UPETTOOLS 10-40 Gla Aquarium Sponge Filter Ultra Quiet Aquarium Air Pump Bio Sponge Small Fish Tank Foam Filter Comes with 2 Sponges 2of Bio Ceramic Media Balls

I've been using this filter system for almost a month, and overall, it's a good product. However, it does feel a bit large for a 10-gallon tank. I found that placing it in a corner works best, although I did try moving it to the center to see how it looked. Personally, I prefer it in the corner. One thing to note: if you're using a bio-substrate like Fluval, which tends to make the water cloudy, this filter might not be the best match. During tank cleanings, the substrate particles can get stirred up, increasing cloudiness. These fine particles tend to settle on the filter, and because of its small crevices and hard-to-reach areas, cleaning can be a bit of a hassle. It may help to cap the substrate with a layer of sand or grow a carpeting plant like hair grass to reduce particle disturbance, but I haven’t gotten around to trying that yet. My tank currently houses a betta and a few ghost shrimp, so I can't speak to how well this filter performs in a more heavily stocked or larger tank like a 20-gallon with active fish. But for a lightly stocked setup, it works well. Just be mindful of the substrate and maintenance needs. P.S. The tannins in the water are from the driftwood, not the filter. I also added a photo of when I first set everything up to the most recent picture.

It's a sponge filter with decent quality plastic that seems to be better than most of the other market. (definitely more durable than any of the Lee's product). Sponge can be removed easily for cleaning, you do not need to disassemble any components to do so. The outlet can also be adjusted so you can have it in or out of water- I usually have out of water for good water circulation. Instead being sitting on the substrate, it attaches to the glass which actually prevent junk build up on the bottom. Even better that it has little room for you to add any of your filter media for extra biochemical filtration power. There are three things that you need to be aware of: -You will need more than 1w air pump for it to work, so if you're using USB air pumps or other small form, it may not work well. Regular 2.5w air pump, like Tetra whisper will do just fine. -**you MUST wash sponge in hot water before using it** It may or may not hurt the fish, but the sponges that I received had strong chemical smell. I had to wash it in running hot water, in the bucket for good 15 minutes to get rid of the smell. -this sponge filter works by culturing bacteria (that breaks down ammonia from fish's excrements to safer substances) into the sponge. **IT DOES NOT HAVE THAT BACTERIA OUT OF BOX**, you will need to cycle the tank properly WITH THIS FILTER before using it. If "tank cycling" sounds unfamiliar to you, then please go research that before getting a fish. If you have already added the fish before reading the tank cycling, I'd suggest getting a FritzZyme turbo product, a bottled live bacteria.

Soooo...I am a newbie at all this fish stuff. I bought a betta for my daughter less than a year ago and I have struggled with cloudy water and semi high ammonia levels (even though I do the required water changes and have tried everything Google and Pet stores have recommended to try) I had been using the filter that came with my tank (which was supposed to be a really good filter...) but I continued having these issues with cloudy water and ammonia etc. I finally decided to try a different filter...and after doing some more reading and research, I decided on this submersible filter. When it got delivered I was confused because I didn't know you HAD to have an air pump in order for this filter to work lol...sooo I went out the next day and purchased an air pump and tubing...got it all set up...and its freakin AWESOME! As you can see in the before and after pictures, it cleared my water up in 24hrs or less! The video was immediately after I put it in, so it was still cloudy in the video....but the "after" picture was literally the next day. The set up was quick...the delivery was fast...I have had zero issues with the sponges or the suction...everything seems to be working great! I only gave 4 stars because I have only had the filter in there for a week or less....so I can't really comment on longevity of the product....but...so far so good! I def recommend :)

My tank is super visible from nearly any point in the stairwell, upstairs hall, front entryway, and main floor of the house, and if the upper bedroom doors are open. It is the night light for all of these points, so it is critical to me that it look nice. I hated buy and changing filters for the 20 gallon fish tank to the point I considered getting rid of my tank that I have had for 10+ years. But It is so relaxing to watch the guppies, and listen to the soothing sound (the so best white noise). Watching my cats watch the fish is hilarious. This is super simple. Nothing to buy once set up, so I am saving a bundle. At some point I might switch the bio media inside the the filter, but so far I just carefully slide my sponges off and rinse them weekly. The water looks great the best it has in a very long time. I do, much to my cleaner fish's dismay, lightly "stir" the rocks up about a hour or two before I clean the sponges since I starting this I haven't need to vacuum or clean in any other other than wiping the top inside of the tank. My husband has always refused to let my son and daughter get their own tanks because of the upkeep price now they are MAYBE for Christmas. If so I will be buying the smaller versions of this filter.

It works great love it

best type of filter for a small aquarium

Well made, Mechanical sponge and biological ceramic filtration. Recommend for use in smaller tanks or large bowls with a few small fish. You need to add an air pump obviously. Clever design.

Just getting back into fish after 25 years,74 now,retired for 10 years. I have always found air driven filters to be the cheapest to run. Most LFS don’t carry them because there is no money in them compared to power driven ones needing filter pads etc,etc. The exception is the regular type of sponge filter you see in use in LFS. Even my Petsmart here in Vancouver carries their own brand of sponge filter but that’s it. But thanks to Amazon,what is out there,comes right to our fingertips on our cellphones. This unit is one of them. I had a dual one years ago but after 5 years the sponges started to age and started to fall apart and there was no Amazon or Ali-ex***** to sell you replacements…not replacement filters but replacement sponges. Now this one even comes with a spare sponge. The novel feature of this one is that below the sponge is a compartment you can put the bio beads that is also included for extra surface for beneficial bacteria to grow. I haven’t used the beads because I wanted to prove what the path of the water was so I put a bit of good old filter floss in there. Result? yes the water is drawn through the sponge and then through the filter floss. How do I know? The filter floss is getting dirty! Just proof how well filter floss works trapping debris that has already passed through the sponge. So this little filter is going to be a secondary filter backing up the main filter which is the Aquarium Co op easyflow you see in my video. I am not sold on the fluidized media filter. I have read that while the technology is proven, it’s doubtful it’s enough K1 media in the small canister even though it is such a space hog as is. I have seen a few DIY projects on Youtube using a 2 liter pop bottle and that’s possibly where it gets to be enough K1 media but having a 2 liter filter in your 20 gallon aquarium is stupid. What is not apparent but is mentioned as a prefilter is a circle of foam,around 40 PPI that fits just bellow the tumbling media you see. It is this 3/4 inch thick foam that is doing most of the biological filtration and not the K1 media. It is stated that because of the media constantly tumbling,you never have to clean it. But the truth is the little sponge might have more surface area than the 1/2 cup of K1 and that sponge will clog. The K1 will continue to tumble as long as it has air bubbles but if the sponge is clogged not much aquarium water is coming in. Might as well use the air to drive a sponge filter. The tumbling K1 looks high tech though.

The UPETTOOLS Aquarium Sponge Filter Ultra does its job for small tanks, but it’s nothing spectacular. It provides basic filtration and is quiet, but the suction is limited and it struggles with heavier debris. It’s fine if you just need a simple, budget-friendly filter for a small setup, but don’t expect strong performance for larger or heavily stocked aquariums.