SunSun HW-302 3-Stage External Canister Filter, 264 GPH
I have the 302 and 303B, both running for months. They are quiet and efficient. My tanks have never looked better or been healthier. The 302 was my first canister filter, so it did take me some time to figure it out. Instructions could definitely be improved. I had read other reviews that advised to prefill the canister with water to simplify priming, and it worked like a charm. The first cleaning was an adventure trying to figure out how to get the media baskets out and back in correctly, but again, once learned its no big deal. Bottom line, you can't beat these filters for the price.I know that there are a lot of complaints about the setup of this filter, but given the price point I went for it anyway. Let me just say I am super impressed with it. I have it on a fully planted 50 gallon aquarium and it has cut my maintenance of the system down to almost nill beyond water changes.The canister only comes with filter-floss like pads for the three baskets and you have to provide your own media. I ended up stacking all three pads into one basket and getting ceramic rings, scrubby pads and charcoal for the other two. My tank has never been so clear and I only even check on the canister about once every three to four weeks. Not to mention that the filter is almost dead silent.
As far as the setup goes, sure the hoses are a little stiff, and the directions are general for all of the canisters that this company sells, but honestly this is my first canister filter and it was not that difficult for me to setup.
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I am new to canister filters and decided to purchase this one due to price. While that is not always a good idea in this case it was. It came with everything I needed to get started and was super easy to set up. Also the cost of maintaining it is super low compared to regular cartriage filters.Read Best Reviews of SunSun HW-302 3-Stage External Canister Filter, 264 GPH Here
I have been using one of these filters for around four years (bought mine off ebay when they first showed up) on my 29 gallon planted aquarium, only had to replace the impeller once. Just keep up on maintenance (which i am not the best at) and you wont have any problems.The surface skimmer works well, i have to heat the "fingers" and bend them upward when i first set it up to improve skimmer performance. (just used really hot water)
I still use the original filtration media, nothing has broke down except the white fine filtration pads, finally ordered a pack of those earlier this year.
The impeller is pretty durable, it has had to deal with chomping up on MTS and ramshorn snails that have ventured into the intake over the years.
The media baskets have held up well, no cracks yet, plenty of room for various media. The water flow goes from bottom tray, to top, then back to the tank.
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Like the 3 stage media holders all with fine filter pad with each one fast and easy assembly and easy priming would buy another one any day of the weekAqualight 20 96W 6700K Quad Power Compact Strip

- Sleek aluminum housing is durable & looks beautiful
- This high output fixtures includes two built in cooling fans
- Built in electronic ballast
- Highly polished reflector, and an acrylic splash guard and lens
- Includes a 96w Quad Tube 6700k Bulb
It can be hard to find a PC Quad this size. I was very pleased to find this light!
It has fans, which keep it (and your water) cooler.
It's heavy-duty it has survived a few short dunks in the water.
It has stayed clean (no dust or corrosion of parts).
Switch is covered in rubber, protecting it from wear and exposure to water.
Negative:
The lid is a bit wide if using it on a 10 gallon with a hang-on-the-back filter, a glass lid probably won't open.
It got a bit noisy after the first month of use. Cleaning the fans out regularly helps with this.
Notes:
The fans and lights are controlled by one cord and one switch. It's all on, or none of it is.
PC bulbs need to be replaced every 6-12 months to preserve spectrum, although they last for years. (I use mine to winter my plants when I put new ones on the aquariums.)
All in all, I would buy it again!
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I've started replacing all my T5s and T8s systems with this light on 55 gallon aquariums. All my tanks are heavily planted with high to low light needs. This light has been outstanding for my plant growth and colors. The replacement bulbs are a bit more expensive than 5s and 8s but last much longer without dimming with age. High output LEDs are just too expensive and still don't match the quality of this lighting system. I've bought three of these system and all have performed fantastic.Read Best Reviews of Aqualight 20 96W 6700K Quad Power Compact Strip Here
This light is the perfect size for my 30 cube tank, This size and type is hard to find and my plants are loving the 3watts per gallon I'm getting. This light does penetrate the deeper tank well and looks very stylish. Very glad I found it.Want Aqualight 20 96W 6700K Quad Power Compact Strip Discount?
