. It's not the impeller as I have cleaned this multiple times, applied the lubricant, even tore the lid down and removed the large blue section that you mash down on to purge the air out. The noise sounds like a vibrating noise and I thought this might be the source of it. No Dice, I am very mechanically minded and after all my troubleshooting it is clear that the noise is coming from the motor itself in the lid. Unlike the Fluval the SunSun motors are sealed in the lid and cannot be replaced, instead you must purchase the entire lid. This is a negative for folks like us that like to fix things ourselves. I will say this that SunSun has been outstanding to deal with over this noise issue. They even sent me and replacement filter complete with media at no charge, not even for shipping. Another negative for me is that UV Light. I have heard the arguments, as you have, about the flow being to fast and the light not being a high enough wattage to do much good. My issue is having the water surrounding flowing all around that glass housing under the lid. Electricity and water don't go together to well in my book, lol!!! If one of those O rings went bad on the glass housing it could be responsible for a very expensive fish fry, lol!!!! Plus that glass housing can be broken so easily when removing and replacing the lid from the filter. You need to be very careful not to damage it. Last but certainly not the least is the pre-filter that I have plumbed into the intake line. Because of the risk of damaging that glass tube on the bottom of the lid the less I have to remove it the better. SunSun makes a non powered filter canister that works excellent as a pre-filter. The housing is clear so it's very easy to see how dirty the sponges are. The water enters at the bottom of the housing and flows upward. I have this housing filled with sponges from coarse to fine in this housing. The water flows through all these sponges before it ever enters the main canister filter. This allowed me to replace all the sponges and pads in the main unit and fill this space with more Bio Home Ultimate, which is the media I prefer for biological filtration. The additional amount that this provides was even larger than I had thought it would be. By using this pre filter it means I can go much longer before I need to open the main filter housing. The pre-filter comes with shut off valves on the intake and output lines. Turn them off and the entire unit can be taken to the sink to be cleaned out. I purchased several sets of these sponges so when they eventually need replacing I will have them. I haven't noticed any negatives by using this pre-filter . I am going to order a couple more of these and I want to try them out on the FX filters as well. They are less than $25 and to me they are worth every penny. Below is a link to this pre-filter if anyone is interested. I didn't mean to write a darn novel, lol!!!! Take care my friend and keep up the great job. www.amazon.com/Sunsun-Transparent-Aquarium-Pre-Filter-Without/dp/B07K7B2G6S

Thank you the excellent explanations between the 2 filters. I’ve had fx6 for many years. Now that I have developed hand arthritis I can’t get the intake and output connectors to release! Hopefully the sun sun which comes in 2 days will work with arthritis hands. I’ve had tanks for 50+ years!

Thanks for the review was considering a Fluval we'll get Eheim

I run two sunsun 304bs and one 404 b bAck up they all run great for me. Never had a problem.

I used to have the Sunsun on a 75gal tank it did pretty well no issues. But I now have the FS6 on a 210gal and it does a fantastic job. I agree the backflow valve seems like it could be a weak point on the unit. On my FX6 is you used the bottom two trays for just bio it holds a very good amount. It takes a little time to clean up the unit but it keeps the tank beautiful.

Cost vs performance! Sunsun every time ! 💪🏻

My dun sun has ran for 5+ years. Getting a bit noisy but still plenty of flow.

I used to only use Fluval pumps/filters and always had issues with the seals after time. I got a Sun Sun due to a quick need and price (thought it would be fine just to cover the need as the Fluval was leaking and I didn't have a replacement seal). That was 3 years ago.

Sunsun did a wonderful job figuring out how to make their products even cheaper and more flimsy. Just bought a 302 from amazon last week after being back ordered for a while. The screw connectors to the uptake tube and the spray bar have been done away with and now you just shove a very flimsy, cheap plastic tube inside the hose and use a cheap plastic hose clamp. I took out the impeller to check it out and it comes out in pieces. There is a plastic cap which sticks in a hole in the cover. Then a ceramic shaft pulls through the magnet as it comes apart. There is another plastic cap in a hole in the bottom of the access. After trying to get the damn thing out my impeller was in four pieces. Two plastic caps, a magnet, and a shaft. I’ve never seen an impeller just come apart like that. Most of the time the bottom cap stays stuck in the bottom and the shaft pulls through the magnet.

