# Other Aquarium Forums > Equipment and Accessories >  Fluval C2 HOB Filter. Should I get it?

## chinjaysquare

Some may have read in the other threads that I had started that my filter was "attacked" by brown algae. I realised that it was not the only problem the filter is suffering from. Yesterday it started producing screeching noise. The horrible noise was of low volume initially but it then escalated exponentially. I opened the filter up today and found out that the impeller has chipped off slightly with the chipped off part scratching and destroying the other parts. On top of that, the filter medium that came with it was disintegrating (I guess that is why the algae can survive so well in it) So I guess I need a new filter soon.

I came across a website complimenting how good the Fluval C2 is.
http://theaquaticgazette.com/2012/03...ssions-review/\
The good name of the filter echoed on YouTube as well. That got me interested.

Any one of you have tried it before? How was it? I really like the hassle free cleaning feature (cleaning my current filter is a nightmare). Go for or against? In addition, what are the dimensions to it? I have a leeway of about 3 inches behind my tank. Can it fit? Where is the place to find it at the lowest price? (budget $50. Underestimation of costs?)

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## VSGenesis

Personally, for a hang on filter, i use the Fluval C4. Large compartment. Very quiet. 
Just remove the carbon if you're using in planted. That compartment, i just put other media.

I got no comments about it. Its been really good to me. Only used Gex and Fluval, so i cant comment on liberty.

Choose the correct one for the siZe of your tank. When the filter pad is about time change to new one, not necessary to go get from fluval. Abt any other filter pad also can use. The c nodes is good enough.

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## Cyberkinetic

I've used the C3 around two months before upgrading to a canister filter. It's my first filter so i can't compare with other similar ones. Saw the same article as you on C2 but decided to get C3 which although on specs is overkill for my 40cm 10 gallon tank, but in reality, it worked nicely.. with good water flow throughout the tank. Plants all moving in the water.
I'd say it's quite well made, can fit reasonable amount of bio-media in the chemical filter compartment, much more than the designated bio filter compartment. I can fit in 250ml of Seachem matrix with some space left which i topup with Mr Aqua CR. 
On and off, sometimes i hear humming noise or some clucking sounds where air bubbles appear from the outlet.. seems to be the placement of the inlet tube not aligned proper,goes away after fiddling with it for a while. The foam piece although can reuse, i don't think for too many times as the frequency i had to wash it became more and more closer. I think if i had continue using it, i would just get generic filter wool from lfs and use. More economical and save the hassle of cleaning. The missus absolutely hated it when i kept cleaning the filter pad, when i told her the merits of longer duration between cleaning a canister filter, i got approval immediately to get it.
Also, the small little "bio foam" piece on top of the bio filter compartment, almost next to impossible to wash cleanly..ditched it after trying twice to rinse it clean. It's ok to do without it. Water flows much better into the bio filter compartment. Or if worried, can just cut a small piece of filter wool and place there.
Just my personal short two months experience using the C3.

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## bondwinner

Been running Fluval C4 for 5months plus and very satisfied with it. Very quiet and does it job with good clarity water.

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## tetrakid

The Fluva C4
Nice HOF p-73725-55582-fish-supply.jpg

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## chinjaysquare

Thank you for your inputs! Here comes the ultimate question... How much did you all get it for? I do know that none of you got the C2 but we can estimate it from the cost of the other larger versions. I don't need such a huge one because my tank is only 2 gallons. 

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, CAN IT FIT INTO A 3 INCHES SPACE BEHIND THE TANK?

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## seudzar

How big is your tank? if your tank is at least of 1.5ft. Fluval should be a good choice. I would also recommend Gex Slim filter. It is super quiet. Price is the lowest if you get it from seaview. 

I owed a Fluval C2 for a 1ft tank, seriously overkill and my tank becomes a washing machine because of its strong outflow, even i set the flow to the lowest but still too strong for me. After that i change it to Gex Slim filter (2 filter slot) and customize my own filter media arrangement in the filter.

