# Fluval G3 Experience: 1 year later



## aaronbear (Mar 17, 2013)

So I've had my Fluval G3 filter running on my heavily planted 20g tank for about one year now and I just wanted to document my experience with it here for anybody who might be considering it.

Build quality: Outstanding, the filter is solid and seems like I can expect it to last a decade easily. As canister filters go it's definitely the most aesthetically pleasing as well, which is important to me because I have a setup with exposed equipment.










Flow rate: No issues. I am running an inline heater and CO2 diffuser and honestly I am considering a poppy or spin lily pipe to reduce the current in my tank further, though I have been entertaining the idea of a DIY purigen reactor which might reduce it a little. I have seen some reports of other G3 owners that after a few months the flow rate drops to about 70% and never goes up again from there but I can definitely say that has not been my experience. I have noticed the flow rate plummet a few times after a major trim or replanting, but once I checked the mechanical filter it was obvious that it was because it had just collected all of the suspended matter in the water as it should have. After a quick clean it went right back to 100% flow and my water was crystal clear.

Maintenance: The single best feature of this filter, even more important than the sensors and electronics, is the ease of maintenance. The mechanical and chemical filter modules lift right out without disassembling the filter and regular maintenance every two weeks or so takes about 10 minutes with no spills or mess. Maintenance on this filter is so easy that it has improved my animal husbandry because there is little excuse to put it off until later when it's this easy. Also because of the handy cartridge format of the chemical filter I am able to keep spare chemical cartridges loaded with purigen, cuprisorb, carbon, etc. and pop them in if a need arises. 

Sensors/Electronics: I do like this aspect of the filter as well and it proved to be less of a gimmick than I had initially expected. The conductivity reading is a convenient way to know when a water change is needed, the flow meter lets me know if the mechanical filter needs an early cleaning before it's scheduled, and I feel safer in the event of a heater failure knowing that my filter will start flashing at me before my fish are cooked. I don't dose ferts in my tank but I think conductivity would be useful for someone dosing EI because they would be able to see if a miscalculation was resulting in a slow rise in mineral concentration over time. The maintenance schedule reminders are nice to have but not essential. The actual interface leaves something to be desired as the screen is not very high quality and the UI is kind of slow to respond, but I am willing to cut it some slack on this aspect since it's the only filter I know of that actually attempts to have an LCD interface.

Noise level: When you get close to the filter you can hear a slight trickle sound of water movement. The design is such that there is purposely a small pocket of air at the top of the mechanical and chemical filter modules and so there is a little bit of sound from the water movement. Overall though the filter is basically silent and even the trickling sounds can't be heard from more than a couple feet away, which is important since the tank is in my living room. 

Cons: The biggest missing feature of this filter in my opinion is the lack of an integrated heater. What's worse is that there's even an external port to connect to a heater add on that was never released. I use an inline Hydor heater anyways so it's not a big deal but I would have preferred for it to be completely contained inside the filter. I wish that this filter had an option in the menus for turning off the pump for maintenance. I bought a plug with a switch that give me an easy on/off switch so I can switch it off for maintenance but that isn't ideal. I have seen people insist that it's fine to pull out the filter modules with the filter still running but I haven't seen any official documentation saying that is acceptable so I just turn it off completely.

Overall: I absolutely love this filter, I think it stands alone at the top of the heap until someone makes a cheaper canister without sensors that copies the ease of maintenance that the mechanical and chemical cartridges offer.


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## FlyingHellFish (Nov 5, 2011)

+1 for the sexyness canister filter ever. Ashamed they discontinue the series after all the bad feedbacks. You're right about the gimmicks, but I love the display, I wish they had a screen on all canister filters.

What are those metal bars and where did you get them? Can they be drilled? They look like a great DIY hanging kit for lights.


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## aaronbear (Mar 17, 2013)

FlyingHellFish said:


> +1 for the sexyness canister filter ever. Ashamed they discontinue the series after all the bad feedbacks. You're right about the gimmicks, but I love the display, I wish they had a screen on all canister filters.
> 
> What are those metal bars and where did you get them? Can they be drilled? They look like a great DIY hanging kit for lights.


I haven't heard about them discontinuing the g series filters, they're still listed on the fluval website and still for sale on amazon and the other places you'd expect to see them. I did hear that they stopped R&D on them because of cost though which is why we will probably never see the heater add-on. 

The bars on my stand are galvanized steel pipes normally used for plumbing, I bought them from home depot. Similar to the steel conduit that many people use for light hanging except much stronger and more expensive. I think bending them would take a lot more than bending conduit and I haven't tried drilling them so idk about that. I was originally going to use the same pipes to hang my lights but when I had it assembled the pipes were just too visually heavy so right now I'm experimenting with clear acrylic for that. I might just end up going with bent conduit like many others on the forum. The stand is a work in progress right now that I made over my holiday break from work to replace a crappy IKEA stand, I'll be posting a thread about it in a week or two when it's properly finished.


