# Fluval U4 Impressions...



## JohnC (1 Aug 2012)

Hi,

I'm thinking of using one of these for a project that requires an internal. 

Anyone used one? Impressions pls.

Best Regards,
John


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## darren636 (1 Aug 2012)

i am not impressed with my u2. Low flow. Get bigger than you think you need.


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## thag (1 Aug 2012)

Too much money for a filter like this... The old Fluval 4plus was much better... 

Its too big and it has a small filtering volume... Strange filter... if you add a few € you can buy an outside filter, that is much better


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## JohnC (1 Aug 2012)

thag said:
			
		

> Too much money for a filter like this... The old Fluval 4plus was much better...
> 
> Its too big and it has a small filtering volume... Strange filter... if you add a few € you can buy an outside filter, that is much better



It has to be an internal as there is no space outside.

I thought this was rated as 1000 lph? way beyond most others of the same price.


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## darren636 (1 Aug 2012)

how big is your tank?


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## JohnC (1 Aug 2012)

darren636 said:
			
		

> how big is your tank?



This tank is a 150L 120x28x45 but has some massive fish in it so needs better filtration then norm.


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## thag (1 Aug 2012)

Why dont you try with two filters? 
Why it must be inside filter? 
If you do a DIY filter? With pleksi glass? ( i dont know how its called that "plastic glass")

The faster the water goes by the filter the smaller is the biologic filtration. This filter has a low filtration volumen, like 2-3 L. Optimal for an aquarium your size is cca 15L... You must bring the filtration volume at least near this...


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## JohnC (1 Aug 2012)

thag said:
			
		

> Why dont you try with two filters?
> Why it must be inside filter?
> If you do a DIY filter? With pleksi glass? ( i dont know how its called that "plastic glass")
> 
> The faster the water goes by the filter the smaller is the biologic filtration. This filter has a low filtration volumen, like 2-3 L. Optimal for an aquarium your size is cca 15L... You must bring the filtration volume at least near this...



re: two filters, i'd just be buying a new one anyway to replace the tiny existing one. why not just buy a bigger better internal. plus there is no more socket space and no space for extensions. So id rather replace with one.

As I've mentioned, no space anywhere but inside the tank.

I'm not following you with filtration volume, do you mean the size of element that holds the media?


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## JohnC (1 Aug 2012)

this does look like a pretty big internal


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## thag (1 Aug 2012)

The optimal filtration volume is at least 10% of water. 
So if you have 100L aquarium the optimal is 10L filter... 

I have Tetratec EX 1200, (12L of filtration volume) and its not enauf for my 180L of water.  I wil put another filter (ex 700- 7L of filtration volume) so I will have 19L- optimal. 

A filter is not good if it has a lot of flow but how it filters and U4 like i saw till now its not good. If you wonna have a good filter try to find Fluval 4plus... They dont do them anymore, but its the best internal I ever had! True story 

I had an 3plus for my 100L aquarium and was awsame!


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## darren636 (1 Aug 2012)

i guess if you can only use internal then the choice is pretty limited. Go big


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## JohnC (1 Aug 2012)

thag said:
			
		

> The optimal filtration volume is at least 10% of water.
> So if you have 100L aquarium the optimal is 10L filter...
> 
> I have Tetratec EX 1200, (12L of filtration volume) and its not enauf for my 180L of water.  I wil put another filter (ex 700- 7L of filtration volume) so I will have 19L- optimal.
> ...



I get what you are saying but there are zero internal filters that would have anywhere near the media volumes you are talking about. Basically you are talking about 10% of the tank being a filter. They don't exist, with the exception of this....

http://www.allpondsolutions.co.uk/aquar ... 00l-h.html

The fluval 4+ vs the U4 discussion is covered elsewhere on the web quite a lot i'm finding. They seem to be a very similar filter but the U4 has bio-max media which I would think makes it better at processing waste then the 4+. 

hmm


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## thag (1 Aug 2012)

I am not talking abot tank (SUMP) filter but filter volume. Each filter has his own volume. In this volume you can put filter media. Its not all about media but the water flow inside the filter. In Fluval 4plus you can change filters inside. In my 3 plus I had evrything. (zocrab, sponges... i was able to change them)  The bigger is the filter the better is. 

Well, the aquarium is yours and the filter also, so you can do whatever you want  I know that the U4 is not so good as filter and evryone I know they had it changed it in a short time... But still you can do what you wanna to  Mybe you should search some eheim internal filters?


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## JohnC (1 Aug 2012)

thag said:
			
		

> I am not talking abot tank (SUMP) filter but filter volume. Each filter has his own volume. In this volume you can put filter media. Its not all about media but the water flow inside the filter. In Fluval 4plus you can change filters inside. In my 3 plus I had evrything. (zocrab, sponges... i was able to change them)  The bigger is the filter the better is.
> 
> Well, the aquarium is yours and the filter also, so you can do whatever you want  I know that the U4 is not so good as filter and evryone I know they had it changed it in a short time... But still you can do what you wanna to  Mybe you should search some eheim internal filters?



Currently it has a Eheim Biopower 160 Internal Filter (Filtermedia volume 380 cm3). I've looked at the 240 but i'm not sure if its much of an upgrade although its volume of filter is 680 cm3.


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## JohnC (1 Aug 2012)

Can you add more baskets onto the Biopower 160's beyond the two it has? That might be an option. Going with the principal that it's capacity not the flow.


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## thag (2 Aug 2012)

Unfortunatly I donk know the Eheim inside filters so well. Because I used only outsiders  

I Think if u try you can add anything in any filter. If you wonna have 2 filters try to have the biomass in one and in the other all the other stuff...


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