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## chinjaysquare

> How big is your tank? if your tank is at least of 1.5ft. Fluval should be a good choice. I would also recommend Gex Slim filter. It is super quiet. Price is the lowest if you get it from seaview. 
> 
> I owed a Fluval C2 for a 1ft tank, seriously overkill and my tank becomes a washing machine because of its strong outflow, even i set the flow to the lowest but still too strong for me. After that i change it to Gex Slim filter (2 filter slot) and customize my own filter media arrangement in the filter.


 :Laughing:  The mental image of a washing machine for a fish tank produced in my head is hilarious. I guess my fishes are all right with a strong outflow though. On top of that I have a ship ornament that I place under the outflow of the filter to break the current. The plants have similar effects as well. 

As for the GEX slim filter. I once considered that, looking at how aesthetically pleasing the filter is. Nevertheless I am not very fond of the pump being out of the filter and in-line with the intake tube. It so slim too that I have no idea what to do to the extra space behind the tank  :Razz:  Adding on, the water doesn't pass through all the filter media (not very erm... comprehensive?) The slim body may also impede the effectiveness of non GEX filter media...

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## seudzar

Oh, you will be very surprise how much filter medias/bio medias it can hold. I customize it till it can hold the same wool filter same as a c2 can hold but more bio media than a c2 can hold. I attached a photo what I did to my Gex slim filter. 
Attachment 32139

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## chinjaysquare

> Oh, you will be very surprise how much filter medias/bio medias it can hold. I customize it till it can hold the same wool filter same as a c2 can hold but more bio media than a c2 can hold. I attached a photo what I did to my Gex slim filter. 
> Attachment 32139


WOW.  :Surprised:  Hahaha. That's a lot of things you've got in there! I plan to use the basket that suppose to hold the activated carbon to hold bio filteration media though. However thank you for this eye opener-- something that is slim can actually hold a lot of things.

PS: This question suddenly popped up in my mind. How do you clean the media? I mean you have to rinse the wool somehow right? Removing it will cause the bio media to collapse. I am really lazy so I love the idea of the baskets in fluval  :Grin:

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## seudzar

Just pour out the whole thing, throw the filter wool away, put in new one and the put back the bio media. Still need to rinse the bio media too. As the filter itself is so big, I only rinse and change it like once a month. 

Sometimes if the brown algae starts to grow inside the filter, I find it is more tedious to clean the fluval filter than Gex slim.

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## rogerjr

> Oh, you will be very surprise how much filter medias/bio medias it can hold. I customize it till it can hold the same wool filter same as a c2 can hold but more bio media than a c2 can hold. I attached a photo what I did to my Gex slim filter. 
> Attachment 32139


is this the S size filter?

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## seudzar

Not sure, but it got 2 filter slot compartment

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## chinjaysquare

> Just pour out the whole thing, throw the filter wool away, put in new one and the put back the bio media. Still need to rinse the bio media too. As the filter itself is so big, I only rinse and change it like once a month. 
> 
> Sometimes if the brown algae starts to grow inside the filter, I find it is more tedious to clean the fluval filter than Gex slim.


True true. I suppose like my current dying filter, a flip to pour all the media out is all that's needed. Oh ya, the wire to the pump actually is in the water right? I guess I really have to ditch the idea of getting the GEX. Clumsy me will get the water dripping to the power source  :Laughing: 




> is this the S size filter?


Yup! The S size one has the capacity for two GEX media (2 slots).

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## seudzar

Actually when cleaning the Gex slim filter is pretty easy, just open the cover, take the U pipe and hang beside your tank, take the whole filter out. No worries on the cable. Both filters got their pros and cons.

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## VSGenesis

Price for C2, should be below $50. Guessing. Lfs, i've seen selling is C328. But that was early of the year. Bought my C4 online. Been really good to me. The motor can be remove; the propeller is magnetic and can be removed. Water goes through the filter pad. There, a slot after, which they give you an activated carbon bag, then the trickle chamber, comes with media. Good media. I added biohome at the slot for carbon bag and a bit of coral. My ph was low. And yes, remove that filter wool on the trickle chamber. For new, sure just use it. Once too dirty, throw. No need replace. 

