AquaClear 30 Power Filter, Fish Tank Filter for 10- to 30-Gallon Aquariums

This is my second purchase of the AquaClear 30 Hagen Power Filter (AKA: "Fluval 30"), the 10-30 gallon adjustable flow OTB filter. I have a 10G standard tank and a 20G high tank. This filter is ideal for both. It is dead quiet (I have both tanks in my living room) and I cannot tolerate motor noise or a constant hum (I have a really quiet air pump in the room as well!). It would drive me up the wall. So... quiet. Very quiet.This thing can run 150gph through itself. That's turning over all the water in a 30G tank five times every hour. But, best of all, if you turn it down (and for a 10 or 20 you need to!), it recirculates water inside itself and refilters it many times before the waterfall. This is what they claim, and I think it's true. Can't prove it. So... plenty of suction.The part that holds the filter material in place (a sort of removable U-shaped shelf) can be easily removed while the filter is running if you take it slow, otherwise it gets a little sloppy. Same thing when you put it back. They provide you with filter stuff. My advice... keeping the big sponge is a must, that's an integral part of the system, and then get yourself whatever filter media you like in bulk blankets. I don't use charcoal other than when I need to clear some medication or something, so I use a dual-density very fine polyester mechanical filter (comes in mats, cut to size, good for years) as the "polishing" stage, then I have a bag of bio-rock matrix sitting on top just before the waterfall. Works for me. I cut what I need, and it's lots cheaper than cartridges and all that. (This filter runs water from the bottom up through the various media and out the top for the waterfall. Bear that in mind when you stack things up.)Disassembly is easy-peasy. CAUTION!!!!!! When you take the pump assembly off (a quarter-turn, and it comes right off), do it over a towel away from anything where you can lose a small part. The impeller is right there, magnetically bound to it's shaft. You need to remove it (tweezers, like that) and rinse out that chamber as well as clean off the impeller. It's not THAT small, but you really don't want to lose it down the sink! And, like all OTB filters, the U-channel that carries water over the back is hard to get clean. Get REALLY flexible tube brushes... 3/4" and 1" will to nicely. You have to get around a 90 degree bend. Other than that... nothing to complain about, and that's a necessary design they all have.And last, it's low profile. The entire unit sticks up about one inch (2.6 cm) above the tank. The little flow adjusting handle thingy protrudes another little bit above that, but the whole thing is very unobtrusive. Perfect for a display tank.The one thing I wish OTB filters had is an in-line ON/OFF switch and a disconnect so you don't have to dig around and unplug it when you want to service it or just turn it off for feeding time. I can do that stuff myself, but if *I* want something like that, I bet lots of folks do. ::hint hint::Anyway, I love this filter.

This is an extremely quiet filter. Unlike other reviewers, I haven’t experienced any noise from this unit. It’s virtually silent as far as I can tell, aside from the sounds of flowing water.It includes a bag of carbon, a foam sponge and what appears to be a bag of ridged ceramic rings for biological filtration. It’s fairly powerful and can handle 15 gallon aquarium without issue. For the price, it’s a bargain, imo.You might need to keep your water level a bit low side (so that the water fall creates surface agitation) or possibly add a small air pump to your tank, if you’re looking for some heavy surface agitation. The filter doesn’t agitate the surface of the water to any significant degree. So far, that’s the only drawback I’ve experienced .Otherwise, very good product 👍

Works exactly as expected. It's very quiet, pumps efficiently, and filters extremely well.One thing to note- when I first bought this and started using it, it was pretty noisy. After about a week it became whisper quiet, to the point where it's hard to tell if it's even on sometimes. I think this is due to the fact that the impeller doesn't sit very tight in its housing. However, this is a good thing because it allows for a small amount of algae/ gunk buildup on the impeller's parts and that's inevitable. Once that builds up, the impeller functions much better and silences itself. I've tried cleaning the impeller for maintenance and it becomes loud again until the gunk builds back up, so now I just leave it alone with no issues at all.Another good thing- The filter process on this is extremely efficient. The water flows up from the bottom of the filter housing through 3 separate levels of filtration (sponge, charcoal, bio-blocks). This works soooo much better than the bio-wheel filters I've used before. Additionally, this filter has a bypass system, where if the filters get too clogged the water is still free to flow. My filter has become extremely full before with hardly any need for the water to go through the bypass, this filter is awesome at what it does.Once the sponge filter is dirty and clogged, there's no need to buy a new one to replace it. I've been rinsing/ wringing it out every water change for months and it still works like it's brand new (rinse out in the water you just removed, not tap water. Tap water can cause chemical shock and start a re-cycle of your tank). I also gently swish around the charcoal filter but mostly leave it alone. Try not to touch the bio-blocks, you don't want to disturb the bacteria that grows on them. Rinsing or cleaning that is a BIG no-no. You'll be surprised how much gunk comes out of the sponge when you clean it, you can really tell this thing does its job well.Bottom line- excellent product. Will definitely buy again if needed, would definitely recommend.Tip- buy one just slightly bigger than needed for your tank, I've always found this to be more efficient. I use this in my 20 gallon tank, even though it's rated for up to 30 gallons. If the current is too much for your fish, use the built-in flow adjuster to tone it down a little (think about it this way- if you buy one rated for up to 20 gallons, and use it in a 20 gallon tank, you're using it at maximum capacity and won't get as good results. Using one designed for up to 30 gallons will give you a "buffer zone" and will work better overall)