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Hagen Fluval Canister Filter Review

Hagen Fluval Canister Filter Review

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Discuss this article on the forums. (7 posts)

Desctiption

Hagen Fluval Canister Filter

The Fluval 404 is a Multi Stage Filter for fresh or salt water aquariums. The Fluval 404 uses a Multi-Stage approach to filtration, seperating a number of distinct filter materials into easy access baskets. The Fluval 404 features a wide variety of filter materials that provide waste free water, strong biological purification and active control of water characteristics. By combining wide media choice with ease of access, the aquarist can customize filtration style to the aquariums actual needs.

Specifications:
Fluval 104 - Output: 125 U.S.g. (480 l). Recommended Maximum Aquarium: 25 U.S.g. (100 l).

Fluval 204 - Output: 180 U.S.g. (684 l). Recommended Maximum Aquarium: 50 U.S.g. (200 l).

Fluval 304 - Output: 260 U.S.g. (988 l). Recommended Maximum Aquarium: 75 U.S.g. (300 l).

Fluval 404 - Output: 340 U.S.g. (1300 l). Recommended Maximum Aquarium: 100 U.S.g. (400 l)

Review:
Pros:

Does a decent filtration job. The biological filtration is good as well.
Good water flow.
The filter motor is reliable.
The quality is solid other than the hosing and attachments.
Flexible media loading with the baskets.
Pre-media foam block traps a lot of debris before it gets to the actual media. There is a ball between the strainer and the intake tube that helps strain out larger particles.
water shutoff works well.

Cons:

The hoses are thin, ribbed, and brittle. The ribs catch a lot of the junk from the aquarium. When you clean the filter and restart the siphon, it the gunk dislodges and fills your fish tank.
The hoses are also quite difficult to adjust/remove/install.
The output is a spray head instead of a spray bar.
Not the quietest canister filter available.
Sometimes it takes a while to get the siphon started after servicing

Comments

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re: fluval cons-hoses

Sonja (Unregistered) 2007-08-13 09:36:40

I would just like to add that a way to overcome your tank filling with gunk is to have a pail ready and when the hoses are turned off and disconnected, place the end of the disconnected hose into a pail and turn on the lever. the water will run from the tank through the hoses and will dislodge and remove mose of the gunk and would normally fill back into the tank. Learned this by accident. Hope it helps

FLUVAL LEAKS SORTED

Stephen (Unregistered) 2010-05-05 13:14:00

Hi,

The Fluval external filters (403-404 etc) have received a bad rep due to leaks developing around the main O'ring seal. Having experienced this problem myself with my 404 and 403 filters the cause for the leaks is simple: During maintenance when the filter is opened; small scratches occur on the inside rim of the filter housing. These scratches then prevent the main O'ring seal from sealing properly resulting in leaks. SOLUTION: get some 400 wet-dry emery abrasive paper and gently polish the inner upper area of the filter housing in the O'ring seating area. I also apply a little Vaseline to the o'ring to keep it supple with no averse reaction to my fish. I hope this helps you.

Stephen

fluval 404

justin (Author) 2007-09-05 07:37:19

I just picked up a new Fluval 404, on sale 60% off. I have to say - the con about not being quiet is very very wrong! This is one of the quietest filters I've ever had! My wife called me down because she was worried that "my pump was turned off"

oscar/mark

mark (Unregistered) 2007-11-27 20:26:09

I have 2 fluvals 405 and 304. On start up after a cleaning i place a sock over the nozzel or spray bar and let it run for a few minutes then I remove the sock with the slime that come out of the hose on start up. End results, a clean tank.

Anonymous (Unregistered) 2008-01-04 17:04:47

seal sucks from from top to bottom had a good 10 gallons on my floor before i relized

Fluval 404 SUCK

Bob in Texas (Unregistered) 2008-02-17 16:40:51

I now have my 4 one leak ..getting rid of all of them...

I am tired of messing with them

They DO filter well, but this is useless if the damn things LEAK

fluval leaks

Stephen (Unregistered) 2010-05-05 12:55:25

The Fluval external filters (403-404 etc) have received a bad rep due to leaks developing around the main O'ring seal. Having experienced this problem myself with my 404 and 403 filters the cause for the leaks is simple: During maintenance when the filter is opened; small scratches occur on the inside rim of the filter housing. These scratches tghen prevent the main O'ring seal from sealing properly resulting in leaks. SOLUTION: get some 400 wet/dry emery abraisave paper and gently polish the inner upper area of the filter housing in the O'ring seating area. I also apply a little vasaline to the o'ring to keep is supple with no averse reaction to my fish. I hope this helps you.

