Thank you for watching! Here are some time stamps! 00:40 - Prefilter info 00:56 - Leak prevention (bin and alarm) 02:00 - Full disclosure of all filtering on my 210 gallon 02:30 - Opening up the SunSun 704-B canister 02:50 - Water flow and media placement 03:48 - Thoughts on Chemical Filtration 04:20 - Comments on UV 06:00 - Media used in each tray 09:48 - O Ring tips 10:40 - Impellor tips 11:45 - Canister rattle
Absolutely. I have prefilled sponges on my Aquatop 400, 10:02 which is much like his SunSun, filled with only biomedical & after nearly 5 years it wasn't dirty at all. I clean the sponges every week.
Good thing your trays didn't get messed up like mine did 😅 I always like canister filter maintenance. Another win for the pre-sponge filter! 👍 Thanks, Ben. Happy New Year!
My sun sun has been running around 5 months now on my 55 gallon with no issues, think I’ll leave it till it’s ran a year then open it up to take a look. Thanks for the video as always. HNY to you and family Ben.
Thanks, Ben. I feel a certain sort of way about SunSun because, of the 3 I've had, all 3 leaked. They did certainly work while they were running, but in the end, I had to pull them out of service. I have the same issue with the Marineland C-Series Canisters. Between the two brands, I had 7 of them in total piled up in a closet. When I sold a 75 gallon aquarium a couple of years ago, the buyer saw them. He asked what I was doing with them. When I said "nothing," he offered to grab them too. At that point, I was like, you want them, you got them. Maybe he was able to get them running again. Maybe he parted them out. Maybe they're in a new pile in HIS basement. I don't know. I just know they took up a significant portion of my basement, and they had represented a total cost of over $1000 when purchased new, that I had basically flushed down the toilet. This sort of video makes me think I should give the ole SunSun another try, though. Clearly, it's working for you, leak free. Perhaps the issue was mine and not the product.
Ben, Thanks for this video really informative. I have a SunSun hw 3000 on my ca sa tank. I also have filtration in the back of the tank that has two pumps pulling water though. I haven’t opened mine since I put all the media in it and attached it to the tank. I am afraid to open it lol. I also added a fx6 to my new MBUNA tank and I also have two tidal 110 hobs on it. So a lot of filtration on the MBUNA tank. I added prefilters on all my tidal filters. Man what a difference I got the idea from you. The two tidal 110s and the tidal 75 and the tidal 55. For the fx6 they have a aftermarket prefilter you can buy that has really small holes. It doesn’t allow food to get sucked up into it. They also have prefilters for the 407 which I bought for my 55 gal and I bought one for my 207 that is on my 20 gal long. These are all plastic with really small holes. They make a difference not sucking up food or plant stuff.
There seems to be an informal competition amongst aquarists for "bragging rights" on who can let a cannister go without cleaning the longest. There are at least a couple negatives in doing so. For one, as it clogs water flow slows down negatively affecting filtration efficiency. The 2nd reason is that the accumulating detritus and muck continues to leach phosphates and other organic wastes back into the aquarium which are detrimental to overall water quality
The pre-filter, as evidenced by the condition of the media, is preventing the clogging that you're referring to. Secondly, it is my understanding that detritus, whether in the canister or in the tank, becomes eventually of no consequence, becomes inert. If that wasn't the case nitrates (and phosphates) would be through the roof after several months of running the canister, but they never are.
I have two sunsuns running in tandem. The first is full of foam for biological filtration and the second is full of biohome for biological filtration. Been running three years this way. When I hear it sucking air, I will clean the sponge on the intake and it's quiet again.
Hi Ben happy new year. My sun sun hw303b purchased in July 2019 has been hands down very reliable and problem free since new (on 4ft Africa cichlid tank). Its course medium fine sponge on bottom tray and middle top tray all bio home media. Don’t use the sun sun uv sterilizer has I have an ultra violet 25 w on it instead. It gets serviced every two months and keeps the water very clean and clear. Parameters are always good and still has original seals on head unit and return valves. Just some food grade silicone once a year. Definitely recommend them for a basic reliable filter and bang for buck.
My fluval 406 runs like a champ, now my 407 leaks and leaks. Going to try to do a test run, only running it with the trays clear of any media to see if I have an issue with the trays not seating properly. On the other hand, my FXs run perfectly. Thanks for the great video.
