The water first moves to the bottom of the canister, and then rises to the top through the foam pads. It then passes back to the bottom of the canister through the media trays in the middle, before finally being returned to the aquarium.

Fluval ribbed hosing is beneficial for a number of reasons! It’s quick and easy to install, does not kink or collapse over time, is not influenced by temperature, maintains a wide, constant water flow area over the aquarium rim, and its aesthetics are not compromised over time. Most importantly, Fluval ribbed hosing provides superior clog resistance to help prevent loss of flow rate: third-party testing has shown that after only 4 months of operation, a 36% decrease in flow rate was observed with standard PVC hosing, whereas only a 1% reduction in flow rate was observed with Fluval ribbed hosing after 7 years of operation.

Fill the canister about halfway before starting the filter. More specifically, ensure there is at least 1.4 US Gal / 5 L of water in the FX2 canister, 1.6 US Gal / 6 L of water in the FX4 canister, and 2 US Gal / 8 L of water in the FX6 canister before starting the filter.