PONDFORSE 225GPH Canister Filter, External Aquarium Filter Ultra-Quiet Water Circulation Cleaning Machine with Media for Fish Tanks and Aquariums Up to 55 Gallons (225GPH)

Having used this Canister filter for 4 months now on a 50 gallon turtle tank that is in a window location, I feel like I can give it a fair review. If you know anything about turtles, you know that they are dirty and require a lot of filtration. Adding to the challenges, most of the year, this turtle lives in my classroom in a 100 year old building that has occasional power outages. This means the pumps drain dry which often burns out the motor impeller if I am not there to get things started up right away. The large Aqueon 75 over the edge filters worked quite well (although I had to replace impellers occasionally). Alas, I can no longer find this filter to replace parts. So I switched to Tetra Whisper EX70. While it is effective--while it works--it is made of VERY cheap materials that will warp over time, AND you cannot replace any parts. I blew through 2 of these in 4 months! I decided to switch to a canister filter, despite limited finances. So, I took a chance on this product from an unknown brand, to purchase this PONDFORSE can filter in the medium size. I am happy to report that it has been a big improvement over the external side mount filters. It is quiet, powerful, and effective. I love the UV light as it has cut down on algae by a big margin and the water is crystal clear, even with fewer water changes. There was a bit of a learning curve to get the pump to prime, but once you make sure the intake/outtake tubes are free-flowing (not twisted, not crimped at all), getting the pump to charge is much easier. When the power went out last month, the filter did lose prime, but the canister pump seemed unfazed and I was able to prime it easily. This has been a great improvement over my previous options. AND IT WAS CHEAPER. Probably my only suggestion would be if you have turtles, you might want to get the large model (which is STILL cheaper than the Tetra Whisper!). I highly recommend this pump.

The older pump I had been using (which was never anything special to begin with) developed some issues so I was looking for something cheap that would arrive quickly via Amazon Prime. Let's start with the Pros: - This thing is incredibly quiet. The loudest thing associated with my aquarium is now the air pump. You could potentially have this in a bedroom it's that quiet. - I like that it has a UV light. Will that have any discernible effect? Time will tell. - Seems to do the job. I transferred the biological media from my old pump and my water chemistry is perfect. The water is very clear. - Cheap. Cons: - Cheap. Everything here just feels flimsy and delicate. I'll be pleasantly surprised to get a lot of time out of this pump. I have now learned enough about aquarium-keeping to realize that I'd be best off making the investment into a serious piece of equipment once this goes pear shaped. - The particulate filters aren't just rectangles. When I want to replace them I'll have to do some creative cutting. Not a huge deal but figured I'd mention it. All in all, the pump is doing what I have asked it to do on the terms I wanted. I'm not going to simultaneously credit it for being affordable and fault it for being made of cheap materials. You have to pay for quality. If I were paying for quality and got this I'd be upset.

Replaced my worn-out Cascade 1000 canister filter. The Cascade was excellent, but the impeller was wearing out causing a rattle and one of the intake valves was cracked causing a small leak. Time for a new one. Price, reviews and features were key in the purchase of this unit. Pros: Easy to set-up and get running. The lift out filter trays is a nice design. With the water shut off on top and being able to remove the intake by itself is a great feature. The Cascade required the whole lid and top to come off for cleaning and maintenance. I use my own filter media, so I won't comment on what was provided. Its whisper quiet and a great value. Cons: Only dislike is the Bell-shaped strainer for the intake. Makes it hard to tell if it's clogged from just looking in the tank. Overall: Good Value, easy set-up, quiet. I plan to buy another for one of my smaller tanks. 75G Cichlid tank

Everything works great. Hose size is not specified and ai says it's 1 1/2" it's not. The hose ID is 5/8".

No complaints works well