Just set this up 2 days ago with 1 extension filter. Using it on a 90 gallon freshwater tank. There are both good things and bad so far.The Good:
* Everything you need to set it up is included in the box.
* It's very quiet running, you have to really listen to hear the sound of the water movement.
* It has a strong current.
* Was easy to figure out how to take the media baskets out and fill the top section with our choice of media. (You will need mesh bags if you use anything with pieces under 1 1/2in long)
The Bad:
* If you don't put the filters on the bases just right, they will Leak.
* The directions on how to hook the filter up are pictorial only. And don't always make lots of sense. They're also hidden inside the longer box inside the main one.
* Some of the clamps they give you are pretty cheap feeling, so we may need to replace them at some point soon.
* The part of the filter that sits inside the tank, doesn't lock into the holder. We had to rubber-band it in place or the fish keep knocking it out/off. (We have large fish, so this may not be an issue you have.)
So far, I'm liking it, but it was very disconcerting to notice about 3 hours after setting it all up that the water level in the tank was lower than it had been. We checked to make sure the tank wasn't leaking, and then realized the leak was coming from the filters! They were locked in, when we lifted up on the handle, the entire unit came off the floor. However it must have been off by a little bit as water was streaming slowly between the base and the filter case. Unlocking it and rocking it back and forth while pressing down seemed to help. But ultimately we had to take it completely off a few times and put it back before it apparently locked down correctly. After that, no leaks. But you may wish to have a flashlight near you for a bit after putting this together to check for leaks just in case.
Over-all, it seems to be a good filter, and it's easy to take apart which is what we needed. You can use other kinds of media, not just what they recommend, but you'll need filter bags as the holes in the top of the compartments are fairly large and small particles may fall out and clog things up. To get into the media compartment, lift out the long media basket thing by the handle. Push in on the blue tabs on the sides, and pull, the top should pop off leaving you with the yellow basket attached to the long plastic bits the carbon slides over. The basket will come off those with a good tug, and then everything snaps back into place.
Pro:
Quite possibly this is the quietest filter system I've (n)ever heard. The air pump driving the tanks water feature is far louder than this canister system (and it's not all that bad.)
Had no issues with water leakage at all, anywhere in the system. Possible that I cheated a bit to avoid the problem mentioned by the previous reviewer. Used a small amount of divers pure silicone grease on all the "O" rings and mating gaskets during assembly.
Flow rate at default setting seems just about perfect for a 40Gal tank.
Con:
The dial on the water pump to adjust flow will not turn I've applied pretty much as much force as I think a plastic dial can take before breaking. No dice. No idea what the different settings might mean for water flow.
The suction cups for the pump mount don't hold the pump in place very well. I consider this a seriously lazy design flaw. There's no reason the manufacturer couldn't have gone with a clip in design of some sort. And I don't have large fish knocking it about . . . slowly over time that pump wants to wander out of the mount.
The media baskets are very limited the bottom part is nothing more than a hollow square cage/bracket to hold the four sided pre-charged filter packets. The top part is very tiny for ceramic or plastic bio-media. The included bio-media stars do not adequately load even that small space, you might need or want more.
I'm thinking of doing a slight mod to this thing to increase the bio-filtration, as well as the use of mesh bags to allow me to use bulk carbon or other filtration materials. If it goes well will try to remember to update this review.
Update: No mods required. API sells a pair of insert foam parts that go into the bottom of each canister. Look for "API NEXX FOAM 30 PPI." What's important to know about these is they should NOT be used at the same time as the pre-shaped filter cartridges and four sided caddies. It's not really clear from the instructions (although there is a single small picture that shows the swap) but you need to remove the caddy/cage plastic part from the top compartments before using the foam.
Foam goes into the very bottom of both compartments. Your bagged media goes on top of that, then the disk shaped compartment for the bio-stars on top of the bags, and finally the lids. On the truly horrible pictogram documentation look specifically at section C, 10b for the one and only reference to how this looks. Be very sure that the bagged media is lose enough to allow good water flow, and that it does not require you to tamp down the top baskets to put on the lids.
WARNING: If you try to use the foam inserts and fail to remove the four sided caddy this canister will NOT seal properly and may spray water from the top of the lids.I setup the filter a couple of days ago for my 20 gallon tank. I needed a filter that could expand capacity since I'm planning on moving my juvenile Axolotls to a large tank once they get a bit bigger. I also needed to hook up to an Aquarium Chiller: Aqua Euro USA Max Chill Aquarium Chiller.
The Good:
*Very intuitive and easy to setup, given the pictorial instructions.
*Included the correct sized tubing for use with my Chiller.
*Includes a little extra piping for extending the lead to the pump should you need to place it further down inside the tank.
*The pump is SUPER quiet, at least compared to my last filter that hangs on the back of the tank.
*Includes more than enough suction cups for the pipes and such.
*I noticed a couple of people complained about the pump not fitting properly into the clip that suction cups to the tank wall. The instructions are very unclear, but they show that the pump also is suction cupped to the clip itself, making a very secure hold for it.
*I LOVE the feature that allows you to change the filters without needing to turn off the pump, it just diverts the flow while you change the filter media!
The Bad:
*The pictorial instructions were a bit hard to follow at times
*Dosen't leave my tank "crystal clear" like it advertised, but that may be due to the phosphates in my planted aquarium.
*The pump's flow rate is NOT ADJUSTABLE. It has a knob for it, but its been glued to be fully open or something. The current is pretty strong which I need to avoid for my type of fish. Looks like I'll be investing in a spray bar or something...
Read Best Reviews of API Nexx Filter Here
I have been running this filter for a year now on a 55 gallon tank. Works great! Make sure you turn the pump off while you change out the filter. There is a video out there showing the pump pluged in while change out the filter. Dont do that..lol lol.. Keeps the tank clear.Want API Nexx Filter Discount?
Not a review, just wanted to pass long info on the flow control. Below is a recent message I received from API about it:"...unfortunately the max/min flow knob for the unit does not function in this filter. The unit will always run at max flow. The model pump for the filter is also used in another application in which the flow can be regulated however this feature is not available with the NEXX so it will always be on max flow."
That explains the goofy nature of the "control." If you've ever taken off the filter cover and looked at the knob, it's basically just a plug, with notches to hold it. Its only real function is to hold the impeller in place.
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