My Magnum 350 let me down last night so I picked up the XP-3 today. So far so good. There is waaaaaaaaaay more media space in the Rena versus the Magnum which is obviously a major advantage. The GPH is the same on both pumps, 350. When I first set up my Magnum 11 years ago I remember it being almost totally silent. The only thing I could hear from 3 or 4 feet away was a very faint water trickling sound. To hear the pump motor you had to get down and put your head right next to it. I used it for 1 year then it was in storage til' 3 weeks ago.
When I set it up this time, after replacing the impeller magnet ($25 :mad2 ), it seemed louder. In fact, I went to shut it off last night to see what was up and when I turned it on again it made a snapping/grinding noise. I pulled it apart and found a broken plastic piece on the impeller shaft. So, as far as a noise comparison between the Rena and Magnum, I can't really say for sure. From what I remember the Magnum was pretty much silent, but that was a long time ago. I'd guess the faulty part in the Magnum began to fail 3 weeks ago and that was the cause of the racket. I will be repairing the Mag to use as a secondary or spare filter.
I can say that the XP-3 is quieter than my Rena 400 air pump. IMO it is definately not silent but more like extremely quiet.
Initial setup was, I assume, as difficult as any other canister filter would be including the Mag 350. The Intake tubes were a bit on the cheesy side but not really an issue. For example, to have a long intake tube you use 4 or 5 3" sections instead of 2 or 3 6" sections. No big deal but there are more joints in the Rena. Both tubes are held in place with suction cups instead of the clamp assembly used by Magnum.
Priming the Rena was a piece of cake. All you have to do is take off a cap located at the top of the intake tube, fill the tube with water using the provided funnel, wait a minute and plug it in. This took all of 75 seconds. No shaking, burping or water spillage. The Magnum was usually a PITA.
The trays in the Rena are very easy to access and hold a LOT of media. Right now all I'm using is the enclosed carbon pack and foam filters. Also, I put the filter sleeve from my Mag in there as it had some good stuff on it. I plan on putting some ceramic pieces or bio-balls in there in a few days. The main lid looks and feels very secure.
Don't get me wrong, I still like the Magnum, after all it was my first canister filter and it served me well if only for a year. A lot of people believe the Magnum 350 is insufficient to clean a 90 gal but I never had a problem keeping things tip-top. The Rena flows the same GPH but has greater canister volume so I should be in even better shape now.
I post in a few days when I have a better idea of the Renas' performance.
When I set it up this time, after replacing the impeller magnet ($25 :mad2 ), it seemed louder. In fact, I went to shut it off last night to see what was up and when I turned it on again it made a snapping/grinding noise. I pulled it apart and found a broken plastic piece on the impeller shaft. So, as far as a noise comparison between the Rena and Magnum, I can't really say for sure. From what I remember the Magnum was pretty much silent, but that was a long time ago. I'd guess the faulty part in the Magnum began to fail 3 weeks ago and that was the cause of the racket. I will be repairing the Mag to use as a secondary or spare filter.
I can say that the XP-3 is quieter than my Rena 400 air pump. IMO it is definately not silent but more like extremely quiet.
Initial setup was, I assume, as difficult as any other canister filter would be including the Mag 350. The Intake tubes were a bit on the cheesy side but not really an issue. For example, to have a long intake tube you use 4 or 5 3" sections instead of 2 or 3 6" sections. No big deal but there are more joints in the Rena. Both tubes are held in place with suction cups instead of the clamp assembly used by Magnum.
Priming the Rena was a piece of cake. All you have to do is take off a cap located at the top of the intake tube, fill the tube with water using the provided funnel, wait a minute and plug it in. This took all of 75 seconds. No shaking, burping or water spillage. The Magnum was usually a PITA.
The trays in the Rena are very easy to access and hold a LOT of media. Right now all I'm using is the enclosed carbon pack and foam filters. Also, I put the filter sleeve from my Mag in there as it had some good stuff on it. I plan on putting some ceramic pieces or bio-balls in there in a few days. The main lid looks and feels very secure.
Don't get me wrong, I still like the Magnum, after all it was my first canister filter and it served me well if only for a year. A lot of people believe the Magnum 350 is insufficient to clean a 90 gal but I never had a problem keeping things tip-top. The Rena flows the same GPH but has greater canister volume so I should be in even better shape now.
I post in a few days when I have a better idea of the Renas' performance.
. haven't set it up yet, I have turtles, and i need to find a stand
