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** Fluval M Series, M is for Media Basket? **


inTank

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20150917_114041.jpg

 

M is for M40 - A normal designed AIO aquarium

 

M is for M60 & M90 - A terribly designed AIO aquarium where water flows in from the top, and stays at the top.

 

WTF was Hagen thinking? Don't worry M owners, inTank has a Media Basket planned that will fix that right up for you

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Someone in their design area have a total brain fart? Glad you are there for them Steve.

 

I was talking to their new guy at MACNA about it, their TV celebrity fish geek is no longer with Fluval. It was designed to be a fuge, OK great but it's still an AIO and you are going to trap tons of detritus with no flow and no chance of ever fishing out media bags with your arms. Plus chamber one always needs to exit out the bottom. Ugh..... The guy agreed (outside of his booth away from coworkers and in mine) and is very interested in what we come up with. Which once I saw the tank dry and on the ground took 1.5 seconds to figure out. I even can make something work now with an Oceanic Biocube 29 media basket and a Rimless 30/45 water director.

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Awesome timing! I was getting ready to get an M60! My lfs sells them for $350 with tank, stand, skimmer, everything but the light. The flow is whack, and while I like the frosted glass near the water line, I hate it being frosted near the glass, I was going to go bare bottom, now I'll have to think about it. The M40 would cost me $300 sans light.

 

So that said, does your basket compensate for the awful top-top-top flow, or in addition to getting your basket, should I try to do that a lot of the Euros are doing, which is flip the middle baffle so that the slots are on the bottom?

 

Can't believe you are coming out with these baskets now, I bet you could sell 10000 of them in Europe, this tank seems to be pretty big over there.

 

As soon as I decide between the M60 and M90, anyway. I have a Current Orbit Marine Pro 18-24 that was on my SpecV that might work on the M60, so I'm leaning that way.

 

After you release these for sale, I'm going to buy one and take it to show the guys at my lfs. They have dropped JBJ and Innovative Marine because of their lfs-unfriendly policies and are stocking all of the M series tanks. Maybe they would be interested in buying a few of these, since the owner jury-rigged a media basket for an M60 from a plastic breeder box, of all things.

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I REALLY like that the Fluval M series tanks have integrated drains.

 

But can totally imagine the drains leaking when some detritus or a snail gets in it!

 

Yeah, when I get mine I will likely do water changes the old-fashioned way and not tempt fate by using the drain.

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Awesome timing! I was getting ready to get an M60! My lfs sells them for $350 with tank, stand, skimmer, everything but the light.

 

So that said, does your basket compensate for the awful top-top-top flow, or in addition to getting your basket, should I try to do that a lot of the Euros are doing, which is flip the middle baffle so that the slots are on the bottom?

 

Can't believe you are coming out with these baskets now, I bet you could sell 10000 of them in Europe, this tank seems to be pretty big over there.

 

 

We finally got the tanks in, so I don't have any timing and any timing I give right now can't be quoted but hopefully by early winter/late fall. Our designer is kicking ass right now and these are going to the almost top of the to do list.

 

Our basket will fix, well hopefully fix for that terrible top to top to top flow. It's well retarded, as I told Fluval at MACNA. I've already got the idea to fix it, basically the basket will itself create another baffle, so water down through the basket, then up next to basket then out to 2nd chamber. Small space will be a great spot for a heater, or nothing, or a great bubble trap. Skimmers can go in the other chambers, there is tons of room. It's dumb to have them in the first chamber anyway.

 

I can see they are huge in Europe and that was a big decider for me, they are not as hot in the USA and there in only one distributor online that you can get them from. They drop ship from Hagen so don't know why that is. Seems more in the LFS but Hagen is known for that.

 

I like the water change feature. Ours came with lights, you don't want these lights.....

 

We will keep updates here, as always. new product alerts also here: http://goo.gl/iargG6

 

We're working on a few things right that should be just about buttoned up, but after that these go next in line (at least right now they do)

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I'm sure I can do a couple of months without a basket for the tank, or just throw something together out of egg crate until you come out with the real thing.

 

Is that like smoking crack when you can't get blow?

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After you release these for sale, I'm going to buy one and take it to show the guys at my lfs.

 

I emailed the guy from Fluval but no response yet. If you have a chance and your LFS has them set up, see if the 1st intake chamber is the same from the M60 and M90. I didn't bring in the M90 because my source didn't have it listed. Thanks.

I REALLY like that the Fluval M series tanks have integrated drains.

 

But can totally imagine the drains leaking when some detritus or a snail gets in it!

 

The bulkhead looks pretty good, the rest of the parts are from irrigation systems so good quality/easily sourced.

 

 

Is that like smoking crack when you can't get blow?

 

Pretty much and crack does not attract the hot hookers with the good AIDS. It's sad but well all have to sacrifice every now and then. I'll try and hurry these up best we can.

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I emailed the guy from Fluval but no response yet. If you have a chance and your LFS has them set up, see if the 1st intake chamber is the same from the M60 and M90. I didn't bring in the M90 because my source didn't have it listed. Thanks.

 

 

They have the 40 and 60 set up right now. They just got a 90 in Monday, but it arrived in pieces, so unless they haven't emptied the garbage I won't be able to check chamber sizes until they get the replacement in. I'll take measurements when that happens, but I'm guessing Fluval emails you back first.

 

For anyone out there interested in these tanks, here's what my LFS did with the M60 (insert obligatory apology for bad cell phone pic complete with coke machine reflection). Stock stuff with the addition of a WP10 and an AI Prime (yup, just one).

 

IuM0TYU.jpg

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The bottom frosting makes no sense. Maybe better with a deeper white sandbed, maybe.

 

I don't mind the frosting on the top, but with it on the bottom, I'm pretty much obligated to have a 1" white sand bed. Pity I can't scrape off the frosting without scratching the crap out of the glass.

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We finally got the tanks in, so I don't have any timing and any timing I give right now can't be quoted but hopefully by early winter/late fall. Our designer is kicking ass right now and these are going to the almost top of the to do list.

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What they need to do is turn the baffle upside down when installing. It's just silicone in unlike being molded and will completely fix their dumb design. All future tanks could be built this way....


 

 

If you can't wait for the M series basket, StevieT turned me on to a good combo that works well:

 

Is the basket all the way under the water, like even the top? No way to drop the water level I suppose as chamber one will mymic the display? And heck they all might be the same with this dumb fluval design.

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Yeah, and I'm too much of a DIY fail to try it. I'm sure others could take out the baffle, flip it, and silicone it back with no problem. Also, the 3rd chamber with the pump is so stagnant it gets a nice slime coat on the water :(

 

Other than those minor things, I can't complain considering the price I paid for the tank/stand/skimmer/junk.

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Is the basket all the way under the water, like even the top? No way to drop the water level I suppose as chamber one will mymic the display? And heck they all might be the same with this dumb fluval design.

 

The top of the basket is about half an inch underwater. I probably could lower the water level a bit if you think that would help, as the water level is also about a half inch above where the frosted glass starts.

LOL it needs a koralia 240 in the pump chamber.

 

I'm hoping the IM reactor I'm going to put in there will help with that :P

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The top of the basket is about half an inch underwater. I probably could lower the water level a bit if you think that would help, as the water level is also about a half inch above where the frosted glass starts.

 

I would just like to see water entering the basket and being forced through it, yet with this design who knows if that's even possible. You could make the back wall and sides taller.

 

 

Ah yes, the reactor would be a nice little pump

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