Unboxing the Fzone Astra-Stream - Amazing build quality or overpriced?
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- čas přidán 11. 09. 2024
- Fzone has put out a revision to their Astra-Stream canister filter, a competitor for the ADA Super Jet. Stainless Steel body makes for a long term choice, but is this canister actually worth the cost and what's the REAL cost of this filter?
Fzone Astra-Stream: amzn.to/3HlMwcO (paid link)
Filter Pads: amzn.to/3HAks6K (paid link)
Glass Lily Pipe and Skimmer Intake: amzn.to/3HDc1rm (paid link)
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Thanks for the in-depth overview. The ADA filters are definitely overpriced but they do come with all media, hoses and really nice lily pipes. And from what I've seen the quality is absolutely top tier, you're not going to have those rough edges on the steel like you noted. But in the end how many people can drop $1200 on a filter. Ouch!
I've had an Oase Biomaster Thermo 250 for about 2 years now and I love it. Not having the heater in the tank combined with the super easy to clean pre filter just really makes a difference. I clean the prefilter once a week while the water refills during my water changes and clean the main chamber once every 4-5 months. I've been debating this FZone filter for my next scape but I think I will just go for the Biomaster 350. The ease of use for pretty much the same cost just wins out for me.
I also have a UNS Delta running on a tank as well and it's nice and quiet but again the ease of the Biomaster wins out.
this 300 bucks filter cost around $100 in Vietnam and built in much better quality. the connectors and barbs are actually made of stainless steel instead of flimsy plastic. I bought one during black friday last year and basically tossed out the motor and replaced it with a Panworld pump. the motor is poorly made and connectors cracked very easily, and they are expensive to replace too! I like the filter a lot after connected it with a more superior pump.
very nice filter, hope to get one one day! great review!
One very important info that is usually overlooked is noise.
An aquarium in a bedroom or in a place where you need to concentrate needs to be silent.
Please check it's decibel level
Nice Kraken hat! I'll be at the Oilers vs. Kraken game on March 18th. I'm not sure if I'm more excited to visit Aquarium Co-Op or watch the hockey game. Love the channel. Sincercly, one newbie Canadian fish keeper.
I have another Kraken hat too! Love that we finally got NHL here in Seattle. I hope you have a blast at the game!
@@BentleyPascoe Eberle and Larsen, a couple of beauties.
If it doesn't set you back too much please do the Biohome. I saw one youtuber who said he tested it but his methodology wasn't precise. Since objective testing is your lane you could help clarify how well it really does work. Disclosure, after mechanical filtration I am running fluval ceramic rings and in the next basket biohome in my fluval 407. It's lightly planted and so far one of the smoothest trouble free new tank set ups I've had.
I run a Eheim 2217.. I'd highly recommend the Eheim Mech but put it in media bags..Look forward to seeing this bad boy up and running 🏃♂️
Nice review, and the new scape is starting to settle in nicely.
Your question was fun though, "Amazing build quality or overpriced?" Generally those two things go together with intent. But, you're correct to highlight it.
With higher end products, you're paying more for additional features such as easier maintenance, more durable materials, longer life spans, or adjustable rates.
They are overpriced if you don't value those additions. And they're worth it if you do value them.
Agreed, but sometimes those premiums aren't worth it. We'll see how this fares, if we see early corrosion for example, absolutely not worth it as the stainless wouldn't be up to spec.
@@BentleyPascoe Fair point
A canister with all that open space makes me feel so uncertain. The freedom is almost too much. 😂
Looking forward to seeing what you do with it.
My concern would be water channelling if you dont pack it perfectly
Fluval fx media for sure. I love my fx6, I will love have fx2 for my 55 gallon
Nice, I've been looking at these for months. Once my 13+ year old Rena dies, I'm planning to try one of these. But it just won't give up. It's barely slowed down and there was one point where it went uncleaned for over 4 years (stocking was low, but yeah it was too long, lol). I plan to just plug the FZone into the Rena's inlet and spray bar. I can cut sponges and fill it with media I have on hand. I run anoxic now, so this open space style canister is ideal. Love to see how it works for you.
How long do you think you'll run it before an update? Just curious.
I might do two updates like one about a month or so in maybe two months more likely and then final one something like 6 months later after. It's sad it worked for a while.
I bought a stainless steel beer hopper 300 micron strainer ripped off the arms on the top washed it then filled it with eco complete crushed lava rock put that in the Fzone filter cut to shape black foam that i made into a sandwich with Polly fill and put it in the filter on top layer by layer but make sure there is a foam pad before the last metal hold down trap to not get the lose Polly fill in the motor, ohh and 6 letters of purigen also fit in this bad boy filter!1
Using a beer hopper is an interesting idea!
