Caryl Posted January 8, 2003 Report Share Posted January 8, 2003 Grant and I were looking around fish shops in ChCh yesterday and were amazed at the difference in prices. One shop had 2 Fluval 404s in stock. One was marked at $322.50 and the other was $368.00. Another shop had them for $419.95. All came with media. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jinx Posted January 8, 2003 Report Share Posted January 8, 2003 seen fluval+4's range from $117-$138, in ch ch i find redwood aq have good prices, pet world can be pretty pricey as is animates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macka Posted January 8, 2003 Report Share Posted January 8, 2003 I got quoted $270 for a fluval 404, so that is very expensive. What about the Via Aqua range? I recently got a 750 canaister model that does 1200LPH for $202 dollars and it is doing a brillant job on my oscar tank, goldie will testify to that. There is another brand on the market that is alot cheaper than the traditional models. I also have friends that are using models in this range and have no problems so far and swear by them I have found in ashburton alot cheaper than chch, and for fishfood as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted January 9, 2003 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2003 I believe there are 2 different 404's on the market. One comes with media and the other is cheaper as media is not included. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macka Posted January 9, 2003 Report Share Posted January 9, 2003 It was the one with media to expensive to buy the media seperately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted January 9, 2003 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2003 I saw a Via Aqua 750 for $259.90. The same shop had their Fluval 404 at $419.95. Pays to shop around! I was lucky and was able to get my Fluval trade but am not able to do so any more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midas Posted January 9, 2003 Report Share Posted January 9, 2003 I've had a Via Aqua 750 for over a year now on my Midas Cichlids' tank and it is doing a good job also. I would defintely but another if the price was right. It puts out more flow than my 404. However my 404 filter has issues as it has never come close to its rated flow of 1200 l/hr, even with a new head unit. I would definitely not recommend buying any of the Fluval 04 series unless they are the newer MSF series of 04's (mine is one of the original 404's, I got it cheap without realising at the time). My 403 and my 404 sit beside one another and are packed roughly the same. The 403 would do nearly twice the flow of the 404. They were a good design as far as filtration goes those Fluval 03's, just a pity they are so hard to clean out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert Posted January 10, 2003 Report Share Posted January 10, 2003 I also have a fuvel 404,one of the newer ones,bloody hopeless,it does not pump any thing like it should and always needs cleaning where it goes into the cannister.I have to do this a least once a week,the ehim filter that i use to run two bio wheels gets cleaned every three months and while it cost a little move it is well worth the extra money i paid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john1 Posted January 11, 2003 Report Share Posted January 11, 2003 Hi Robert I have a Flugal 204. Very disappointed. I am not sure what you mean by "where it goes in". I think you mean the inlet-hose. In which case you are perfectly right. The new Fluvals have ribbed hoses. Total crap. Changed the inlet hose to an expensive Eheim one. Much better. But how many clean their Fluval and "don't clean the inlet hose?" Many or most. And that is where the most crap gets trapped. Every time I thoroughly clean the cannister and subsequently restarted it, an enormous amount of white "crap" came back into the tank. Very annoying. The only way to keep the tank clean, after cleaning the fluval, is to take both hoses off and use a brush. A type of bottlebrush made for the purpose of cleaning hoses. The real problem lies with the "convenient shutoff valve". It lulls users into a false sense of security. "Just shut the valve off, take off the cannister and clean it" .And leave a lot of dirt inside the ribbed hose!!!. Should I ever buy another cannister, which I doubt, definately not a Flugal. Only Eheim. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted January 11, 2003 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2003 My Fluval is not very old but I have never seen one with ribbed hoses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dennis Posted January 11, 2003 Report Share Posted January 11, 2003 caryl what type of filter are u useing on your new tank? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john1 Posted January 11, 2003 Report Share Posted January 11, 2003 Hy Caryl I always though the "new" hoses were ribbed. If you go to Hagen's site you can see in the manual that there are 2 types, smooth and ribbed. I happen to have the useless one. Ribbed. The original idea of a ribbes in hoses is, you can adjust (bend) it easier over the tank top. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted January 11, 2003 Report Share Posted January 11, 2003 The newer fluvals have the ribbed hoses. Probably has no real effect on the flow through the hoses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted January 11, 2003 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2003 Dennis I am running an Eheim 2227 wet/dry filter and an AquaClear 500 on the new tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted January 11, 2003 Report Share Posted January 11, 2003 great thread...i will be needing an external filter soon... so i am still learning.... so are Via Aqua's ok? Eheim's are a bit expensive for me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted January 11, 2003 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2003 Too expensive for me too but I was given mine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john1 Posted January 11, 2003 Report Share Posted January 11, 2003 Hi Ira The waterflow is ok. It is the rubbish which adheres to/into the ribs!!!! John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted January 11, 2003 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2003 The only time I have trouble with the flow is when the intake is blocked with leaves. I can imagine how the gunk would build up in a ribbed hose though. My Eheim came with a little brush attached to a long flexible handle for cleaning inside the hoses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john1 Posted January 12, 2003 Report Share Posted January 12, 2003 Hi Caryl The brush with that flexible hose is the only way to clean it. But a little bit more work on a ribbed hose. That is the reason I changed it to an Eheim hose. 4 times as expensive as an ordinary run of the mill plastic hose, but it fits perfectly into the valve without using clamps. It most cases, where "convinient" valves are attached to the cannisters, the hoses are the one most neglected. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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