I bought this for a very tall 55g hexagon shaped tank. This tank requires a lot of light penetration but leaves little room for the typical sized fixtures for this volume of water. This size was perfect for the top of the tank, and left enough room to place a second fixture of this size on top if I decided to get some high maintenance flora. The color spectrum is as advertised, on the blue end of daylight. Great for freshwater.I only have two criticisms. First, as mentioned, the fans are noisy. Far more so than the canister filter I'm using, which sits outside of my tank stand. Secondly, and this may be due to the seller (MarineandReef), there was no documentation included. I would have at least enjoyed seeing some warranty information.
Overall, a very good product, and I would buy again.
Green Killing Machine Internal 24 Watts UV Sterilizer with Power Head
I have a 50 Gal Tank, with a variety of community fish appx 20 fish total, i have 2 snails, and a pleco. the tank is filtered by Fluval 305.When i first set the tank up it was great, water couldnt be clearer. over time, it would accumulate floating algae (ALOT),so much algae that you could not see any of the fish, or any of the ornaments, and i would be doing anywhere from 20% to 50% water changes every week or every other week because it would get so bad, and sometimes the water changes would have very little to no effect on slowing down the algae growth. i DID NOT want to try chemicals because i find alot of people say that it just stresses out the fish, and i didnt want to try chemical treatment also because i didnt like the idea of having it in the water. so i started doing some research on how to make the situation better. i saw alot of diffrent styles of UV sterilizers (more expensive in MOST cases) and the fact that you need to buy/or already have a power head for them was not helping the situation financially. i came across AA's product and read a dozen reviews or so, where 9 out of 10 were positive.
i really love the fact that it is self contained, has it's own pump, filter, and UV light.. the instructions lack quality images and is a bit cumbersome to follow at first, but when you sit down and actually just look at the image of the unit on the box, you can figure out how to put it together yourself. the reason i bought the (24W) unit is because i felt that i had maybe a worse case than usual algae problem because there is sunlight from 2 windows hitting the tank (by the way, i tried cutting the light out of the tank, did not work)
Setup took literally 10 min, from out of the box to running in the tank, and was NO HASSLE at all. the first 24 hrs or so, i didn't really see a difference. then at 48 hrs i started to see like a milky but clearer situation in the tank, at the end of the third day, things were looking good but not perfect yet, finally on ONLY the 4th day, i can see not only the fish and ornaments, but straight through to the back of the tank!. i feel that this product works Extremely Efficiently and is a must have for anyone with algae/bacteria problems. the money i used to buy this product was very well spent, and i don't think there is a better unit within the price range to beat this. i can expect that in the next few days or so the water WILL BE clearer than tap water (ive read in reviews that its actually clearer than bottled water), i am very much looking forward to this.
i would give this product 10 stars out of 5 , that is how much i love it. it works great, IS QUIET (cant hear it AT ALL), and is very easy to set up. Would recommend to Everyone with an aquariumWith no UV sterilizer installed I have insane algae issues with my turtle tank. Think Shamrock Shake. A full water change and this Green Killing Machine installed and there's no sign of algae developing 2 weeks in. It's in a 75 gallon tank. I like that it lives inside the tank, so there's no potential for leaking. The setup they have to power the UV lamp and the included powerhead from one AC adapter is pretty spiffy. I replaced a leaking 15W Pentair Lifeguard with this, and it's 24W vs the Pentair's 15W, for half the cost.
It's toy-like product name and low price had me a little dubious of its quality, but so far its living up to it's title.
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Keeping fish for the past 40 years and experimeting with U.V Sterilizers for the past seven my read on them is that tanks fitted with the right sized unit is a definite plus. What had put me off about UV systems was the need for pumps, tubing , plumbing and the overall hassle of installing them .This unit includes the pump requires no hoses or tubing to run and nothing extra to buy you can literally take this out of the box, attach inside your tank or sump, plug it in and that's that.
