For the price, this filter is an attractive option. That said, buyers should be aware that the filter likely won't live up to expectations... For the most part, it is easy to assemble. If this is your first time setting up a canister filter, look for YouTube tutorials or ask questions, as the instructions are very poorly translated and may be confusing if you don't already know how things should be set. Pay attention to the little knobby things on the tops of the intake and outputs (tank side); mine were both unscrewed and the output was dialed down to minimum flow. If I didn't know to look for this, I would have had nearly no flow from this filter at all. I'm replacing a SunSun 704b (I think?) with this unit. The media baskets on this unit are slightly larger, but somehow manage to have the same volume, but there is one additional basket, so more capacity overall. I previously ran 1 basket for mechanical filter media (sponges, floss) and 2 baskets full of BioHome Ultimate media. Now I have 1 basket with filter media, 2 full of the BioHome and one additional basket which I've got additional bio-media in. So overall, I've increased my bio filtration by 50% (in theory), which is a plus. On the downside, there is no way this unit is pushing as much water as advertised. The output comes with 2 really cheap nozzles (you can hardly direct the flow) at 90 degrees, or 1 spray bar that can replace one of the nozzles. As I'm trying to direct my flow in a specific direction, I've opted for 1 nozzle and the spray bar. The bar comes in 3 segments; I'm only using two. Even then, with the 1 nozzle and spray bar, the bar barely has any flow coming out of it. The 'jets' of water can fly horizontally about 2 inches before falling downward. For the rated flow, I expect much higher pressure out of the spray bar. Maybe there's a way to disable the other nozzle completely; if there is, it's not in the instructions and I'm not smart enough to figure it out on my own. I do like that the UV lamp is programmable, so I can only run it for a few hours per day. This is an improvement over the older units where it was binary (on/off). I don't find the tunability of the output motor to be useful because the flow is already too low... no need to lower it further. I bought this filter as a secondary for my 125g mbuna tank (primary filter is a Fluval FX6), so I'm not horribly upset about the lack of flow. I do find this unit to be slightly louder than my FX6, which is a real shame, considering how little water it is moving. All in all, for the price I paid, I'm decently happy. If you are planning on this being your primary filter, perhaps spend the extra few dollars and get a mainstream brand. *Side note: If you are familiar with the older SunSun models, be aware that this unit is wider than those. Originally I was going to put this on my 65g tank, but it wouldn't fit inside the stand (too wide), which is why I had to switch it with the 704b. Update: I ended up moving this filter to my 65g tank due to the lower than ideal flow; replaced it with a Fluval FX4. I realized in the changeover that this unit holds approximately DOUBLE the media as the FX4, even after you have used the first basket for mechanical filtration. This is pretty impressive and makes me want to upgrade my review to 3.5 stars if I could. Still disappointed by the flow though.