Good work Ben, shame about the leak, not had any issues with mine (have 2 FX6) in the 2-3 years i have had them, but bonus is if anything goes wrong getting parts for the FX6 is easy and you dont need to replace the whole system (this is Phil BTW (logo maker))

I have a fx4 on my 75 and it's been great

It's refreshing Ben that you can have a very productive and polite response with people who watch your videos..

I’ve always been a Eheim and Fluval guy. Sun Sun has my attention. Thanks

Got the FX6 and had a leak in the same area.. 1min fix, took out the drain unit, unclipped the red gate valve lever. Cleand it and replace o ring and put it back together. Cost $1. That was 2 years ago and no further leaks👍

It really is ultimately about budget with these canisters. I’ve noticed no major differences in performance between sunsun and fluval canisters when I had them, although you are correct about the hose valve on the sunsun being somewhat brittle lol

as a brit here, you may reach more viewers by tagging it as AllPondSolutions EF(+) it's same filter same specs and such just made for British market,. I have the 2000LPH + 9W UV bulb, on my 240l/55GAL tank, I have a huge community so I went over on cleaning power had for 6 years only needed one new impellar for housing, plus usual sponge and bio parts. does wonderful job

i have the sun sun 3000 and love it !!!! i have not even looked at the fluval

Great video Ben. I am of the belief that I don't like a shop vac for my canister. I know i am in a minority on this , but I would take 2 Sun Sun canister filters anyday over that beast.

I have run into RECURRENT complaints online about valve failures on the Fluval FX4 and 6. This is the first bottom valve failure I have seen. The top valves are also "available" as a rather pricey replacement.

Great video Ben, the tip for the Fluval never touch the bottom valve, I clean my 2 fx6 and never touch that valve, not needed, my only complain is that is hard and take time to clean the 3 plastic tray, that's why I'm planning to switch to 2 eheim 2262

Hey Ben I was wondering how much improvement they made on canister filters. I used to run 2 filters on a 55 gal like 25 years ago I had magnum 350 and a Fluval 404 I think it was. Used to clean them out every 6 months or so and of course at different times. I always had water leaks from O-rings on canister fluval not so much. These are much nicer and the fluval looks like it has the plastic corkscrew in the UV chamber for water flow duration. I do like that UV.

Hi Ben. Greetings from Romania. Dare to say that are very rare this problems that i heard about FX6, and for me that was the main reason to buy the Fluval canister filter. I am not saying that Sun Sun are not OK, but they are more susceptible to break in a shorter time. Anyway, i like your channel. Keep it going.

My filter strategy is, i run a fx4 and a marineland 360 in my 150 cichlid tank. Good shops sell refurbed filters for around $100. Instead of spending all the money on one excellent filter, get two good ones. Then pick up a couple big used hob filters and keep them in storage as spares.

I just ordered my first canister filter for Christmas. I chose the 704b over the fluval fx6 due to all the stories of the broken pipes breaking way too easily and them crapping out within days of black Friday this year 2019. It will be my first canister filter ever and got the sun sun 704b under 100. I should see it at Christmas since I'm on a receiving list for it. One of the last on the list to get one ordered in time for Christmas before a complete incoming stock on Amazon. Plus I'll be putting prescreen sponges on all my filters in my house on all tanks.

I have fx4 fx5 fx6 had that problem with the valve leaking after a few drains found sand was chewing the rubber seal up inside the valve so I used pinky floss in the valve no more leaks an no more buying valves I change it when I clean the canister the canister will still draun for water changes hope this helps

the sponges in the fx6 are also bio media, even if theyre mainly used to remove debris from the water, the sponges still house bacteria along with the bio media (rings balls etc) a better comparison would be say another cannistor filter of around the same size but a higher price mark likea sunsun to an aquaone etc, the fx6 would be better off compared to say a standard lowtech sump

Hi! Thanks for the review. I actually am running the SunSun 304B. I have read reviews reporting the plastic media trays deteriorate with extended use of the UV light. I am seeing this with mine and now only use the UV light once a month....apparently the manufacturer is aware. But the warranty is only 1 yr..and they offer replacement trays which seems quite costly...m

Another great video Ben. It’s too bad that the Fluval started leaking on you I have 2 of them for 5 years now and never had one leak. Thanks for sharing 👍.

