Fluidized Moving Bed Filter Bubble Bio Media Reactor for Aquarium Fish Tank with Air Stone and Sponge Filter

I ended up falling down the same YouTube rabbit hole that likely brought you here, reading this review at 2am on a work night wondering if you really need to add this to your aquarium? (I did) Do your fish really need more media? (probably) Is it going to be bulky in my tank? (Kinda but you can easily hide it) Will I hate noticing it in there? (Unlikely, it’s pretty mesmerizing watching all that media flow) Is it loud? (It makes bubbles). This thing comes about 70% full of k1 in the main chamber. I added about a handful of lava rock that I didn’t pick up outside of a casino before boiling and slight hammering. You could use some seachem matrix, ceramic rings, coarse gravel, or absolutely nothing. It’s super extra, you don’t have to do it, but I have lots of time and extra media so I maximized the space this thing is taking up in my tank. My second sponge was slightly damaged, as it is more of an egg shape than a circle. I went with the flow and put it on top of the regular sponge and squished them both in there as extra media. This filter for me is a secondary to a hang-on-back which provides good scrubbing to the water but doesn’t make the most stable biofilter, as I remove that cartridge every month. I use this filter as a big aerated chamber for bio filtration. For that purpose, this has potential to be an incredible filter. It’s not going to leave you with crystal clear water like a HOB will, that’s not really the point of it, even though that little pre-filter sponge is going to catch some debris, this isn’t a pump and it’s not going to churn your water. If you have another filter that provides good water flow and scrubbing, this is going to keep your tank more stable. Removing the k1 entirely and replacing it with a better media such as above would give you like 10x better results though. I went half and half, because I like watching the k1 swirl and it’s decent media, but it isn’t meant for this application, it’s designed for massive systems. It does self clean though, which promotes stronger, younger bacteria. If you don’t already have a sump or canister to house a decent amount of media, you should probably buy it. It’s built well, comes with lots of media. I wouldn’t spend the extra $10 for the Ziss when this thing can take care of bio-filtration in your tank out of the box and self clean it’s media.

Update 2 - Eureka, I found them... Suction cups that is. I bought a package after comparing diameters. The cups list below fit. And they are multipurpose for other aquarium things including attaching plants to the glass. Search for "B082CXMPSJ" on Amazon. Item is SCZ20 at Pawfly. Tag has X002ELTNLB, 20 pack suction cups UL411 "Pawfly 20 Pack Suction Cups with 40 Pieces Adjustable Zip Ties for Aquarium Fish Tank Binding Moss Shrimp Dodging Nest" Update - Quavee now has a 4 pack of spare airstones! Reading some of the reviews had me scratching my head. I have LH-300's and LH-600's in tanks upstairs. They are not 'cheap' plastic. They hang about as well as expected for anything with suction cups in an aquarium. They have a good load of media. They are a biological filter. They require time to 'charge' with bacteria. Also initially, the media has to become saturated, so it can take up to 3-4 days before the media will fully start moving. I would not consider them 'seasoned' in less than 2-3 weeks as would any sponge filter. The advantage is what a moving media bed filter has in a handy package. The only drawback is the air stone. As with any air stones, it becomes clogged with minerals reducing its effectiveness. You have to soak the stone in vinegar to remove calcification to get it working again. But, you should not take the stone out and leave the media sitting for that cleaning time as the bacteria will start dying. So currently, you should be an extra one so that you have a spare airstone (they are a custom configuration.) I and other have requested Qanvee sell spare stones. Waiting. There are some others here that appear to be the same model or clones offered by others. I had one tell me that they don't have an airstone when one is clearly visible in their pictures. I have not had such stupid answers from Qanvee when I asked them questions. Update - Qanvee now sells a 4 pack of airstones!!! To recycle, you soak the used ones it in vinegar, then water, it must dry completely to restore the flow. Sort of hints that it may be biological buildup instead of calcification in the airstone. I may try the hint of drilling a whole in one of my stones (I have .75 mm diamond bits). Just letting the stone to sit and dry out helps immensely.

