Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I have waited about a year after purchasing this to write a review and I am glad that I did. When I first purchased this filter and set it up, I would have given it a 3 star rating due to my own faults. Now that I have cleaned it out and set it back up several times, I absolutely LOVE this filter. 1st it does not need to be manually primed (eeeww) like some other filters out there, which was the main reason I purchased it. 2nd it purrs like a kitten. This filter is VERY quiet, I don't hear it running until I open the stand door and even then I have to listen for it. 3rd It keeps my water crystal clear (which has more to do with the media than the filter, but more on that later) 4th I have had no issues with this filter in the year that I have had it. When I first got this filter and tried to prime it, it didn't fill up right away. It was a pain in the butt. I followed the instructions and I just couldn't get it to work. I almost considered returning it. Other reviews said the same thing. Since then, I have learned a much easier way to get it to run. After I clean it out and put it back together, and all the hoses are connected, I plug the filter in and turn on the valve for the intake hose only. Then I push the prime button 4 to 8 times until I hear the water filling up in the canister at which time I turn the valve for the outtake hose ON. This filter will start filling up on its own and running smoothly immediately. It is so easy. I have been playing around with the types of media I use in this filter and how I pack it. I use this filter in a 55 gallon aquarium for a AST (American snapping turtle) who is a very dirty guy. My aquarium is only half full of water so probably about 25 to 30 gallons of water. I have left over ceramic rings, and instead of tossing them I put a VERY thin layer on the bottom of the canister BEFORE I put the trays in. This keeps most of the muck on the bottom while the cleaner water moves up. I pack the bottom tray with 3 different sponges (coarse, medium and fine on top) the middle try is where I put my coarse media, I found that Matrix Bio Media works better than the white ceramic rings as it is more porous, where the ceramic rings are smooth and don't help keep the water clea. In the top tray I use a mix of Marineland Diamond Blend Ammonia Neutralizing Carbon and Black Diamond Premium Activated Carbon, I also add a cuttel bone to the top tray for added calcium in the water. So far this has worked great for me along with the filter, my turtle tank is crystal clear and I clean it out about once a month. Hope this helps anyone considering purchasing this filter. It is a great price and works great. I would purchase this again in the future.