SunSun 3-Stage External Canister Filter for Aquariums & Ponds, 106 GPH Flow, Easy Setup & Maintenance, HW-603B

Bought this to start a new 10 Gallon planted aquarium. This has been extremely quiet, efficient, and kept my water clear. I did use "Chemi-Pure" blue all in one filter media inside this canister and I have not once opened the canister to clean it and my water levels are perfect. I have only needed to clean the water exit plastic piece where multiple hole water spout that easily comes off is. It did take a bit to get the hose on the actual pump however once its done its good to go. This was well worth every penny spent on it. No water changes needed just adding water to my tank every few weeks. I have lost 0 fish and my plants have been flourishing. Pictures show the 7 month progress. I am buying a second one of these for my other tank.

I have a 15 gallon tall tank that a hang on back filter just couldn't keep clean. Was going to go for an expensive name brand cannister filter setup, and then found this for cheap. WOW I was impressed! Lack of instructions and stuff, but once I figured it out, this is the BEST filter I have ever used! Its quiet, SUPER efficient, and super easy to use! Lack of instruction on which filter goes where, but if you start out with the course filter (black?) on top, and then go finer and finer to the bottom (to the thinner white filter), its best. I actually put a carbon media filter bag between the finest filter and the sponge filter and it clears the water up QUICK. This thing filters the dirty water through the lid to the bottom out through the pump. I also installed a primer bulb from a cleaner pump into the inlet hose (cut the hose about a foot back and installed it there) to prime the filter. Works great!

This thing work so good that I bought 2. But both of them failed after 2 years and leaked water all over my apartment multiple times. I assumed it was something i did wrong initially. But after a certain amount of time the wheels fall off. The final straw was when my outtake pump failed and couldn’t stay up right. No matter what I did to try and tighten the nut, it just kept falling over, and either twisted the tube causing water to pump out everywhere or the last straw for me was this slow leak. The gaskets are its critical failure point. Having 2 of these helped me realize they suck. The 1st one I purchased did this so I just put away, then the 2nd one did the exact same thing. This happened after a couple of years. Save yourself a headache and most likely the health of your aquarium and pay the extra money for a name brand. All these no-name Chinese companies are the same. Pump and dump. Again it works fine up till a 2-3 years. Then the gaskets fail. This is a critical failure point. Thank god I was home when it happened, it could have cause an electrical fire. Don’t risk your family’s or pets lives on this garbage.

Very good small filter for its cost. I replaced half of the the sponge filter that is provided with the kit using other bio media and love it. I use 2 of these with a 55 gallon tank. It would be great by itself for a 10 gallon or a 20 gallon. The best part is that you can put the canister out of sight so your tanks looks less crowded and messy than using most other type filters. I would have given this filter 5 stars but for 2 problems. First the green tubing that is supplied if extremely difficult to attach to the other connectors. I heated the tubing in boiling water for a while to make it more flexible so it would stretch over the plastic connectors, but it was still extremely hard work getting them all attached. I'm a big strong guy, but I have problems with arthritis in my hands that made it nearly impossible. It took me a couple of hours. If you don't have strong hands, this might be a problem. I would have gone to the hardware store for replacement tubing that fit more easily, but I started working on it late one evening after stores were closed and wanted to finish it rather than wait. Yeah, I one of those guys that before GPS used to drive around forever lost rather than stop and ask directions. The second problem might not matter with some tanks. With my tank the plastic parts did not fit well that hang on the back edge of the tank to hold the intake and output lines. They are "U" shaped connectors through which the water passes over the back edge. The plastic rim around the top of my 55 gallon glass tank is too wide to fit between the narrow notch in the "U" shaped connector. I'm planning to replace these with some PVC plumbing connector when I'm next at the hardware store. My tank is 35 years old, so modern tanks might be designed differently so this might not be a problem. Since lots of the green tubing is supplied, right now I've just drooped the green tube over the back and into the water. Until I get some PVC connectors for a better solution, I've just fastened the green tubing using a suction cup and some small zip-ties to keep the hoses in the water. The problem long term with this solution is that the green hose is gradually collapsing and closing shut where it hangs over the back edge, which is why a rigid connector is needed to pass the water up and over the back edge, both to and from the filter. If you have semi useful DIY skills this is a great little filter. Its far easier and better than the many DIY videos on how to make a filter using soda bottles. It is Infinitely better and worth the cost. If you include the cost of a pump with those "free" DIY filters, this filter with it own pump doesn't cost much more than a good air pump to use with the DIY types. If cost is not an issue, and you want something that works straight our of the box quickly, this filter might not be it. If you don't mind tinkering a bit, this filter is super for its cost. The canister holds about a half gallon of media. You can use the supplied sponge filters by themselves or replace some or all of the sponges with whatever bio media you prefer. I put ceramic tube type in one, and bio balls in the other. If you have a 40 or 55 gallon tank, there are larger sized version of this SunSun filter that would work better by themselves. I bought this one and then decided I wanted more capacity and ordered another. It would probably have been easier to have ordered a single larger one if I had planned better. If you have any small fish, especially live bearers like guppy, platty, or molly, I wold suggest a pre-filter on the intake to keep fry from getting hurt and killed by getting sucked into the filter's intake. If you search for "Hydro Sponge Filter" these are super to use to cover the intake line. Besides keeping your small fish safe from getting hurt, they work wonderfully as a pre-filter to keep the media in the canister from getting clogged up with algae and debris. It's much easier to turn off the pump, remove the hydro sponge pre-filter and wash it, etc. Not needing to take the canister apart to clean frequently not only saves time and mess, it leaves the beneficial bacterial inside the canister undisturbed. Using a Hrdro Sponge as a pre-filter for the canister filter will provide additional surface area for beneficial bacteria as well. This helps keep your water quality good, especially if you are like many of us who sometimes overstock our tank or feed too frequently. If you enjoying tinkering and want to try a larger and/or additional pump with this canister, don't put it on the intake, as this can result in too much pressure in the canister resulting in leaks. Its pump is on the canister's outflow so it doesn't cause pressure in the canister that results in leaks. Before I ordered my second one of these SunSun filters, I first tried an additional pump to increase flow using a really strong a power head I already had and wasn't using. I put it inside the tank on the end of the return line. It worked well, but I finally decided I wanted the second filter with slower flow rates instead of one filter with a really high flow rate. The bigger pump kept the water quality good, but the water turbulence was excessive and messing with plants and stuff.

