Thinking of getting a Fluval G6 (media questions...)

[Antipofish]

So, how long should the chemical cartridge last then? I'm thinking that when this is exhausted, just popping 2 bags of purigen in, but I don't want to chuck the cartridge out to quick...

George would be the best person to answer that. Whats in your chem cartridge ? Are they not just carbon inside ?

My G6 arrives soon 🙂

 

[Antipofish]

Re: Thinking of getting a Fluval G6

Hagen who tell me it is possible to pop off the lid of the supplied chemical media cartridge, remove the supplied media once it's exhausted and use your own.

This is what i've done. Binned off the supplied carbon and swapped it for a sock full of purigen.

Hey Dan, thats exactly what I was thinking of doing when my G6 arrives. Do you feel the Purigen does a better job than the carbon ? Or just a different one ? Have you found the purigen has restricted flow at all being in there ?

Cheers

 

[Antipofish]

Hi Gary,
i love my G6, so easy to clean and slick looking. Mine has been running for coming up 6 months now so im going to clean the bio media. Ive heard that they are remarkably good at keeping this section clean due to the efficiency of the pre-filter. Ill let you know.
I do also get a gas build up and ejection from my filter which is frustrating, especially as i dont inject c02 directly into the filter!.... must be drawing misting from the water column.
Hoping to see your new set up in the journal section in the not too distant future?
Cheerio,
Ady.

Hi Ady, if my information is correct, fluval do two different grades of prefilter cartridge, the standard one supplied and a fine one. Would using the fine one help with the above problem ? I see George posted earlier that he had no issue with his CO2 even at up to 4bps. I am wondering which of the two cartridges he is using. George, if you are reading this, perhaps you can comment? I am intending to put my up atomiser in the same location as George and Ady (when i get it in a couple of weeks 😉 ) so it would be good to know.

 

[Gary Nelson]

So, how long should the chemical cartridge last then? I'm thinking that when this is exhausted, just popping 2 bags of purigen in, but I don't want to chuck the cartridge out to quick...

So guys, how long do you think the chemical cartridge should last?

 

[Quetzalcoatl]

Sorry mate. Don`t know, I never used it. I Just keep a netted bag with 200ml of Purigen in the chamber.

 

[Ady34]

So, how long should the chemical cartridge last then? I'm thinking that when this is exhausted, just popping 2 bags of purigen in, but I don't want to chuck the cartridge out to quick...

So guys, how long do you think the chemical cartridge should last?

Hi Gary,
i cant remember precisely but i think the carbon filter is supposed to be replaced every 3-4 weeks.
It does seem expensive given the price of new cartridges, but you can, as already said, simply pop the bottom off the chemical filter canister and add whatever you want... either add more carbon or any other type of filtration. I have done this and added 200ml of purigen and have had good results. If you do add purigen bear in mind if you buy the big tubs youll also need a purigen bag to put it in as it is so fine itll wash out of the fluval chemical cartridge!! You can buy the smaller pre bagged purigen which works out a little more expensive in the long run, but initially less outlay. My water always suffered from a slight milkyness which has now gone since adding purigen. The flow rate has not been affected at all.

Hi Ady, if my information is correct, fluval do two different grades of prefilter cartridge, the standard one supplied and a fine one. Would using the fine one help with the above problem ? I see George posted earlier that he had no issue with his CO2 even at up to 4bps.

Sorry for slightly hijacking the threat Gary, but in response to Antipofish, yeah they do two types of pre filter, and George may be using the fine type which in theory should reduce bypass of any type, helping to dissolve the c02 so you dont get a gas build up. Im using the supplied filter and decided to stick with it as it does a great job and there is very little 'dirt' bypass. I feel the fine type may be a little too fine and become clogged too quickly reducing flow and needing more frequent maintanence/replacement. Ive been alternating 2 pre filter cartridges weekly, and now after 6 months am finding they are clogging slightly faster than before and maybe need replacing.... im maybe being a little too fussy however as i like to maintain 100% flow as indicated via the in filter monitor. It would be interesting to find out from George himself though, as im unsure as to why i get a continual gas build up without even having an inline diffuser.

P.S. How's the new set up going Gary?
Cheerio,
Ady.

 

[Antipofish]

... simply pop the bottom off the chemical filter canister and add whatever you want... either add more carbon or any other type of filtration. I have done this and added 200ml of purigen and have had good results. If you do add purigen bear in mind if you buy the big tubs youll also need a purigen bag to put it in as it is so fine itll wash out of the fluval chemical cartridge!! You can buy the smaller pre bagged purigen which works out a little more expensive in the long run, but initially less outlay. My water always suffered from a slight milkyness which has now gone since adding purigen. The flow rate has not been affected at all.

