Shorter tube for Fluval FX6 intake valve? Please help!

[Steve317]

The intake valve tube that comes with my Fluval FX6 is too long. It pushes the valve right against the deep sand substrate. I CANNOT find shorter tube that has these dimensions - 1” at top and 3/4” at bottom as far as I can tell. I have looked all over. In the mean time, there is no tube attached and I have lost several fish that have been sucked up into the intake hose, including some beloved ones.

I am frankly pissed at Fluval. This filter costs like a gajillion dollars and leaves you with one hose that is not adjustable enough. If it can’t fit in a 75 gallon tank, they have been negligent in providing enough options. This has cost me a lot of money and heartbreak in fish, despite a LOT of effort on my part to find a solution. If you bought a Lexus and the seatbelts weren’t adjustable, it would be egregious, and that’s how this feels.  Regardless, I am hoping someone can offer a solution.

[Guppysnail]

I just looked up the intake and it is a bit different than the 07’s with the telescope feature but still looks to be made of the same hard plastic.  I like shorter tanks so had to cut down 4-6. If the one you have has that telescoping intake (07s do not) extend it the entire way so you don’t cut through the telescope portion. I use a finely serrated knife or hand saw blade. Cut the end that attaches to the rubber fitting and hose tube. The rubber fitting that secures it to the hose will still create a good seal. 

Welcome to the forum 

[Torrey]

On 2/20/2022 at 3:34 AM, Guppysnail said:

I just looked up the intake and it is a bit different than the 07’s with the telescope feature but still looks to be made of the same hard plastic.  I like shorter tanks so had to cut down 4-6. If the one you have has that telescoping intake (07s do not) extend it the entire way so you don’t cut through the telescope portion. I use a finely serrated knife or hand saw blade. Cut the end that attaches to the rubber fitting and hose tube. The rubber fitting that secures it to the hose will still create a good seal. 

Welcome to the forum 

I will add, after cutting as Guppysnail indicated, it pays long term to sand the cut portion... or, apply a hot iron really quick to smooth the plastic cut edge. (Not all spouses are okay with turning the iron into a plastic sealing iron, so I encourage discretion 😅)

[Jorgey]

Hi @Steve317. I'm running an FX6 on a 75 gallon as well.  I didn't care for the intake strainer on the FX6.  Not that there is anything wrong with it, but I have shrimp and occasionally fry in the tank and was worried that they all would get sucked up through wide slots in the strainer.  So, what I did was slide the telescoping part of the intake tube as far up inside of the main tube as possible and then used a Large Pre Filter Sponge from the coop.  It has worked really well and I've have ran this way for 3 years.  To the best of my knowledge, there has not been anything sucked in and it is far enough from the substrate that I'm not sucking any of that up either.  

The FX6 is really meant for a larger tank that what we are running it on, hence the long intake tube.  It would be nice if they provided a short intake tube as an optional part that you could purchase, but with a slight mod, it really does a great job and, at least in my case, very little maintenance.  

Good luck!