The built in filter in my 5 gallon Fuval Chi cube is horribly inadequate and new pads weren't cheap, after realizing I spent nearly $50 in first year on filters I started looking to add a better filter.. Not wanting to disturb the steam line looks of this nice aquarium I knew I wanted to hide a canister filter at ground level under the server it was sitting on.. A lot of the nano canister filters I was looking at were for sitting level with the tank or hanging off the back, the pump wont work if you intend on putting it in a cabinet below, they also cost more than this. With over 3ft head it has great flow, tank looks really clean even with a small fancy goldfish making a mess, I put a layer of Hydroton at the bottom of the sponges for biological filtering. The Included tubing and hardware is very nice quality. Purging the air out was easy as you just flip the canister upside down until you hear the pump stall from air then flip it back over; keep repeating until no more air comes out. I am setting up a 55 gallon planted goldfish tank with a Magnum 350 filter I was given with the tank, I like the filter but it lacks any biological filtering. Now that I have seen this unit in person I intend to get the bare bones model of this with no pump, fill it up entirely with hydroton and install it inline with the output of the Magnum 350, should be more effective than adding a biowheel or another filter. The pump with this filter is quiet but does vibrate, I was hearing a hum coming from the pump, however when I picked it up it was hardly audible so a small section of egg-foam under it made it quiet enough to be accepted in my dining room. I also have the unit laying on its side since the shelf is not tall enough; does not seem to have any effect on it.

This definitely is not the best SunSun filter I've owned. It's not exactly a "bad" filter, but it's really more suited as a pre-filter than a main filter. In fact, the canister look identical to a pre-filter that SunSun makes. They just added a 6-watt pump on the outflow side, as far as I can tell. Let me talk about the good first. With the included media (all foam), the filter did in fact cycle; and as of the last time I checked (this morning), the ammonia and nitrite levels were both zero. It also seems to deliver the flow for which it's rated. The plumbing is also generous, if a bit of the flimsy side. So if you really need a filter for a small tank, and you're broke and can't afford anything better, this one will do the job. Considering how inexpensive it was, I really can't complain. On the not-so-good side, there are no quick-disconnects, and therefore no easy way to clean or change the media without either defying the laws of physics, having three hands, or spilling some water. I found the easiest way way to lift the canister above tank level, pull the siphon tube out of the tank, let the filter pump the remaining water back into the tank, and then remove the cover to the canister. Workable, but cumbersome. There also are no trays or partitions (except one at the top), and therefore no easy way to use any media other than the included sponges. As mentioned, they did do the job once the filter cycled; but adding something like De*Nitrate or activated charcoal would be a real bother with no trays or partitions. Finally, for such a small filter, this one generates a lot more vibration that I thought it would. It almost sounds like a vibrating diaphragm air pump, which is a bit puzzling because the pump actually uses an impeller. If SunSun had incorporated trays (or even partitions) and a quick-release into this filter, I would have given it another star. If it also had trays (or even partitions), I would have considered five. As is, it's worth a solid three -- but no more. But then again, it's very inexpensive. If you're just getting into the aquarium hobby and are short on coin, this wouldn't be a bad filter to start with. But if you can afford to buy something better, then I suggest you do so.

