Aquael Ultramax 2000 Canister Filter for Large Aquariums - High-Efficiency Fish Tank Water Filter System (100-185 Gallon Capacity) - Perfect for Freshwater & Saltwater Tanks, Reef Aquariums, and Aquatic Plant Setups

I used Fluval for over a decade. Loved them. They updated the brand to 07 and now nothing but microbubbles for me. I tried 3 different 407’s and a 307. The only one to not produce microbubbles was 207. Thought I solved it but finally gave up when they annoyingly returned. Sucks because the water was always crystal and the bubbles make it look like crap. Their main gaskets just don’t seal tightly and over time compress. I’ve tried EHEIM and OASE as well. BIG let downs in different ways. After being pissed for a couple years I decided to try this brand based off pond guru’s reviews.The good: build quality is quite high. It has serious capacity for customization. This main seal incredibly well designed so no micro bubbles! The tubes secure well with the suction cups. Tons of capacity for media. Great flow. Comes with a spray bar. I think I will like the pre filter concept as well. Tank is absolutely CRYSTAL, CRYSTAL clear as you can see from the pics. This filter is also the QUIETEST of all three above mentioned. It’s not even close. I thought fluval was quiet. This is virtually silent. I am not exaggerating this filter is the quietest on the market. So far no leaks. The sectional tubing is a great mod. I had to hack saw my fluvals to size them.The bad: I wish the hoses came with vinyl clamps but I bought them here on amazon as it’s just pressure sealed on the intake outtake tubes and I see this as a potential failure. The intake screen holds on a little lightly but it’s functional. The filter came with a lot of ceramic debris inside. No biggy just rinse well. It takes a long time to burp its air out (hours) but it was initial setup with seachem matrix and matrix initially holds a lot of air.The ugly: the instruction manual isnt the best. Pictures are good but there are no descriptors. There are diagrams that make no sense mainly the 9ab. There is a piece that looks like it should come out but no labels or description. So I’m not messing with it. I messaged the company and I will see what they say. Finally there are no parts online or in the Amazon store should I need a gasket, impeller or shaft in the future. Fluval and Eheim have everything on here.I really hope Aquael reads this last point as it’s pretty necessary as things do break and I have no recourse other than contacting the company directly and they are based in Poland so who knows how that will go. It would go a long way for confidence in the serious customer.Over all I am quite pleased. You can see from the pics. I will of course update in a few weeks and let everyone know how it performs as this brand is new to the USA. A very good value for the money.Updates 9/28/2024I have to say I am very satisfied with the filter. My tank hasn’t looked this good maybe ever. So far I can’t comment on longevity but if it lasts as long as my fluvals I’ll be very happy.My set up is an overstocked 40g tank with a marineland small pre filter sponge on intake (put a couple rubber bands on tube to make sponge stay secured.Against pond guru’s better judgement I set this up like the Eheim filters. I use the Eheim ceramic mech on the bottom. Then two trays of matrix followed by one fine pad.Why not set up like pond guru anymore?Well the medium pads clog after one month. Set up this way the course pre filters get the big muck, mini eddy currents in the ceramic act like fanning grain. They are more efficient than a course sponge sort of like a Dyson vacuum. So they let a lot of current through while keeping the medium much settled at the bottom. Pretty smart by Eheim and proven over decades. The thick stuff gets trapped and it’s better than a sponge. The first layer of matrix acts like the Eheim bio mech and the second layer is able to perform. Finally the fine debris is caught by the fine pads and I can put purigen here if I want. This results in a relative maintenance free set up with crystal clear water.Tank is initially dosed with sea chem stability and weekly API stress zymeEdit 10/5/2024That piece in the diagram pulls straight out I used pliers and lightly pulled it. The back flow valves there are very flimsy and one popped off during the removal. Slips back in but these should be available on Amazon ASAP. Otherwise no complaints. Good luck I hope this was helpful. Fish are all very happy.