Anonymous (Unregistered) 2008-02-22 13:12:25

I had teo Fluvals, both leaked and at times stopped all together, the prop just rattled. They Suck!!

Anonymous (Unregistered) 2008-03-21 08:44:06

I have 3 fluval filters, (2) 303 and 1 (304), I've had them for a while . The impeller well covers, after a year of use, become brittle and need to be replaced. Always keep extra motor seal rings on hand, because they do leak. Most problems occur after a cleaning.

Anonymous (Unregistered) 2008-04-02 01:05:12

i have 2 fluval 404 filters. they both leak after being cleaned. i have to put a towel under them for half an hour while pressing on the top of them til they stop. first time i used them they clogged up and started self sihponing, lost over 30 gallons all over my carpet

fluval

alien (Unregistered) 2008-09-17 07:07:49

Inherited tank 2 years ago with Fluval 304. Every 2 month take apart spray out hoses, change media. 30 minutes if you know what you are doing. Problem lining up gaskets, but have bought no replacement parts yet. No leaks. Previous owner had it for 4 years. No probs 55 gallon tank, no deaths in last 3 years. 12.5 inch Ghost knife LOL

Prime it first

Christian (Unregistered) 2010-01-13 18:21:05

You must prime it first or it will not function. Oh, and when priming it, it doesn't work right unless the discharge is OUT of the water for some reason. Once it's on you can put it back in though.

Anonymous (Unregistered) 2008-10-20 13:29:36

Christian (Unregistered) 2010-01-13 18:22:33

You must prime it first or it will not function. Oh, and when priming it, it doesn't work right unless the discharge is OUT of the water for some reason. Once it's on you can put it back in though.

Anonymous (Unregistered) 2008-10-24 06:51:17

Possibly the worst filters on the market, They leak without cause, replaced the sleals with no prevail!

Leaky Seals

Christian (Unregistered) 2010-01-13 18:23:42

If you read the instruction manual, it says that you must take off the seal and thoroughly wet it first or it will not seal properly.

Fluval Leaks

Stephen (Unregistered) 2010-05-05 12:52:01

YEP ITS A LEAKY BIOTCH!

Rob (Unregistered) 2008-12-04 21:21:57

i was given one and it leaked from the two holes under the handels. i replaced the o-ring.. and still. . it leaked. .being so frustrated with the thing i wiped vasoline on and around the o-ring. despite what people say. it slowed the leak down. but still leaks. . what a peice of crap. ive invested time and money into this thing and im thinking its all been a waste.. my i could not even give this thing to someone. that would just be too mean..

LEAKY PIECE OF POOP, ALRIGHT

Bob (Unregistered) 2008-12-13 10:25:23

With a Fluval NO matter what you do assembling back is the hard work you can ever have, IT will leak like craZy from those two holes by the handle.
You need to watch those holes.

freaking rain flood

takes some resourcefulness.

Heather Macmichael (Unregistered) 2009-01-09 09:12:47

I just got a fluval 405 and it was leaking ... but we kept working on it and visited some sites for some tips and it seems you gotta let all the air pump out of there before you expect it to stop leaking everywhere. Once you do that, things seem to be problem free.
Thank you for putting this site here; after all these comments i was worried that my new purchase was for naught.
Awesome.

Joe (Unregistered) 2009-01-19 00:17:47

Ive had a 404 for over a year now had issues getting it up and running replaced a pay checks worth the parts got it running does an awesome job on my 75 gallon noisy as all heck but livable only ever had 2 leaks after servicing

Leaky POS

Chad (Unregistered) 2009-05-16 10:40:06

Power shut off last night. Damn thing leaked about 15 gallons into my floor. I always had a problem after cleaning wear it would leak a bit and I would put a towel under it. Not like this though. She is going in the garbage!!

Fluval XP5

Jamie (Unregistered) 2009-05-19 11:31:51

FLUVAL

Chris (Unregistered) 2009-06-13 10:21:42

Glad to see all of the comments about this thing leaking. I thought I did something wrong, I have tried taking it all apart a half dozen times before giving up. It LEAKS and there is no stopping it. mine is just a trickle, but you can't tell where it is coming from because there is a bead of water around the entire lid. the slow leak went unnoticed under my 125 gallon tank cabinet and destroyed the hardwood floor below within a week or two. I am going to smash this before it goes in the TRASH!

Fluval

Crissy (Unregistered) 2009-07-17 19:39:14

I have a.. 404 I think.
I bought it second hand with my tank probably about a year ago. I don't know how old it is, but it was working fine up until a few months ago.
It was making a clunking sound, so I took it all apart and cleaned everything out. It seemed to fix it, but now it's not pumping the water at all!
The motor still goes, I can hear it.
My tank was getting dirty,and it stopped pumping the water. So I took the filter all apart and cleaned everything. Nothing was broken, and it worked fine for a few days, but now it's doing the same thing.

