Fluval 407 External Filter

I have a 3x 207, 1x407 1x406 and fx6 across different tanks. The 207 is a great little eco work horse. Very efficient and cleaning. Relatively quiet. Good fit. I don't know why but eveytime I install I end up having an initial leak but after that touch wood they've been pretty solid. Maintenance is easy. Good value for money especially if you get it on sale. Much better than in tank filter.

Purchased to replace internal filter in a125L freshwater aquarium. I last had an external canister filter over 20 years ago, which was also a Fluval. I have to say there have been some big design updates. Installation beneath my tank in the cabinet was relatively easy. The only problem I had was that I fitted the gasket incorrectly which resulted in some water leaking onto the floor, however this was quickly remedied when I realised the mistake. The filter media included was ok. I replaced the ceramic bio rings with sintered glass ones for better biological load, but nothing else. I also used some of the media from the old filter to seed the new one.Cleaning is easy. Just disconnect the hose assembly, remove the canister and rinse everything in water that you've taken from the tank. It could not be simpler. There have been comments about the length of hose supplied. Personally I didn't have any problems. Water quality is excellent and the filter is doing a great job. I bought some silicone grease and use it to grease the gasket every 4 weeks and ensure a good seal.Fluval recommend you replace the bio rings every six months, I don't see the need for this myself. All in all, very happy with the filter in terms of quiet running and overall performance. One minor issue for me was the hose retaining clips were too bulky for my tank hood to close fully but got around this with judicious use of some cable ties. Recommend purchasing a spray bar for best surface agitation.

Amazing after 1 week check, could not believe how much cleanin time this model saves, with much less wrap on the foam. Fish seem happier that the filtration is better. Upgraded from the 306 3 layer to 307 that has two extra filtration layers, and a better pump motor. In the first week i used additional carbon bags that gave me a high kh. I've tested after 1 week and all seems good. I've removed the extra carbon, but the pump is silent, more robust features, fixtures have been made more durable and secure. The aqua filter is much easier to fit, slots in no trouble (the 306 I had to fight to fit on every water change). Three x the price, but worth it for the reduced hassle. Well done chaps, much appreciated design improvement.

