Review on Zoo Med Nano 10 External Canister Filter for Aquariums up to 10 Gallons by Heather Johnson

I bought this Zoo Med canister filter to replace the horrible scuba filter that came with my 6.5 gallon aquarium. It works flawlessly, quietly and does a great job with my tank. I have quite a large load in my tank as I have a Betta and 3 African Dwarf Frogs in a planted tank. Installing the filter was easy but I previously had an Eheim canister filter on my last aquarium so I have experience with canister filters. During installation I ran into an issue of not being able to remove the top, so I called Zoo Med. and their customer service is excellent which speaks volumes. They answer the phone so you don't have to wait for emails etc. What I did above was put my thumb in the fill hole, which worked great! The canister has a separator. in the middle so you have plenty of options for whatever type of filtering you want to add. It comes with a round blue mechanical filter sponge that fits on one side and a pouch of carbon and ceramic filter media that fits on the other side. I inserted an image. Ceramic carrier and carbon bag. I have chosen not to use either as my aquarium is planted with live plants, I fertilize my plants and the charcoal filters them out. Charcoal is great for filtering medication in case the fish gets sick and you need to give it medication. Using the charcoal bag when you're done will filter the remaining medicine from your reservoir. Just a note: charcoal is very dusty, so rinse it well until the water runs clear before using it. Using carbon in an aquarium that you don't fertilize or that has artificial plants works well, but I've only had aquariums with live plants. I also didn't use the ceramic media that came with it, as I'm a big Seachem fan. Biological filter matrix, so I use it instead of its ceramic support, which is a matter of personal choice. I see nothing wrong with the materials that go into this canister filter. I was very happy to find a canister filter for a small aquarium. This filter also gives you the option to use a sprinkler or diffuser, which is nice. I chose a sprinkler and positioned the holes in it toward the back of my tank to spread the flow so there isn't much current for my bettas and frogs. I've added a few photos of how I installed the internal media in the canister. I like the versatility of the canister. One downside is that there is no screw to attach the hose to the atomizer so it can eventually come loose. I solved this problem by putting a suction cup on the plastic elbow in my tank that connects to the sprinkler. This way, if the knee comes loose, the suction cup will hold it in place and the water will still stay in the reservoir. some space in a smaller tank. I had the original submersible filter in my aquarium for a few weeks before purchasing this canister. In just two weeks I changed the filament, cleaned the sponge and washed the litter out of the aquarium in a little water, as it was heavily filtered. Also, this canister filter should be level with the bottom of your aquarium. My aquarium is on the perch and when I first took it out of the box it felt pretty light and I was afraid my cat might knock it over. But when filled with medium and water the canister becomes extremely strong and had no problem tipping over. In addition, Zoo Med includes rubber canister feet that dampen vibration and prevent slipping/dropping etc. Overall, this filter and Zoo Med customer service get an A+++++ rating from me!