Mine works silently. Its about 7-8 months old now. Cleaning is easy. The waterflow can be strong. Used it before with combination of cannister on my 3ft. Its now on my 2ft. As the waterflow is too strong for a 2ft, my water level is slightly above the "lip" Hence it doesnt splash. Creates waves till the front of tank which is fantastic. Surface agitation=gas exchange. 

I'm being bias here. I really like the C series. It is expensive but for me worth it. Does the job. Anyone using liberty? For my gex m, i removed what it came along with and did something like seudzar. Put media and filter wool. It works of course. On my 40cm but i prefer more surface agitation so i added air stones. One thing i like about gex is that sponge at the input tube. 

Anyway good luck whichever hof you purchase in the end.

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## chinjaysquare

> Price for C2, should be below $50. Guessing. Lfs, i've seen selling is C328. But that was early of the year. Bought my C4 online. Been really good to me. The motor can be remove; the propeller is magnetic and can be removed. Water goes through the filter pad. There, a slot after, which they give you an activated carbon bag, then the trickle chamber, comes with media. Good media. I added biohome at the slot for carbon bag and a bit of coral. My ph was low. And yes, remove that filter wool on the trickle chamber. For new, sure just use it. Once too dirty, throw. No need replace. 
> 
> Mine works silently. Its about 7-8 months old now. Cleaning is easy. The waterflow can be strong. Used it before with combination of cannister on my 3ft. Its now on my 2ft. As the waterflow is too strong for a 2ft, my water level is slightly above the "lip" Hence it doesnt splash. Creates waves till the front of tank which is fantastic. Surface agitation=gas exchange. 
> 
> I'm being bias here. I really like the C series. It is expensive but for me worth it. Does the job. Anyone using liberty? For my gex m, i removed what it came along with and did something like seudzar. Put media and filter wool. It works of course. On my 40cm but i prefer more surface agitation so i added air stones. One thing i like about gex is that sponge at the input tube. 
> 
> Anyway good luck whichever hof you purchase in the end.


Thank you. Below 50 bucks, that's music to my ears  :Laughing: 
Yeah. I do fill the water up to the outflow "lip" as well. Not very fond of the sound of water splashing especially at night even though the tank is a good 5m away from my room. I guess I still have some time to ponder over. My filter is not exactly dead yet. It's still struggling but still doing its job filtering. Pushing it very hard  :Razz: 
By the way, does your C4 occupy more than 3.5 inches behind the tank? I only have that much space...

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## ChromiumX

c328 sell the c2 for $58

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## VSGenesis

Haha Crap. My bad. Sorry about that. I was wrong. I got my C4 below $100 so I was just gauging the price for C2.

I'm not home so I'm not sure of the dimension. However, I check online and this is what was mentioned. "Dimensions: 8.75" Tall X 8.3" Wide X 6.2" front to back. 3.75" needed behind the aquarium" I'm not too sure about the 3.75". I used to place the hof and it was just about 2cm from the wall.

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## chinjaysquare

> c328 sell the c2 for $58


That's a little higher than expected  :Surprised:  Glad that I save up a lot and I sell things online. Thank you any ways!




> Haha Crap. My bad. Sorry about that. I was wrong. I got my C4 below $100 so I was just gauging the price for C2.
> 
> I'm not home so I'm not sure of the dimension. However, I check online and this is what was mentioned. "Dimensions: 8.75" Tall X 8.3" Wide X 6.2" front to back. 3.75" needed behind the aquarium" I'm not too sure about the 3.75". I used to place the hof and it was just about 2cm from the wall.


Nah! It isn't your fault. As for the space needed behind the tank I suppose worst case scenario I more the placement of the filter. I have ample space along the side that is hidden. 

