I bought this filter because My boss had the complete set with Bio Wheel, and Gravel cleaner and it was so great for gravel cleaning.
The basic version of this filter comes with,
1. A Media canister that can be filled with Active Carbon. A sample of carbon comes with this filter kit. I bought Ceramic Noodles at the pet store for the biological filtering properties to put in mine instead of the carbon.
2. The slip cover filter for the media insert.
3. A water polishing filter that reminds me of a Reusable pool ,or Jacuzzi filter.
4. Intake Tube, and strainer.
5. Pose-able Output Pipe with flow divert.
6. Understandable Directions.
Pluses.
1. It has an ON / OFF button on the back. I turn it off to feed the fish. Than back on to clean up.
2. The Output Pipe is underwater. Result, No noise from the filtered water hitting water surface.
3. The flow of the output can be aimed in any direction you want.
straight down, across, to the left,or right.
4. This filter is so quiet, I occasionally will check that the filter is on.
5. The diverter can be adjusted to focus, or fan out the water flow.
6. 250 Gallons an hour. Seems like a lot, but I have a 20 Hexagon high. I have the diverter fanning water out. It's not like a water hose. Just moving water well.
Minuses.
1. Disassembly and Assembly takes practice. You will want to keep instruction book for reference of the difference between regular filter Assembly, and water polishing filter assembly. once I leaned, I have been able to do on the tank. But most of the time the filter will have to be removed to a sink were It (filter) can be disassembled, Cleaned, or filter types changed, and reassembled.
Keep in mind that this, The cleaning of the filter canister seems to be the reason that people dislike this filter. But keep in mind that You will only clean it (filter) about every three months. Unless You over feed, and do not keep plants tidy.
If You get the Gravel Cleaning attachment, You can clean the gravel with the water polishing filter removing all the nastiness without siphoning off all your water out of the tank. You can then do your 20% water change.
I like this filter a lot, and think you will also.
I owned the HOT Magnum Canister Filter prior to upgrading to an Eheim Ecco Canister Filter. I had to upgrade because this filter couldn't keep up with my medium size saltwater tank. However this filter works great for freshwater tanks from small to medium size. It's fairly cheap and reliable. It cleans like a champ and supplies are fairly cheap to operate it. This is a good buy.
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This is the best filter I have ever owned. I put it on my 20 gal tank and it is spotless. It filters by water almost 40 times every hour. It is really easy to take care of too. Just add carbon every month and that's it. Read the directions carefully. HINT: The directions are a little incomplete. When filling the filter with water, fill it till it overflows. That way you can be sure it's full. If not,you get an annoying running water sound. That brings up another positive. When it is full and you have a good seal, it is very quiet. My tank is in my bedroom and I have no trouble sleeping with the quiet motor.
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OK, let me start with the CONS (all of which added up to me to reducing it only by one star, so they are obviously not THAT bad!) :
OK--the seals are very tricky. The first filter I got, I messed and messed with it for over 2 hours, using silicon sealer, etc, re-filling the canister, and re-starting it, and just COULD NOT get it to prime, it'd run awesome for 30 seconds, empty the canister, and blow air. Called the store, and they said that it sounded like I had it set up right, just sounded like it wasn't sealing, so bring it back. They advised that about 1 in 20 canister pumps they get do this, and not to worry about it. Took it back to the store, thoroughly disgusted but trusting that the reviews would turn out true since it has a good track record on every website (4-5 stars depending where you look). Got a second one, brought it home, filled the carbon, rinsed everything, plunked the carbon in and crossed my fingers. It primed up the very first time and has been running now for 24 hours with zero issues. This will be great for our turtle tank. We got tired of rinsing the little tiny pads for our ReptoMin waterfall and having to bypass some of the water to keep the pump from running dry.
I wish like CRAZY that the outlet/outflow side tube was longer/further down. The instructions advise you should have the water level above the level of the elbow in the outflow and that is REALLY short--I will have to keep an eye on my tank level carefully. Even an inch longer/lower on the outflow would help a ton. But, I just shoved a large-ish piece of tubing up the outlet so it curved down and most of the water from the outlet now goes straight into the tank. and the rest drips down the elbow. This meant I had to take off the square diffuser attachment, which was OK with me since this is a turtle tank, but I do say it's more suited to a fish tank than a turtle tank.
It does seem kind-of a mess to clean, but this is NO DIFFERENT than other canister filters. Of the four canister filters I have, this is actually the easiest/cleanest. Yes, the mechanical foam sleeve is a little delicate. But at least it's rinsable and replaceable unlike the Cascade I had which was just plain bio-floss and not rinseable so you lose some of your flora and fauna. And the foam sleeves are pretty cheap to replace, about $2-3 each which is a great deal!
I do wish it had more mechanical filtration but gosh, whatcha gonna ask when it's that tiny for a canister. You can use the scrubber attachment that comes with it for that, or get a bio-wheel, or add a second of these filters.
PROS:
It also takes up WAY less room and is far less bulky and unsightly than other canister filters since you don't have the tubing to contend with. We are very impressed with this aspect and still getting a "canister" filter.
It is a GREAT COMPROMISE between a canister filter and a tank-filter. Yeah, it takes up more room than most hang-on-tank filters, because of the button being in the way and you have to reach for it if you are going to use it, BUT, I love that the button is there, and that I can CHOOSE to either turn it off and/or unplug it instead of having to unplug at every junction.
I do love what other people have recommended about having two of these, one for scrubbing/mechanical filtration and one for carbon. It seems logical.
It's got a pretty good design and the motor is quiet once you have the water flowing in properly.
It seems to be fairly well constructed for a filter. I mean for the money.
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I love this filter for a medium sized tank. Has carbon, biological, and particle filtering all in one relatively small, and very quiet package.
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I was having PH crash problems in my fish tank when we moved to a town with a different tap water supply...for some reason I couldn't get my goldfish water to maintain a PH above 6.4!!! My poor babies :( I tried every chemical known to man, and it's a miracle my fish survived. I finally found a website online that suggested coral as a PH buffer. I put about 1/4 c in a hanging mesh bag into the water and keep it there 24/7...and now the PH is 7.4. I have a 14.5 gallon tank. I heard that mixing the coral straight into the substrate causes nitrate issues down the road when it breaks down, which is why I keep it in a bag. I can't support whether that is true, but my method has worked just fine so far, and I've replaced it once in the last year. I highly suggest trying this if you have the same issue like me!
