HW-302 Pro

Let me start of by saying I've started in the aquarium hobby in 1982 and have kept fish (fresh and salt) continuously since then. I am currently a breeder. I have always been some what of a "filter snob" . I ONLY USE EHEIM canister filters. I have owned several and currently own 2 X 2215's (yes they're old but they're EHEIM's and they still work great. I have started breeding Super Red Bristlenose Pleco's. If you have never had these I can't convey how much they poop! I had one of my Eheim 2215's on a 15 gallon grow out tank trying to keep it clean. I had to clean it once a week because of the zucchini "stuff" in the water from feeding. I set up a 20 gallon breeding tank for the adults. I moved the 2215 over to it. Again, I have to service it weekly or it completely clogs up. Decide to try one of these "SunSun" canister filters back on the 15 gallon. I read the instructions, installed the hoses and media as required, hooked it all up, plugged it in and IT WORKED PERFECTLY. No leaks, no noise, and a the next morning the tank was crystal clear. I let it run for almost a month before I noticed the output slowing down A LITTLE. Decided to clean it today. WOW! It was full of "stuff". The "toggle" release for the hoses was great and removing the trays to clean the individual media was very easy. Filled up the canister before reconnecting the hoses, pumped the "prime button" and it took off running again. VERY pleased with it's performance so far and will be ordering another one this week. I read all of the Pro and Con reviews before ordering and said "for $50 I can't replace the hoses and connectors on 1 of my Eheims so what do I have to lose?" Maybe I just got lucky and got a "good" one. Don't know, don't care. I'm still going to order another one :-). Will it keep a 75 gallon clean? Probably not. I would think MAYBE a 55 AT MOST but for anything smaller it works way better than I expected for the price! A good bargain!

Previously, I had this filter set up with a 20 gallon tall aquarium. This is my 4th shot at a filter for my two baby turtles, which all failed miserably. I also tried the zenblue canister before this and I couldn't even get it started up. This one was easy. It came with media and filter pads and I've set it up as follows: Bottom layer, heavy particle blue pad then white pad. Second, bio media. Third, white pad and purigen. I had my tank close to the floor with the filter right beside it. I soaked the hoses in the bathtub with hot water to make them less ridged and adjusted the length, which is a must. I filled it with water and hit the priming button a few times, plugged it in...after about 30 seconds and some bubble sputtering, it started flowing and smoothed out. No issues at all. Very quiet. I checked it out after the first 5 days, and it was definitely doing its job. My water was a little cloudy due to my filter struggles, but no longer the smelly light tea color. After cleaning out the filter, day 6 showed perfectly clear water. Really impressed. The really great thing about this filter is that you can add your own media. Not having to buy specific filter cartridges is really great. After a lot of research, I found you can keep this thing running pretty cheap. After 14 months the filter is still functioning great. I have since upgraded my tank to a 55 gallon and the water is just as clean as it was in the 20 gallon. Two of the four clips that hold down the side did break off, but it is not affecting the performance of the filter, and the top seals well by just pushing it on, kind of like a vacuum pressure. Also, the plastic tab at the hose input/output connection snapped off, but there is still enough left for me to unhook it. Yes the plastic seems extremely cheap, however the filter itself works very well. I'm still amazed at the difference this filter made compared to other brands that I had used. The water is clear and smell free, and I only clean the filter once a month. Which for turtles, is saying something.

I bought this to replace a HW-304B that I had for 4 years running 24/7. It was a great filter and gave me no problems until recently when the gasket failed. I bought this smaller unit mainly because of my budget and the fact that I only have a 40 gallon tank. Setup was super easy as everything needed is included. I just cut the tubing to length with a PVC pipe cutter and reused my old media. The only issue is the stated GPH. According to my little test run and limited math, I calculated that at 4ft head height and the canister loaded with filters and media. I get about 140 GPH from this unit. So, if you have a 40 gallon tank filled with rock and sand, this filter is just big enough. Assuming you’re aiming to cycle 4 times your tank volume per hour. Small tip: fill the canister with tank water before connecting everything and use the lubricant it comes with, it makes connecting the tubing a lot easier.

It is my first canister filter but it is working fantastically. Easy to set up, easy to run, and really REALLY quiet. I'm no aquarium expert but here are my tips and discoveries as a new hobbyist: 1. Soak the tubes in a sink full of HOT water for several minutes, then take them out and give them a little stretch. This will straighten the coils. 2. Soak the end of the tube in HOT water before connecting to the hard plastic attachments. This will soften the tubing and make it easier to connect the two. 3. The filter goes from bottom to top, so you use scrubby pad on bottom, charcoal in the middle, and ceramic rings/bioballs on top. Make sure the baskets' holes are lined up properly with the intake so this works properly. *****There are two different options in this item, one gives you the auto fish feeder and the other gives you a set of filter media. 4. Fill your tank with water, treat it, then pour some of the water into your canister before closing it up. This will speed up priming, but it will still take plenty of pumping to get started. 5. Keep your filter in a bucket for the first day JUST IN CASE you didn't close it correctly or there's a leak. It fits perfectly in a 5 gallon bucket. 6. The outflow spray arm is NOISY, but if you twist it so the water hits the glass of your tank, it is almost silent. 7. Water MUST be above the height adjustment joint of your intake or else the filter will suck air, make noise, and eventually lose prime. 8. You don't need to drain the hoses in order to clean the filter. The black piece the hoses attach to has valves, so you can just unclip that part and haul the canister off to clean inside.

