I have a 2 1/2 gallon bowl and I bought this to clean the water up. ProsIt picks up bigger particles. ConsIt is way too strong of a current. My betta was having some serious troubles against it even when the valve was barely open. Here's my suggestion to make it a great and cheap filter. Step one: Buy extra filter sponges, they only cost around $6 and trust me it's worth it. Step two: Take one of the extra sponges and place it on the end of the out-put cone. Step three: Buy some activated charcoal or carbon and place it inside an empty and clean tea/spice bag (about a teaspoon or so works). Then place bag inside the filter on the bottom over the intake area, underneath the inner sponge. With the sponge on the outside my betta loves swimming around it and against the now very gentle current and he can still float on top easily.
I have a 360* View tank, and of course its a cylinder and u cant fit a normal filter. I was planning on buying an exterior canister filter for $60 since all the filter i looked at were far to large to fit in the aquarium without hindering my fish's space to swim.
Then i thought id give it one last shot at looken and i found this tiny little filter. Its small but packs alot of filter power. You can use the sponges that elite sells or even make one of your own, so your not stuck buying premade filter packs.
I have a 3.5 gallon tank and it was cloudy looking since the filtration system was lacking, and after adding this filter its crystal clear. Im rlly impressed. It adds extra oxygen and my fish look all the happier and look much more energized and i feel better knowing that they have a clean and healthy tank now.
Love that it can go anywhere in the tank so if i feel like doing a new scene in my tank it can be moved to be out of the way and not disturb the view.
This by far is one of the best filters i've ever owned. And i've had alot of tanks and filters.
if u have a betta , goldfish, platies, tetras w/e u got in a small tank this will do the job Extremely well.
will look foward to buying more elite filters for my tanks to come.
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i bought this for my Betta's 1 gallon bowl and it was too strong until i put a large decoration right in front of it and it made the flow perfect. Then the filter started getting slimy and it never did anything for the ammonia levels. I moved my betta into a fully filtered aquarion and put this filter away for a few months, but i brought it back out for another fish in a 1 gallon box shaped aquarium. This time not only did i block the flow with a decoration but i also took out the dinky little sponge inside and put in good quality activated carbon. Not only did the carbon slow down the flow of the filter so i no longer need to block it but it also does a fantastic job of keeping the aquarium chemistry balanced and the water clean and clear.
Penn Plax Pro-Carb Activated Carbon 29 oz
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This product is great it does a lot of mechanical filtering which sucks up all uneaten food and waste. Its very small but is extremely powerful you can feel a heavy current if you turn it up all the way. The great thing is is that the power is adjustable.
Cleaning is easy just pop the bottom half off and run the sponge under a faucet and squeeze.
It also has a tube that sticks out above the water to aerate the current so you don't even need an airstone.
This is way better than the other filter I bought that uses an air pump to filterSmall World® Aquarium Filter Replacement Cartridges, 2-Pack
Attached are pictures showing the modifications discussed by other members to keep filtering high but current low.
My only qualm is that it doesn't do much for cloudy water because it is more mechanical. This can be fixed though by adding activated carbon or a finer sponge into the chamber.
Great small powerful filter. Plus super easy maintenance. Buy it and you won't be disappointed.
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Purchased this filter for my daughter's 2.5 gallon aquarium. The aquarium had a whisper mini in tank filter that was very large and taking up too much space for this small aquarium. I purchased this filter because it is much smaller and allows more room for the fish.
The filter was easy to setup and install. The flow rate is adjustable and for a small 2.5 gallon aquarium, it needs to be set to the lowest setting. The filter is very quiet and I have to put my ear up the aquarium to hear it running without the aerator hose attached. Using the aerator will cause the filter to run louder as air is sucked into outflow.
Recommended for those with small aquariums 3 gallons and under.
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Don't forget to rinse everything before use