Hi Ben, please update us with your water parameters when you switched from 2 to just 1 canister to see how much changes overfilter can make. Might a good upload video topic as well 😉

Hi Ben, correct me if I’m wrong but if you push out that little valve you may find it has a seal ring inside. I had an fx4 that started leaking around the input valve, so I went onto RU-vid to see what the issues could be. I found a RU-vidr showing all the seal rings I didn’t even know my canister had. He showed how to push out these valves and grease them. Well, I did that and the leaking stopped. Now, I just received my first fx6 so I’m not sure if this is the case for a seal ring, it might be worth a look to see if there is indeed a ring inside that is needing some oiling. They tend to get brittle with all the warm water going through the valves. Push out the flat end and take a look. It would be interesting to see if there is one in there. On the other hand I’m sure you don’t want to take it apart again just to have to replace it. Once you receive the other one let us us know if you found a seal ring. I would love to know. Cathy, from Edmonton Alberta Canada.

Regarding the UV light in the Sun Sun , it's not meant to be run full time .As far as the air getting trapped ,I had the same issue with all my Magnum canister filters .The solution is to burp them by filling it almost up to the top first,put the top on and then priming the pump several times until all the air is released fully and to also check the rubber seal and make sure it's clean , has a tight fit and no cracks. One thing I definitely don't like about the Sun Sun filters are the hose fittings and how fragile they seem to be . What they should have done is made the inlet and outlet straight like the older Magnum 330 and 350 filters without any angles. Also having a shut off valve for the filter inlet and outlet hoses would be helpful for servicing them but that's something that can be retrofitted without too much of a problem .

Are the gaskets on the 704b the same as the 304b and 404b? I cannot find parts for the 704

Should the discharge outpot water be above or below the waterline?

I am about to buy two canisters for my 100g mbuna tank.. which of either 2x 704B or 2x hw3000 would u recommend and y?? Thxx

I have 2 sunsuns on my 150 gallon, love having 2 so if I clean to much and kill good bacteria the other saves me, I clean them each every other month, rotating them

I have both and Sun Sun has best value hands down!! Its basically one third price but its truly a workhorse!

Which 1 do u recommend based on bang 4 your buck

Greatt review!. Purchase 350gallon (8ftx3ftx2ft ) well stock tank.. Was wondering how many canisters would I need for that size tank?

Hi sir..is any sunsun good?

Greetings friend I have a 125gl aquarium with Africans and I see that my filtration is insufficient for the tank and the image I want to get is not the best so I want your opine, my aquarium consists of the following filtration but I am sure that the canister I have is not doing good work.. The filtration consists of the next I have two filters waterfall one is aqueon 75 the other is tidal 75 and I have a sunsun 30b all that suggests me to put another sunsun or change canister

I bought the sunsun 3000 and it worked well but I ended up selling it because it would fill up with air and no matter what I did it would always bubble and hum. I put new rings on it tightened everything I even used thread tape on everything including the rings. I gave up and went with the 304b. It works wonderful as does my 302 but the 302 will leak if you don’t line the top up just right. I want an fx4 for my 125 because I have turtles but I don’t want to waste my money if I don’t have to. PetSmart has them for 199 for the fx4 and 149 for fx6

I have a sunsun hw-3000 and i have not had any problems with it so far. Just a note the buttons are tuch.

