Fluval 207 Canister Filter Review: The Ultimate Analysis!

Finding a water filter for your 20 – 45 gallon aquarium tank is mostly a twofold thing.

First off, you want something that’s quiet, efficient, and up to the job. Secondly, let’s face it… you want something that looks good and goes well with your carefully-built aquarium setup.

In this post, we’re going to review the Fluval 207 Performance Canister Filter and at a glance, it looks like it delivers what you need.

While there are two more iterations for higher volume (the 307 and 407), the 207 is designed to move 206 gallons per hour quietly, efficiently, and at a low yearly energy cost.

Fluval has been producing quality aquarium goods since 1955 and in 1975, they introduced the first 3-stage water filter and it was definitely a game changer.

The modern Fluval 207 certainly looks nice, with its solemn black exterior and striking red lift handle, but does it stand up to the hype? Let’s find out in this Fluval 207 review!

Is Fluval 207 Canister for you? – Our Score 9 / 10!

For those of you with an approximately 45 gallon tank, the Fluval 207 is an excellent fit.

Sidenote: If you have a larger tank, then one of the higher-volume models such as the Fluval 307 or Fluval 407 would be a better fit.

Not only does it have a sleek appearance, but it’s quite efficient and easy to use. 

We’ll tell you more about it in the sections to come so that you’ll have a better mental picture of exactly what you’re getting with the Fluval 207.

What We Like About Fluval 207 Performance Canister

The Fluval 207 Performance canister starts off very strong with its ease of use and quiet functioning. This is the kind of filter that you can place, plug in, and leave alone for a good 3 months. We aren’t kidding about the quiet functioning either.

These models incorporate a diamond-polished alumina shaft and a liquid crystal polymer rotor. With added sound dampener shafts, you’ve got a filter that you’ll find yourself checking to make sure that it’s actually on until you’ve gotten used to it!

It also keeps the water pristinely clear and we found that between one aqua clear treatment and the surrounding polyfill, the water quality in the tank was nothing short of excellent.

What We Don’t Like About Fluval 207 Performance Canister

There are always caveats, of course, so in the interest of fairness we’ll go over what we didn’t like about the Fluval.

Starting off, regular maintenance is not something that you can skip. This unit MUST be cleaned every 3 months, because if you don’t then compression can cause the main seal to be compromised and to leak. 

We would have liked a firmer clamping mechanism, as well. While it fits nicely into your setup, we feel that a little stronger grip for a filter with this kind of power would be ideal. 

Flow reduction is handled by manual adjustment, rather than a digital selection or a power-based scheme. You have to physically adjust it and not everyone will be happy with this, excepting old-school enthusiasts who don’t completely trust the digital offerings on the market.

Finally, you need to be very careful not to overfill the trays or you can get micro bubbles. A good silicone grease can help to remediate this, but if you didn’t know that then you might have spent a little time frustrated trying to track and stop those little bubbles.  

Pros & Cons 

PROS	CONS
Very quiet operation	Clamping mechanism fits but could be tighter
Stylish black and red looks sharp on any setup	MUST be cleaned every 3 months to maintain seal integrity
Ease of use – very ‘plug and play’	Micro bubbles may occur from overfilling
Energy efficient – less than $18 a year to run	Mechanical-style flow constriction, rather than digital

What’s Included?

• AquaStop valve
• Bio-Foam
• Bio-Foam Max
• Bio-Foam+
• Carbon 70 g
• Instruction manual
• Intake stem with intake strainer
• Intake strainer
• Intake tube
• Media basket
• Media basket cover
• Media basket handle
• Output nozzle
• Pre-Filter basket
• Quick-Clear
• Ribbed hosing
• Rim connectors
• Rubber hose connectors
• Suction cup (30 mm)

All in all, you’ve got everything that you need to get started – Fluval doesn’t appear to be skimping on anything, and this is always reassuring. There’s nothing worse than getting your product and finding out that you need to run to the store for ‘one more part’ to make it work. 

With this package, you’ve got what you need to install it and get it running with no trips on the side.

Technical Specifications

Filter dimensions	7.5” x 7” x 16.5
Energy Usage	10 watts
Pump/Gallons moved per hour	206 U.S. Gallons per hour
Filter Circulation	121 U.S. gallons per hour
Water column height Max	1.45 meter/57 inches
Tank capacity rating	20 – 45 U.S. gallons

Features

• Reduced energy consumption
• Performs quietly
• Ergonomically designed
• Dampening technology to reduce vibration during use
• EZ Lift baskets allow for quick no-mess media-stack maintenance
• Powerful pump that will last – provided you clean it every 3 months as recommended

The Fluval 207 is the kind of filter we’ve come to expect from Fluval. Ergonomically designed, we really liked the ease with which you can manipulate the media stack. With the EZ lift, you can do so without making a mess and using only one finger – very impressive. 

The pump is also quite powerful and we really noticed the clarity difference in the water.

What has changed?

The Fluval 207 has been modified to be 25% quieter than the previous models and the Aquastop function allows you to immediately halt the filter without splashing – a nice touch that the previous models were missing. 

The addition of the red handle as a style choice is also nice, and enlarged rubber-feet have been added to this design to make it more stable than earlier iterations of the Fluval filters.

Finally, the energy requirements for this generation model and onward are similar to what you would use if you were running an LED light bulb in your bedside lamp – pretty remarkable all on its own! 

Final Verdict

So, what’s the final verdict on the Fluval 207 Canister Filter? We’re happy to say that we give this product a 9 out of 10 and we’ll tell you why. 

First off, the reason we didn’t give a solid 10 was the clamping mechanism. It’s a small detail, mind you, as it does fit securely into the aquarium and the enlarged rubber feet help to ensure this, but we would have liked it to be completely immovable and that simply wasn’t the case.

That said, it’s definitely a powerful pump, and Fluval has put a lot of love into the design. As quiet as it is, you’ll have an adjustment period before you know exactly how it should look when it’s performing and for the first few days, you might even think it’s off. This is pretty astounding.

The energy consumption, along with the amazing filtration, really sealed the deal. The crystal-clarity that it gives the water helps to ensure that your aquarium setup always looks pristine and that the tank inhabitants have the fresh, well-filtered water to keep them happy and healthy.

We can definitely say that the Fluval 207 Performance Canister filter is a highly recommended product and worth trying!

Suggested Further Reading: 

• Fluval E Series Aquarium Heater Review!
• Best Sponge Filters For Betta Fish Tank