Tank size setup 55 gallon. I have used this filter since June of 2020, so not very long, here is my review anyways.
The Polar Aurora canister filter is the same exact filter as the Sunsun line of filters, but a bet cheaper. These are all Chinese made filters. This filter is probably the biggest bang for the buck. It has a built in UV light that can be controlled by an on and off switch with a green light showing when it is on. In order to prime this filter it has a large button on top that is pushed. Sometimes it takes a lot of pushing to completely purge the hoses of air. But once purged of air the filter in my case does very little spitting of air out while running. There is one bad con on this canister filter one of the latches broke off, this may of been my fault.
Pros:
Price point is hard to beat.
Has a built in UV light.
The 525 version has four very large baskets for bio-media and mechanical filtration. This is probably the biggest of all canisters on the market today.
As decent flow rates. (It keeps my 55 gallon tank clean.)
Once purged of air it has stayed purged with no spitting out of air every so often like other canisters I have read about.
It runs silent. (I can only hear it running by getting my ear really close the the canister.)
Cons:
Heats up the water to 80° F:
There is very little on this out there, but by process of elimination (adding cooler water, leaving lights and everything else off) I proved to myself it is the canister heating up the water. (Room temp is always around 75° F.)
Very heavy:
Not really so much as a con as a warning. When full of water, bio-media, wet sponges this canister is heavy to pick up.
Hard to purge after cleaning:
I have had to pump that large button on top a for awhile to get it to finally purge and stop spitting air.
One of the latches broke off:
This is the worse con, and the reason I had to replace this canister filter. Although it sealed good with only three latches left I still worried about it. So replacing it soon with a new canister filter.
My final thoughts:
I would have been very happy with this filter had it not heated up the water and one of the latches broke. I really like the large baskets for media and filtration. This is why I stayed with this line of filters by getting the Sunsun HW3000 to replace it.
The Polar Aurora canister filter is the same exact filter as the Sunsun line of filters, but a bet cheaper. These are all Chinese made filters. This filter is probably the biggest bang for the buck. It has a built in UV light that can be controlled by an on and off switch with a green light showing when it is on. In order to prime this filter it has a large button on top that is pushed. Sometimes it takes a lot of pushing to completely purge the hoses of air. But once purged of air the filter in my case does very little spitting of air out while running. There is one bad con on this canister filter one of the latches broke off, this may of been my fault.
Pros:
Price point is hard to beat.
Has a built in UV light.
The 525 version has four very large baskets for bio-media and mechanical filtration. This is probably the biggest of all canisters on the market today.
As decent flow rates. (It keeps my 55 gallon tank clean.)
Once purged of air it has stayed purged with no spitting out of air every so often like other canisters I have read about.
It runs silent. (I can only hear it running by getting my ear really close the the canister.)
Cons:
Heats up the water to 80° F:
There is very little on this out there, but by process of elimination (adding cooler water, leaving lights and everything else off) I proved to myself it is the canister heating up the water. (Room temp is always around 75° F.)
Very heavy:
Not really so much as a con as a warning. When full of water, bio-media, wet sponges this canister is heavy to pick up.
Hard to purge after cleaning:
I have had to pump that large button on top a for awhile to get it to finally purge and stop spitting air.
One of the latches broke off:
This is the worse con, and the reason I had to replace this canister filter. Although it sealed good with only three latches left I still worried about it. So replacing it soon with a new canister filter.
My final thoughts:
I would have been very happy with this filter had it not heated up the water and one of the latches broke. I really like the large baskets for media and filtration. This is why I stayed with this line of filters by getting the Sunsun HW3000 to replace it.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