Anyone have any clue as to what's wrong with it?

easy fix

kane (Unregistered) 2009-09-09 06:41:27

check impaller shaft prop broken

fluval 404

rick clune (Unregistered) 2009-07-25 10:55:01

i bought a whole box of fluval "junk" from a dealer who retired them from use. i spent 25$ and ended up with enough basic compnents to assemble 2-404 units and one 204. i spent about $50 buying spare parts. i have had very little problems with any of them. no product from any manufacturer is ever going to be perfect. and the fluval units are tempermental to say the least. but worth the extra trouble since they do a good juob of filtration. make sure you seat the top motor assembly evenly and carefully and press down hard to make sure it seals well before engaging the clamps.

used 404

jDUB (Unregistered) 2009-08-05 00:48:31

just recently got a used about 1 year old 404, for me it works great so far ( had about a month) and for the priming it has been no problem, i just do when he told me to do and it works great for me anyways.
after cleaning and reasembly i fill canister with aquarium water. then making sure lid is even pressing kind of firm on lid first then clamping and usually pressing the lid a little just to be sure.
pump prime handle a few times and wait about 10 seconds, torn on filter.
at first there is air in line but i just pull up the prime handle and leave it up untill the full flow kicks in (its obvious) press lever back down and im done. i dont know if that makes sense because i tried to figure out out that would bleen it but cannot, it just works for me

jDUB (Unregistered) 2009-08-05 00:52:41

sorry for mispelling, typing in the dark again, and couldnt tell with the italics it shows

as for the last part, i was trying to say.
i cannot figure out how pulling up the prime handle while its running bleeds the air out, but it works somehow, the person that gave it to me told me that was what he did and it works everytime.

as for leaks it only seems to leak if i dont bleed all the air out, or the head is not seated straight

404 issues

johnnie (Unregistered) 2009-10-09 18:33:55

my 404 was down for a while..trying to get it started it worked for a while then no water was coming out..I can hear the motor going.Is it time for a new impeller?

405 leaks

mdavenpo (Unregistered) 2009-11-07 19:45:13

Well it looks like Hagen has a problem, and they need to fix it or give me a new filter since it is under warranty. It sounds like there is a design issue with the 400 series, and maybe I can get the new generation out of them for a replacement,

works well

adam (Unregistered) 2009-11-25 20:21:19

I've had it for over 4 years and never has any real problems with it, As long as you make sure the sealer ring is in place when closing it and its not over filled then there will be no leaking. Then I usually fill it with tank water through where the hoses usually go before plugging them back in and turning it on. The hoses such though always so much crap that gets pushed back into my tank after i spend hours cleaning

plumbers cilicone glue

friz (Unregistered) 2009-12-07 06:25:50

Use plumbers cilicone....if any filter leaks use that. 5 bucks at any hand store. same bondage they use for aquarium cilicone so its safe for fish... i used it and havent had a leak since. perfect for leaks on filters

tape

Anonymous (Unregistered) 2009-12-08 19:52:25

I have had my 404 for about 2 years, it started leaking last week, put on a little vaseline , still leaked, put on a lot of vaseline worked for a while, then finally put some TAPE on the canister where the clamps hit. seemed to tighten the seal some.??? keep trying! fluval sucks but im stuck with mine.

Leaks

Bill S (Unregistered) 2009-12-09 05:09:21

Mine leaks every time i change and clean the media. I just take the oring off wash it and mount pointed with water and put ti back in then i push the lid down onto the base before clamping it down. For some reason the back of the pump lid and canister meet on mine it has almost 1/4" gap if I just use the clamps. It goes away if I push down tight myself. After it doesn't leak anymore.

404

kordell (Unregistered) 2009-12-12 20:28:29

The 404 cleans the tank pretty well. the complaint i have about this thing is the noise it makes as its running. Also the gunk it holds in the ribbed tubing and when started back up it spits it back into the tank. When i first got it, it was very quiet you didn't even know it was running. I heard there is a regular tubing for the 404. I am going to check on it and see how much it cost.

fishtank owner

Dave (Unregistered) 2009-12-29 18:53:38

I've had a Fluval 304 since 1993 and the same one is still running at the end of 2009 about 16.5 years later, but it has been going downhill in recent years. It's harder to get re-started and isn't moving as much water as before. The complaints above are somewhat valid but experience and common sense have gotten me beyond all the leak problems long ago. As I said it's still working, but I'm going to look for a replacement soon.