Regarding the selling of UV in general there is far to much emphasis on green algae. Removing algae is little more than a side benefit. What UV does extremely well is remove disease causing pathogens and harmful bacteria from the water. Especially important in well stocked tanks. What U. V sterilizers do is pull in water which flows past an encased in clear quartz tube and is exposed to UV light, which kills up to 99% of harmful pathogens. So more important than GPH or anything else for that matter is the exposure time with which water passes by the UV bulb.
I think marketing this as a "Green Killing Machine" is probably a smart idea and would get the attention of hobbyists who otherwise could give a hoot about the other benefits of UV. However if your algae is due to things like too much full spectrum light, over feeding or poor water water parameters this is just a bandaid that will only at it's best disguise the real and significant problems facing your aquarium.
What is more, this unit a incedibly cumbersome three seperate components and a myraid of wires both inside and outside the tank make this a potentially dangerous product for fish as well as humans. Much like the spiral design of the Coral Life systems, the zig zag interior of this system employs this same kind of theory in design to add as much exposure time to the UV and in my book that trumps GPG ratings which are usually false to begin with. However, this isn't to say GPH isn't important of course it is and this is also the key area of this design that's lacking.
The MFG doesn't list the GPH because it's so terribly low. Using a Hach instrumentation flow meter which works on sound waves and runs about 3 grand this pump has a flow rate of 11.2 GHP which is unacceptable for any size tank even though the unit contains a whopping 24 watt UV lamp. In addition remember UV can't penetrate glass without being diluted hence, quartz fashioned into a true lens is used as housing. Because the unit is effective although extremly slow my best guess is fused glass is used. Fused glass is a combination of quartz and glass and is a fraction of the cost of pure quartz. To replace the cover of the included 24 watt bulb with pure quartz at a rock bottom price would cost you $65-$75
The enormous tangle of wires and having the control box outside on the wall or back of the tank is an accident waiting to happen not to mention, the suction cups used on the outside are weak and the unit falls off frequently. They call this "child proofing" -and it's nonsense. Any child is going to be more inclined to pull something off the tank that's just sitting there than figure out a way to get their hands into the aquarium.
Take a pass on this particular unit until they at least address it's many flaws.
** Never use a UV Sterilizer in a new or still cycling aquarium, these are for established aquariums only Plus you don't need to run UV 24/7 twelve hours a day or less is fine for most applications. It's a good idea to plug the unit into a dedicated power strip or use with a timer since these don't have an on/off switch**
** You can increase the efficiency of any UV Steelier, your filter and the overall health of your tank by adding a small water circulator. If you don't need a power head these are ideal. The keep the current in your tank even and eliminate cold and hot spots. The temperature will be uniform. The current keeps particulate matter waterborne making it easier for things like filters and UV systems to do a better job. Brown algae and green algae spores are poor swimmers, the current helps keep them from attaching to tank walls and sides and off any ornaments, dried corals, rocks and so on.
I recommend the ones by Aqueon they're silent, do a great job, install right out of the box and are a fraction of the cost of most others.
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My 120 gallon tank gets a good bit of natural light. I set it up in October and about 2 months later the water went from clear to slime green in a couple days. I couldn't see an inch into the tank. I did some research, but decided with the natural light that it would probably come back, so I got the green killing machine and hoped for the best. My water cleared up about a day after putting it in the tank and has stayed clear!Want Green Killing Machine Internal 24 Watts UV Sterilizer with Power Head Discount?
Sure it clears the water. Help get rid of things like ich? Doubt it natural supplements like garlic have been the trick for me. Another reviewer mentioned the cables, yeah they are a little messy. The suction cups on the powerbox stink, they hold for about 3 hours on clean glass. The suction cups on the unit itself do not hold at all. I have this in my refugium and its not mounted because it wont stay mounted... Clean the sponge/prefilter often. It does clear up green water /excessive algae but i didnt have a problem with that anyway. A friend had turned me on to this as he had problem algae and this did great work in a matter of days. Water changes and good husbandry would do the same though... I wouldnt buy this again but i wouldnt discourage you from buying it since it is available at the major pet store chains and replacement parts/units are available and its cheap.Exotic Environments Medieval Castle Aquarium Ornament
This is the big version of the medieval castle ornament by Exotic Environment, which make really good quality aquarium ornaments with beautiful details.There is a hole at the back that let your shy fishes or eel to swim into the castle to hide and peer its head out at the front gate of the castle.
