I have purchased this filter twice, the first arrived in defective, the second has been running strong.. Backstory behind purchase: I used to be a heavy sleeper, however, these past few years not so much. I have a 55 gallon in my room and used to use a hang on the back filter. I bought the tank from a good friend a few years ago. He didn't know the age of anything that I had bought from him- his father had bought and maintained the tank, passed everything on to him. I figured that the filter was fairly new when I received it, but this year I knew I needed to get another when it started causing me problems. Too much pressure, not enough, rattling, humming, starting and stopping, etc. But above all else it started waking me up in the middle of the night. I replaced it with another cheap HOB filter, but it was just way too loud I had to turn it off or I would get migraines from the constant noise at night. I immediately started looking for something new, and due to the issues with the HOB filters I was having, I didn't want to drop the money on something that might not be quiet enough for me. Enter external cannister filters, and specifically this one. My first purchase: I was really excited, but I knew relatively nothing about the construction of these filters, so a flaw I should have seen immediately went unnoticed. Another issue was one of the clips on the lid was broken, which didn't really bother me. No leaks, and the clip was still able to be secured down (the bottom side of the plastic that holds it in was broken, but the top was still there so it could be attached) so I was content and figured I could find a way to glue/silicon the piece down later. I plugged it in, figured out the best way to prime it, and turned it on. Best night of sleep I had had in years. Little did I know, the filter would keep me up for many nights in the next week. The next morning it was a little bit noisy, but I ignored it, beliving it to be my paranoia. I convinced myself it was the same as the night before, but deep down I remained unconvinced. A day later the rattling and popping sounds were only growing louder. That night I sat awake, staring at it across the room. I unplugged it around 3 AM and went to sleep frustrated and upset. When I had originally unboxxed the filter, the impeller shaft was in two pieces, but I thought this was normal. It was be 3 more days of testing, confusion, frustration, and a lack of answers on the internet. I stumbled upon a YouTube video which actually demonstrated taking the entire thing apart, when I then noticed the issue. I returned it the next day and planned to buy another- giving it one more try- before I moved on to something else. The second purchase: Currently, I am running this new filter, and it runs like a charm. The packaging was clean (my original one came with a bunch of the media crushed up so the box was dusty, another issue I had ignored), the impeller and its shaft intact. Due to my testing I had done with the first filter, the set up only took 15-20 minutes and it has been running like a charm. No more fear of killing my fish due to lack of oxygen, no more migraines, no more worrying about what I had done wrong. The best way I have found to prime the filter: I know a lot of people have issues with this, I did too at the beginning. I left the input side open and unscrewed the output side connecter. I sucked air out of the filter and quickly reconnected the output side. As soon as I hear most of the filter filled and/or the water comes through to the output side, I closed the top output connecter and plugged the filter in. Give it a second or two, reopen the output side. Its still going to make some noise, but rocking it gently should get rid of the air pockets, letting it run for a while should get the rest of the air you may have missed. The best way I found to disassemble: My filter lives under the tank, in the corner of the room. Not much space to get around and pull tubing or mess with anything unless its under the tank. With this in mind, I close all connectors after unplugging it and unscrew both sides. A few drops of water will come out, only because there was water in that section when you turn it off. I put the filter in a 5 gallon bucket and open the input side first, then the output, this ensures none of the water come out of the output side, but if any does I just angle it down into the bucket. From there I take the spray bar and input tube and pull them out of the water, but set them against the top of the tank. I empty the tubes into the bucket by opening the valves. Then you can drop them back into the water, since there is no suction, you don't even have to close the ends again. I rarely ever get water on my floor (carpet) besides the drops from opening the connectors the first time. I hope this helps someone out there.