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## MoreyFan (Jul 3, 2014)

I think your stand is awesome. I bet it was expensive. How much did all of the pipe and fittings cost?


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## sarahspins (Sep 24, 2012)

aaronbear said:


> Cons: The biggest missing feature of this filter in my opinion is the lack of an integrated heater. What's worse is that there's even an external port to connect to a heater add on that was never released.


I agree, I wish the heater had been developed/released, but I also use an inline heater with mine and I've had no trouble with it... I don't think I'd really see any advantage to having some kind of "integrated" solution.



> I have seen people insist that it's fine to pull out the filter modules with the filter still running but I haven't seen any official documentation saying that is acceptable so I just turn it off completely.


It is fine, and I do it all the time - just shut off the flow (silver lever) and the filter will alarm "low flow" but it's so quick/easy to change the filter/cartridge out that it's not really worth shutting the whole thing down.. and it doesn't hurt the filter at all. It doesn't even show up as a blip on the graph when it's only a few minutes (any difference in flow before/after does appear though). I only unplug my filter when I tear it all down to rinse the bio media (since some grime/sludge does get past the mechanical filter, but nothing compared to my Fluval 306's or my Eheim 2217 on my larger tanks, those are seriously gross to clean out).

I've had my G3 running for about 18 months with no issues (flow only drops when the mechanical filter needs cleaning), and my original mechanical filter is still in "rotation" - I have 3 total since one of mine got misplaced after I cleaned it, and of course it turned up again right after I replaced it. I like having a spare ready to go for both the mechanical filter and chemical cartridge - it's a huge time saver.

I'm not particularly convinced it's the greatest filter ever, but maintenence is a snap compared to the others I own, which is a huge plus. I absolutely hate cleaning my eheim (and that's not even touching on what a royal PITA it is to re-prime that pump - I nearly threw it away after the last time I messed with it), and people talk about those filters as if they are the greatest things ever, but when you dread doing just regular maintenence, IMO that's a huge problem.


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## AndreyT (Apr 28, 2011)

aaronbear said:


> The design is such that there is purposely a small pocket of air at the top of the mechanical and chemical filter modules and so there is a little bit of sound from the water movement.


How is this implemented? Is there some sort of chamber in the filter that works as a "diving bell" and holds some amount of air? Does the manual explain the purpose of this air pocket?



aaronbear said:


> I bought a plug with a switch that give me an easy on/off switch so I can switch it off for maintenance but that isn't ideal. I have seen people insist that it's fine to pull out the filter modules with the filter still running but I haven't seen any official documentation saying that is acceptable so I just turn it off completely.


Can you elaborate on that? How can one gain access to filter modules without completely blocking off both intake and output hoses? If you unseal a canister filter while the hoses are open, it will simply siphon all water from your tank onto the floor. And if the hoses are blocked, what would be the point of keeping the pump running?


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## aaronbear (Mar 17, 2013)

AndreyT said:


> How is this implemented? Is there some sort of chamber in the filter that works as a "diving bell" and holds some amount of air? Does the manual explain the purpose of this air pocket?


Your guess is correct, the chamber for the removable cartridges has a small area at the top that has a diving bell effect leaving a small amount of air inside the canister. When I first got this filter I remember reading somewhere that this was an intentional part of the design, but since it's been a year and I can't find the original article I would take that with a grain of salt. 



AndreyT said:


> Can you elaborate on that? How can one gain access to filter modules without completely blocking off both intake and output hoses? If you unseal a canister filter while the hoses are open, it will simply siphon all water from your tank onto the floor. And if the hoses are blocked, what would be the point of keeping the pump running?


You are correct again, the filter cartridges _cannot_ be removed without cutting off the flow to the hoses. What I'm referring to is people who will lift the lever to cut off the flow with the pump still running and remove/replace the cartridges inside. The filter is supposed to have enough sensors that in theory it can recognize when flow has been cut off completely and stop the impeller so it isn't damaged, but I still don't feel comfortable doing that. I just plugged my G3 into one of these little guys and I switch it off completely when I perform maintenance. The flow to the tank stops completely either way, so I don't see the benefit to leaving it on for this.


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## aaronbear (Mar 17, 2013)

MoreyFan said:


> I think your stand is awesome. I bet it was expensive. How much did all of the pipe and fittings cost?


I'm still working on the project and I'll be posting a thread with detailed parts and costs when it's finished, but it was in the ballpark of $300.


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## knm<>< (Mar 18, 2010)

I have made a few things out of black iron pipe. What I can't get over is the price of the floor flange. $10 a piece is ridiculous!

Your stand is pretty cool by the way.


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## Chalkbass (Nov 27, 2015)

Great thread man!

I'm thinking of getting a g3 and using a hydro inline heater as well.


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