If I remember right Pond Guru is a big fan of the waffled sponges. The only other thing I would recommend is polishing pads. Put them btwn the sponge & media bags. Good luck.
I can't recall where I've seen the ones I got, but they're a perfect fit and sizeable.
fzone go big or go home they say lol just got mine I love it and looks dame good with a co2 set up
spiffy looking filter
I have been looking at these F Zone canisters and they definitely peeked my interest as well. Curious as to what your conclusion is on this one. I drank the kool aid on the B.H ultimate, I felt that it is a good media. To test its biological effectiveness you would have to do some sort of control test tanks to get some hard numbers I feel though. Personally I like it but I have only used it in sumps and the B.H. gravel in some corner old box filters. I have never ran it in a canister and my only concern would be that I do get little sediment from it in the bottom of my sump when I maintenance it. Lots of good medias out there though. As always thank you for the video.
Test the biohome would make interesting content, I feel like biohome isn't as good as pondguru makes out
If I could design a canister filter, it would be almost this exact design. But with tweaks. That thing is crazy oversized. A quality filter with that much biological, should handle a 800gal. For a 40 gallon tank? Crazy huge!
I love my wife. 🤣
I think the Biohome would be the way to go
In my opinion this isn't worth it. All that money just for the canister. I would rather just buy an Oase with built in heater and everything you need. Great video and content
What about using Matrix and Sponges?
You should try a BCB Bag like Dr. Novak
If I were to try some version of anoxic set up, I would want to test it without plants to prove/disprove some of the claims surrounding it.
Trying to buy this thing and I guess it’s been sold out for months.
Good morning Bentley 🙂
Pondguru specifically will recommend against bio home in a planted tank because you don't want the "full cycle" and do want nitrates.
I would use....
2x course foam
1x fine foam
Eheim mech or sicce similar mech or fluval mech
Eheim substrat pro, matrix, or lava rock.
What else is there? you can only ever have a "full cycle". There is no other option. Any other guidance is frankly blowing smoke.
The "cycle" is colonization of two families of prokaryote nitrifies. They are either in your aquarium, or your pond, or they are not. What regulates how many of they you have is: the amount of substrate they colonize, the amount of nutrients they have to survive on (in this case, their most limiting rate nutrient are ammonia or nitrites), and how much competition they have from other microbes for space and habitat.
But they always provide the same biopathways. And they are in fact providing only two steps out of dozens, when you consider the entire nitrogen cycle for which it's named after.
The closest actual mechanism that comes close to any thing less than the full cycle, is when the two groups of nitrifying bacteria start dying back, because plants are out competing them for ionic ammonia. But, the nitrogen cycle is still present.
You can't choose to not have the "full cycle", we don't yet have that capability with modern science. And I'm not trying to be overly critical of you, I'm trying to eviscerate your source because that statement is not grounded in evidence.
You can only ever have denser colonies of these microbes, sparser colonies, or no colonies. You can't realistically elect to have only parts. A more accurate description is: you want to create an environment to have a lower density of substrate for colonization, because you know plants will be competing with them. But you're still keeping the exact same steps in the nitrogen cycle.
I was looking at getting this filter, but unfortunately it’s not available here in Australia 🇦🇺 😢
BENTLEY YOUR DAD IS A METAL WORKER YOU CAN ASK HIM TO MAKE AN OUTLET PIPE OUT OF STAINLESS STEEL
I cannot tell a lie. Really wished this first look included a media load and an up an running deep dive.
There will be a follow up for set up
Great. I'll watch for it. Thanks
I've seen this filter before thanks for the video but I think I'll just stick with the fx4 and 6 seems to me as of now they're still in the lead for me anyways
Hold in the rack for the stainless pipes? It shouldn’t weaken the self much.
If I were more handy that would be a good idea
@@BentleyPascoe maybe a friend where you live. Just hole saw a little bigger than hose. clean hole edges to make it pretty. Drill from bottom so you can get close enough to tank…maybe next time.
Be careful with the "same as ada one except"...
Quality of material aside, there is likely some pretty significant assembly quality differences. Welding quality, material thickness, grate design, pump quality, and deburrs being a few.
Well in this case Fzone welds parts not even the ADA one does. I'll talk about it more in another video later. There is some build quality that is better decision wise, but the question is execution right?
Seachem matrix and Purigen
I'm really curious about Biohome Ultimate. It's been running with good success in a number of my Oase biomaster filters but I always come back to the nagging feeling that it doesn't do any better job than most any other media.
