boxtech Aquarium Hang On Filter – Power Waterfall Suspension

I got this for my 10g ten months ago. It vibrates *a lot* & soon started being quite loud. I do like that it is clear so you can see everything that needs to be cleaned. The intake sponge is also very absorbent & holds a lot of waste; however, because of this, it needs frequent rinses as it can quickly become clogged. Unfortunately, it has recently stopped working several times. The inner propeller (with nothing visibly blocking it) stops turning, then the motor gets very hot until I notice it has stopped – I have to reach in & push it (sometimes many times) to get it restarted.

I currently have had two of these filter and they are good filters but have a few issues with them. Out of the two, one of them only lasted 9 months but the other one is still running good. It not loud like some other reviews claim but if the water level is low it does start to become loud. I do find that the flow value is essentially unless since there no big difference. On the bright side it is easy to set up and clean. I would recommend this for someone with a 5 gallon, never tried it with a 10 gallon but I’m sure it would do the job. Ill be buying another two for some other tanks that I’m trying to build.

I have a 75 gallon tank, a 10 gallon tank, a 5.5 gallon tank, and a tiny tank (about 1.5 gallon capacity). I keep African cichlids. I have kept cichlids for 25 years. I’ve kept only males for many years but recently introduced a couple of fish that were females… and suddenly I have a fish nursery on my hands.

The pregnant female is kept in a flower vase with a sieve lid inside the main tank, so she can enjoy the usual filtration (and the lovely view) without getting chased and pestered by the males while she is holding fertilized eggs. (She doesn’t eat while pregnant; she is a mouth-brooder).

When a female releases the fry (babies), I transfer the babies into a smaller tank. Once grown, they will be sold at a pet shop. I have two female electric yellow cichlids that keep breeding with the males, hence my need for a few fry tanks, though I am now keeping both females in the largest fry tank with the largest fry (too big for them to eat) to give the females (and me) a break from back-to-back pregnancies.

My 5.5 gallon and 10 gallon tanks have Tetra brand 5-10 gallon “whisper quiet” filters which have been outstanding and powerful in cleaning water even with 12-30 fry eating and pooping. I highly recommend the Tetra filters. You cannot hear them at all, either; they truly are “whisper quiet”.

But this Boxtech filter I absolutely CANNOT recommend to anyone who cares about their fish. It is inefficient — it does not powerfully clean/filter the water as advertised. There is no malfunction in the filter itself, I can see it works as intended, but it is dismally inefficient.

Every week I am doing partial water changes on the juvenile tanks, and carefully monitoring all other variables (temp, pH, etc). The Boxtech filter is hanging on the smallest tank — a capacity that should absolutely be managed by a filter that is advertised to handle much greater water volume (3-10 gallons). And yet I notice that it is the tank with Boxtech filter that is the filthiest.

The inefficiency of this filter has caused stunted growth and fish fatalities in my fry, whereas those babies that have been in other tanks using Tetra filters that supposedly handle the same water capacity as Boxtech’s filter have crystal clear water and are thriving. BOTTOM LINE: IT DOES NOT CLEAN THE WATER.

Aside from this, it is fussy and flimsy; the little sponge piece at the bottom of the tube falls off constantly (we put a rubber band at the base of the tubing to prevent it from constantly sliding off). The size of the filter cartridge alone should tell you everything you need to know. Boxtech’s 5-10 gallon filter cartridge is approx 1 1/4″ by 3 1/4″, (about the size of a movie ticket — remember those??), whereas Tetra’s whisper quiet 5-10 gallon filter cartridge is approx 3″ x 5 1/2″. Additionally, the intake and outflow of the Tetra is much more powerful, like a silent little waterfall of crystal clear goodness.

Considering I was using this Boxtech filter on the smallest tank (since the Tetra filter was too large for the side of the tank), with smaller water filtration requirements than what Boxtech boasts it can handle, and since the fish in the water with the Boxtech were tiny fry rather than larger juvenile or adult fish (with bigger food and poop clean-up needs), Boxtech’s filter has no excuses. Lost all but 3 fry from our youngest batch due to the inefficiency of this filter system, and I am about 10 days past the “return by” date for refund eligibility, and there does not seem to be a way to contact the seller, so I wanted to get on here and warn other hobbyists or fish owners.

Go with Tetra 5-10 gallon filter if your tank will accommodate it; it is even less expensive than Boxtech’s filter. If you have very tiny fish (such as my youngest fry which were about 1/4″ long), just tie a bit of cheesecloth around the bottom where the filter slits are for intake, to avoid anyone getting sucked in. Once they were just a little bigger, the cheesecloth can be safely removed. Please avoid Boxtech’s filter at all costs. It has already cost me many baby fish and $14. A real shame.

. And the unit became so hot almost burn my fingers. Luckily we found out before it cause any fire harness to my house. Be aware!!