Review on Boxtech Hang On Filter Aquarium Power Waterfall Suspension Oxygen Pump - Submersible Activated Carbon Biochemical Fish Tank Filtration Water System - Wall Mounted by Tyra Smith

I have a 75 gallon tank, a 10 gallon tank, a 5.5 gallon tank and a tiny tank (about 1.5 gallons capacity). I keep African cichlids. I have been keeping cichlids for 25 years. For many years I only kept males but recently introduced a pair of females. and suddenly I have a fishery on my hands. The pregnant female is kept in a louvered lid flower vase in the main tank so she can enjoy normal filtration (and a great view) without being chased or molested by males while holding her fertilized eggs. (She doesn't eat while pregnant, she wears her mouth). When the female releases the fry (kids), I transfer the young to a smaller aquarium. When they grow up, they are sold at a pet store. I have two female electric yellow cichlids that continue to breed with males so I need multiple hatchery tanks, although I currently keep both females in the largest tank with the largest juveniles (too big for them to eat) so the females (and I) rest from a series of pregnancies. My 5.5 gallon and 10 gallon tanks come with quiet 5-10 gallon tetra filters that clean the water perfectly even when eating 12-30 fry. and poops. I highly recommend Tetra Filters. You don't hear them at all; they are really quiet. But I absolutely do not recommend this Boxtech filter to anyone who cares about their fish. It's inefficient - it doesn't purify or filter water as advertised. There is no malfunction in the filter itself, I can see that it works as intended but is extremely inefficient. Every week I do partial water changes in the juvenile tanks and carefully monitor all other parameters (temperature, pH, etc.). The Boxtech filter hangs on the smallest tank—a capacity that a filter that claims to work with a much larger volume of water (3-10 gallons) can absolutely handle. And yet I notice that the pool with the Boxtech filter is the dirtiest. The inefficiency of this filter has resulted in stunted growth and fish kills in my juvenile fish, while those babies that have been in other aquariums with Tetra filters that are said to be able to get by with the same water capacity as the Boxtech filter has crystal clear water and thrives. RESULT: DOES NOT PURIFY WATER. In addition, he is picky and thin; the small piece of sponge at the bottom of the tube keeps falling off (we attach a rubber band to the bottom of the tube to keep it from constantly slipping off). The size of the filter cartridge alone should tell you everything you need to know. The Boxtech 5-10 gallon filter cartridge measures approximately 1 1/4" by 3 1/4" (about the size of a movie ticket - remember those?), while the 5-10 gallon Tetra filter cartridge measures approximately 3 inches. x 5 1/2". Also the tetra inlet and outlet is much stronger, like a quiet little waterfall of crystal clear goodness. Considering I used this Boxtech filter for the smallest aquarium (because the tetra filter was too large for the side of the aquarium), with less water filtration requirements than Boxtech can boast of, and since the fish in the water with Boxtech were tiny fish, no larger juveniles or adults (with greater need for food and waste cleaning), has Boxtech filters no apologies I've lost all but 3 juveniles from our most recent batch due to the inefficiency of this filter system and I had about 10 days past the 'return' date to be eligible for a refund and it seems giving no way to contact seller so I wanted to go ahead and warn other fish lovers or owners Use a 5-10 gallon tetra filter if your aquariu m allows this, it is even cheaper than a Boxtech filter. If you have very small fish (like my recent fry are about 1/4 inch long) simply tie some gauze around the bottom where the filter slots are for eating so nobody gets sucked in. a little more, the gauze can be safely removed. Please avoid the Boxtech filter at all costs. That's already cost me a lot of fish and $14. A real shame.