Zoo Med Nano 10 External Canister Filter, up to 10 Gallons

The filter works well, but we must have gotten a bad set of clips. 3 of the 5 clips broke in the exact same spot while putting the tubes into them. Can’t recommend because it is causing more work and cost than it’s worth. We now have to figure out how to fix and/or replace the broken clips.

When purchasing these filters, know that there is some assembly required, from putting the little footings on the canister base to snapping together the water intake cover cage. Also, there will be carbon dust in the box as the carbon bag is shipped loose in the box. If one has any difficulties with set up, just Google for a set up video.

Compared to hang-on-back and in-tank filters, these filters are almost silent. There is a very quiet hum and propeller sound one can hear when close to the canister. If you want to avoid vibration or sound transmission to/in the tank, these filters help meet that goal. Each filter in use here sits on a 1/4 inch piece of rubber as a precaution to dissipate any extra vibration (but these filters do have little rubber inserts for the base).

All parts for this filter went together easily and there have been zero problems with leaks thus far. There is some buildup on the inside of the tubing as the tanks have cycled. The spray bar works great and in five gallon tanks, each has enough circulation to keep the tanks going without causing too much water movement for the betta fish (one betta fish lives in each five gallon tank with a nerite snail and plants).

Of the three canister filters purchased, one had a carbon bag that was ripped/open at a couple of edges along the seam. The requested replacement filter has not yet arrived, but it has only been a few weeks since the third filter was purchased.

One downside is the recommended placement of the filter on tank level. It would be nice to have the option of hiding the canister below the tank. Otherwise, these are great filters for a smaller tank!

It was packaged well and only took about half an hour to setup. Parts are all very well made, including all the tiny little accessories, and even the intake pre-filter which I expected would break held up to opening and closing it several times (you can open up the intake pre-filter to insert floss or clean it out, very handy). I ended up trimming some of the rigid tubes to get the system to fit in my tank. Suction cups holding very well. The instructions say a block of floss material is included, but there wasn’t any. Another missing item was tiny rubber feet to insert into the bottom of the filter. However I got very carsick on the way back from the fedex pickup location and I might have lost those myself, so leaving it at 5 stars.

I bought a large pad of floss and cut it to put right under the intake, inside the canister, on top of the ceramic media and the carbon baggie. With that system it leaves my water crystal clear. The force and speed of the output flow is perfect for my 10 gallon! I can’t stress that part enough. It gives my plants a gentle sway and the surface water moves at about 2-4 inches per second. I put the spray bar under the water line so I don’t have any surface agitation, which I prefer.

There is a small gentle hum that seems to be coming from the impeller area, but I’m not sure if it’s normal or I did something wrong in setup. It is constant however it is a very quiet sound and nothing compared to other filters.