Another update!

Elouise has been upgraded to a 20 gallon with a Fluval U2 filter. She's super awesome, and I'm really attached to the silly little critter. I've had her since July. She's grown so much on her steady diet of earthworms.

She's adorable They're so easy to fall in love with!

That first one is so yellow, like a little lemon :grin:

Big fan of the U2 myself.

I am really loving the U2. It's a really nice filter.

Elouise seems to be pretty happy with it too.

Fluval U2 hey? Why would you guys recommend it? I'm in the market for a new filter and am having trouble deciding...biggest problem I keep encountering is the flow levels are too strong, and the sponge filter I have just doesn't cut it.

I agree. Those gilled thingies are so easy to love

AxieMama said:

Fluval U2 hey? Why would you guys recommend it? I'm in the market for a new filter and am having trouble deciding...biggest problem I keep encountering is the flow levels are too strong, and the sponge filter I have just doesn't cut it.

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I really like it. The flow is strong, but it is manageable. It has three outputs choices: top nozzle, bottom nozzle, and a gentler flow grate between the nozzles. If it seems to stronger you can kind of half twist it to beak up the flow between two of those options. I have mine mostly at the top nozzle, and in a decorated 20 high, it doesn't seem to give Elouise any problems. She has plenty of places to get in or out of the current as she feels necessary. Of course, she spends mostly of her time in the front gazing longingly at us (she' s in our computer room) because she wants an earthworm.

If the U2 seems too strong there is always the U1.

I like it because it is easy to change the media and allows for a lot of media customization. I am a fish keeper first, and an axolotl owner second, so that kind of flexibility is important to me. There also doesn't seem to be as big of chance for water missing media (like in a hang on the back or the old whisper internals) so it seems much more efficient. I have also had nothing but good luck with Fluval filters, and I am currently running a Fluval 306 and the U2, and own the little mini one.

The U series also aren't super unsightly like some filters can be. I mean, it looks like a filter, but it looks sleek.

AxieMama said:

Fluval U2 hey? Why would you guys recommend it? I'm in the market for a new filter and am having trouble deciding...biggest problem I keep encountering is the flow levels are too strong, and the sponge filter I have just doesn't cut it.

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I'd recommend getting a sponge filter. They barely produce any flow and my axies have never looked healthier.

Filters really only serve as a breeding ground for your beneficial bacteria, as they increase the surface area in your tank. All those little floss fibers are covered in bacteria. They only secondarily remove waste from the water column. And that's only an artifact of the nature of moving fresh water over the filter floss.

If you're having issues with your water quality, it means you're not removing enough waste from the tank often enough. Axolotls can be raised just fine with no filter at all, provided you do enough siphoning of the substrate and water changes.