Review on Hygger Quiet Internal Power Fish Tank Filter for 5-16 Gallon Small Aquarium with Hose - 3-in-1 Filtration, Oxygenation, & Water Change System by Jessica Chada

I bought this filter for my 6 gallon frameless glass top cube. I wanted an internal filter that had plenty of room for the media and liked the water change feature knowing I would be doing frequent water changes when the tank is reinstalled. The first thing I did was throw away the small carbon cartridge. and replace it with a coarse sponge cut to shape. The cartridge was flat but the filter side was curved. It takes up a lot of space and doesn't sit right next to the intakes, and I was afraid small snails, shrimp or fish might get in. There was still plenty of room in the filter after the thin sponge, so I added a bag of activated charcoal there. When I first tried to use the water change feature, the hose got stuck, the black spout came off, and a jet of water shot up my wall. It wasn't fun. I highly recommend disabling the filter before attempting this, just in case. Instead, I just used a cup and scooped up water. Also, the filter hangs low enough to be placed under a glass or plexiglass lid, but there may be a small gap between the filter and the tank wall. Before servicing the filter, make sure there are no living things in it, I may have crushed a snail. It would be nice if there were suction cups or something to secure the bottom so it doesn't move around as easily when you remove the filter cover. Some customers have complained about pump noise or the filter tipping sideways. found that if you keep the water level above the top inlets, you won't have this problem. Both problems are caused by sucked air. The filter is very quiet. When I raised the water level to the correct level, my betta kept trying to swim in the drain hole. At first I used a small piece of coarse sponge but I found it obstructed the flow too much. It would be better if this hole was higher so it could be above the waterline. I currently use the fountain head feature instead, but because I'm taller, my lid is crooked. With a few adjustments this filter is pretty good, I like the size, quiet operation and filter performance. He could have used the redesign to fix some issues, but overall it was worth it.