sun sun filters

[ember04]

does anyone have any experience with the sunsun 602b or 603b filters? are they any good? heard mixed reviews.
ember04

 

[GlosGraham]

Surprisingly not many replies. Basically the same as the one sold by all pond solutions.
I have had mine from all pond solutions for the 6 years. Reliable units. Flow is debatable But obviously flow is based on having no filter media....
I took all the media out and used biohome ultimate and on the 'booster' I stuffed my mechanical filtration into it.

The only thing I will say is the trays that you get in the filter jam up too easily and I pulled the handle off it. No biggy.

Generally an ok unit for not a lot of money. If you can afford it look at Aquael units.

 

[AbbeysDad]

I can't say for certain...but I have a Polar Aurora HW-304B (unbranded Sun Sun - exact same filter for $20 less) 525gph - and I'm VERY happy with it. Sun Sun gets a bad rap but they work and you can't beat the price. If your a filter snob, it's gotta be Fluval, Eheim, or whatever. But I have a Dell LT rather than IBM and I'm happy.

 

[Utar]

I have experience with Sunsun canister filters. I have the Sunsun HW-3000 and so far I really like it. I have a version of the smaller filter the SunSun Modular Canister Filter which is the same filter as the Sunsun 604b without the motor. I was using this one as a prefilter for my previous canister filter the Polar Aurora which is the same thing as a Sussun canister filter. If you want to read my review of the Sunsun HW-3000 you can read it here.

What is your setup going to be? If we knew we could better help you in selecting the filter that will be best for you.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

I've never used the 602 or 603, but I've had a couple of their HW filters and they were great for the price. They're pretty hard to prime, and sometimes it's a bit difficult to get the trays to fit back in perfectly, but other than that they work fine. Mine both ran 2+ years and were still going strong when I tore down the tanks.

The big names are going to be easier to prime, a bit easier to remove/replace the trays, and might last longer. I suspect a lot of Sunsun's bad reviews are either due to difficulty of priming, or people who didn't understand the instructions, which are definitely written in Engrish. When I sold my 55g, the guy managed to set it up wrong somehow and flood his living room floor. Turns out he didn't trouble himself to actually read the instructions. It never gave me any trouble though, beyond the aforementioned difficulties. Hard to beat for the price.

 

[ember04]

thank you so much for your help everyone, I have now set up a nano 7.5-gallon tank with the all ponds solution ef 150 which is basically a sun sun 602b, it has been running overnight now (for about 24 hours) with no problem and so far I am happy, as you guys have mentioned priming took a little while but once set up it is super quite and works great

Thanks again for all your help
ember04

 

[Barry Tetra]

I use 604 for my 53 gal along with sponge filter and it’s fantastic!

 

[AbbeysDad]

I have now set up a nano 7.5-gallon tank with the all ponds solution ef 150 which is basically a sun sun 602b, it has been running overnight now....

I read that the Sun Sun HW-602b is 106gph. For a 7.5g tank that's cycling the tank 14+ times/hour.
For what it's worth, I think that's way overkill....
I know the parroted advice is we need 4x - 10x filter flow but I think manufacturers started that to get folks to buy bigger, more expensive filters.
It seems to me that good filtration is about how well we filter water, not how much or how fast we push water through filter media! Besides, there's a dirty truth about filters!
It seems to me that if we filter the water well, filtering every drop 2-4x per hour should be plenty. Not to mention that fast water flow may upset some fish and fast flows reduce the efficiency of beneficial bacteria to process ammonia and nitrites.
I sometimes chuckle when folks use the fast water excuse because a particular species they have lives in a fast moving stream or river in the wild...not taking into account that the fish they have was most likely bred and raised in a tank or a pond and never saw fast moving water in their life! Imagine if suddenly you had to run fast 24/7 just to keep from being swept away - how fun....not.
I'm not trying to rain on a parade, I just think what's become 'accepted common knowledge' about more filtration is better is just...well, plain wrong. More isn't always better. Okay, this is seeming like a rant and wasn't what I meant it to be...

 

[ember04]

I read that the Sun Sun HW-602b is 106gph. For a 7.5g tank that's cycling the tank 14+ times/hour.
For what it's worth, I think that's way overkill....
I know the parroted advice is we need 4x - 10x filter flow but I think manufacturers started that to get folks to buy bigger, more expensive filters.
It seems to me that good filtration is about how well we filter water, not how much or how fast we push water through filter media! Besides, there's a dirty truth about filters!
It seems to me that if we filter the water well, filtering every drop 2-4x per hour should be plenty. Not to mention that fast water flow may upset some fish and fast flows reduce the efficiency of beneficial bacteria to process ammonia and nitrites.
I sometimes chuckle when folks use the fast water excuse because a particular species they have lives in a fast moving stream or river in the wild...not taking into account that the fish they have was most likely bred and raised in a tank or a pond and never saw fast moving water in their life! Imagine if suddenly you had to run fast 24/7 just to keep from being swept away - how fun....not.
I'm not trying to rain on a parade, I just think what's become 'accepted common knowledge' about more filtration is better is just...well, plain wrong. More isn't always better. Okay, this is seeming like a rant and wasn't what I meant it to be...

hi there, don't worry I know it is overkill but I have specific requirements for my tank. I am going to keep African dwarf frogs. these animals are poor swimmers so internal filters are too powerful, I don't like sponge filters as they are noisy and take up lots of the tank (not great when I trying to aquascape a nano tank), also due to African dwarf frogs very sensitive lateral lines, the slight vibrations caused by hang on the back filter can lead to stress. so I was not really left with many choices. I totally get your point of view and agree that if I was keeping any other animal I would not of done it this way but I am just trying to give my little frogs the best enviroment.

but thanks for the feed back
ember094

 

[AbbeysDad]

I would not of done it this way but I am just trying to give my little frogs the best enviroment.

Well 106gph in a 7.5g tank just doesn't seem like the best environment. There are many smaller, slower flowing canisters out there that would provide ample filtration. But it's your tank - good luck.

 

[ember04]

Well 106gph in a 7.5g tank just doesn't seem like the best environment

don't worry the flow is turned way down, also I got this filter as many of the really small canisters had many bad reviews

 

[GlosGraham]

Also not to forget that the flow rates in real terms are much lower.
Sunsun and aps are measured without filter media and at 0cm. In reality we are pushing our water through filter media and usually up by about 100cm before it enters the tank.

 

[AbbeysDad]

Also not to forget that the flow rates in real terms are much lower.

This is true but I contend that the parroted advice that we need high filter flow rates of 4x to 10x gph relative to tank size (and then hobbyists go even further) under the presumption that faster and or more is better...that there's no such thing as too much filtration is just wrong, and it's overkill.
Sure manufacturers want hobbyists to buy bigger filters because they make more money. And they've also convinced many that beneficial biology only lives on their bio-media in the filter. They sure won't tell hobbyists that the very best filter doesn't come in a box. With advanced bio-filtration and plants, all you MAY need is a small filter for mechanical filtration.

 

[ember04]

well I'm happy with the filter and all is working fine for me

 

[Utar]

Not to be mean or anything but what throws me is when it says pond solutions, and then they sale that small tiny filter. Don't get me wrong it is great for your 7.5 nano tank. But when I think of a pond it is a much larger body of water outside or inside/outside and that small of a filter would never work..