Zoo Med Nano 10 External Canister Filter, up to 10 Gallons,Black

I bought this Zoo Med canister filter to replace a horrible submersible filter that came as a kit with my 6.5 gallon aquarium. It works flawlessly, is silent and does an excellent job on my tank. I have a pretty heavy load in my tank as I have a betta and 3 African dwarf frogs, in a planted tank. Setting up the filter was easy but I previously had an Eheim canister filter on my last tank, so I have experience with canister filters. I did run into 1 issue during set up as I could not get the top off, so I called Zoo Med and their customer service is excellent, which says a lot. They answer the phone, so there’s no waiting for an email response, etc. What I ended up doing re: the top, was to put my thumb in the fill hole and pull up from there, which worked perfectly! The canister has a divider in the middle, so it gives you plenty of options for any type of filtration, you want to add. It comes with a round blue sponge for mechanical filtration, that fits in one side, and has a bag of carbon and ceramic media that fits in the other side. I included a pic. of the ceramic media and carbon bag. I opted not to use either on the other side as my tank is live planted, I fertilize my plants and the carbon would filter it out. The carbon is great for filtering out medication in case a fish gets sick and you need to medicate it. Using the carbon bag when done, will filter the remaining medication out of your tank. Just a note, the carbon is very dusty, so be sure to rinse it well until water runs clear, before using it. Using the carbon in a tank that you don’t fertilize/has fake plants, would work fine imo, but I’ve only had live planted tanks. I also did not use the ceramic media included as I’m a huge fan of Seachem Matrix for biological filtration, so I’m using that in place of their ceramic media, which just boils down to personal choice. I see nothing wrong with the media included with this canister filter. I was extremely happy to find a canister filter for a small tank. This filter also gives you the option of using a spray bar or a diffuser, which is a nice touch. I opted to use the spray bar and I positioned the holes of the bar toward the back of my tank, to disperse the flow, so there wouldn’t be a lot of current for my betta and frogs. I included a couple pics of how I have the inside media set up in the canister. I love the versatility you have with the canister. One flaw with this is, there is no screw to secure the tubing to the spray bar, so it could end up disconnecting. I resolved that by placing a suction cup on the plastic elbow in my tank that connects to the spray bar. That way, if it does happen to disconnect, the elbow is held in place with the suction cup and the water will still stay in the tank. I highly recommend this canister filter to anyone, looking for a good filter, media versatility and to free up some space in a smaller tank. I had the original submersible filter in my tank for a couple weeks before getting this canister. I’ve already changed the floss, cleaned the sponge and rinsed the media in some tank water, as it filtered out plenty, in just over two weeks. Also, this canister filter needs to be at the same height as the bottom of your tank. My tank sits on my breakfast bar and when I first took it out of the box, it seemed pretty light and I was worried my cat might knock it over. But when filled with media & water, the canister is extremely sturdy and have had no issues with it being knocked over. Plus, Zoo Med includes rubber feet for the canister, which silence any vibration and stops it from being slippery/falling over, etc. All in all, this filter and Zoo Med’s customer service get an A+++++ rating, from me!!

Fantastic filter! This thing is easy to assemble and so far has lasted great. I use this on a small habitat for my baby turtle and the filter is small enough that it doesn't make an overpowering current in the water and gently filters the whole enclosure. The habitat is just 1.5 gallons max but for turtles, you will want a strong filter because they can be messy. So this filter still fits. It is easy to take down and take apart to do some of the normal cleaning maintenance and extra charcoal filter bags are simple enough to purchase with it. I recommend a long flexible scrubbing want to help clean the accumulated grime out of the tubes. I had to get that, easily affordable, and it helped me clean the tubes and keep the filter working great. I do not have any smell from it so that is very good.

This is the second Zoo Med Nano 10 External Canister Filter I purchased. The first one was VERY quiet and last a few years before it quit. Just set this filter up yesterday and the filter itself seems to work great for our 10 gallon betta tank. The problem is the noise is driving me crazy...I have tried several things to get the noise to go away but I think it must be the motor/fan so I might be returning this filter. After reading several newer reviews about the noise, I'm not sure I will try this filter again. Update - ended up getting most of the noise to go away. Someone said to tap the canister and get as many bubbles out as possible. After about 3 days it seemed better. **update** 1/8/2020 Changed my review to 1 star While I was able to get the noise to mostly go away, the pump slowed way down after about a month. Today it started making all kinds of noise and just quit. Way too much money for something that didn't even last 6 months. Will be going back to a cheaper HOB style filter until I find something better.

