Fluval FX2 High Performance Canister Filter - up to 750L

The Fluval FX2 High Performance Canister Filter - up to 750L is the smallest of Fluval's FX canister filters, rated for aquariums up to 175 US gallons (750 L) and moving 1,800 litres an hour.

Key Features

• Rated for aquariums up to 750 L, with a pump output of 1,800 L per hour
• Smart Pump technology — a microchip that monitors the pump, and evacuates trapped air automatically every 12 hours so the filter does not sit there gurgling
• Self-priming: add water, plug it in and the pump does the rest
• Stacked media baskets holding 3.9 L of media in total, designed so water cannot bypass the media
• AquaStop valves with a Click-Fit attachment, set at 45 degrees so they can be reached and turned in a cabinet
• Telescopic anti-clog strainer and multi-directional output nozzles
• The same height as the FX4 but 15% smaller overall, which is what lets it fit standard cabinetry
• Supplied with Bio-Foam x4, BIOMAX x2, Bio-Foam+ and a carbon pad
• For use in both freshwater and saltwater aquariums
• Made by Fluval, the aquatics brand of Rolf C. Hagen, which has been building aquarium filters since 1975

Setting It Up

• The canister must sit below the water line of the tank. A canister above the water will not siphon
• Keep the hose runs short and free of kinks
• A new tank has no bacteria in it. Cycling — running the filter for several weeks until it processes ammonia and nitrite to zero — has to happen before fish go in, or they sit in their own waste while the bacteria catch up
• Let the automatic air purge do its job. The FX series burps every 12 hours by design, and that noise is normal

Maintenance

• Unplug anything electrical before putting your hands in the tank
• Close the AquaStop valves before disconnecting, then lift the canister out whole and take it to a sink or a bucket
• Rinse mechanical foam in a bucket of old tank water rather than under the tap
• Never wash biological media in tap water and never replace it all at once. Chlorine kills the bacteria living on it, and changing everything together restarts the cycle
• Service it before the flow drops noticeably. A canister that has slowed down has already been overdue for weeks
• A smear of silicone lubricant on an O-ring before reassembly makes the next service much easier and helps the seal sit properly
• Check the lid O-ring every service. A perished O-ring is the usual cause of a canister that will not prime or that weeps

Good To Know

• This is a serious piece of equipment for a serious tank. On anything under about 250 L it is more filter than the tank needs, and the current alone will be a problem for many fish
• It is heavy when full. Plan how you will lift it out before you install it, not after
• The FX2, FX4 and FX6 share many parts but not all. Check the model before ordering spares
• A liquid test kit for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate tells you more about a tank than anything you can see