Review on Gulfstream Tropical AGU00529 Ista Max Mix CO2 Reactor (Large) for Aquarium – Enhanced SEO by Sheila Hill

So I read a lot of reviews about this product and watched a YouTube video. Everyone said the same thing and I'm ashamed that I didn't follow my inner feelings. I've been a hobbyist for many years and this was my first attempt at setting it up the way the instructions say it should be done. At first everyone said it was leaking. Well it is, and from several places. Leaking inlet and outlet hose, leaking bottom screw at access point, and overall this is a cheap, crappy product. Now I'm saying it doesn't work? IDK but this just doesn't work for me because I don't have to completely caulk and glue every point of this thing and use zip ties which still leak. Directions can also be a wordless pop-up book unless you can read some vague Chinese characters when the directions are translated into English. It never says what correct size tubing to use, I tried 1/2" and it fits well but still leaks. 3/8 seemed too tight. 5/8 is too big. The suction cups that the unit on the tank aren't even designed for this device.The plastic pacifier on the suction cup, which is shaped into a block that needs to fit the hole in the suction cup, isn't big enough for one, for two, even if you insert the pacifier Without breaking it, nothing will hold it in. Because there is no inner rim gripping the thicker part of the nipple to hold the suction cup, instead it looks like there is a larger retainer or larger There should be slot where the tip of the suction cup slides into the hole and then holds the suction cup to the suction cup, but of course there is no mount for that, so the suction cups are considered useless Just a P*SS POOR design on this page. In terms of overall functionality, there seems to be 's concept is cool from a design point of view and will probably work as others have mentioned, but how much will it cost you of your time? I spend about 2 hours just plugging this thing in and starting it, which took no more than 30 minutes between the hoses and my filter etc, but then I had to "TRY" for the next 1.5 hours for this thing to stop to lick. Tried teflon tape, didn't help. Then I added a little plumbing paste, it didn't work. I cleaned it and, apart from probably having to permanently seal the hole with silicone, I settled on this one. Then the ends of the hoses leaked. All attempts to see the water flow and to stop it have failed. And believe me, I've remodeled homes and done everything from plumbing to electrical and this thing isn't doing the job. It needs to have barbed ends to hold the hose tighter than not and should come with some sort of hose clamps or even really reliable zip ties if the correct hose they offer is used correctly but oh yes they have Not. do this. I don't think I need to attach metal clips to this product. Oh, I forgot to mention that the wheels only turned when the machine was in a horizontal position. The instructions say to always keep it upright, YES RIGHT! Every time you put it in a vertical position, the wheels will stop spinning. In one of my attempts to repair a leak, I took out the main inner shaft and it broke as well. It's like having eggshell tubing instead of nice hard plastic tubing that's meant to be durable. Plastic impeller blades are crap too. All in all, it was a tremendous waste of time and money, and I don't care how many people had to have this "JIMMY RIG" thing in order for it to work properly, but right out of the box this thing was hopeless. If you're that serious about CO2 dissipation, I suggest spending more time finding another way instead, since you'll have to spend less time messing with it, or getting a little creative and finding a way mimic this simple design if it works that way. Come on and build your own block. I'm almost done with this cheap plastic junk from China. I'm sure if an American company did it they would have a better standard, at least I would hope so. I won't bother with customer service or product returns etc because what will they say at this point? Well, you've modified it, voiding the warranty! Well, yes, no matter who you are or what you use it for, you have to modify it and mess around with its major flaws in design, materials and functionality, essentially voiding your warranty even before you buy it. I usually review each product carefully, but this one is definitely a total letdown. I only gave 1 star because it arrived and was in new packaging. Hooray! That's all you'll cheer for with it. As I said, I'll either have to build my own device or settle for a ceramic cone which only costs a few bucks compared to that crap. I wouldn't pay $3 for this item at a flea market if I knew it was. I think Revain should remove this from the site as it requires serious mods and a waste of time. New products that offer what this one offers shouldn't need to be modified or redesigned in any way and if the problem was constant leaks it should be a simple phone call to have the failed unit replaced as it was faulty. Seriously, if this review hasn't changed your mind then be my guest, give yourself a headache and shed some weight in your wallet because that's all I can say this will get you. I will make my own! Complete waste. And probably the outstanding concept and design is that it should do 'if it works' and was made from the best material, and the simple design details caused some concern among the people who made it. It looks like a kids science project he made in plastic molds in his garage with no quality control or product testing. but aside from that, this thing could have come in a cracker box and cost more. GARBAGE! Revain, stop selling this product. I love you guys, but seriously, this is a total joke. I don't mean to be vulgar, but I have "latex protective gear" if you want that will last longer than that.