I purchased the SunSun 302 as a replacement for a HOB filter. First, I received the filter in a timely manner , it was very well packaged with all that I ordered. I read prior reviews on the SunSun prior to receiving it which was a big help. As was stated in some reviews the install instructions were of no use but the diagram on the box was easy enough to understand. The canister was very easy to set up even though I had no prior experience with a canister filter. As for setup, in the bottom basket I installed my mechanical filtration, a coursep, medium then fine pad. In the second basket I filled it up with Fluval bio-rings on top of a fine mechanical filter pad. On the top basket I filled it with more bio-rings, bio-balls and active carbon. After installing the baskets I filled the filter with aquarium water up to the top of third basket then pumped the primer 2-3 times after hoses etc. were put in place. The SunSun started right up with no problems at all, I just tilted the canister side to side a few times one started to purge any remaining air. I ran the canister 30 days in conjunction with my HOB to allow the bio to establish in the canister, then I removed my old filiter. The SunSun is super quiet, I can't hear it run, I have it on a 55 gallon tank that is somewhat overstocked with an Oscar, Jack Dempsey, Convict and 6 Silver Dollars. Water tests are all good but plan on installing another SunSun one my fish are fully grown. When I opened the canister yesterday it was obvious that it is doing it's job. I replaced the carbon bag with Seachum Matrix and expect to see even lower nitrate levels in the future. I am extremely satisfied with this canister filter and it's only 1/3 the cost of the name filters......

for the love of all that is good in this world do not get this thing...its cheap...and the hoses make it a pian to set up step 1, take out of box and laugh uncontrollably at the worst directions since Ikea step 2. use your common sense on how to assemble because if you use the directions...you lack common sense step 3. finally get it all together and hopefully you remember to take the media out of the plastic bag that is covering the mesh media bag (only if you got the media included) step 4. get it primed via a pump button which is a pain in the arse to do because just when you think you have it ...NOPE MORE BUBBLES step 5. get your tank all set up with the cheap intake and outboard plastics that feel like they were made out of egg shells. step 6. fight with houses and crappy suction cups that said eggshell plastics are attached too. step 7. enjoy your filter and have a beer or anything that will take the rage that this thing has caused away step 8 pray to whatever deity you have because this things will leak inevitably. all in all i would return this thing buy i bought it to replace my older filter for my tank and i dont thnk my fish can handle another few days without a filter .... wish i could get my money back i really do but my situation has prevented me from doing so...do your self a favor go with a name brand yeah you will pay more but you get what you pay for

Bought to replace the one that had broke. I accidentally broke the clamp handle and I couldn't find that as a replacement part so instead I bought a whole unit and I have all the parts I might need if I break anything else. I have used it on my 75 gallon fish tank for 3 years before I broke it so I feel that it was worth buying the same. I replace the filter media once a year and have rinsed the sponges every 3 months and have had no tank issues. The water is clean and filtered and since the new one was the same as my old one the hose fit without having to swap anything. Its quiet and hides well under my tank in the cabinet.

Update: I have decided to take the trouble to return it. I don't think the pump is even good enough to run a 20 long tank. I may post video before sending it back. A hang on the back filter has more power. I have bought one of these filters previously for a 40 gallon breeder. I had some troubles with it after a few years. I decided to buy again because hang on the back filters seem to fail far more often. I figured I could still use parts from the old one if needed. I'm disappointed with this one. It seems like the manufacturer has put a significantly less powerful pump on this filter. The flow is feeble in comparison to the last one I bought which could shoot water across my 40 gallon easily. This one might be appropriate for a 15 possibly a 20 gallon. I bought it to get flow going in the tank to prevent mulm from accumulating on the top of tall live plants. The previous pump did that and it went into the filter this one does a so so job. I did like the filter media was included and the quality of what was included was better and we'll organized so you could just start the filter. That being said I think I will change or add another layer of filtration to catch more particles. I will keep it for awhile​ and maybe put it on a 20 gallon. It's too much trouble to send back.

Very good works very well thanks

This canister is a raelly good upgrade from my Marineland Biowheel 150! I received everything that was annonced. I did't use the active charbon since i put all the white filters in the bottom, the ceramic noodle in the middle (with my old filter media) and the bioballs on the top basket. The tubes are a bit stiff and the plastic of the water intake and outtake are a bit on the cheap side, but for the price, I can't complain at all! It is really quiet and I can say that my air pump is way louder than this Sunsun filter!

satisfait

Excellent