I've called up Nature Aquarium earlier on. They refuse to disclose the price to me over the phone. I do understand that for there are thick skinned people like me who go around asking. If they told me the price (which maybe higher than expected), they risk losing the chance of making money out of me. However they assured me that it is cheaper than the competitors. I suppose I can bring just SGD 60. If it's higher than that, I can say I went to C328 which quoted me the price of SGD 58.  :Grin:  It is selling on Fresh 'n' Marine aQuarium for SGD 63 http://freshnmarine.com.sg/estore/pr...oducts_id=3743. I suppose I should be happy if I got it for 50 bucks? Which ever the case, I guess I have my mind set on this filter and we shall see how much they are selling. Of course I will respect the owner's decision to keep the actual price a secret. (hints will do right?)

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## VSGenesis

Well, give us your review on your journey in getting it, opening the box, checking out your new toy, assembling and after one month of using, how is it working. Haha. This HOF is one of those that I don't hear people speak much about. So it's an alternative product hobbyist can venture into.

As for revealing the actual price, the rule is give a round figure. Say it's $54. Just say about $60 or $50++. If got discount, just keep it to yourself. Or you can just say, that LFS gave the best deal. 

Lastly, please let me know too!! LOL. I'm doing budgetting. Need 2x C2 or C3 for next project. Haha!!

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## chinjaysquare

> Well, give us your review on your journey in getting it, opening the box, checking out your new toy, assembling and after one month of using, how is it working. Haha. This HOF is one of those that I don't hear people speak much about. So it's an alternative product hobbyist can venture into.
> 
> As for revealing the actual price, the rule is give a round figure. Say it's $54. Just say about $60 or $50++. If got discount, just keep it to yourself. Or you can just say, that LFS gave the best deal. 
> 
> Lastly, please let me know too!! LOL. I'm doing budgetting. Need 2x C2 or C3 for next project. Haha!!


WAH! So much thing that I need to do. LOL. Hahaha. I'll try  :Razz:

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## chinjaysquare

> Well, give us your review on your journey in getting it, opening the box, checking out your new toy, assembling and after one month of using, how is it working. Haha. This HOF is one of those that I don't hear people speak much about. So it's an alternative product hobbyist can venture into.
> 
> As for revealing the actual price, the rule is give a round figure. Say it's $54. Just say about $60 or $50++. If got discount, just keep it to yourself. Or you can just say, that LFS gave the best deal. 
> 
> Lastly, please let me know too!! LOL. I'm doing budgetting. Need 2x C2 or C3 for next project. Haha!!


WAH! So much thing that I need to do.  :Laughing:  Hahaha.
The unboxing and assembling is here http://youtu.be/_YQRsjqqrdo and here http://youtu.be/WP-kL08rsOUrespectively. Was a bit bored and stumbled over these videos...

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## chinjaysquare

Ah yo. Internet went a little slow and have accidentally posted twice. I extend my sincere apologies if you have found that spam-y

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## aquarius

From what i know about Aquaclear HOF, the width of the filter is about 10cm - 10.5cm which means you need a distance of about 10.6cm to 11cm between the back of the tank and the wall. The width should be about the same as Fluval's C2. In any case do measure and let us know what's the distance needed for the C2 between the wall and the tank. The price of C2 should not be more than $52.

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## ChromiumX

> From what i know about Aquaclear HOF, the width of the filter is about 10cm - 10.5cm which means you need a distance of about 10.6cm to 11cm between the back of the tank and the wall. The width should be about the same as Fluval's C2. In any case do measure and let us know what's the distance needed for the C2 between the wall and the tank. The price of C2 should not be more than $52.


Its $58 if you buy at c328

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## chinjaysquare

> From what i know about Aquaclear HOF, the width of the filter is about 10cm - 10.5cm which means you need a distance of about 10.6cm to 11cm between the back of the tank and the wall. The width should be about the same as Fluval's C2. In any case do measure and let us know what's the distance needed for the C2 between the wall and the tank. The price of C2 should not be more than $52.





> Its $58 if you buy at c328


@aquarius is right. I've got it from NA for less than $52. It is more than $49 though (giving really obvious hints for the price). 

So far I am very happy with my purchase. It is strong. very strong.  :Laughing:  Thank goodness for the presence of smart and creative people who come out with such splendid ideas. http://www.petfish.net/articles/Do-I...urrentkill.php I managed to redirect the flow and, in a sense, slowed the flow down tremendously. The only problem is a slight humming (close to a rattle) the filter produces. Nevertheless it is barely audible one metre away. 

