Sacem marathon range?

[Out of Africa]

Hi all,

I am trying to sift through all the info out there on canister filters and it's conflicting info! I have got my eye on the Sacem marathon range a 2000 probably. Some people swear by them saying they go forever without the need to change a thing.....while others hate them due to the O ring design and problems and the metal clips housed in the plastic of the canister that apparently snap off or break resulting in the need to purchase a whole new canister housing!

I like that they have a 2 yr warranty and are made in Italy. I am careful with my equipment so maybe the clips would last longer??

Can I please have your help / experiences???

PS. I know some swear by Eheim but simply put they are out of my budget at the moment ;(

Thanks in advance

[huzzy]

Not happy at all with my 2000

FX5 if you have $300 - $350

Age of Aquariums (check sponsor banner at top) sell some price efficient canisters.....i think they are called aqua one, or aqua pro.

[ndoboi]

Im with you on that one Huzzy - I was running a 2000 and didnt like the design at all. Small baskets considering the canister diameter, loads of bypass (good if you want water flow at the expense of filtration...), crappy o-ring and tap design. Not all that quiet either.

Changed over to an FX5 on the same tank and now I have crystal clear water thats filtered nice and quietly. Cant go wrong for the $315odd + media.

HTH

Steve

[Out of Africa]

Im with you on that one Huzzy - I was running a 2000 and didnt like the design at all. Small baskets considering the canister diameter, loads of bypass (good if you want water flow at the expense of filtration...), crappy o-ring and tap design. Not all that quiet either.

Changed over to an FX5 on the same tank and now I have crystal clear water thats filtered nice and quietly. Cant go wrong for the $315odd + media.

HTH

Steve

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thanks guys

Now the question......where can I get enough media at the right pice to fill this big sucker up???

[Matthew]

G'day

I reckon it comes down to how long you want to be in the hobby.

I have had many Sacem cannisters. Unfortunately all of them are now dead . My eheims are a different story.

I honestly believe that buying cheaper products is false economy. After three years when things start going wrong and you need to get another you may be sorry. Then again a lot of members are out of the hobby in this time.

The choice is yours and how reliable you need these essential gadgets to be.

PS. I would do a little more research if I was considering an FX5.

PS. There are lots of other options apart from cannisters. Hang ons, side drops, trickle filters.

hth Matthew

[huzzy]

PS. I would do a little more research if I was considering an FX5.

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dont mean to hijack thread....but what do you mean by that?

I can only assume you have had a negative experience?

Please share.

[Matthew]

PS. I would do a little more research if I was considering an FX5.

←

dont mean to hijack thread....but what do you mean by that?

I can only assume you have had a negative experience?

Please share.

←

G'day

I was very close to buying some of these but I found some conflicting accounts to those mentioned most frequently. As I said, please do some research.

cya

[10050460]

matthew, where is it you have read the negative and positive comments on the fx5, as i am considering getting it soon.

[Matthew]

matthew, where is it you have read the negative and positive comments  on the fx5, as i am considering getting it soon.

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I am not meaning to be evasive. I assure you I just don't want to get into striffe by posting up.

It is from talking to owners of these filters that have had to send them back.

I was wondering what some of the owners think about the abitity of the containers to hold onto the waste. As sand went throughout the filters. Not only in the first stage of the filter, ie. it was jumping between the baskets. My concern was that it was able to get to the impellar.

Anyone with any experience with this?

Perhaps if a new shipment has arrived this and some other bugs have been cured.

On the other side of the coin I have spoken to peope that have had an excellent experience with the FX5. Maybe just a few hard luck stories that I know about .

[huzzy]

I am not meaning to be evasive. I assure you I just don't want to get into striffe by posting up.

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ok...

[ndoboi]

A bit more detail would be appreciated Matthew - im sure you're not going to get into any strife provided the anecdotes you pass on are accurate. Cant beat first hand experience.

How many have had sand run through them? Has it done any damage to the impellor or pump. How was the filter set up that allowed sand to be ingested in the first place? The FX5 is a reverse flow (to the convention) where the dirty water, after passing through the foam, flows top to bottom. It makes sense that there will be some bypass with this design but also that damaging sand, etc, will collect at the bottom of the initial chamber prior to going through the media into the return pump.

From my experience, it holds waste well and polishes the water - im using a combination of Microvec/Fluval/Eheim media and have experienced no problems.

With regard to units being returned, you'd have to ask Ben or any of the other retailers about this - Most importantly; are they being returned for the same reasons (ie - common fault) and how many are being returned as a percentage. This would need to then be compared to any of the other canister filters.

I did my research - do a search on cichlid-forum.com and addicted2fishforums.com for some reviews and user experiences - and bought one at first opportunity.

Anyway, my opinions - pm me if you want any more info.

Cheers

Steve