I've been using this canister filter on a planted 10-gallon aquarium for several months now and I enjoy the practical use it provides. However, I do have some cons and pros to this canister filter that I hope can be educational to others, Pros - 1. Perfect size for any tank 10-gallons or under. It seems deceptively small at first but it works great for the size. 2. Very quiet. I use the spray bar to create a waterfall effect and that creates some natural noise. However, the canister filter itself does not make any noise at all and it's extremely satisfying. 3. Depending on your set up, your water can be super clear. Changing some things can make this a very effective filter. Cons - 1. I had to put the sponge that is internal to the canister filter on my intake because I've found that the sponge isn't effective internally at all. The ones sold by Marineland would probably be better but I replaced the area where the sponge was with Bio-Balls that are sold by Marineland. 2. The pump gear isn't really strong and that's concerning because much of the gunk is getting stuck in the intake lines. This canister filter does need a slightly stronger pump to be more effective. 3. The ceramic rings and carbon bags are fine but they do leave room for improvement. While I do under stand their use, I find it difficult to understand how the filter is filtering at its maximum capacity when much of the outtake end of the filter is empty from any sort of media. Including smaller carbon bags might help but I do suggest finding a better alternative carbon bag that is smaller to be able to put more media in the canister filter. Realistically, this is the best canister filter for smaller tanks. I would suggest modifying this canister filter to get the maximum amount of filtration and to get the most bang for your buck. I would use the sponge that is included on your intake in order for your fry to not be sucked into the canister itself. Would I buy this canister filter again? Absolutely. Zoo Med just needs to make some modifications for this small but impactful canister filter.

It was packaged well and only took about half an hour to setup. Parts are all very well made, including all the tiny little accessories, and even the intake pre-filter which I expected would break held up to opening and closing it several times (you can open up the intake pre-filter to insert floss or clean it out, very handy). I ended up trimming some of the rigid tubes to get the system to fit in my tank. Suction cups holding very well. The instructions say a block of floss material is included, but there wasn't any. Another missing item was tiny rubber feet to insert into the bottom of the filter. However I got very carsick on the way back from the fedex pickup location and I might have lost those myself, so leaving it at 5 stars. I bought a large pad of floss and cut it to put right under the intake, inside the canister, on top of the ceramic media and the carbon baggie. With that system it leaves my water crystal clear. The force and speed of the output flow is perfect for my 10 gallon! I can't stress that part enough. It gives my plants a gentle sway and the surface water moves at about 2-4 inches per second. I put the spray bar under the water line so I don't have any surface agitation, which I prefer. There is a small gentle hum that seems to be coming from the impeller area, but I'm not sure if it's normal or I did something wrong in setup. It is constant however it is a very quiet sound and nothing compared to other filters.

This is my second nano. It is running on a heavily planted 10g tank stocked with 16 tetras, 5 pea puffers, 2 corydoras, and 50+ shrimp after Loretta had her babies. The water values hold steady for more than two weeks (longer I’m sure but I don’t want to push it) but I do a 25% water change a week regardless. It’s relatively quiet (the bubbling is from the moving bed filter. Inefficient, I know, but I like the aesthetic). Modifications: I don’t use carbon filtration and haven’t in years of fish keeping. Instead, i throw out the carbon pack and add more of my own media instead because it doesn’t come with nearly enough. The majority is the little Biohome balls I added and I threw in ceramic cylinders that came with the Nano since I had room. I fill the whole compartment. Once a month I clean all the tubing and the spray rod and lightly rinse out the sponge and media in conditioned water. Once every 2-3 months I clean the housing and impeller at the same time as I would clean the tubes. In a well seasoned filtration system this little ZooMed Nano really does the job. It’s easy to work with, sturdily built, doesn’t take up a lot of space (a must for my kitchen counter!), and if you take care of it, it’ll last years. For such a little workhorse it’s absolutely worth the money.

