Hi all,
This filter seems to be sold on a few aquatics websites, and when I searched a while back there seemed to be some interest in how it performed. So, I decided to write (under inspiration) a typically-biased review of the Tom Aquatics Rapid Mini canister filter.
I bought this mini canister filter about a week ago for my 12 gallon, in hopes of having a silent filter. The good news is that the filter is completely silent. That is, when it's working right. Sometimes it lets out profuse strands of bubbles and emits a choking/gargling sound. It filters the water pretty well, and was cheap (cough) but in the span of one week, the "cheap" plastics have broken in three different spots (it's thin and very brittle). Gorilla glue fixed them, but a few days later, the seal at the top started to leak in the middle of the night....
....so, if anyone's seen this little demonic device sitting ever so innocently upon the dusty shelves of a lfs, it may perhaps be wise to tread softly past without awakening it, and instead buy something else. Anything else. I think there's a reputable (stress that word) canister filter for maybe 20 dollars more. After all, gorilla glue costs 9 dollars and a bucket 2 dollars - don't you love "hidden costs?"
This filter seems to be sold on a few aquatics websites, and when I searched a while back there seemed to be some interest in how it performed. So, I decided to write (under inspiration) a typically-biased review of the Tom Aquatics Rapid Mini canister filter.
I bought this mini canister filter about a week ago for my 12 gallon, in hopes of having a silent filter. The good news is that the filter is completely silent. That is, when it's working right. Sometimes it lets out profuse strands of bubbles and emits a choking/gargling sound. It filters the water pretty well, and was cheap (cough) but in the span of one week, the "cheap" plastics have broken in three different spots (it's thin and very brittle). Gorilla glue fixed them, but a few days later, the seal at the top started to leak in the middle of the night....
....so, if anyone's seen this little demonic device sitting ever so innocently upon the dusty shelves of a lfs, it may perhaps be wise to tread softly past without awakening it, and instead buy something else. Anything else. I think there's a reputable (stress that word) canister filter for maybe 20 dollars more. After all, gorilla glue costs 9 dollars and a bucket 2 dollars - don't you love "hidden costs?"