Good size ornament for 15 gallons fish tank and up.
Unless you want to use this ornament as the centerpiece of your tank in a small aquarium.
It's 8" by 5" footprint will take up a considerable real estate in the small fish tank.The product was beautiful even more so then depicted in the picture. We have a 55 gallon tank and it was a perfect addition to the tank. I am new at this whole fish tank thing and I foolishly took the ornament out of the box and put it directly into the tank with out washing or rinsing it off. The next day all my fish were floating in one corner barely surviving. I took a sample of the water to the pet store and they gave me products to bring my water back to safe level! Within two days the fish were happy again, I did loose one of my pink kissing fish though. However this is not a complaint against the seller or product, just a hint to anyone else make sure you wash and rinse the product before you put it in the tank!
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The description is right on with this decoration. I have a tall fifteen gallon tank from petco and it fits perfect. The only dislike I have is that the right side tower doesn't have an escape so any food can get caught up in there. Other than that it is perfect if you wants something tall especially for the price.Read Best Reviews of Exotic Environments Medieval Castle Aquarium Ornament Here
What a fun, functional, good looking castle in our aquarium we love it and it seems to intrigue our fish!Want Exotic Environments Medieval Castle Aquarium Ornament Discount?
The Blue is very "blue"...It looks proportionaltly decent in a 29 high tank..not many ornaments do.Only Con to it is that on the top of the "flat part" of the castle..the right hand, outer portion looks cut off.
I turned the castle slightly in a position on the right of the aquarium & unless you are sitting on that side you can't tell.
The fish seem to like it & it suited my asthetic needs. Good Product, shipped fast.
Jardin Fish Tank Aquarium Biochemical Sponge Pump Filter Black
AquaClear 20 Activated Carbon, 1.5 Ounce
this is a good product that made my tank crystal clear within hours of replacing the filter, carbon, and biomax.I like the pouch the carbon comes in and the easy sizing (for your tank) written large on the front of the box this is a no brainer for me to select the right product every time or even have someone pick it up for me.Buy AquaClear 20 Activated Carbon, 1.5 Ounce Now
This comes in a three pack for under $3 a filter. So I find it worthwhile to buy the 3 pack and save the money and the hassle of not having to reorder or go out and purchase locally every time I need to change it out.Other than that, the Aqua Clear carbon works just as well as anything else.
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be aware when buying this it is only 1 carbon pack. i thought it was 3, i did not pay attention. other than that the product was fine.I don't know if buying the carbon in a one pack is the same as buying it in the 3 pack, but the 3 pack carbon I bought from Aquaclear had an eerie odor when I opened the packages. I would suggest that people buy their own activated carbon in bulk and pack it yourself in these nylon bags that you can buy separately for about three dollars.Nature Aquarium Polished Glass Gravel - Blue Glass Gravel 8 oz. Small
I purchased this for my 20 gallon tank and it looks beautiful! My African Dwarf Frogs seem to like this better than rough, regular aquarium gravel. It shimmers and looks pretty when the lights are turned on! I've also purchased the red, larger glass gravel for my betta tank and love the colors!Exactly what I was looking for to add some color to my concrete countertops. I still have to polish the countertops, but so far they look great.Buy Nature Aquarium Polished Glass Gravel - Blue Glass Gravel 8 oz. Small Now
I purchased a bag to display a gorgeous large silvery air plant. It does look dramatic alas, the contents of the bag hardly cover the bottom of the glass bowl. Not enough bang for the buck, in my opinion.Read Best Reviews of Nature Aquarium Polished Glass Gravel - Blue Glass Gravel 8 oz. Small Here
The colors are gorgeous and the quality is great. My crawfish seem to run and dig around their fish bowl alot more. Much better than harsh gravel.Want Nature Aquarium Polished Glass Gravel - Blue Glass Gravel 8 oz. Small Discount?
