# Fluval C Series



## brothergc (Aug 1, 2011)

karatekid14 said:


> I have a 10g tank that will be my quarantine tank (bare bottom java moss) I need a very good filter, and in my search I came across the Fluval C Series, specifically the C2. It sounds like a canister filter in a HOB's body. The only draw back I came across was the media was expensive and hard to come across.
> 
> Review: http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f60/a-review-of-the-fluval-c2-hob-filter-132210.html
> 
> ...


 I have 2 fluval C3s on the back of my 36 gallon bowfront ,so I can give my take of these . 
Flow wise they are great . They have the ability to add your own media . I use a little mesh bag I got from amazon to add my own carbon, and for cut my own filter floss from a marineland brand sheet I got from petsmart .
But that where My glowing review ends , as These 2 filters are just not quite good enough for my needs ( moving to a ehiem canister) 
My water is ok but not great . The filter uses a little bit of ceramic media in a trickle filter config and while that works , thier is just not enough of it to make of any real effect . From looking at the ACs in compairision, their biological media chamber is 2x as big , so if a HOB filter is your game, then I would go with a AC or look into a cheep canister for a 10 gallon.
mabe something like this ??
http://www.amazon.com/PX-360-All---...?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1315620630&sr=1-3


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## WATduh (Feb 27, 2011)

I'm kind of going with brothergc's post. No doubt the C series is a good filter which lives up to Hagen standards. I've had AC's for years and never had any problems- same for the my C3 which I've had for a year and a half (on a 10g). The AC's do have better capacity. The C series is very compartmentalized. Everything fits perfectly into place, but there's not a lot of room for media customization. You can cram in some Seachem Purigen (the smallest prefilled bag they make) into the main chamber, as needed, to clear your water. 

I definitely do not regret "upgrading" from an AC to C3.


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## karatekid14 (Jan 16, 2011)

So I guess will add another part: *If you could, would you buy one again?*


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## brothergc (Aug 1, 2011)

karatekid14 said:


> So I guess will add another part: *If you could, would you buy one again?*


 No I would not , I would have put my money into a cansiter and saved in the long run

if HOB is what you crave then a AC would be my choice 
But if you are going to get a Fluval , I would look at the C3 , the C2 would be too little IMO maybe even a C4 and run it on low , that way the bigger media chambers would give you better filtration


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## GeToChKn (Apr 15, 2011)

Aquaclears all the way. I love them and wouldn't use any other HOB filter. Stuffing the media box with whatever you want makes it the next best thing to a canister. On my 20 gal long, I was running a canister but I split the tank with 2 dividers to make 3 sections. Even though the dividers have holes, the flow from the canister wasn't getting around the tank, any with only 1 intake, it wasn't cleaning very well. I switched to 3 aquaclear 20's, sponge prefilter on the intake for shrimp, cut down sponge inside, lots of bio media, purigen on top, plus 3 sponge filters in each area as well and my tank is so clear you could drink from it. My aquaclear 300 that I have is about 6 years old and still runs great.


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## NJAquaBarren (Sep 16, 2009)

Have an AC20 on a 6g tank. They are simple and work very well. 

For a QT tank, how about a submersible with UV built-in?


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## karatekid14 (Jan 16, 2011)

Thanks for all the comments, sounds like the old AC is the way to go, probably AC 30. I did want to know though, is the Tom Rapid mini canister filter any good cause it is $25, but I heard it lacked flow.


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## BMueller777 (Feb 5, 2008)

karatekid14 said:


> Thanks for all the comments, sounds like the old AC is the way to go, probably AC 30. I did want to know though, is the Tom Rapid mini canister filter any good cause it is $25, but I heard it lacked flow.



I'd go with the AC30, 50 even... I owned the mini canister and IMO it was poorly made and it ended up breaking and leaking after only a week. I heard they were good thus me buying one so maybe I just got a lemon.


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## karatekid14 (Jan 16, 2011)

Yeah I guess I will get an Aquaclear 50, $25 shipped from Amazon.


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

If you want a canister filter here is what you want. 

http://www.kensfish.com/product174.html


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## karatekid14 (Jan 16, 2011)

Thanks, but I already have the 2213, and I don't won't to spend that much. $25 is a little better


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

We you asked for a very good filter and the Rhein classic line are the best IMO.


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## kevmo911 (Sep 24, 2010)

I like AquaClears a lot. I have several of them, most stuffed with basic filter floss. My rule of thumb is to buy an AC rated for at least twice the tank size (AC20 on a 10g, AC50 on a 20g). Works for me. And filter cleaning is easy - just pull the whole basket, dump it in the water change bucket, squeeze, swish, repeat, and replace.

Amazon.com is the cheapest place I've found for AC's.


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## karatekid14 (Jan 16, 2011)

I'll get an AC 50 because it has free shipping on orders $25, and the AC 50 is $25.


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