Sun Sun Canister Filter

Did this a couple of years back over on another forum and just thought I would throw it here since both canisters are still running like champs.

Now this time we are gonna look at the SUN SUN HW-303B canister filter. Now this would not be used on your everyday shrimp tank but I am using it on a 55 gallon cray tank so I thought I would put the review up for you folks anyway.

Let's start with the stats taken right from the site I bought it from.

3 stage filtration
Include Seven Filter media. ( Bio-Ball, Carbon, Bio-Ring, 3* Bio-Sponge, 1*Bio-chemical Foam)
Dimensions: 17in(H) x 10in(D) x 10in(W)
Includes all hoses and everything necessary to get started
Max Flow Rate 378 GPH
Built in 9 Watt UV Sterilizer to kill viruses and harmful parasites
Removes organic film and debris from water surface
Efficiently skimming the aquarium water surface, the Sub Current not only removes organic film but improves water movement and increases vital dissolved oxygen levels.
Adjustable-height inlet tube, fits even the deepest aquariums
Max Tank Size: 100 Gallon


So now that you have the basics let's go over what I found when I received my filters.

They were huge bigger than I thought
They are rather pretty as far as canister filters go
Not enough bio media included
Easy to assemble
Had some priming issues, but all were operator error :rolleyes:



So now I will say these things are huge, but happen to be one of the most beautiful canister filters out there in my humble view, and for $100 with shipping I can't complain too much. Now first thing I did was to make sure all parts were there and look them over to make that there was nothing missing or broken. Having not found any missing parts or broken ones I started doing a comparison since I had heard that Sun Sun makes Marinelands filters (*This has now been confirmed they do make the Marineland Filters*). So after comparing I find this to possibly be true since there were a huge amount of similar design and parts shared between the two. Sun Sun seems to be one of those companies that makes a lot of parts and pieces if not full products for other folks along with their own line. They also have a much wider following in Australia and Asia than they do here, so I decided to give them a try.

Well my only complaint is the fact that they did not include enough bio media, but that was quickly fixed with pot scrubbers and green scrubbie pads. I will say that the 3 filter pads that are included will need to be replaced rather often and as soon as I find a suitable replacement material that doesn't cost $15 for 3 I will let ya know. Of course filter floss is always an option but I'm looking for a once every 6 month replacement option.

So how do they work .... Like a champ.

This filter really moves the water. I have only used one section of the spray bar and have it on the short end of the tank and it makes quite a current in both the 55 and the 62 that I have these on. I could easily see this filtering a 75 gallon with no problem what so ever, and I plan on getting another one for my 75. I will say if you use the full length of the spray bar it will cut back on the flow a little, but it will not fit on the short end to create a current like what is found in a river that I wanted for my cray. I also think that these have enough power that if you route the return thru a CO2 reactor you will still get sufficient flow into the tank to filter a 55 with no problems. I will follow up on that one as soon as I have one built and attached.

There is a couple of neat features to this canister. The first being the 9w built in UV. Not something I would use all the time, but will be great in the case of a disease breakout or a green water explosion. The second feature is the surface skimmer this little device really helps to keep the tank clear and keep the oxygen levels up. Now I have removed them from mine because I do almost 40% water changes and don't like stopping the filter while doing the changes. If you don't mind by all means keep the skimmers on and I will probably add mine back in here soon since they really seemed to make a difference, but that requires me to stop putting it off. Maybe at next water change I will see if the canisters need cleaning and add back in the skimmer.... :hmmmmmm:

Overall I'm highly impressed with these filters and they have a UV light built in if I ever need it, for around $100 delivered to your door. You really can't complain too much they are quiet and powerful filters that do the job. I give them 4 out of 5 since I have not had a chance to really test the lifespan of the filter yet, but I do highly recommend them at this stage. Beats the snot out of $250 and up for a filter of the same size and power.

