Aquarium Pharmaceuticals RENA SmartFilter

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

Unsatisfactory

Poor Design by JOHN OTOOLE

Experience Level: Intermediate

Posted on 8/14/2009 from ARLINGTON, VA UNITED STATES

Comments: This product lacks the rigidity (plastic is too thin) to allow the pump motor to work quietly. The motor has too much vibration which make for a very noisy sound during operation. I have used Eheim products which uses thicker plastic in their components. Thicker plastic in this pump would probably make a difference and not significantly increase the cost. I would not recommend this product to my friends.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

Average

55 gal model by SAM T.

Experience Level: Intermediate

Posted on 6/10/2009 from CARMICHAEL, CA UNITED STATES

Comments: Larger than I anticipated, approximately 16” long. The 55 takes up more than half of my 36 gal bow front. In fact I had to significantly modify the tank and cover to make room for the filter. Overall the filter works well and has kept my tank very clean, but the noise and vibration comes and goes and is usually louder than our six year old a refrigerator. Yes, I would recommend this product to my friends.

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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

Unsatisfactory

Awful! by WILL TOMLINSON

Experience Level: Intermediate

Posted on 5/14/2009 from PAINTED POST, NY UNITED STATES

Comments: I used the Rena Smartfilter 20 on my 20 gallon reef and the thing leaked on a daily basis... The thing is designed so that the flow over the filter modules pushes the water up and over it and out of the filter box. Also, the filter cartidges are less than satisfactory. They filter mechanically, yes, but the chemical media is not enough to do anything worth speaking of. The biomedia is passed by almost all of the water and there isn't enough to do anything to an aquarium. The little "bio-stars" aren't very pourous and are placed where they get almost no flow. Plus with the plastic cross that separates the stars only one set of stars gets any flow at all, the rest are in dead spots... It wasn't even worth selling to another unsuspecting fishkeeper on eBay so I just trashed it... purely awful. I would not recommend this product to my friends.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

Great

Nice product by JARROD CUMBA

Experience Level: Beginner

Posted on 5/13/2009 from SEYMOUR, TX UNITED STATES

Comments: using the 55 in my 29gallon, and i have to say its alot quieter than the aquatech i replaced and it filters twice the water per hour. The cartridges are easy to set up and are comparably priced to other brands. I noticed a large difference in water quality within a hour of changing them out. The option to have the heater as the inlet pipe is awesome, it really cleaned up the look of my tank and in my opinion gives a more uniform temperature across the tank. (my fish used to stay around the heater, now they could care less about it). All in all a really well built product, plan on getting another for my other tank. Price is a little high for a hang on but in my opinion its worth it. Yes, I would recommend this product to my friends.

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

Excellent!

Best in Class by IE Aquarium Factory

Experience Level: Expert

Posted on 10/27/2008 from FONTANA, CA UNITED STATES

Comments: This is a great filter. It is very durable and easy to use. I notice a huge difference when I installed the RENA Smart Filter 55. Only hang-on filter I would use and recommend. Yes, I would recommend this product to my friends.

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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

Great

Good Combo by CHAD BROWN

Experience Level: Beginner

Posted on 6/15/2008 from SAN DIMAS, CA UNITED STATES

Comments: The filter does a good job overall. I like that the heater combines with this unit to have less clutter. I didn't realize that the filter was as big as it is. Not a problem because it all hangs outside. I would say it is noisier than some other filters I've had but not annoying or anything. Yes, I would recommend this product to my friends.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

Excellent!

Awesome! by TARA

Experience Level: Intermediate

Posted on 5/20/2008 from FORT WORTH, TX UNITED STATES

Comments: I just got this filter, after some searching for a new one, I love the smart heater option not having a regular heater in the tank makes for a much better over all look. It's very quiet even when first set up after about 5 min the gurgling stopped. My water looks much more "polished" and fish are loving swimming against the current. Over all very happy with my purchase!!! Yes, I would recommend this product to my friends.

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21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

Excellent!

A much better filter... by BRYAN EVANS

Experience Level: Intermediate

Posted on 3/12/2008 from PHOENIX, AZ UNITED STATES

Comments: I had purchased one of these for my 55 gal. I have been having all sorts of water problems with everyone else's models. But Rena has made a super product. Within 1 hr after installing it, I had noticed a significant change in the clarity of my water. The following morning, the water clarity was that of a brand new set up, crystal clear, and my fish seemed more livelier that ever. I recommend this filter for anyone, well built and quiet. Yes, I would recommend this product to my friends.

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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

Excellent!

Great Filter by Wafubu

Experience Level: Intermediate

Posted on 1/8/2008 from GARLAND, TX UNITED STATES

Comments: I really like this filter. It's super quiet and it "feels" like it's made very durable, not the cheapo plastic that is in most of the other brands, love the fact that the heater from Rena attatched to the inlet, really makes the tank look very nice as there is completely no clutter, the only thing you see is the multifuntion heater/intake tube. I would recommend this to anyone, One drawback is the filters are very expensive! But they are worth it for the functionality that you get and for the simplicity! Yes, I would recommend this product to my friends.

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