I watch a video of a guy who did a nitrate test and to make a long story short after his controlled study biohome did nothing for nitrates where as seachem matrix actually worked on removing nitrates .....I to have biohome n it's annoying because it's not cheap
👍🏻👍🏻
I have one. Nice cannister but cheap pump
So is it essentially a sump?
Sorta, it's still a canister in the grand scheme of things, but a little more open like a sump would be
The media capacity is impressive but I couldn't afford that much brightwater media, lol. I'm a keep it simple guy so will probably stick with my FX filters.
I would save a couple hundred dollars and get an Eheim classic 600 (2217). I have been running 9 Eheim classic series filters for well over 10 years without a single problem………oh god they are all going to stop working tomorrow lol.
Eheim makes a great filter. I have a 2217 on another tank actually
As an owner of a ADA es1200
This a bad copy of it. The ADA you get everything. While this looks like an ADA it is a bad copy having seen it in person.
Perhaps, but I sincerely doubt it's worth the $800+ to step up to ADA.
@@BentleyPascoe if you actually care it is the pump on the ADA an iwaki pump is a 300 dollar pump. An the cheap dc controlled model. Having been in the aquarium hobby for 60 years. I don’t buy junky knock offs anymore. Don’t have the money to waste of their short comings.
Big bag of crushed lavarock, cheap and lots of service area.
I'm not going to lie, that product along with the ADA one looks like someone repurposed a wall vac steel company to make an aquarium filter, or something strange. I would advise against stainless steel for fresh and salt aquariums because even medicinal levels of salt will over time cause corrosion on even stainless steel, especially around the welds or exposed edges. this is a gimmick product which doesn't belong in aquariums. send that crap back man.
Part of this is testing the product. If the stainless is not to spec and we see corrosion, then we ensure we can show the problem. Assuming we maintain it correctly, especially if medicinal salt usage is done, we should not see problems (if the material is to spec), so it creates a situation worth testing.
Fluval all the way Biohome did not impress me
No way, not in a million years would I spend that kinda money on basically a stainless steel cylinder with a pump mounted on top!! Can buy FOUR SunSun 704B's for the total cost to get this filter set up and running and have a 10x better filter to boot that'll hold as much if not more filter media. These stainless steel filters are nothing more than a fad right now is all. Oooo, pretty stainless steel, pbbbb.
Function over form I say. 🙂
Those sunsuns won't last you an eternity like the steel will. Yes, it's expensive, but Sunsun has numerous build quality issues in their products that lead to leaks, break downs, and in some cases melting their plastic housings.
@@BentleyPascoe Where ON EARTH did you get that info about the SunSun *704B's*? I've currently got 9 of them running with zero issues. Six of them have been going nonstop for over 6 years, 2 for more than 4 years and the other one I just set up about 6-7 months ago. No pump failures, no leaks and no melting or whatever you mentioned. If you're getting your info off reviews from Amazon etc etc, you know as well as me that 90% of reviews are BS, and done by idiots who have no clue how to set something up, and to be honest, should get out of the aquarium/fish keeping hobby.
@@gunnerneikoify not all of the feedback is based on the 704B model specifically. In the past one of the built in UV models was notorious for getting too hot and melting the plastic housing. Others are known for leaks. Etc.
@@BentleyPascoe Yeah, I've seen that issue with the UV also. My research on that subject showed that almost all of those cases were due to user error though, installing a much higher wattage UV bulb after the original burn out. I debating installing a higher wattage bulbs myself in my 704B's but then COMMON SENSE got the better of me!!! As for leaking, I'd be willing to bet that was user error also in 99.9% of the cases. O-ring improperly installed and/or just jamming the powerhead down on the canister instead of taking it easy and carefully pressing it down so as not to screw the o-ring up!!! Also, not lubing the o-ring up before installing. It's all these things that just takes a little common sense (which our society is lacking more and more of each and everyday) to avoid *USER ERROR* problems. I also read a review of a knucklehead who complained that his sunsun shorted out and practically caught on fire. Hmmm, well if you don't want to use the UV feature after the bulb burns out, when you take the bulb out, you have to still install the clear tube that normally incases the bulb, otherwise water is going to flood onto the bulbs electrical conections.. I mean, come one, that was the sunsuns fault!?!?!?
Line I said before, this is someone who needs to get out of the hobby if that's all the brains that they have. Those are the types of people that try to use a blow dryer in the bathtub and think it's the blow dryers fault that the got electrocuted and then post a bad review of said blow dryer.