As for the dimensions, they are 15.5cm (length), 12cm (breath from front to back incl. the protruding intake tube) and 17.5cm (height). Nonetheless only 9.5cm of space behind the tank is required. 

PS: when preparing the c nodes (biological filter media), do it at the sink. They tend to be "sandy" when first removed from the packaging. Made a mess all over my carpet.

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## tetrakid

I visited that link and having seen how the filter is prevented from pushing water outwards, I must say that is totally opposite of what I recommended in this forum.

My understanding of Hang-on filters is that all of hem are designed with a lip at the water outlet. The function of this lip is to push outflowing water laterally towards the whole surface of the tank thereby creating an effective surface agitation OVER A LARGE AREA. The purpose of such wide surface agitation is for the sole purpose of GOOD oxygenation of the whole water column.

By restricting the filter's function of agitating the whole surface area, oxygenation is minimised and thus retarded. The net result is oxygen starvation which will cause poor health to livestock and organism in the tank, including the organism in the filter bio-mediia itself.

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## VSGenesis

Chinajaysquare, is the current strong? How far is the lip to water surface. Is it a drop or did you place water level at the lip? I try to take pictures later to show what I mean.

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## VSGenesis

Anyway, thanks for the update. Will go NA to buy the C2 for my tanks. The HOF should be quiet. Really quiet. If there's rattling or noise, make sure the hose sits perfectly in the groove inside the filter.

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## felix_fx2

I did similar thing to my 1st hof. But I used old plastic file.

Didn't need the flow too strong for my plants and poor fish which seems like poor thing getting "washing machined".

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## chinjaysquare

> I visited that link and having seen how the filter is prevented from pushing water outwards, I must say that is totally opposite of what I recommended in this forum.
> 
> My understanding of Hang-on filters is that all of hem are designed with a lip at the water outlet. The function of this lip is to push outflowing water laterally towards the whole surface of the tank thereby creating an effective surface agitation OVER A LARGE AREA. The purpose of such wide surface agitation is for the sole purpose of GOOD oxygenation of the whole water column.
> 
> By restricting the filter's function of agitating the whole surface area, oxygenation is minimised and thus retarded. The net result is oxygen starvation which will cause poor health to livestock and organism in the tank, including the organism in the filter bio-mediia itself.


I guess in my case it is actually better if I redirect the flow. You see, the area of water surface being agitated is limited to only the stretch in front of the filter output. By using the above mentioned method to redirect the flow, the sides which have a larger area of water surface is being agitated. If you are worried about the front stretch is being neglected in a sense, don't be. A drag will be formed behind the plastic attachment hence creating agitation to also the part where the water used to flow. 

On top of that, I am confident that my tank does not suffer from oxygen starvation. My fishes never ever gasp for air. Adding on, as the filter I am using is a hang on back filter, the bacteria and other microbes residing in the biological filter media will get all the oxygen they need through the exchange of gases between the water in the filter itself and the atmosphere. It is very different from canister filter where by the interior is air tight and the only place for gaseous exchange is the tank itself.

Nevertheless thank you for your input. I suppose every set up is different and we just have to adapt accordingly.  :Smile: 




> Chinajaysquare, is the current strong? How far is the lip to water surface. Is it a drop or did you place water level at the lip? I try to take pictures later to show what I mean.


I filled it up to the lip initially. However now I manage to find a way to redirect the flow, I can allow the water to plunge like what it was meant to do without turning my tank into a whirlpool of washing machine like chaos.  :Laughing: 




> Anyway, thanks for the update. Will go NA to buy the C2 for my tanks. The HOF should be quiet. Really quiet. If there's rattling or noise, make sure the hose sits perfectly in the groove inside the filter.


You are very welcomed! The in take tube is sitting nicely. While looking for a solution, I have read that it may take a few days for the motor to quieten down. Apparently the impeller shaft will rub against something causing the slight noise. The solution is to either lubricate it or wait till friction wear the rubbing parts down slightly. It is not too much of a noise pollution in my opinion. I can barely hear it unless my ears are like 10 cm away from it.