Ben I have found that if you take a little bit of pinky an put in that valve that failed on you the pinky keeps dirt etc from getting into the gasket on the valve that turns so far it has worked for me

watch in x2 speed if ur in rush like me grate video very clear and informed

find. Good video. I have been wondering about the fx6. Can it be worth the money? Finally I know the answer....MAYBE...SORT OF😁

The sunsun seems pretty similar to the marineland c360. I got a c36p for 90 bucks at PetSmart. It's been giving me a micro bubble issue. I light return it and get a fx6 instead

Fluval in general well built and reliable! So I will always go with it 👍

I've used many brands of canister filter and found fluval to meet my aquarium needs. The others are usually made in China don't last very and are riddle with problems especially the UV feature that leaks water into chamber short out and no longer working . I personally hate that plunger which also is very effective and they're cheaply constructed. BTW the Suisun 704b has been discontinued. The one thing that cab sometimes be a problem are the valves that the rubber gasket can sometimes leak and can't find them , so your left in having to buy a new valve.

I agree with everything you said I run both of those filters. One thing that was not examined was the hoses and intake/out. I have a problem on my intake. When the water level lowers air is sucked in. So, there is a crack somewhere in it. They just are cheap in my opinion. I have used many canisters and I think fluval have the best hoses and fittings.

I have 2 704b’s on my 90 big diff in flow compared to the eheim pro3&4 which is what i replaced but one of my 704b’s wont stop rattling no matter what i do so amazon is sendin me a replacement & i send the rattlebox back

If the power goes out, does it keep sucking water from tank?

Which sunsun model is good for a 5ft large oscars tank (8) ?

I have three sun sun and 2 FX6 on my 10 gallon hermit crab tank💪

Different subject..Because I value your opinion...I recently got a bucco lepturas green...I know lucky me but wait it gets better..Butch sent it to me by mistake..no charge..the problem is after successful quarantine he is getting bullied by an eye biter and livingstoni. He hides behind the pipes at the top. He does come out to eat. Should I put him back in quarantine? He will still have to face the same fish, or see if he can work it out. So far only minor wounds couple scales and frayed pectorals. I would give this fish away before I let it get killed. Your thoughts would be appreciated.

I have had a very similar problem with my Fluval 206 and 306 filters when the aquastop valves started leaking. Upon investigation it appears the filter has picked up fine grains of sand from the bottom of the tank and these grains of sand get trapped in the rotary aqua stop valve and they grind away at the valves tap and body every time it is operated thus causing the valve to leak. I think its down to poor design and quality control from fluval.

If I could suggest one advantage of only loading the fx6 with alfagrog and the side sponges you wouldn't need to touch that filter for months even upto a year if you do that it will just build up your bacteria and you could use the Sunsun704b to fill with chemical filteration and floss etc which u could clean more often just leave the fx6 alone the advantage with runigvyhd the fx6 with more biological media its alot more powerful so the Sunsun being less L/H turnover would make it more efficient at polishing and removing impurities so I would suggest some mechanical media I.e different sponges and then maybe activated carbon or purigen other alternatives being ammonia pads phosphate pads and filter floss which can all be cut to size to fit the four trays on the sunsun it's a only an idea but every one is different but I don't touch my fx6 just leave it be full of alfagrog the less u touch the biological part the better but thanks for the video I'm considering getting the sunsun 704b it looks like a good and I bet it's cheaper then the fx6 but it would help me with my chemical or natural chemical media so I can just leave the fx6 alone

never used the fx6, i only have sun sun canister filter and work good for me

It’s like Rolex or timex tells the Same time. There’s always gonna be the ones that think the Rolex tells better time go figure. Same with these filters. It’s a name someone said it’s the best. So some people have to have the name to say it’s the best. The same people will most likely say a sponge filter is no good because it’s cheaper. But say the fx6 hold more sponges for better filtration because it’s more money so it has to be better. Filtration its better with a lower water flow through what ever the media is sponges Floss or type of bio media. it’s just bacteria it don’t care what is is Just because it’s the same process. No matter the cost. Ben you are correct. You have helped people understand that this hobby is not about the best of the best. But how you care for what you have.

SunSun for me, thanks.

The UV light on 2 of my sunsun 304b's melted the trays. Had to get replacements. They aren't meant to be on all the time i guess.