This works as it is supposed to - the filter media is small plastic pellets that tumble as air passes through. Why three stars? The suction cup feet are difficult to get on. I ended up with one falling off while I was trying to attach the reactor to the side of the aquarium and spilling pellets into the water, which took time to fish out. The flip side of that is that once you get them on, they stay on. I would suggest putting them on and pressing them against a flat surface outside the aquarium to make sure they are on securely. Second, the lid just slides on - there is nothing to hold it in place. While I was trying to adjust the level where it was attached, I accidentally knocked the lid off, and once again had little plastic pucks floating all over my aquarium. How hard would it be to put a notch for the lid to secure to? I will probably try and make something to hold the lid in place when I take it out to clean it. Now that it's installed, it's working great.

I have this setup in a 55 gallon. Bought it to replace my 4 year old sponge filter. Honestly, for an aquarium my size I didn't see the benefit of a moving bed filter, especially given how little media this brings, and didn't want to shell out more money to fill it. Instead, I packed it with BioRings that undoubtedly have more surface area than the original filter and have it running as one of my main air stones. The bubbles are a little strong even with all the media but I don't mind it. I'm incredibly happy with how it worked out. I don't have a huge Nitrite problem so this is a great little filter to help out my main cannister filled with Matrix. I also added the 2nd sponge as another reviewer suggested and it works out great. This is the perfect filter to fill with any media you might want, and great to use as starter media for other filters down the line once I need to clean it. A lot of reviews say it's cheaply made but it's PLENTY sturdy for a fish tank. I really wouldn't justify paying more for added durability, especially given how low profile it is. Not really in any danger of opening or getting knocked down. Something I didn't expect was the added convenience of the 4 suction cups. Looks very nice against the wall and out of the way compared to my old sponge filter.

Using this as a calcium reactor in my 10 gallon reef aquarium. Probably only helps a little in that regard as I still have to dose 2 ml per week of Seachems Complete Calcium to keep my levels at 400 and this is with a 10% water change per week with Ocean Reef Crystals. Still the calcium media also provides surface area for nitrifying bacteria so has the added benefit of helping clean the water and all my water parameters were acceptable with ammonia and nitrates registering just above zero with a Fluval AC50. Happy to have it in the aquarium.

I ordered 3 of these for 3 different sized tanks. The units do not come with enough media, IMO, so I ordered more from a different seller. The filter inside these is too fine and gets clogged fast. The airstone also gets clogged within 6 months. Unfortunately, the airstone is glued into the plastic bottom piece. I found it easier just to remove the whole piece and replace with a 1-inch airstone and use the filter to hold it in place. Despite these shortfalls, I'm still glad I purchased it, because it does add a ton of surface area to the tank for bio filter. Expect to replace the airstone with something and maybe the filter too since it's too fine. 1-year update: So, the suction cups on all 3 of these have become so stiff that they are useless. They no longer hold to the side of the tank. You cannot buy direct replacements, but I have found better suction cups that do the trick. These are designed to be anchored to something with a zip tie, but they actually slide on perfectly to these filters. I've been using them a little over a week and none have fallen off. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0856WJMF4?ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details&th=1&pldnSite=1

It is large, I have it in my 10 gallon. I like watching the media pieces roll around in the flow, it is relaxing. I like the color. The green With my red gravel & green plants - I have a 'Christmas tank' for the holidays! Strong construction.

LOVE the filter itself and I would rate it a full five stars however the suction cups are less than satisfactory. Purchased this August of 2020 and the suction cups no longer hold the filter to the side of the glass. Wish the company would offer replacement cups. UPDATE - I have attempted to reach out to the company via their website and thru Amazon with no response or acknowledgement. When a company is not willing to work with customers I say do no purchase their product, especially when it is deficient.