Review on Fluval External Fish Tank Filter by Dionne Powers

Last summer of 2017 I entered the world of Pisces. that canister filters are the best. After doing more research, I found the best reviews for Fluval. I bought Fluval 306 in November '17. It's quiet and within 3 days my 65 gallon tank was crystal clear. I liked how quiet the filter was. However, I've heard a rattling noise every now and then for the past few months. I googled and found this to be a common problem when hitting a canister. No problem. However, over the next few weeks, I began to see some cloudiness. I put it off, maybe for a new fish food I bought or even "microbubbles" I read about. Fast forward to last week. I did a water change and cleaned the filter. I haven't done anything else. Same routine, just a different day. I hooked the canister back on, lowered it and lo and behold, the rumble got louder and I couldn't get the damn thing to fill up. I rocked this pen for so long I got a blister. Finally, after nearly two hours, my friend, the 20th Marine, took over. He spent over an hour trying to figure out why this thing wasn't draining. In the end he declined, so I decided to take this thing to the local fish shop to see if they could help. Not surprisingly, even though they sell Fluval products, they know nothing about troubleshooting. The guy recommended replacing the impeller, but spares aren't sold in the store. Hoping I went to reliable Revain and bought a new impeller and seal. . I even paid extra for one day delivery as it's officially in three days and my tank is gross. Hooray, the replacement part arrived literally an hour after this review was published. And guess what? It still does not work. I assure anyone reading this that I have tried every possible troubleshooting method. As I sat on the floor looking at the aquarium which now contains a dead red crab crab and a dead catfish, it occurred to me that it shouldn't have been that difficult. .If this can happen to a product as little as 6 months after purchase, why should I spend more money or time fixing it? I'm joking, no, I'm sitting here typing this outside my local fish shop to buy a new canister filter of a different brand. I am completely disappointed with the cost of this filter, the fact that you cannot get parts at your local store, and the fact that you MUST contact Fluval customer service to get answers and even then there are none Guarantee that something will work.