This product was purchased to put in my sea themed bathroom inside a light. The color is really pretty and goes well with my decor however I just wish it came in larger bags for the money.Marina Multi-Vac Battery Powered Vacuum
I just bought the TOM Mr. Cleaner from AmazonTOM Aquarium Maintenance Mr. Cleaner Battery Operated Gravel Siphon
and it turns out to be identical to this product. Not similar, identical.
Buy the TOM Mr. Cleaner from Amazon cheaper.
By the way, it really cleans my aquapod gravel well.I use the vac attachment only to clean the gravel in a 5 gal and 20 gal freshwater aquariums. The vac does a decent job on both tanks. Well worth the price. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is that the plastic parts/attachments are fragile and it does drip from the top of the main intake shaft just above the water level line which is not a big deal.
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I'm writing this review only because the other two were so negative. This product works very well for draining the water from an aquarium. It is better than any other siphon I have tried so far. The battery powered feature is more convenient than a manual siphon, and can be started in very shallow water (provided you find a good angle for the siphon and hose in order to get the siphon action started). Keep in mind that you need to buy an appropriate length of 1/2 inch diameter hose seperately.Read Best Reviews of Marina Multi-Vac Battery Powered Vacuum Here
It did a great job cleaning my various tanks. Just be careful, it is a little fragile. I dropped it on the floor once and cracked it. Nothing a little super glue couldn't fix.Want Marina Multi-Vac Battery Powered Vacuum Discount?
Cleaning your tank without changing the water is a very efficient way to keep it clean and maintain a healthy inviroment. This cleaner provides everything nessecary, the handling is good, everything fits and works, it is doing it's job.The not so nice thinks about it: It's a little weak the pump is not sucking very powerful in a 50 gal. tank (I have seen better!), it takes just a long time to clean. And the cleaning head for walls is just a joke, not working at all but I like the idea!
Lee's Convalescent Home/Specimen Container, Small
JBJ Automatic Top Off Water Level Controller for Aquarium
A simple way to automate the replacement of evaporated water in the reef aquarium. Using the two level sensors, it monitors the levels in the sump and top-off water container. This made it possible for me to leave on vacation and have a complete novice manage the maintenance of my reef.One of the sensors in this product did not work right out of the box. Because there are two sensors we used the one sensor set up but risked the pump going dry until the replacement sensor arrived. Reviews on the product page were all excellent. After I had the problem I Googled and found less than stellar reviews and found that this is a common problem. Some people had hardwood floors ruined due to the sensor not shutting off.Buy JBJ Automatic Top Off Water Level Controller for Aquarium Now
I bought this because I was planning on going on vacation in few months and I needed something to auto-top off my tank while I'm gone. I did a few reviews on this and it works great, I'm happy I purchased it for my aquarium. When the water level drops the sensor kicks on and turns the pump on to fill the tank of lost waterRead Best Reviews of JBJ Automatic Top Off Water Level Controller for Aquarium Here
Best product out there for the price. Simple, not a lot to program two options that it). Not too crazy about the way that you set up the floaters but with some tweaking you can secure better with suction cups or even zip tie, but then again I am paranoid and I have never heard of anyone having serious issues with the floaters, oh yeah floaters are the devices that measure the eater level.....forward 1 year, found out that device is not as water proof as it should be.Want JBJ Automatic Top Off Water Level Controller for Aquarium Discount?
Terrible product first one out of box failure had to get replacement now 4 months later second one is bad and doesn't work. Seller completely ignores me and doesn't respond to emails or phone calls.Never buy from again.Aquatic Fundamentals 50/65 Upright Gallon Aquarium Stand
It's holding a water filled 50gal tank with plants,three ornaments, 50lbs gravel, and filter. No wobble,and looks really beautiful. The assembly was fairly easy. The parts were labled, and the instruction sheet was easy enough for me to follow. I was dissapointed that there wasn't a shelf in the unit, or a back board, which I think would have enhanced the structural integrity. I am still pleased with the unit and would recommend it to anyone looking for a large tank stand. I was very pleased with this tank stand. It is very high quality and subdued (allowing for the beauty of the tank).I would buy another in a heartbeat.