> I did similar thing to my 1st hof. But I used old plastic file.
> 
> Didn't need the flow too strong for my plants and poor fish which seems like poor thing getting "washing machined".


Thank goodness my fishes are zebra danios (which are orangey. Not too sure if they are really zebra danios) and I've read that they won't mind water flowing strongly all over the place. They keep swimming to the sides where the flow is the strongest and swim against the flow. It is just so entertaining to watch them play catching, hiding and swimming against strong current like us running on treadmills.

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## VSGenesis

Hi there, I am suprise that it is making noise. The impeller is magnetic and sits nicely on a metal. There's a gap between the impeller blades to the sides of the hole. Anyway, hope it quieten down. The C4 was silent through out.

The trickle chamber is the only difference. Compare it to others which uses individual cannisters or media slots. Not sure if its true or not, but a trickle chamber is much better than media that is submerged? Something along the lines that BB population grows faster and more than submerged media. Shrugs. If experts who have gone into such details can give their insight; that would be great. Nonetheless, I just love the fluval design. Easy to clean. Silent. Large compartments. Activated carbon chamber can switch to other medias.

When the water falls for mine, it creates a wave. You can see that it strong enough that the whole surface of the water is agitated but the bottom is not affected too much as compared to a drop. Once again my apologies as it slip my mind to take pictures of my hof. 

Well, tomorrow, NA for me! Does anyone know if NA sells 10,000K lights for T5HO 3ft? Thinking of getting a few things tomorrow.

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## chinjaysquare

> Hi there, I am suprise that it is making noise. The impeller is magnetic and sits nicely on a metal. There's a gap between the impeller blades to the sides of the hole. Anyway, hope it quieten down. The C4 was silent through out.
> 
> The trickle chamber is the only difference. Compare it to others which uses individual cannisters or media slots. Not sure if its true or not, but a trickle chamber is much better than media that is submerged? Something along the lines that BB population grows faster and more than submerged media. Shrugs. If experts who have gone into such details can give their insight; that would be great. Nonetheless, I just love the fluval design. Easy to clean. Silent. Large compartments. Activated carbon chamber can switch to other medias.
> 
> When the water falls for mine, it creates a wave. You can see that it strong enough that the whole surface of the water is agitated but the bottom is not affected too much as compared to a drop. Once again my apologies as it slip my mind to take pictures of my hof. 
> 
> Well, tomorrow, NA for me! Does anyone know if NA sells 10,000K lights for T5HO 3ft? Thinking of getting a few things tomorrow.


I am quite surprised too! However it seems like a game of luck. Apparently half of the people online complained about the noise the other half claimed that theirs is dead silent. Oh well I got the noisy one  :Laughing:  It has been about 5 days and the rattling still goes on. I am planning to wait it out till Wednesday when I'll give the filter a good scrub (it is so efficient in filtering out debris that the indicator is now three quarter up). If the rattling still goes on I suppose I will have to adopt this method http://www.aquaticplantenthusiasts.c...aquaclear.html in an attempt to silence that motor. 

That being said, anyone knows where to get aquarium safe lubricant or 100% petroleum jelly (like Vaseline's)? I went to NTUC, NTUC pharmacy and Watsons Eastpoint and none sells Vaseline  :Sad:

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## bondwinner

Most of the Guardian pharmacy does sell Vaseline's. Hope this will help.

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## tetrakid

If you look at my avatar (the small picture at the left top corner of my post), you can see that it shows the wrong way to operate a hang-on filter. That picture shows that the water level is wrong because the stream of water falls into the tank at one spot. This minimises oxygenation of the tank water column and usually result in unhealthy fish, and also causes a stagnant and mucky overall tank surface (and compounding the problem). To solve those problems, water in the tank should be topped up until it is the same level as the lip of the filter body. This results in vastly improved surface agitation. Care must be taken to ensure the water level is adjusted so that the lateral push of the water surface is maximised. Too high a water level also will not produce good results.

