Review on 🐠 Enhance Your Aquarium Filtration with ZooMed Nano 30 External Canister Filter by Stephanie Butler

I bought my ZooMed Nano 30 from the store as a temporary donation over 3 years ago. I have a 20 gallon aquarium for two goldfish and have previously used an Aqueon QuietFlow 30 mounted tank. However, summer temperatures have increased the water temperature dramatically. I bought an AquaEuro 1/13 hp chiller that required a pump and decided to put a canister filter in front of it to extend its life. After sifting through the usual suspects (Fluval, Eheim, MarineLand, etc.) I stumbled across this little machine. For the price compared to other brands I decided to give it a try while deciding which of the others I would end up getting. Fast forward to today and I'm still using it and it works consistently! Mind you, I've pushed the limits of this little filter and it serves me very well. I mean it's on the ground while the tank is on a 25 inch stand AND it slides through the radiator THEN back up onto the tank. The hose provided would work, but I still need a jumper to go from the filter outlet to the cooler inlet. I understand that the flow characteristics of the system are reduced and there is an extra load on the pump, but it still works, and this system is holding up my aquarium clean and cool for many years. I believe the 30 gallon rating on a 20 gallon tank with so much extra stroke length still keeps the flow high enough to clean and cool my tank, solid as most. I replaced all of the threaded snap rings with small metal hose clamps from my local auto parts store. The hoses attached to the filter itself continued to come loose even with the rings tightened as tight as possible. I clean the filter once a month, so after about a year of maintenance, the hoses just slipped off and splashed water everywhere. The manuals weren't exactly detailed, but I got used to them by trying them out. Because it is so far from the aquarium, there was a problem with refilling. In my case, when the hoses are empty, I simply pour water from the tank into the inlet and outlet on the side of the tank to fill the hoses as much as possible (separate from the canister), and then top up the canister with water from the tank before sealing it with a lid. Opening the small vent cap opposite the hoses allows air to escape and fill the canister completely. When servicing, the water is already trapped in the hoses, so clean, fill and "pump" and then turn on again. Any knock that comes from the filter is usually due to air getting under the cap. I have found that gently rocking and shaking the unit helps push the air out and I can hear the bubbles rise and exit through the return spout. The filter material is included in the scope of delivery and I actually got along well with the kit that came with it. Nothing needs to be changed, just rinse to remove dirt. I didn't even replace the charcoal bag (which I know should be, but didn't turn out to be necessary). I've just completed the scheduled maintenance that I do the first weekend of every month (filter cleaning, gravel cleaning, glass cleaning, etc.). water change) and realized that it had been more than three years since I bought that "makeshift" filter. This prompted me to browse the product to see what others had to say about it. Of course, this is for every user, but my experience has shown that it deserves high ratings.