I am new to fishkeeping. In fact I’m still cycling my tank, went from a nearly cycled 5 gallon to a 10, and I didn’t eat filter in the tank anymore. I decided to try a canister filter, and saw this one. I nearly didn’t buy it because of the sketchy reviews. I was really nervous about the stage of cycling my tank was at, but did finally decide to switch today. I moved everything I could from old to new, and when moving substrate a lot of cloudiness occurred. I packed this filter with previous rings and filter media, set it up and crossed my fingers. An hour later the tank is nearly clear, and the filter is so quiet! Priming was easy using videos from YouTube, to get the siphon going, and done! Of course I don’t know about longevity, but I am impressed with it so far. Update 3/8/24 I’ve only had this filter a few months, and I’m new to fish keeping and canister filter use. I still love this filter! I have torn it down to clean it 3 times now, I purchased some silicone to lubricate all the o rings each time, and so far no leaks. It is so quiet and has plenty of room for my filter media, and gph is perfect for my 10 gallon. In fact I am upgrading to a 29 gallon and just purchased the Sunsun 302 to run with it. I’m hoping it’s as good as this one has been!

initial thoughts after setting up 4 hours ago. i cannot properly express how impressed i am with the filter thus far. for the money, you cannot get any better. the operation of the filter is superb. it sets up the right process of course -> medium -> fine, finally super fine media. The sponges are even sized just right as it goes deeper into the can, as the can is slightly tapered in. I went ahead and customized the media. At the bottom level, I put in a whole box of fluval biomax (500g!!) plus the seachem matrix that I was already using in the tank's air corner filter, then I placed in pinky's filter floss that has a pretty good medium -> fine filter floss, and finally on top I just kept the coarse sponge media in. I had to cut a custom hose, as the canister sits 4 feet to the ground from the tank, plus an additional 18" to the top of the tank. So, I have the impeller pushing water back up 5ft vertically. It took a bit to start, as I even had my water level pretty low, so getting more water over the hump was even tougher, but that is expected. Thus, it was easy to find a hose that could fit the filter. This is a major plus. **The return flow thing that hooks over the lip of the aquarium did not seem to be wide enough, i had to cut into the plastic frame a bit to have it fit over the lip, but the out-flow hook seemed fine. I don't know what the deal was there.. manufacturing error? Besides the return flow hook, the attachments are perfect, it comes with a spray bar, or alternatively, you can connect it to just a directional spread spout. it's also super quiet, very little vibration noise, but I think i can fix that if i wanted to. Overall, very pleased with this, thus far.

This is an excellent product.

Ok for price

I purchased this item from seller M/s. Cloudtail India for Rs. 2027/- . Its a bit on the expensive side. But it is cheaper than its counterparts available in the market. Though it is Cheaper, it is still one of the reliable products available. Its value for the money. I have a planted tank set up of size 2.5ft x 0.85ft x 1.5ft. I have used this SunSun HW-603 Multistage Canister Filter in conjunction with SunSun HW-302 External Canister Filter. I have used this filter as Mechanical Filtration medium only. The Filter has 3 types of sponge or foam (coarse, medium and fine) along with a fine mesh for filtration purposes. It has an inlet stop valve and a pump attached to the canister at the outlet which can be removed for attaching the inlet and outlet tubing provided with accessories. The quality of tubing is good. The tubing is firm and takes a little bit of getting used to handling it. The inlet and outlet accessories are also of good quality. The canister is of good quality plastic and is sturdy. The lid has a rubber seal (O Ring) which seals the lid to the canister tightly with its soft plastic clips (these clips are not so strong so be careful while using it). I used the inlet and outlet accessories of HW302 Filter since my tank was big and attached the same to inlet tubing of HW603 and similarly the outlet tubing to the inlet of HW302 Filter (HW302 Filter was used for Bio Filtration only). The tubing easily slides inside the bigger tubing hence forming a tight seal. Before finishing the setup, I filled the HW603 canister with water from my tank to the brim; applied petroleum jelly (vaseline) on the rubber seal of the lid to get a tight seal and long life ( a tip i picked up from an youtube video for canister maintenance); sealed off the lid, opened the inlet stop valve, switched on the motor and let the water from my tank to flow through the tubing to the outlet (inside a bucket). Once the flow was established removing any air bubbles in the line, switched of the motor and closed the inlet stop valve and then proceeded for the remainder of the setup. The pump works very well has a good flow and its very quiet. There was no leakage observed during operation. Its working very well. There is a small leaflet (instruction manual) on how to set up the filter. This filter can be used for both mechanical and biological filtration by removing one of the sponges and replacing it with biological media. I left all the sponges intact except for the fine mesh. I added ceramic cylinders both at the top and bottom of the separators inside the canister and its works perfect. I have only started using it and for long term results, I shall update its status after six months.

buen producto,cumple su funcion perfecto. es muy silencioso a la fecha quedo genial en el acuario de 100 litros.

Worth money