Had to put my SunSun in a tub under the tank for piece of mind after it (common problem) started leaking from the lid seal. Replaced the seal and cleaned it though. Also the seal on the uv light failed corroded and burnt out the bulb. Now I don't trust it either so I leave it off. Good filter just cheaply made

GOOD VIDEO BEN! THANK YOU FOR THE SHIRT

Great video, shows that even the best can fail.

I’ve got a fluval fx6 I’ve had slight leaking problems from bottom valve so after I cleaned it and fixed problems I no longer use that valve in case it fails again. Main problem with fx6 is the terrible built fasteners on the top there ridiculous. About 6 broke in 2 years. Eheim are my best, Chinese canisters need replacing every year when I’ve used them don’t go cheap route anymore especially the ones with build in uv there shocking at failing. Keep up the great videos 👍

Ben, i have a question. What do you think off the SUNSUN 5000?

I prefer my Eheim Classics and Eccos - some have 25 years of continuous use and still going strong!

I bought the biggest sunsun with the digital screen the hole top plastic broke away after a few months allowing air to be sucked in on top of that there is a plastic cover over the screen where the buttons are. You cant remove it so buttons are not actually accessible. Yes its 3 times cheaper but you will have to buy a new one every year. The module you have did last me a lot longer but the motor did burn out.

I know this video is a little old but my UV light melted the baskets and made them brittle in my AllPondSolutions (sunsun). So yes it happens!

LIKE THE VIDEO IM PLANING ON BUYING ME ONE NEXT WEEK I GOT SOME COTTON FROM WALMART AND IF I WANTED TO USE IT WHICH TRAY SHOULD I PUT IT IN ,THANK YOU

I use both on my 100g fx5 and aqua top overkill maybe but my tank is super clean lol

Years ago a Fluval failed me due to a safety valve(in fact a small plastic ball, that just closed the filter). Returned after a one-day trip and it stood just still. Took out my four beautiful blue Scalar. Fluval is out of the question. Have a SunSun now, that's running for over 10 years straight without no problem at all. Can only recommend SunSun. They know, what they're doing and they do it right. Visit their website. Helluva company.

The biggest issues with the fx4 5 and 6 are the impellars on the bottom they are guaranteed to fail in a tank with sand or small gravels in time especially with cichlids digging in it. The impellars are expensive and a pain in the ass to change. Think I have 7 of them in my filter graveyard. Not to mention the sensitivity with the knobs over tighten them and you get micro bubbles clean them too often to keep crap out the impellar seal go bad and they leak. Over all bad design.

Good review. I've been running two sunsun filters and five FX6 filters for well over 4 years. If it is in your budget....FX6 all the way!!!! Wish you were a few states closer, I would give you a male hawk. Hate seeing someone in such agony. LOL!!!! My wife and I have had a long history with the infamous HAWKS. They are very nice!!!

I had a 704B before purchasing the FX6. The 704B was amazing and lasted more than 5 years. A power surge hit my house killing over 1/2 of my appliances to include the 704B. I would expect it to have killed any brand on that specific circuit. I needed to replace it so I bought the FX6. Now that I have used both for some time, I would say that you CAN NOT go wrong with either. I would give a slight performance edge to the FX6. (Maybe because the fx6 is new compared to a 704B with 5+years of use?) Combine that with all you can do with the utility valve at the bottom and the fx6 is the clear winner to me. If you factor in price/budget...... 704B for larger tanks is unbeatable. Secondary note, 704B has more space for bio media. In the real world, the fx6 has more than enough bio media space to sustain more than sufficient BB.

Need to just hand tighten screws with equal pressure in a Flange Bolt Tightening Sequence. Cranking down on the screws, may break the seal, damage the o-ring, and distort the plastic housing.

Only problem, I found in SUNSUN is their O rings, rest is value for money. I used both 304B & HW 3000 and for both I had to procure spare O rings! Just for feedback.

why do u guess the sun sun only loses 100 gph with media but the fx6 loses over 400?

I like my fx5. It’s really old. I bought it used and runs well.