Aquarium Hang On Filter Small Fish Tank Hanging Filter Power Waterfall Filtration System

Truth be told I was concerned about getting this HOB filter for my 2.5 gallon shrimp tank due to some critical points other reviewers made. So you know where I'm coming from, I do have a larger 30 Gal general tank and I've typically had bad experiences with HOB tanks that have the pump outside the of the tank. I tend to do better with either "self-priming" HOBs or Internal filters. However, for a 2.5 Gallon tank, internals take up too much space for the aquascaping I wanted to do and the only "self-prime" HOB I could think of that would fit was no longer produced (Marina S5). So I had no choice but to go with this HOB that had the motor on the outside. And it's actually really good.So my thoughts as to why I really like this one:1. This filter is small and slim, but has ENOUGH space for me to customize the filter media (see pictures).2. Super quiet...in fact my air pump is louder than it. The main feature that helps is that there is a rotating piece you can turn to put some space between the tank and the motor. That's the key there. I had rattles when it was up against the aquarium, but now that I turned that disk and created space, you don't hear anything but the trickle of water (when I turn off my air pump).3. It comes with a suitably sized pre-filter that covers the intake pipe. My shrimp have safely climbed on to eat some of the food on it and combed off. It is coarse, but for a pre-filter I prefer that as it sufficiently catches large debris without greatly diminishing the water suction. I mean, I want most of the filtering to be done in the chamber anyways.4. Easy to take apart and clean out sludge5. The suction isn't too strong for my tank community. No one is fighting the current like they initially were when I tried an internal filter system.6. It's size is easy to manage and work with while still being big enough to do a proper job.Things I learned to be aware of:1. One other reviewer mentioned that this pump had sucked out water out of the tank and spilled it outside the tank. THIS CAN BE TRUE. It actually happened to me also, BUT I learned that there is an easy fix and it hasn't repeated that problem ever since. Simply put, I initially over stocked the chamber with media so it ended up displacing the water to much that it spilled out of the filter. I stripped it down (see the picture) and it works like a charm. No spillage...not even a little water dripping out of the top. And the biggest culprit was that I had a sponge that was way too dense in there.2. When using an HOB this small (especially for a planted aquarium that uses soil), it will be necessary to clean the filter once a week. This also helps to prevent overflow. It's the nature of the beast.3. The noise issue can be real as another reviewer noted...but just as I stated, the rotator disk they have at the bottom of the motor makes the rattles disappear. Again, the key is putting a gap between the tank and the motor component of the HOB.So all in all, I am pleased with this purchase and will be going for this filter again if I ever require one for another nano tank.

This is the third filter I've ordered on Amazon and is by far my favorite. The first one came with the tank but only lasted a couple months before it broke. I ordered a similar one but it was way too powerful for my betta fish. It kept getting sucked against the filter and stuck there. It couldn't swim. I had to turn off the filter and then the tank got really dirty. I decided to try a different style, the outside hanging filter. This one was inexpensive and does the job great. The betta doesn't get sucked against the foam/water pipe hanging down inside the tank. Within a short time the tank was much cleaner and our little betta has been swimming happily about without being stuck to the side of the filter. Hopefully this filter will last a while.

It is one of the noisy filters I've ever bought and used. I do consider this a blessing as one of the other ones I've gotten is quiet and tends to gunk up and I do not hear it when it goes too quiet and needs to be cleaned. This one while noisy is a bonus of being able to hear. It's fairly powerful from what I've seen for its tiny size. Good for a tiny little tank, or my fish tank clean bucket. (Where my fish go when I have to clean my tank.)

I had this in a 5.5 gallon and it worked great - for the 3 or 4 weeks it lasted. I never ran it dry and it was kept in appropriate conditions but it just died one day for seemingly no reason at all. There were no clogs or debris - the pump simply died and does not last. Luckily I also had sponge filters in the tank but it's very dangerous to lose a filter randomly and without warning in an aquarium and could result in the tank crashing.If you do get this, don't expect it to last, and use a different sponge cover on the intake as the one it comes with is pretty terrible and the holes are much too large to prevent fry or small shrimp from getting sucked into the intake (I did in fact find a fry stuck inside it once, he was fine but the sponge is not fine enough.)Pretty frustrating to have it die so soon after buying it, and I had also bought additional filters for it so I am out even more money. Total waste of money.

it sucks water in and pushes it out. I ended up putting a bunch of foam self-stick cabinet bumpers between it at the outside of the glass in an attempt to reduce vibrations so it's not so loud. I can't put the lid on it either because it works like an echo chamber and enhances the noise the filter makes. I have no idea where to get replacement filters, but I plan to fill the chamber with biomedia and floss once the filter cartridge is done for. The amount of filter fiber on it is pretty thin and pathetic to begin with. I bought this for a 3 gallon tank because the foam filter I had in there took up so much space. It did do a lovely job filtering though. I'll keep looking for a good solution for the tank.

Would NOT use on less than 5.5 gallon aquarium. Wish I could control flow even more. Bettas HATE fast moving water. But seems to work and only sound is the water spilling. Not a bad sound.