Fluval G6 - 1 Year Review

[fishlawyer]

Hey AllSo, in setting up my new 54 Gallon Corner tank, I decided to purchase the new Fluval G6 Cannister Filter. Given the hype built up around this filter, I have decided to do a 1 year ongoing review of this black beauty. Hopefully this ongoing review will give many of you a feel for just how useful the new G6 is for modern the marine aquarium.
I currently own a fluval FX5 and two Fluval 405's, both of which have preformed flawlesly, so I have high hopes for this unit...
Now, so far I have managed to take it out of the box, read the instruction manual and hook it up to my partially filled tank. (Not turned on yet... Waiting on my slow RO/DI unit to do its joh first.) So, here are my thoughts first.
THE PURCHASE:
I originally saw this unit at my local Pets Unlimited store. While it had a very fancy display and demonstration, I was a little weary of the price. Nevertheless, I decided to take the plunge and buy it anyway.
The only real issue in purchasing the G6 was the manager who upon checkout told me, "We have had those on display for 3 months and you are the first person to buy one..." Good grief...
THE PACKAGING and SET-UP:
The Fluval comes in a standard easy to open box, complete with a standard mechanical filter, some new fluval g-nodes and a carbon cartridge. It also includes a very nice inlet attachment for the tank, a dual durectional-adjustable output nozzle and some very sturdy high-grade fluval hosing. The attachments are sturdy and well designed.
There are however a couple problems here... There is only about 5 feet of hosing, so if your setup is particularly complex, you will have to buy more special fluval hosing. (I had to...) Also, if you are running a salt water tank, you really should buy the fine mechanical pre-filter cartridge to replace the standard one. Finally, there simply isn't enough fluval g-nodes included in the pachage to fill all three large media baskets.
Installation is a snap and shouldn't take more than 30 minutes or so.
THE DESIGN:
Okay, there is no denying this is one sexy cannister filter... But it begs the simple question, Who Cares if Your Cannister Filter is Sexy? I mean, it is usually hidden anyway! Do people really want a sexy cannister filter?
As for durability, this looks like another Fluval homerun. Everything fits perfectly, closes very solidly and is made of either durable plastics or stainless steel. I can't seem to find a single piece which seems "cheap or flimsy"
THE PRICE:
At $569 CDN, this is one expensive cannister filter. Coupled with this, you will likely have to shell out another $70 CDN for the fine pre-filter, $50 CDN if you want more G-Nodes and $50 CDN for more fluval hosing... This comes to nearly $750 plus tax for what is essentially a canister filter with a few digital extras.

I think Fluval could have been a bit more competitive with the price...
PICS:

STAY TUNED:
Hoping to power this sucker up by mid next week so stay tuned for the next chapter of this review.

 

[scottnlisa]

Why should Fluval be more competitive with this price when there are people like you willing to pay that price.

 

[fishlawyer]

Originally Posted by scottnlisa
http:///forum/post/3240598
Why should Fluval be more competitive with this price when there are people like you willing to pay that price.

You may have a point there...

But, before purchasing I did a lot of research on the G series and the main sticking point discussed on the net seemed to be the price. Plus it seems somewhat odd that such an expensive filter would not require $200+ worth of extras to work properly...
I consider myself to be a tried and true tech geek, so I can get around the price. (As long as I don't tell the wife...

) But it makes me wonder about the long term success of such a filter when tried and true alternatives live the 405 and FX5 are avaliable in the $200-$300 dollar range.

 

[mcerz]

Hello, I read your review on the Fluval G6.
How is it doing?
I need a filter system for a 130 gallon fresh water tank.
Are there other companies I should look at?
I have a Marineland 350 now.
Thank you for your time.
Mike
mcerz@yahoo.com

 

[hudson window]

My fluval G6 is in a Polk Audio speaker box going back to Hagan/ Mass.
I too got sucked in by the sexy clean look of the canister with the LED readout for my small 75 Gallon saltwater office aquarium.
Problem was the canister would not pump up to capacity. "The filled right angle on the LED" would go to one half after no time at all. I also found the other LED readouts were not the same as my handheld testing equipment readouts.
At this point I should mention, Im 55, college degree, business owner, meaning Im not so bright but I think I can figure out a filter.
It just didn't work properly. From speaking to Fluval, I think they will do the right thing (I was impressed w/ customer service)
The reason I wrote this (very rare for me) is that I purchased an FX5 in the interim to keep my fish alive. The fish are more valuable than the $314.00 price I paid over the internet for the G6 (possibly my price is why yours is working and mine is not!)
My point is the Fluval FX5, albeit not sexy, is a monster. If I had seen both out of the box, looked at the specs more closely and didn't act like a 15 year old with the fancy LED, I would have been happier buying the "old" technology. I may respond to Fluval when they call and mention that I would be happier with the cheaper FX5 as a replacement, which I could use as a secondary specialized filter for holding amonia or Nitrate/Nitrite reducers or just for cleaning the water for aesthetics. I was also told by a saltwater enthusiast (big successful tanks) that the G6 is more geared up for freshwater?! Don't know if that is accurate.
Good luck with your filter.
Dan

 

[beaslbob]

IMHO $20 worth of pvc, $20 for a couple of plastic buckets, and $100 or so for a return pump would do more for your as a sump/refugium then any canister filter.
For that matter $11 egg crate and $30 of shop lights as well (in tank refugium).
still that's just my .02