A word of warning! It was not easy to assemble. For someone who has not put together furniture before, the directions were rather baffling. Once I sat down and slowly figured it out, it made perfect sensebut it did take a great deal of effort on my part. If you are not good at assembly, beware!
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I am very happy with this purchase. The stand is very sturdy and was simple to put together. I recommend this for anyone needing a stand for this size tank.Read Best Reviews of Aquatic Fundamentals 50/65 Upright Gallon Aquarium Stand Here
There was a knock at the door and a package arrived. I opened the box to find another box plainly packaged. I opened that box only to find individual components neatly wrapped in protective foam wrapping. Holy smokes these pieces are heavy, coated and sealed ,not cheap particle board with laminate.These parts have a semi gloss black finish and seem to restst any scratching. I lay the parts out just to find a pair of hinges and a magnet, 24 studs and cam locks and that was about it. Reading the instructions it showed that all you have to do is screw the studs in then install in desired location, insert cam lock and move on to the next piece. The final part of the assembly was the door. Install the 2 hinge pieces and the magnetic lock, install the door with minor adjustment. The lock mechanisim is real nice, you push the door in to lock/unlock. The whole thing took about 35 minutes to assemble. The bottom is flat and coated on both sides like the top. Another thing that I liked was the fact that this stand needed no leveling and the door worked fine. Being that there were no markings on the box and on the instructions so it is safe to assume that this was a nicely crafted piece of furnature made here in the US which is rare today. Being that the stand is sealed it seems that it will not suffer form water damage, salt problably wont damage it either. I am using this stand for a reptile cage but I do not doubt that it will hold the weight of a fishtank. The compartment on the bottom has more than enough room to accomidate a filter with some room to access for servicing. Great stand, great quality, one of the easiest pieces of furnature to assemble at a great cost. What could be better? I just wish I found this stand for my other reptile cages, I could have bought 2 of these for the price of 1 of my crappy made in china ones.Want Aquatic Fundamentals 50/65 Upright Gallon Aquarium Stand Discount?
I bought a 40g breeder tank and needed a stand for it since none of my furniture could support that much weight. I came across this stand and it is perfect. Do not be swayed by the reviews that say it is difficult to put together..it is EASY. I laid out all the pieces and parts, read the directions...read them again....and it went together seamlessly. The only issue I had was putting on the top. I am a petite gal and it was too heavy for me to lift, balance and try to get it lined up with the holes, so I enlisted my neighbor to come and help. Took 2 seconds and wahlah...done! Very beautiful stand. The 50/65 size fits a 40g breeder (36x18) tank perfectly. Having the back open doesn't bother me in the least, I don't know why people want it closed off. Having it open makes it super easy to access if you have a canister filter, sump..etc. Plus easy access to my surge protector where my filters, lights and air pump are plugged into. I do agree that a shelf would be nice, but I would imagine the added weight of supplies you put on a shelf would compromise the integrity of the stand. Anyway, this stand is nice and where I purchased it, it was a great deal.Aquatic Creations (Sporn) AZNZQU02082 Zan Sphinx Ornament for Aquarium, Medium
This piece has an odd odor inside. As I cleaned it for my tank I noticed the paint was coming off the underneath. Each time I scrubbed more came off. I left it a few days, wet it and scrubbed again. More paint came off and the odor is till there. Since this happens with clear water, I decided NOT to put it in my tank. I fear the finish will come off slowly and pollute my tank and fish. I ordered two, so now they sit on my shelf.I bought this for my 55 gallon tank, and I thought it would be perfect, but it is a bit smaller than what I expected. If you had a 20 gallon or a ten gallon it would be a perfect size.The detailing is good, and it is hallow. If you don't want to worry about gunk inside all the crannies simply fill it with silcone. It came well packaged and quickly.
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