Zoo Med Nano 511 External Canister Filter

I thought this filter was going to be overkill for my 10 gallon freshwater aquarium, but I was wrong!

My PX-360 canister filter for my 10 gallon aquarium went out on me, so I needed something more reliable..

It lasted about 2 months, then the pump started loosing power, resulting in weak filtration and flow..

What I like most about this filter is that it flow regulators included, for both the IN and OUT lines to the tank and filter (aka: send and return).

I found myself running the IN line (filter) at max, and the OUT (return) and 3/4 power, because there was some bubbles in the return of the water,

possibly due to the CO2 diffuser in the mix..

The thing that wasn't so hot is the canister lid, which is supposed to open easily, but doesn't in my opinion.

Not a huge deal, it works great and I'm sure it would do well for a saltwater aquarium too!

I got this a few days ago my local pet store had this on massive sale (40%) off so I figured what the heck, why not? It beat waiting for the Fluval 105 to drop to even greater clearance prices. I ADORE this. You can't buy more filter media that's this brand but that's one of the best parts. It's made so you can get your own media bags and fill it with what you need carbon, ammo-carb, etc. And there's enough room for my small baggie of peat granules to soften my water.

Like the other reviewer I love how I can change the flow for the intake and output hoses. Because my tank is a tall 15 gallon I have them both set on high but for a smaller tank or a tank with more currentsensitive fish this feature is a must.

Lastly, like the 1st reviewer, I have noticed that the opening to fill the canister doesn't open easily. It creates a very tight suction so I have to unscrew it before I put the whole top back onto the canister, but it seals easily enough so that's not much of an annoyance. In fact I like that kids couldn't accidentally open it while the filter was running.

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I'm giving it 4 stars only because I haven't had it very long and due to how relatively inexpensive it was I'm not sure of the life expectancy. That being said the filter works better than expected, I didn't realize until I got home with it that the instructions require that it be placed next to the tank with the shortest hose routing possible. I wanted to place it under my tank like most canister filters so I went ahead and gave it a try under the tank. So far so good, like with most pumps with the same type of impeller the longer vertically the pump has to push the water the worse the flow becomes due to the weight pushing back. The top of the filter is sitting between 8 and 10 inches from the bottom of the tank making my hose length about 2 to 2.5 ft. I've not had any problems, though you can tell a slight flow difference but not much, at least not enought to matter.

The main reason I'm writing this is because everyone says the top is so hard to remove. This is a problem I've also had with my Fluval canister. After you release the latches you try to remove the lid by getting a fingernail under it or prying with a tool trying to overcome the friction of the o ring seal, which doesn't work too well. The instructions say release the clips of the latch and pull outward and the lid will just lift off, what they need to say is the latches act as a lever or more a pry bar and when you release the clips and give it just a little more outward pressure it will break the seal and force the lid up actually making it very easy to remove.

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