I first bought this for a 5 gal nano tank in my office after trying to use basic hang on the back filters. I upgraded to this Zoo Med Nano 10 after getting frustrated with having to contants replace AND purchase those lame filter cartridges and it just not keeping the tank clean. My tank is planted and with just a checkerboard cichild, mystery snail, and a stone catfish and this Zoo Med cannister filter solved all my issues. First off, I only have to clean it about every 30-40 days and that is SIMPLE. I replace the charcoal bag every 3 months or so and that's worked for me. It is extremely quick - like really quick. Most cannister filters are. Even large ones. I've had my initial one for about 6 or 7 months now - NO issues. Loved it so much, I just purchased another one for my new 6 gal nano tank. It comes with everything you need but you can upgrade the plastic pipes to glass lilly pipes if you want. The ones it comes with aren't too bad looking and I like how it also comes with a spraying tube. I find that works best for cubed nanos but not really for rectangular tanks. The size is awesome too. You don't really notice it. Oh, and you CANNOT beat this price. The only 2 cons for me is that I had to purchase the charcoal bag directly from Zoo Meds site and they obviously don't provide fast shipping like Amazon. I'm sure I could just find a knockoff or other brand but I haven't yet. Also, the tubing that it comes with is short. I think that is because I believe they recommend sitting the filter at the same level as the tank. I have a 55 gal with a large cannister filter and I placed it under the cabinet so it's out of sight. I'd like to the do the same with these but I haven't tested that yet. But like I said, they are small so size or sight isn't a big deal for me.

update 10/8/17 - Only one filter has continued to work. The other two motors gave out over the last year and a half, so I have been disappointed in the longevity of the filter motors. The last filter has started to malfunction, so it will not be long before it, too, quits working. While they worked, they were great - quiet, did a great job of helping maintain the aquariums, and did not take up a lot of space. I am considering a replacement motor/filter head since I have the plastic parts for three setups, but may replace the unit with a different brand. ******************************************************************************* When purchasing these filters, know that there is some assembly required, from putting the little footings on the canister base to snapping together the water intake cover cage. Also, there will be carbon dust in the box as the carbon bag is shipped loose in the box. If one has any difficulties with set up, just Google for a set up video. Compared to hang-on-back and in-tank filters, these filters are almost silent. There is a very quiet hum and propeller sound one can hear when close to the canister. If you want to avoid vibration or sound transmission to/in the tank, these filters help meet that goal. Each filter in use here sits on a 1/4 inch piece of rubber as a precaution to dissipate any extra vibration (but these filters do have little rubber inserts for the base). All parts for this filter went together easily and there have been zero problems with leaks thus far. There is some buildup on the inside of the tubing as the tanks have cycled. The spray bar works great and in five gallon tanks, each has enough circulation to keep the tanks going without causing too much water movement for the betta fish (one betta fish lives in each five gallon tank with a nerite snail and plants). Of the three canister filters purchased, one had a carbon bag that was ripped/open at a couple of edges along the seam. The requested replacement filter has not yet arrived, but it has only been a few weeks since the third filter was purchased. One downside is the recommended placement of the filter on tank level. It would be nice to have the option of hiding the canister below the tank. Otherwise, these are great filters for a smaller tank!

I bought this for a 5 gallon Fulval Chi tank after the original filter started to crap out. This is a great upgrade. It's dead quiet and moves a lot more water. I had a small issue during setup and called their customer support number. They answered right away and were super helpful. My only complaint is that the order they place the media (mechanical filtration last) doesn't really make sense. I bought some 3rd party filtration pads and cut them to size to put first. Problem solved. If it lasts longer than the original Fluval I'll be even happier.

Awesome filter- super quiet and perfect amount of suction and flow. Perfect for my 5 gallon shrimp tank. I did add a sponge on the intake tube to stop larger particles from entering and I changed the media in both sides- filling it right up. It keeps the water crystal clear.

Great little canister filter. I like how it is divided into 2 sections inside, makes it easy to customize types of media. The ceramic rings it comes with are not the best. If you can I would replace them with a higher quality bio-media. I did use the rings that it came with but I am using the filter on a 5gal planted shrimp tank so the bio load is low. My only complaint is that it comes with very short intake and outflow hoses making it difficult to place. I also do not like that the filter must be kept at the same level as the tank. The filter does advertise that it can go up to 10 gallons but i wouldn't recommend that unless its just for a couple of fish or in my case a shrimp tank. The flow rate on this thing is pretty low. All in all its great little filter and suits my needs very well.

Much bigger than I expected (maybe I didn’t read description well enough?) Pump has a complicated set up. Without YouTube I would not have been able to even get the top off (it’s got a vacuum seal). When all was finally done, it was not quiet like others reported.

Takes some effort to remove pump head from filter unit but its no problem. Unit is beautifully small and silent.