Review on 🐠 Enhanced Performance Fluval Aquarium Filter by Julie Terrones

I have been keeping fish for about 50 years. I've experimented with many aspects of the hobby, studying everything and doing trial and error. Now I only have one 150 gallon tank, but sometimes it's been a lot. I also have outdoor ponds. I know that most of the crap you read from the so-called experts on the internet is "crap". After 50 years, the basics remain the same. The equipment has improved. Most people have no idea what a filter can or should do. Go to my forums at yardcraphome dot com and open the Critters section. Today I connected this fx4. I've used the older fx5 model (the newer fx6 model) for many years and think it's a good buy. The fx5 had some issues with leaks and slightly broken clips but I suspect/hope these have improved with the fx6/fx4 update. FX5 is very good, the best filter I've ever had. Flow rate is important, but so is volume. These fx6/fx4 are huge. If you only need flow, buy a circulation pump. What you want is for the water to go through a lot of useful things before returning to the aquarium. I use multiple filters for different purposes as it helps with maintenance. . One (fx5) is mostly for Biology, which is by far the most important. For the large 900 gallon capacity, hook it up to a Tetra Pond biofilter, which they claim can handle 4000 gallons (doubt it). This does reduce the flow rate, but in my tank this combination kills the biologics too much. Together they are like a large but closed pan filter that can hold a lot of biomaterial. The now-dead Fluval 300 (or something like that?) was for chemicals and needed to be replaced. I looked for filters to replace and almost bought a new Ehiem 600 (great filters) but ended up with a little brother to the big Fluval that still works great years later. I chose fx4 instead of fx6 as the volume is only enough for chemicals and I don't want my tank to turn into a torrential river. One thing about them is that it's very easy to adjust the bitrate, so maybe fx6 should have been used. I hooked it up today and the only problem was a leak on the input connection. I wrapped it with teflon tape and lightly attached it. I filled it with Chemi-pure (because I've been using it for decades) and Purigen (it's just a great product). The current speed isn't much faster and my fish buddies are big fish. I don't think reducing the flow is necessary. In my opinion fx4/fx6 is the best buy for many. The downside is that they are big. . The large size is a good part too, but maintenance needs to be done from time to time, so keep that in mind. they are heavy I have a small room with a sink where the filters live and the pipes go through the wall so it's easy for me. My third filter is Fluval G6, that's a joke. This would be good for a botanical guy with a small aquarium with few fish. I consider it a mechanical chuck only (not as good as the old magnums but very serviceable). Mechanical filtering occurs with all filters, and while this is good, it shouldn't be the focus of your filter choices.