Ady, is there any reason why you cannot remove half of the carbon (and keep it for next time) and add purigen, thus having two different types of chem filtration in the cartridge ? I am assuming that if 100% carbon in there OR 100% purigen in there does not reduce flow, then 50% of each will not either.

As an aside, you don't have to splash out on a filter media bag, you can use 40denier (or above) tights, cut to size and sealed at both ends with a cable tie, although you have to remove the purigen from the tights to a tub to recharge. I bought two D&D fine filter media bags for a fiver as it will make it easier though.

Hi Ady, if my information is correct, fluval do two different grades of prefilter cartridge, the standard one supplied and a fine one. Would using the fine one help with the above problem ? I see George posted earlier that he had no issue with his CO2 even at up to 4bps.

Sorry for slightly hijacking the threat Gary, but in response to Antipofish, yeah they do two types of pre filter, and George may be using the fine type which in theory should reduce bypass of any type, helping to dissolve the c02 so you dont get a gas build up. Im using the supplied filter and decided to stick with it as it does a great job and there is very little 'dirt' bypass. I feel the fine type may be a little too fine and become clogged too quickly reducing flow and needing more frequent maintanence/replacement. Ive been alternating 2 pre filter cartridges weekly, and now after 6 months am finding they are clogging slightly faster than before and maybe need replacing.... im maybe being a little too fussy however as i like to maintain 100% flow as indicated via the in filter monitor. It would be interesting to find out from George himself though, as im unsure as to why i get a continual gas build up without even having an inline diffuser.

Either cartridge is a "no bypass" essentially, its just the microns that filter out more or less depending on the size of it. Im sure thats what you meant but it read as though the standard prefilter allowed bypass of the water. 🙂 It might be worth flicking George a PM to ask on this score though, as I think it could be that it is this which makes the difference. I like the idea of alternating. You are probably right about the finer prefilter requiring more frequent changes, but I don't see that as a problem. As you know, it takes a matter of seconds, and thats one of he HUGE appeals of this filter and why I have one arriving (either today or tomorrow I hope). I am very fussy about water quality and hate murky water of any kind. The clarity that some members on here, who do not need naming, are achieving in their water is inspiring and what I want to have in my own aquarium also

P.S. How's the new set up going Gary?
Cheerio,
Ady.

PS I am sure Gary is happy for these tangents to be discussed as its all part of the learning curve on a G6, and this thread is becoming a great resource for anyone else thinking about getting this filter 🙂

 

[George Farmer]

I use the regular pre filter. The fine type does restrict flow quite quickly.

If I want to polish the water for photo shoots I add carbon to the supplied chemical cartridge.

 

[Antipofish]

I use the regular pre filter. The fine type does restrict flow quite quickly.

If I want to polish the water for photo shoots I add carbon to the supplied chemical cartridge.

Cool. Any reason you don't run carbon in there all the time G ?

 

[George Farmer]

Needless expense. Simple as that mate.

 

[Christie_ZXR]

Thought I'd ask on this thread since it's full of useful tips about the G6. (Hope no one minds!)

Just got myself one, and had a bit of a job with setting up yesterday. I have bought second hand, so I'm slightly worried I've got a dodgy one, although the seller assured me it was nearly new.

The two problems I've had were the button to get the flow working initially wasn't having any of it, it pushed down, but didn't pop back up so you could push it again. Eventually got it going, and it's now buzzing at me slightly. It's not an air in the filter buzzing I don't think, just more of a mechanical hum. Is that normal? Or do I need to worry? Set it up last night, and it's got the media from my old fluval in it to seed it.

Initially, I didn't fill the canister enough and it did tell me off! (I love that I have a filter that tells me off for getting things wrong! ) but I corrected that, so not sure if that's caused the problems.

Hope I don't have a dodgy one! It's all set up now and I really don't want to have to give it back!

 

[Quetzalcoatl]

Hi Christie.

I had an absolute mare when trying to prime mine when it was rigged up to my AM1000 reactor. I nearly broke my thumb trying. I had to resort to filling the canister to the max, then filling the tubes from the spraybar/inlet end. Pain in the a*** 😡

I no longer run the AM1000 due to this issue, and reverted back to my UP Atomizer. It now primes like a dream. I always top the filter up with tank water before powering up, just to take a little stress off the pump, but I`ve done this with every filter I`ve owned. I have never been lucky enough to witness a single push to prime scenario.

As for the hum! I have noticed that after carrying out maintenance on the filter the hum does become a little more noticable, but after a day or so it subsides. I don`t know about others, but I wouldn`t say my G6 is silent, the noise is there in the background, but it doesn`t bother the missus so it isn`t an issue for me!

Welcome to the club.