*UPDATE*

Well I added the surface skimmers back in on both tanks. My cray decided to really mess his up by digging in the substrate that is potting soil based and my Molly tank is starting to get over whelmed with fry so the oxygen levels needed to come up. With in 10 minutes of adding it the mollies that were holding at the top are back down, but the cray tank is now going thru a mini cycle due to the organic waste uncovered..... :blink:

*UPDATE #2 03.18.09*

Well it has been almost a month now and I just cleaned my canister for the first time since I had a reduced flow on the molly tank. I have not touched the one on the cray tank yet since flow still seems to be strong all I have added to it is the pot scrubbers. First thing I noticed was that the filter pads this come with are no longer good they were clogged beyond cleaning. So I packed the filter with filter floss and I have added in some pot scrubbers and green pads for bio filtration. The nice thing is there is plenty of room in the large baskets for this. My baskets are set up in this format.

bottom tray: Pot scrubbers, filter floss, and a green scrubby. This is for bio filtration and final debris removal
Middle tray: I combined the bio balls and ceramic rings together and laid them on a layer of filter floss
Top tray: Filter floss in first and sponge in on top this is the mechanical removal stage.

I will let you know how the filter works with this combination.

Another observation and I find this to be true of all canisters is that since the hoses are green and light can pass thru that they will grow a large amount of brown algae. Since the light levels are low this quickly becomes a white filament algae that when you restart the filter can come shooting out into the tank and make quite a mess. Which was cleaned up overnight by the large amount of snails I have in the tank . I figure I either need to figure out how to get an Otocinclus to live in the tubes or on occasion (about every 3 months or so) I'm gonna have to clean the hoses which will be a pain but every canister I have had seems to have this flaw. Also this algae can clog the tubes over time. I plan on getting some black hoses soon and see if this does not cut back on this issue. I will say I had the same problems on some of the high dollar canisters I have owned so I will not count this as a point against the filter.

With the addition of the pot scrubbers to boost the bio filtration I'm now moving the scale up to 4.5 out of 5 stars. I really like these guys and they do a wonderful job for tanks in the 40 to 75 gallon wide range.

*Update 05.14.09*

Load these bad boys up with pot scrubbies and HBH filter floss cut to size and these guys rock. This filter has become my first choice for a filter on a 40 to 75 gallon tank and I plan on trying out their next size down and next size up.

For the price I have not found a filter I like better and I like these better than some of the name brands costing 3X as much.....

*Update 12.21.09*

Went to clean one of these guys today and the handle where it attached to the bottom broke the basket where the handle connects. This does not cause any problems with the basket itself but makes getting the basket out a real pain. I figure it will be an easy fix but was too lazy to take the time to figure it out. I still will not drop the rating because I have had higher cost filters break at the same point.

I will say one of the filters had a lot of sand in the bottom from my Acutus (may the Cray gods rest his soul in peace) stirring up the substrate and none of the sand was higher than the first basket so it never made it to the impeller so that is a good. Even if some did I can see no damage to the impeller.

I have found that the best setup seems to be:

Bottom basket:
Sponge
Filter Floss

Middle basket:
Pot Scrubbies

Top Basket
50 Micron reusable pad cut to fit
100 Micron reusable pad cut to fit
Bio balls (came with filter)
Ceramic Rings (came with Filter)

This combination on all my canisters keeps the water really clean and sparkly. Will say with the micron pads I do have to clean a little more often, once a month compare to every 2 months, but since the HBH micron pads are cut to fit I can have ones precut and wash the others in the washing machine for next time. Nice thing is for $20 I got enough micron pads in both sizes to do all 3 canisters (2 Sunsun and 1 C-160) 3 times over. So I figure my cost per year in filter material for all 3 canisters is now down to under $20 (2 large bags of floss from the local craft store). I find that to be a heck of a lot cheaper than any HOB I have ever found including the aquaclears since I have had to buy new sponges every 6 months or so.

So far only complaints is that the inlet and outlet tubes are a little flimsy, but since my plan is to swap them out for some custom stuff soon that is not a real complaint and they have held up really well so far, and the handle break I mentioned earlier.

So in conclusion unless something major happens I probably will not be updating this again. Still 4.5 out of 5 stars and I will be buying more.

Highly recommended on the Guru scale and I don't think anyone can beat the price.

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