# 120 gallon tank, only one Fluval 404, will i need a second filter?



## BlakeA. (Oct 19, 2006)

I purchased a beautiful 120 gallon tank, stand and canopy for any amazing price.

i was originally told it was 100 gallons, but after purchasing it I measured and realized its actually 120.

Being that i thought it was only 100, i only purchased one Fluval 404 canister filter from the seller (he used to run two of them) since it was rated up to 100gallons and i figured i wouldnt need two of them.

now that i realize the tank is 120gallons i figure i might need to get something else.

i have a cheap penguin biowheel 350 hang on filter thats supposedly good up to 75 gallons that i used on my 40 gallon non planted that i could hang on the other end, but I see those fluval 404s are cheap on ebay, i could pick up another used one for $65 or so.

as for the tank, its 60" long 18.5" wide, 25.5" tall. i have a lot of drift wood to put in (one huge 24x18" piece, and few smaller pieces) and plan on doing a medium ammount of plans and just a few ghost shrimp and tetras.

any input on additional filtration over just one fluval 404 canister?


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## Justintoxicated (Oct 18, 2006)

I always overfliter my tanks but it sounds like you will have a light bioload anyways. 1 404 on each end does sound like a sweet setup to me.


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## fshfanatic (Apr 20, 2006)

I would definately get a second filter. I am a firm believer in over filtering a tank. Plus I never believe the ratings the manufacturers place on their tanks..


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## Rex Grigg (Dec 10, 2002)

Filtration capacity is not the problem. Water movement is.


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## attack11 (May 5, 2006)

1 or 2 properly placed power heads is all you need with that filter.


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## mrbelvedere (Nov 15, 2005)

Why did you buy a Fluval?


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## Chris75 (Sep 1, 2006)

*"Why did you buy a Fluval?"*

Why not?


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## BlakeA. (Oct 19, 2006)

mrbelvedere said:


> Why did you buy a Fluval?


do you think I could have done better for $50? Thats what I spent on it.

seems to work great, it was moving a lot of water last night when i hooked it up. my only problem with it was when I was setting it up it kept siphoning water backwards and flooding out the sides of the canister. I'm sure this isn't a problem with the unit but more likely with the way I was setting it up as I didn't have an instruction manual nor was i ever shown how to use it.


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## fshfanatic (Apr 20, 2006)

Blake, sounds like the "O" ring isnt seated properly. Remove it from the motor housing and rinse it off with running water. Feel to see if there are any nicks or pinches in it and reinstall.

Should work out for you..

I too like fluval filters. For the price they work great.


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## BlakeA. (Oct 19, 2006)

fshfanatic said:


> Blake, sounds like the "O" ring isnt seated properly. Remove it from the motor housing and rinse it off with running water. Feel to see if there are any nicks or pinches in it and reinstall.
> 
> Should work out for you..
> 
> I too like fluval filters. For the price they work great.


Its running fine now, should i go back and double check the O ring though? i set it up last night but unplugged it after letting it run for an hour cause i didnt want any accidents while i was sleeping. 

what happend was i filled the canister with water, then i placed the inlet and outlet tubes in the tank, then i connected the tubes to the canister but each time i connected it and opened the flow adjuster, it started a strong siphon out the tank and despite the canister being shut, it spilled out the sides between the top and bottom. once i managed to get it running there was no leaking out the sides of the canister. does it sound like theres any thing wron gwith it?


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## thadius65 (Sep 15, 2006)

I have a 120g with Fluvals (2). I have a 404 on one end, hooked up to a DiabloCanine CO2 Reactor.... and a 304 on the other end, hooked up to a Tetra UV1. 

Why by a fluval? They are inexpensive and work very very well! Never had an issue.


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## houmark (Oct 23, 2006)

Hagen has the manuals online in PDF format for your Fluval 404.

Equipment Manuals


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