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Hagen Fluval 304 w/media

Reviews	Views	Date of last review
6	8224	Sat May 2, 2009

Recommended By	Average Price	Average Rating
67% of reviewers	$200.00	6.7

Find the lowest price for the Hagen Fluval 304 w/media

Description:

The Fluval 304 canister filter provides mechanical, chemical and biological filtration for aquariums up to 70 gallons. It is for freshwater and saltwater aquariums and has a flow rate of 260gph.

The Fluval 304 comes with a self primer that allows the initiation of water flow by a simple pumping motion. The aqua-stop allows the separation of the hose assembly from filter by stopping the the water flow and making maintenance fast and easy. The unit features lift lock clamps that allow the quick removal of the motor housing from the filter unit. Just lift the clamps on each side of the filter and pull up. The foam screen frame which provides mechanical filtration is conveniently accessible and removable. Biomax Biological media provides a large porous surface area for bacteria to grow performing biological filtration. This design and its features make the Fluval 304 extremely user friendly.

Instructions:
It is recommended that the carbon media is placed in the bottom filter basket, biological media in the top basket and additional media can go in the middle.

Specifications:
The unit also comes with a 3 media baskets, intake strainer, intake stem, output nozzle, suction cups, 3' 4" of 5/8" ribbed hosing, starter Biomax Biological media and starter Fluval Carbon.

The Fluval 304 has a 12 watt power supply with a 6 ft cord.

Size:
9.25" l x 6.25" w x 12.5"h

Image copyright of Hagen.

Author

rohape
Senior Member

Registered: February 2005
Location: Newport News, VA
Posts: 499

Review Date: Sat April 1, 2006

Would you recommend the product? No | Price you paid?: Not Indicated | Rating: 3

Pros:	flow control controls both in and output simultaneously
Cons:	leaked within about 1.5years

mine started leaking due to (i believe) gaps and openings accessing the filter housing.

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raven_wilde
Senior Member

Registered: November 2005
Location: Michigan
Posts: 379

Review Date: Sun June 18, 2006

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: Not Indicated | Rating: 7

Pros:	Was an excellent upgrade from the HOB I had been running.
Cons:	Have encountered leaking from time to time.

I've had one of these for nearly two years, the other for almost one. Both work well for what I need and were a hella good upgrade from the HOB filters I'd been using... and purchased on ebay for about half of what they retail at the chain stores, they were a great bargain.

Only huge problem is that they do leak around the filter housing sometimes. I've found, however, that- at least in my case- this is due to the media baskets being too full and improperly locked together. When this happens they apply upward pressure on the filter housing and push it apart from the canister just enough to cause leakage. Readjusting the filter media and baskets has always fixed this problem and I am still running them.

The only other complaint is that the priming handle at times seems a tad bit useless, and takes forever to get the thing started... thankfully, since the canister can be removed seperately from the tubing, and suction retained with the 'aqualock', having to prime the filter is not a frequent occurance.

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Raven
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Keeper of plants, shrimp & oddball monsters

tfmcder
Senior Member

Registered: February 2006
Location: Long Island
Posts: 228

Review Date: Sun November 5, 2006

Would you recommend the product? No | Price you paid?: Not Indicated | Rating: 3

Pros:	Flow control, quick connect hoses
Cons:	Leaks, priming is a b*tch

I have had this filter for just under a year and I am currently ordering an eheim if that tells you anything. This filter was a waste of money!!!

The way the hoses are attached to the canister is great. They have a quick connect/disconnect feature that holds the prime and makes maitenance a breeze. It also has a dual flow control lever, that controls both inlet and outlet.

Getting the initial prime is a lesson in humility. The little plunger-suction-handle-thingy doesn't do squat!!! You will be ready to run the filter over with your car by the time you get the prime, but as stated earlier once you get it the only time you lose it is when you clean the hoses(which I only had to do once). The other major complaint is that this thing leaks like crazy!!! As was stated in the other review if the media baskets are not perfectly aligned it leaks, if there is a piece of dust on the lip of the motor assembly causing a microscopic gap it leaks, if you look at it the wrong way it leaks, if the planets are not aligned right it leaks.

If you are looking for canister filters save yourself a lot of frustration and look elsewhere. This one is not worth the strees or $$$!!!

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Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand.-Chinese Proverb

unikanic
Junior Member

Registered: December 2006
Location: Pointe Claire, (close to Montreal) Quebec, Canada
Posts: 1

Review Date: Mon February 25, 2008

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: Not Indicated | Rating: 9

Pros:	Quick connect/disconnect feature, good connection on hoses
Cons:	Priming handle

I Have 3 Fluval 304 filters, I really do like it and I think is a much better product then what my sister and law has, it a Echem caster with hose that detach!
But I have to admit the The little plunger-suction-handle-thingy is almost useless the could had been done better.
I found a solution, First close the water to the filter (so water stay in the hose), unplug from the outlet, after you clean the filter, fill it with aquarium water, but before putting back the cover (if you filter is a year old or more) remove the rubber gasket wipe it clean on a towel (That the TRICK not to have leakage!) then, put it back on the cover and cover back on the filter, tilt the filter slightly so you hear the release of air that was trapped.
Put back the filter under the tank reconnect the hose, plug back in the wall and open the water valve to the filter, at first you may hear some noise because there is still some air in the filter, the other GOOD TRICK I found because the little plunger-suction-handle-thingy is useless, I tilt the filter on it's side (90 degree) as it is working this make the air trapped go out the hose fast. I put back the filter down after I see all is fine, (1 min only) I check if there is not slow leakage from the side, again if it happen it because I did wipe clean the gasket, Eh, maybe I am due for a new gasket!
Also I keep a old towel under the tank just in case, anyhow I hope this helps

TimboJones

Registered: February 2008
Posts: 22

Review Date: Mon May 19, 2008

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: Not Indicated | Rating: 8

Pros:	quiet, reliable, quick connect, output control, basket layout
Cons:	priming pump

i've had 2 304's in recent years and am very happy with them.

the main rubber seal should be kept clean i sometimes give it a very light coating of mineral oil so it doesn't grab the housing when joining.

be careful to align the filter casing before applying any pressure or you may damage the casing edge and get a leak in time which would suck.

the priming pump is a disaster. I use a small powerhead pushed into the intake shaft to prime to filter in seconds instead of minutes so not an issue any more. of course i fill the canister with tank water first to save time. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A SPARE POWERHEAD , HAVE YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE CHECKED BEFORE YOU ATTEMPT TO USE THE PRIMING PUMP
ITS THAT BAD.

after time the impeller will wear and get a bit noisy, easily fixed. the replacement impeller is widely available and not expensive which is great.

very happy with hoses/fittings.

Hope these hints help.

cell
Member

Registered: March 2009
Location: Mtl, Canada
Posts: 87

Review Date: Sat May 2, 2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: $200.00 | Rating: 10

Pros:	very tough, sturdy latches, big media compartment, never had issues (~10years)
Cons:

Hagen Fluval 304 :
I bought this filter for a 25g tank, for a turtle. That's a least 10 years ago.. Still use it and I never had to service it yet. It is way more sturdy than the older 102/103 round canister filter from Fluval. I love the aqua-stop feature. And the small manual priming pump is simply brilliant.