Arrived well packaged, brand new in original box, fast delivery via Amazon Prime. I researched these types of pumps for awhile, and settled on them because they are a reputable company and recommended by various DIY You Tubers who rave about what an invaluable tool they actually are when it comes to aquarium maintenance. There are all sorts of things you can do and setup's you can apply these pump's too. I have two of these set up on a 50 gal aquarium with a DIY under gravel set up using 3/4 pvc pipe! The effect on my fish was mediated, at first they were a little perturbed by the circulation, all their lives they've been wondering how they wound up in a stagnant pond and then all of a sudden they have all this awesome current to swim in! I can really see the difference this has made for tank full of five year old gold fish, they've never been more happy and it shows! So since fish can't talk, I would just like to say on behalf of them to Amazon and MarineLand... THANK YOU! Now for some technical data that might help some of you who are trying to figure out which pump is right for me? I really couldn't find anything anywhere not even on MarineLands website but this is what I found out after much digging.... 10 gal tank.... Just one 110/500 gph pump will provide sufficient flow as a circulation or under gravel pump. 20 gal tank.... Two 110/500 gph or one 160/750 will provide sufficient flow as a circulation or under gravel pump. 30 gal tank.... One 160/750 gph will provide sufficient flow, but for under gravel filters 30+, two pumps are recommended. 40 gal tank.... One 230/1000 for circulation, two for under gravel filtration. 50 gal tank.... One 295/1300 for circulation, two for under gravel filtration. The general rule of thumb when selecting a submersible pump is that the GPH (Gallons Per Minute) should be 5x times that which your tank holds. For instance my 50 gal tank needs a x5 gph of around 250, so one 230/1000 would more than do the job for circulation, but for an under gravel set up I opted for two of the the 295/1300 to work in tandem, and to back eachother up in case one goes out. Sure one would work okay, but two are optimal and your fish will thank you for it. Note that you don't have to run both pumps 24/7, one will work fine in conjunction with a good air stone. Set up; I read a lot of bad reviews on these pumps, and from what I can gather as a 5 year novice into the hobby, these people don't know what they are doing, and I find it some of them boast about being aquarist for twenty or more years! You would think that they would be sure to read the clear instructions that come with the pump, and disassemble and reassemble the unit as instructed to do so. You would think they would take out and inspect all the impellers and then reinstall them per the instructions! A lot of people complain of noise and broken impeller blades, and this is simply due to improper inspection, assembly, and failure to follow simple instructions. The impellers are magnetic, and they can get jostled loose during storage or transport. If you take out the impeller, and plug it in, and hear no noise, the problem is more than likely improper installation of the impeller or a defective part. If there are any broken parts, call MarineLand first and give them a chance to repair or send you a replacement part. Oh, and one more thing... If your fish get sucked into the circulation pump, that's a sign of a bad Aquarist, there are steps you can take to prevent that from ever happening and there are a lot of videos on You Tube to instruct you on how to keep it from ever happening. If you love your fish like I love mine, educate yourself on how to take care of them, trust me, they will show you their appreciation for it. UPDATE 7.20 I recently had to order a new power head, as it appears the propeller separated from its magnetic barrel and free floats. This causes it to rattle and stop turning altogether. I tried to find a replacement but couldn't find one for Marineland 295/1300 pumps anywhere online. I did happen to notice that replacement propellers for power heads are very expensive for some reason? A replacement prop can cost as much as buying a new power head, so if your looking to replace yours, your probably just better off buying a new pump instead of getting taken by after market rip off artists. Its really sad that replacement props and parts are not readily available to the manufacturers customer base, but its a Greek tragedy when distributors take advantage of that customer base. A replacement prop should be readily available by any given manufacturer in Aquarist Business, and a replacement prop should not have the same MSRP as a brand new power head! Anyone offering a replacement power head propeller over a max of ten dollars should be avoided, if you can, you're just better off ordering a new power head with an extended warranty and let them eat the cost of replacing the whole head if the prop goes out. Pretty much a no brainer there if they offer it. tfr.