The media could not be loaded. My 200 litre aquarium is just over 9 years old and since I set it up I’ve been using Fluval external canister filters. For the first few years I had a Fluval 206 model, as that was rated for 200 litre tanks. However it was working at capacity for all its life so when it expired I upgraded to the 306 model. I have a well-stocked tank so I need to ensure the filtration can cope with the demands, although I do also breed Bristlenose plecs and at any one time there’s around 30 of them in the tank and they help to keep the tank clean as well.The 306 did a very good job of keeping the tank clean, but it also had a few weak points. The Aqua Stop valve that connects the inlet/outlet pipes to the filter is especially fragile in my opinion. The valve stoppers themselves work great, but the method that the valve clamps to the filter is not good. It uses a red plastic lever that you push down and latches onto something inside the filter. In theory this works perfectly well, but in practice it isn’t so great. It’s creating a seal to prevent water escaping, and as the filter gets older it requires greater pressure on the lever before it locates. You can quite easily over-push the lever until it snaps. My original 206 lever snapped completely after a few years, and the 306 had a small bit that came off of the lever that never allowed a secure fit from then onwards. I’ve never liked it, and I’m always wary of doing a tank clean late in the day in case it fails completely and I don’t have time to get to the local fish shop for a replacement.Additionally, after I’ve done a tank clean and successfully attached the Aqua Stop valve, when I allow the water to fill the tank I’ve regularly found that the lid on top of the filter baskets lifts and restricts the water leaving the filter. I’ll turn the filter on, it’ll make a noise that sounds like the pump is struggling or the filter media is bouncing around, and no water appears in the aquarium. I’ll turn it off, lift the lid of the filter, push the lid on the media baskets back down, re-connect everything, turn it back on and everything is fine. Each Fluval filter I’ve had has done that perhaps once in every four times I’ve cleaned it out.These were both irritating flaws that I’m sure Fluval could address, but the flip side is that the 306 canister series is otherwise a very good filter. It kept my tank running healthily for many years and, most importantly, the replacement filter media is so easy to get hold of. You’ll be buying a lot of media over the years you own the filter so it’s crucial to know that you have a ready supply of it when you need it, and I can’t think of another filter system that is as easy to get hold of as these.So, when it came time to replace my 306 filter, the natural choice was to go for the newer 307 filter. I did consider Fluval’s FX range of filters as I’d heard good things about them, however after looking into it I didn’t feel that they were quite right for my application. I also didn’t think the canister would fit into the recess I have available in my tank cabinet.When it came to the expiry of my 306, it came quite suddenly. There is a rubber gasket that sits between the lower and upper parts of the filter, and it’s recommended to be replaced every 1-2 years. The gasket failed a few weeks back and subsequently allowed about 16 litres of tank water to spill out over the carpet. It’s only around £15 to replace it, but as the filter was something like 5 years old and the tank could do with a bit of an overhaul I thought I’d replace the whole lot.I was expecting that the 307 would have minor revisions from what I could see on the product page, but I suspected that it would be fundamentally the same as the 306. And, as it turns out, that’s exactly what it was. The most obvious differences are some rubber feet on the bottom, which is quite useful actually as it dampens the vibration of the filter’s motor which would otherwise transfer through to your cabinet and amplify the noise. I used to sit the 306 on a towel for the same effect. There’s a modification to the plunger that creates the vacuum of water inside. It’s now a sort of ring-pull, rather than a knob. That’s useful as well as often your hands are wet when priming the tank so a ring-pull stops your hands slipping off. The clamps that pull the top and bottom bits of the filter together (and effectively form the seal with the rubber gasket) are also slightly different and just a bit more positive than the 306. Lastly, the media baskets inside the filter now have a red handle passing through the centre which allows all baskets to be pulled out in one go, rather than reaching inside the filter. All are minor, but useful, modifications.However, the Aqua Stop valve which I’m so critical of, is fundamentally the same. The level still feels like it could snap at any time if you put too much pressure on it. I really don’t like it.The tubes that you get for plumbing everything in could be a little bit more generous as it does restrict the placement of the filter in my cabinet. You get a good selection of filter media with the 307 to get you up and running, but you’ll need to purchase your own replacements pretty soon, which is a cost that you ought to take into account. You could be spending circa £50-60 on those. In operation the filter runs pretty quietly. It isn’t silent, certainly, but it’s no more noisy than the pump I have for the air stones.I’ve written this review alongside a video I filmed of the unboxing, setting up and a summary after about three weeks of use. My conclusions on the video are basically that the 307 retains the flaws that I didn’t like on the 306 model. The minor revisions are to things that I really wasn’t bothered about, so the 307 is just as irritating to me as the 306. But, as with the 306, it also retains the same positives. It remains a very good external filter. My tank has a lot of fish, which from around 40 years of experience in fish keeping I’ve learned to know can co-exist peacefully in the numbers I have contrary to what a lot of people would say, and the Fluval canister range has always kept the tank in excellent condition. We rarely lose fish for any reason other than coming to the end of their natural lives, which at the end of the day is the most important thing. The fish live in a harmonious environment in water that is always maintained to a high standard. And that standard is provided by the performance of the Fluval filter.Despite the issues I’ve noted, which really do frustrate me at times, the Fluval canister filters continue to provide a healthy environment for my fish to live in, and the replacement media is available readily from Amazon and my local stockists. It’s very much not perfect, but it still gets my deep gratitude for what it does.

Delivered a day early, I’m not complaining but I had arranged to have someone home for the delivery day luckily it came just after I got home from work so I didn’t miss it.The filter itself is amazing, I found it easy to set up (watched a YouTube video) and it runs quieter than my in tank filter. I added extra ammonia and nitrite filter pads alongside the supplied media and two days in it looks like I don’t have water in the tank it’s that clear. I have it running in a 150 litre tank.

Excellent pump. A bit of faff setting up but after that works like a dream.

Not a good product! Hard to clean and time cusuming! A very temprimental item that brakes easy and expensive to replace! I've had x2 of these fluvel 107 in the last 3 years and every time there are issues or faults with it. I won't be ever bying these again.

My previous external filter broke (different well known brand) and bought this as has good reviews.The good: easy to set up, really good pump action to refill chamber after cleaning, good media included.The bad: The outlet on this is above water level so quite nosey (sound of water, constantly feel like I need a wee), supplied hoses are just long enough, I had 3 inches spare.Overall: works really well, tank looks great, feels a good quality item, price seems fair.