 

[Ady34]

Hi Christie,
my G6 is in no way silent and there is an audible hum, rather than a buzzing which i can hear in a silent room so it could just be that.
With reference to the prime button, im sure my retailer once showed me a list of problems and how to overcome them and the prime button not depressing/releasing was one of them and its either a seal or spring that you can replace. Luckily for me ive a drilled base tank so gravity self primes mine so i dont have to use it. I sometimes give it a push though to release trapped air and ive noticed it getting stiff and not returning quickly. Must be a common issue.
Ady.

 

[Christie_ZXR]

Hi Christie.

I had an absolute mare when trying to prime mine when it was rigged up to my AM1000 reactor. I nearly broke my thumb trying. I had to resort to filling the canister to the max, then filling the tubes from the spraybar/inlet end. Pain in the a*** 😡

That sounds familiar!! That's pretty much what I ended up doing. "allow 45-60 minutes for setup" indeed! I was up till about 2am


You can buy a whole replacement primer, could that be the bit? Might have missed it, but I can't see what else could be replaced on it :?:

I guess I'll have to put up with the hum and hope it quietens down, glad it's normal. Can't close the cabinet door to shut it up yet, coz then I can't see my new toy!! 😀

Other than the drama of set up, have to say I'm very chuffed with it! Spent all morning today pushing buttons and getting excited about little graphs!!

Just got to make some sense of the conductivity readings now. I can see how they'll be useful, but working back to figure out what the ideal readings should be is giving me a bit of a headache at the moment. I know I've been poo wih maintenence recently on this tank, so whatever they're reading now is probably far from ideal.

Just one more quick q, it comes preset with 14 days as the interval for cleaning the mechanical filter. In peoples experience, is that about right? I'm guessing the flow indicator will tell me off if it needs it sooner! Just wondered what others found?

Ta for the advice guys

 

[Quetzalcoatl]

Just one more quick q, it comes preset with 14 days as the interval for cleaning the mechanical filter. In peoples experience, is that about right? I'm guessing the flow indicator will tell me off if it needs it sooner! Just wondered what others found?

I usually give mine a quick rinse on every weekly water change, for the time and effort it takes it`s no hassle!
G6 will tell you to stop being lazy though when his digital flow diagram starts to slip! Quick bath in the sink, then good as new. I think this thread has been the catalyst for a G6 revolution. "Vive la revolution"

 

[Antipofish]

Needless expense. Simple as that mate.

Thats a fair comment. Can you shed any light on the comments some people have made about getting gas build up with their atomiser on the inflow ? I know you don't have that issue even at 4bps. Just thinking about what I need to look out for when I get mine sorted as don't want to be wasting pipe etc when I cut it 🙂

 

[George Farmer]

Needless expense. Simple as that mate.

Thats a fair comment. Can you shed any light on the comments some people have made about getting gas build up with their atomiser on the inflow ? I know you don't have that issue even at 4bps. Just thinking about what I need to look out for when I get mine sorted as don't want to be wasting pipe etc when I cut it 🙂

Not sure what's causing their issues. My inline diffuser is very near to the filter. This helps prevent the microbubbles from forming into larger bubbles in the filter hose, I assume helping prevent cavitation/"burping".

It's worth noting that the 4BPS quote is using the glass inline-type bubble counters. These produce smaller bubbles than most other bubble counters. Currently I'm running 1BPS using a Fluval CO2 Bubble Counter, but have run up to 2BPS with no issues. 2BPS was enough CO2 for my 275 litre with moderate lighting.

 

[Antipofish]

Re: Thinking of getting a Fluval G6: Whats your screen like?

G6 screen and Primer Unit :

I have just bought a new G6 from someone who bought it and decided not to use it. However, straight out of the box, I am not that impressed 🙁 Sorry for the poor image quality, I had to use the phone quickly to send an email to Rolf C Hagen (distributors for Fluval).

Firstly the red clip that attaches the prefilter to the priming unit is broken...



And secondly there is a mark on the screen (this is apparantly where the layers of plastic on the screen touch), Although barely visible when illuminated, it is not aesthetically pleasing to see when the screen is not lit up.



The distributors are going to send a replacement clip hopefully, but have said the screen issue is common. So, as there are other G6 users on here I thought I would ask (for as many responses as possible) if indeed, this is a common phenomenon. Apparently half of the ones they have in their office are like this.

And there was me thinking I had read that the build and design quality of these rivalled Eheim, and that their display was meant to be incredible. Yet the distributors seem to claim visual impairment is normal for their "flagship" model.

I just hope this filter lives up to its reputation in other aspects.

If you G club members could let me know what your screens are like that would be great. Thanks.

 

[Gary Nelson]

Mines not like that, if it was it would be going straight back! Sounds silly but have you removed the display protective film?

 

[George Farmer]

Screens fine on all the models I've seen.