# fx5 newcomer



## bluegill (Jan 5, 2010)

I got a FX5 recently, one thing or noise 
I notice is the gurgling or bubbling sound of water
slushing around at the top of the canister.
Is this normal ??

Another is the tiny bubbles that seem to come out of the
output.

And how long does the FX5 last ??

Any maintenance that is needed ??

thanks


----------



## gucci17 (Oct 11, 2007)

bluegill said:


> I got a FX5 recently, one thing or noise
> I notice is the gurgling or bubbling sound of water
> slushing around at the top of the canister.
> Is this normal ??
> ...


The noise of gurgling is normal. Purges air every hour if i remember correctly.
Tiny bubbles seem to be an issue for most people.
Really can't tell you how long it'll last but I'm sure quite a few years as long as you do your regular maintenance of cleaning it every few months.


----------



## Y2KGT (Jul 20, 2009)

bluegill said:


> I got a FX5 recently, one thing or noise
> I notice is the gurgling or bubbling sound of water
> slushing around at the top of the canister.
> Is this normal ??
> ...


I love the FX5. I have three of them and I'm looking to get a fourth.

When I set up my first FX5 I too was getting all these tiny micro bubbles and it was driving me crazy. I did some research and found it can be caused by a bad connection that is leaking air into the canister or if you have an air stone in your tank make sure it isn't too close to the intake on the filter because it could suck bubbles into the canister. I found that after about 3 or 4 days the bubbles stopped and I now think that all my media including the sponges werer brand new and therefore all the air that was trapped in the media was making its way out. I've never had a problem since.

The gurgling sound you hear is probably trapped air which as Derek says will make its way out because the FX5 stops every 24 hours for 2 minutes to allow trapped air to move withing the canister and then be expelled when the filter starts up again. I also like to stop the filter every hour for a few hours after a thorough cleaning for the same reason.

I've had my oldest FX5 for a couple of years now and I bought it used from a guy that used it on his turtle tank for a couple of years as well. It still works great because every 6 months I give it a good clean including the 6 sponges and the impeller and housing. Of course many people don't like to clean the FX5 because it takes approximately 1 hour but its well worth the effort because this filter keeps my Malawi tanks clean and provides a ton of water movement.

Enjoy your filter. And if you got yours without a users manual you can download one here:
http://www.hagen.com/pdf/aquatic/FX5_user_manual_EN.pdf
If you're still looking for info check out the Fluval Blog here:
http://www.fluvalblog.com/aquarium-filters/fx5/
--
Paul


----------



## bluegill (Jan 5, 2010)

thanks guys, I checked all the inlet hosing, there is no leaks as far as I can tell and the air stone is far away to not let air.

Anyway, it seems mostly normal.
I had a bad exp with a Rena XP3, it blew, the motor blew after a year or so and the filtration was crappy compared ot the fx5


----------