Of course the 'fun' of seeing a waterfall is gone, but your live bacteria and fish all benefit a lot from the increased dissolved oxygen supply. Normally fish in many hobbyist's tanks suffer from sub-optimal oxygen concentration, giving rise to complications, disease and poor fish health. The effects are not obvious, as the fish will not go to the surface to gasp for air as long as there's still some measure of oxygen in the water. What we are aiming for is an abundant or optimal level of oxygen concentration. Everywhere on this planet, be it in the air, earth, or water, oxygen is life. Abundant oxygen gives good health.

As to strong currents caused by a strong filter, the simple solution is to reduce the water flow with the adjusting knob until fish are comfortable. Shortening the inlet tube also helps to reduce strong vertical currents if it's a small nano tank.

Noisy HOFs are usually due to a very slight misalignment of the impellor armature and it's outer housing. The best way is to make adjustments in situ, ie. when the filter is operating noisily in the tank, make the adjustments (by experimenting) to the detachable pipe housing until the noise disappears or is minimised. There's no reason for any well adjusted HOF filter to run noisily at all.

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## felix_fx2

You can try Chinese medical hall also sometimes sell.

I got mine from guardian or Watson. It was tucked away at some lonely corner from what I recall. (it felt really funny during payment paying for vasline).

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## tetrakid

This sure is a complicated world. Lol.  :Smile: 



> I got mine from guardian or Watson. It was tucked away at some lonely corner from what I recall. (it felt really funny during payment paying for vasline).

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## VSGenesis

The rattling is weird. especially for new, it shouldn't even happened. Anyway, just "play" around with it and see whether is it placed correctly.

Darn C2 out of stock at NA. Settled with C3. Well, it works. I'm happy.

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## uklau

I'm planning to get a C2 for my new tank - 60x23x28cm, which is about 38L. Is this sufficient for a well circulated tank?

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## tetrakid

> I'm planning to get a C2 for my new tank - 60x23x28cm, which is about 38L. Is this sufficient for a well circulated tank?


For your 2ft tank, it should be sufficient. as the Fluval C2 appears quite big.

For HOFs, I always prefer those with double chambers which gives more space for media. Usually they are bigger than single-chamber ones. But some single chamber ones are also quite big. The point is to get the biggest HOF you can find, since water current can be controlled. For a bigger tank, I have also used two HOFs, though that may not appear beautiful to most people.

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## uklau

Thank you, tetrakid!

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## cloudwane

Just a note in using Fluval C2 HOB filter is that during a electrical trip, it may result in your HOF running dry which I have experienced at times at home when I was away and my maid accidentally tripped the electricity for the whole house. 

Thus, I'm looking to change my C2 to a small canister filter which I hope will be able to recover itself when such event happens.

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## uklau

@cloudwane, thanks for sharing this valuable info!

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## cloudwane

> @cloudwane, thanks for sharing this valuable info!


No worries. If you would like, I will be selling mine off soon as I'm replacing it with a SHIRUBA XB303 for my cube tank.

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## uklau

Is the soft rattling sound on brand new C2 normal? The noise persist even with all the modules removed. It's not noticeable during day time but annoying in the middle of the night.

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## cloudwane

> Is the soft rattling sound on brand new C2 normal? The noise persist even with all the modules removed. It's not noticeable during day time but annoying in the middle of the night.


Hmm, it's fine for mine. Where does the rattling sound comes from??

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## uklau

I've isolated the issue is with the motor. When I run the motor dry, I hear exactly the same rattling noise. Impeller looks fine to me. Wondering if a HOB can be really silent or mine is a defective unit? Wondering if C328 will entertain to this not so obvious rattling issue

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## flatearthling

There seems to have problem when there is a power down, and HOF could not start up unlike a canister even a small one..

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## uklau

May be Fluval had improved on this aspect. I tried powering off for a few minutes & I'm able to resume the operation. Also noticed that the U tube is still filled up with water during the power off state. May be I did not power off long enough to allow water to be siphoned from the U tube back to the tank. Shall try it out again to verify

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## uklau

Tried turning off the filter for 30 minutes. Upon power on, it resumes operation.

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