Review on Sunsun HW302, HW303, HW304: Advanced 3 Stage Aquarium Canister Filters for Optimal Filtration by Amanda Webber

Last word from above: buy it, it's worth the money for a decent canister filter. Don't get confused by the initial setup, it's worth it once you know how it works for you. Additional Info: I have an extremely crowded aquarium, this filter does a very good job of keeping my water clear and clean. My Fish: 4 Guppies, 2 Angelfish, 16 Cardinal Tetras, 4 Platy, 1 Molly, 4 Julia Corey, 2 Dwarf Gourami. GIGANTIC. I put 2 pounds of C rings in a basket. 180 biospheres (small size) in another basket with filter thread underneath and 200 g activated carbon and approx. 250 g Seachem matrix in the last basket. I have a Fluval 406 canister filter in another tank and let me tell you, this thing blows it out of the water using as much filter material as possible. - Comes with a surface skimmer, which can help remove dust without water. a particle that floats on top of your tank. - A bit annoying to figure out how to open the filter (when I first opened it I thought I broke the side handle, it made such a loud click lol), but once you know it's pretty easy to open and clean something - all within. The basket has a handle that allows you to pick it up with the carrier inside. - Price - really, for what you pay for this thing, it's worth it. Especially if you buy the bundled version that comes with all media filters. I wish I had seen this option, when I bought it I got the one that didn't have any media elements and bought everything separately. Could have saved me $20, but oh well. Cons: - Instructions, oh my god. bad guide. The manufacturer could probably do a better job with the manual if they damn well translated it from Chinese to English by Google. If you've never assembled a canister filter before, you might have a little trouble before you figure it out because you don't understand a word they're trying to tell you. It's not even bad English, it's just gibberish. The plastic part looks very thin and fragile. Not that any of the parts I had broke, but I definitely felt like you got what you paid for, cheap Chinese parts. - The flow rate is far from advertised but then again I have about 5 pounds of media filters in this basket, read about #1, HUGE media basket. I would estimate closer to 50-100 gph with items inside the filter. I also didn't place it directly under the tank, but rather to the side, which could affect the flow rate. - Water flows from bottom to top. This is NOT in the instructions and I had to search the internet for where it actually leaks so I know where to place the filter thread. I practically had to use my foot to push the primer down, it was damn hard. fetch some water. - Instructions, uh.