Fluval 06 series (106/206/306/406) External Canister Filter Review

Hagen Fluval Aquatics have been manufacturing aquatic products for almost 30 years now. With their quality products and the excellent customer service, they have earned the trust of millions of aqua hobbyists around the world. Fluval makes the great aquarium filters as a part of their product line and the Fluval 06 Filter range is one of the best out there.

The Fluval 06 filter range is the successor to the Fluval 05 range and it comes with a lot of enhancements and the same Fluval Trust. The Fluval 06 series offer increased filtration efficiency with relatively a quieter operation. And this is one of the best filters you would find in the Freshwater Filter Range.

Build

During our tests, we found that just like other Fluval products, the Fluval 06 series filter is very sturdy, has a good build quality, for the external canister, the baskets and the tubes and hosing. Class fibers for the body make the filter durable and ensure that the filter has enough mechanical strength.

Setting Up

Setting up the Fluval 06 Series Filter is fairly simple and easy, you shouldn’t have a problem setting it up even if you are new to canister filters or a novice to the aquarium hobby. Also in case you do face any obstacles, the filter comes with a detailed instruction manual to guide through the installation process.

The filter comes loaded with different kind of media depending on the variant.

Filtration Efficiency

Fluval 06 series filter does a spectacular job when it comes to cleaning the aquarium. While our Fluval 406 canister filter review, the filter was efficiently able to clean a 90 Gallon Planted Aquarium with the stock media and the results were phenomenal.

While the filter is running it is extremely quiet with a sound dampening impeller design you could hardly hear any sound. Not even a slightest hum if you filter.

Additionally, Fluval 06 series filters come with a vertical twin foam pre-filters which act as a pre-filter. In our experience, the foam pads have efficiently trapped the debris blocking them from entering the media basket. This prevented media from clogging, maintaining the flow rate until the end of the maintenance cycle.

Specifications

Fluval 06 series filters come in four different variants with different sizes, varying the size of the aquarium it is suitable for. With a Fluval 106 suitable for up to 25 US Gallon tanks to Fluval 406 capable of filtering a 100 US Gallon Tank. With an advanced motor technology and enhanced filter design, you would experience the flow rate is maintained until the end of the maintenance cycle. Fluval 406 has a flow rate of 383 US GPH is which quite high among the filters in this range.

One of the best features of the filter is its power usage, the filter has the relatively low power consumption among the filter in the same price range.  This makes Fluval 06 series filter one of the power efficient filters you could own.

The following table shows specifications for Fluval 06 series filters:

Cleaning and Maintenance

As the Fluval 06 series filters come with baskets to hold the media, making cleaning and maintenance an easy task. Apart from that, this filter is designed keeping in consideration the ease of use, so as the efforts of the end users are reduced.

The AquaStop valves came in handy while our filter maintenance, stopping water thus preventing the mess by water. And with the easy locking heads and instant priming, we could restart the filter within no time after replacing the media.

Warranty and Customer Support

Fluval 06 Series filters come with a 3-year limited warranty and an excellent customer support from Fluval.

Conclusion

If you are looking for a filter with all the necessary features and not so frequent maintenance schedules, the Fluval 06 series filter is the one.  But if you are still confused with what to buy, check out our post on Best Canister Filters for Aquariums.