Hate Fluval 404! Are the 406 and 407 any better?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo

Oughtsix

Redtail Catfish
MFK Member
Apr 9, 2011
1,600
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Redmond, OR
My daughter talked me into resurrecting an old 35G Hex tank for some fancy goldfish in her bedroom. I am having some problems deciding on a filter. Previously I ran this tank on a small sump and that worked OK but I know that is more than my 15 yo daughter can deal with.

I have a ~20 year old Eheim 2275 Pro 3 that we cleaned, plugged in and it is working perfectly EXECPT the door on the 35G hex stand is barely 9" wide and the Eheim is about 9.25" wide so it doesn't fit in the stand. :(

I have an old Fluval 404 that will easily fit but always hated that thing! Even after several new O rings 1 out of 4 times the top would not seal when reassembling which drove me crazy! The manual priming pump was also useless making the filter a pain in the rear to re-prime after every cleaning.

Are the Fluval 406 and 407 filters better than the old 404's? Considerably better? (If you loved the 404's and still love the 406 or 407 I don't think you are going to give me very useful advice.)

I have also looked at other canister filters. I found a HIRO Aquatics canister on ebay that will fit and is a really good price but it is a name I have never heard of. I believe the two smaller Hydor canister filters will fit BUT I found a youtube demonstrating how the Hydor filters release a lot of water when pulling the hoses for filter maintenance... this is something that I despise in a canister filter! I am open to other suggestions for other filters? I have searched the internet for the dimensions on many common canister filters to find that most are too wide. (It is amazing how hard I have had to search for dimensions on some of the common canister filters.)
SunSun - too wide
Marineland Magnaflow - too wide
Pen Plax - too wide
"Classic" Eheim canister - to hard to maintain and spills water when disconnecting the hoses
Aqueon - too wide

Easy hose disconnects with no spilt water is very high on my priority list for a canister filter. It is amazing how many reviews, especially youtube reviews, don't mention anything about the hose disconnects and the ease of maintenance which seems totally absurd to me!

Before it is mentioned I prefer HOB filters to canisters but a HOB won't fit in the space where the aquarium sits. Going back to the sump with the tank is also not an option.
 
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I always preferred the Eheim classics. I think I cleaned one once without the disconnects, then ordered them the next day. With disconnects maintenance is easy.
 
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