Hidom External Aquarium Canister Filter System 36w 1500 LPH - EX-1500 - Media Included

The media could not be loaded.  Hidom ex1500 canister external filter. Seems to be reasonable on noise level. Now the filter is here and set up it's one of the better ones that we purchased. We've had the same filter for about 10 years but that has just given up as we wasn't able to repair our old tetratec ex1200. We looked at several different filters and this filter seemed to tick all the boxes for price ease of set up etc etc. Only thing is it didn't come with that much filter media but we used our old filter media so it didn't affect us. Seems to be good quality and keeping our 300l tank crystal clear. We will be looking at purchasing the hidom ex1000 or evan the ex1200 for our 200l tank.

I’m an experienced fish keeper. I added this canister filter to my 125 litre community tropical tank alongside another canister filter. I wanted crystal clear water and there is no such thing as over filtering.2 days after, I have lost 12 fish. Here are some I have picked out of my tank today. There was an oily substance around the lid of the filter. My ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 20ppm but my pH has dropped.My water is now acidic. I thought this substance was something like Vaseline, which is safe to use for supporting the seal. It is not Vaseline. I don’t know what it is but it has killed my fish and I’m still losing them. This tank has been well established for nearly a year. I’ve lost approx £50 worth of fish and that is so far. I dread to think what fish I’ll be picking out next.Update: 10/05/20I have now lost over 20 fish worth £80. Devastated is an understatement. I am certain it was the oil on the lid that I presumed was Vaseline, as it is commonly used to strengthen the seal. I took the lid off the filter to find OIL resting on the surface! My pH dropped from 7.6 to 6.8. I have read that 3 other people on a smaller version of this filter have had the exact same unfortunate experience. Please do not chance it. Waiting on a response from Hidom.

UPDATE:Worked fine up until 1 week after using and the flow dramatically decreased and became incredibly noisy. Turns out the internal propeller had come loose and broken.Unusable and sought refund.------Make sure you clean the product with warm, soapy water before you use it.The product (like a review before mine), was covered in factory grease. This would have undoubtedly killed all the fish, had I not read the previous review.The pipes have a very strong smell of latex the green colouration of the pipes and inlet and outlet could be more aesthetically pleasing, as the green colour isn't the most subtle.All is fine now, having spent over 1 hour washing this in the bath with soapy, warm. water, hosing it down and adding the media supplied.All the media supplied is not enough and could do with double the amount - but - you get what you pay for.I have a 186l aquarium. The filter foam could be finer, as it does not filter out cloudy water very well.The unit is quiet and easy to set up and seems to get the job done.I'd recommend this only as a cheap stop gap, not if you want a proper job doing, long term.

I'm changing my review..Only had this filter 2 months and the shut off valves have been replaced and now the top exit stubs are leaking..do not bother with this filter ...cant get refund..