404

Happy with mine (Unregistered) 2010-02-15 18:38:24

I can not speak for others who have had problems, all I can say is I have mine up and running for over 8 yrs without a problem. Yes, if you do not pay attention after servicing they can leak, but take you time and make sure the seal is aligned you will be good. The only mod I have made was to install two shut off valves just above the main shut off, one on each line. After serving, I just open the inlet to finish priming, turn the pump on, then open the outlet valve. Kicks in every time without fail.
I also have to say that mine is very quiet, maybe I just got a good copy, but I am more than satisfied with the product.

sTEPHEN (Unregistered) 2010-03-07 09:42:53

My Fluval 305 cannister works great. Love it after a year

fluvals dont suck they BLOW ha

robb (Unregistered) 2010-03-14 13:45:54

I have had 2 fluvals the 304/404. And they both went to the trash. I have changed over to a Marineland and the 2 fluvals I had together dont even filter as good as my 1 306 Marineland. And plus the fluvals leak like stuck pigs...

Problems?

briasch (Unregistered) 2010-04-04 04:58:10

I Have 2 second hand fluvals, 103 and 304. Both work amazingly, never had a leaking problems with either one, infact my 103 is so tightly sealed I have to fight with the thing for hours before it finally opens. Every manufacture makes its share of lemons, plus if your having problems with the MF return it and buy something else!

404 failed after two months

Rick (Unregistered) 2010-04-13 05:01:05

After the first 404 motor started cutting out, I got a second in hopes of a better motor. The new one stopped pumping and started making rattling noises after 2 months. Great filter, lousy pump, brittle magnetic shaft, impeller, and plastic cover tabs.

fluval 304 leaking problems

Eric (Unregistered) 2010-04-15 06:16:39

hi guys,

yeah this thing leaks from 2 tiny holes where the handle /lock latches to the canister. First time Ive emailed Hagen Inc in Montreal and they sent me 2 brand new handle/locks. They even sent a complimentary water conditioner. After replacing the old locks, the thing still leaked. Ive tried everything all our friends here suggested (well except stepping on top of the unit head while its running). I sent the unit to Hagen Inc last week as they have recommended and they were very prompt in sending the unit to their repair center. The verdict was the impeller cover which they replaced free of charge. They shipped it back and I got it today and tried it . It eliminated the leak on one side but the water dribbling from the other side persisted. Getting frustrated really.

Does anybody know what those two tiny holes where the leak comes from are for? Are they breather holes I was so tempted to cover them with silicone. Has anybody done this and what was the result?

Dont get me wrong, the guys in Hagen Inc Montreal are really tops in customer service. They attend to you from day 1 and work with you all the way. Its just that Im beginning to suspect its a hardware problem where the seals resides after constant opening and closing when cleaning the unit.

Im gonna email them again and find out what else needs to be done. Im gonna ask too what those 2 tiny holes are for so if possible, we can just silicone cover them.

Stay tuned guys.

Thanks.

fluval 304 water leaking probl

Eric (Unregistered) 2010-04-15 06:29:49

hey guys, just out of curiosity, it stepped on the top unit while the unit was running and it did stop the water dribbling. BTW, Im 175 lbs. Well, i think im gonna find me 3 hollow blocks and put these on top. HOPE ITS HEAVY ENOUGH. Not an ideal solution but what the heck!

Ill let u you know as I will but a tray underneath with kitchen hand towel and observe after a few hours if there would be signs of leaking...

SAF (Unregistered) 2010-05-08 19:23:20

SOLUTION FOR LEAK :
I have 404 with the same leak problems. Today i used plummers tape, its a TEFLON white tape that is used by plummers, non adherent and very cheap.
Wraped the gasket 3 times after its put on its place. This will thicken the gasket area and make a better seal.
Worked for me.

Dawn (Unregistered) 2010-06-10 19:54:43

I have had a fluval 405, for a few years now. I have never had any problems with it leaking ever. I live in the lightning strike capital of the world, the power is out alot--never leaked. Just yesterday though, it started making a loud rattling noise and stopped pumping. I need a new impeller-- from what I'm told. Not easy to find in my neck of the woods. Had to order it online. I have a turtle, so one day without a filter my tank is freaking smelly and gross. I hope it gets here soon.

J (Unregistered) 2010-06-24 16:11:35

Fluvals are the biggest piece of trash filters and thats saying it mildly, I have a 405 and it leaks, cant get it to seal and Ive tried EVERYTHING! Still leaks, P.O.S!!!! Anyone who buys one can expect 2 things, you wasted your money. 2. It will leak.

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