@truthbetold89 never been dropped and I also replaced the o-ring. I'm going to try running it, this weekend with the trays empty and see how it goes. I'll post the results here
@@truthbetold89 I actually purchased 2 o-rings. Both leaked. Brand new it used to leak a drop or two daily, it was no big deal at the time, but now, for the past 6 months I could see a stream of water coming out of it. I stopped using it for now and placed 2 HOB filters for now. It is a small 65 gallon tank.
yea Ben I had a Sun Sun that came with a used tank I bought and the trays were actully melted from the UV light I guess the previous own let the UV run all the time is my guess
I have that sun sun. Overall it is a pretty good filter. I don’t like the UV light or the glass covering it. Water got inside the bulb housing and ruined the electrical. I can still use the filter with no UV. I retired it and replaced with an FX 6. I kept the 704 B as back up in case another filter fails.
I had 2 704b’s for about 2-3 yrs i now have 2 fluval fx6 now cuz 1 of my sun suns started leaking really bad i read reviews on em & they warned about leaking i shoulda got the fx6 first. I gotta tell ya i like the fx6 waaaay better
I opened my fx 2. Yesterday after 4 months. Its was filthy. All the pads were dark in gunk. I open mine up evory 4 months. Today after changing the pads. Putting in a new chemi blue and purigen I see the difference in water quality 💦 ✅
Sunsun 704b imho is not a good filter it moves alot of water holds alot of media & has a uv filter but in my experience its a rattlebox no matter wut i did it was never quiet plus its prone to leaking alot of bad reviews on it It hapnd to me pretty bad. So glad i trashed them for 2 fluval fx6’s. Def a superior filter
FX-6’s are superior. 2-3 times the cost but built like battleships. Over the years I’ve run 4 SunSun canisters. Never had an issue with either noise or leaking🤷🏼♂️🤷🏼♂️🤷🏼♂️
@ i guess ur lucky but whats better is ur setup ur in a garage so u can just mop it up my water was leaking down into my moms apartment downstairs. Not good
Use fx6 on my saltwater 60gal.its been running since March 2024.use to open them up every 4 to 6 months. But I'm pushing for a year now.love & have 4 of the fx6s that I've used for fresh & or saltwater.
Thank you for watching! Here are some time stamps!
00:40 - Prefilter info
00:56 - Leak prevention (bin and alarm)
02:00 - Full disclosure of all filtering on my 210 gallon
02:30 - Opening up the SunSun 704-B canister
02:50 - Water flow and media placement
03:48 - Thoughts on Chemical Filtration
04:20 - Comments on UV
06:00 - Media used in each tray
09:48 - O Ring tips
10:40 - Impellor tips
11:45 - Canister rattle
Prefilter's are a game changer!
Absolutely. I have prefilled sponges on my Aquatop 400, 10:02 which is much like his SunSun, filled with only biomedical & after nearly 5 years it wasn't dirty at all. I clean the sponges every week.
Good thing your trays didn't get messed up like mine did 😅 I always like canister filter maintenance. Another win for the pre-sponge filter! 👍 Thanks, Ben. Happy New Year!
Happy new year Ben and fellow fish keepers. Wishing you all the best for 2025.
Great New Years Ben , have an amazing year Bori
Happy New Year to you and your family
Awesome info once again Mr. Ben, happy new year. Look forward to many good videos in 2025.
Happy New Year, Ben to you and your family from North Carolina ❤️ 😊.
My sun sun has been running around 5 months now on my 55 gallon with no issues, think I’ll leave it till it’s ran a year then open it up to take a look. Thanks for the video as always. HNY to you and family Ben.
Happy new year Ben I love your channel
Thanks, Ben. I feel a certain sort of way about SunSun because, of the 3 I've had, all 3 leaked. They did certainly work while they were running, but in the end, I had to pull them out of service. I have the same issue with the Marineland C-Series Canisters. Between the two brands, I had 7 of them in total piled up in a closet. When I sold a 75 gallon aquarium a couple of years ago, the buyer saw them. He asked what I was doing with them. When I said "nothing," he offered to grab them too. At that point, I was like, you want them, you got them. Maybe he was able to get them running again. Maybe he parted them out. Maybe they're in a new pile in HIS basement. I don't know. I just know they took up a significant portion of my basement, and they had represented a total cost of over $1000 when purchased new, that I had basically flushed down the toilet.
This sort of video makes me think I should give the ole SunSun another try, though. Clearly, it's working for you, leak free. Perhaps the issue was mine and not the product.
Ben,
Thanks for this video really informative. I have a SunSun hw 3000 on my ca sa tank. I also have filtration in the back of the tank that has two pumps pulling water though. I haven’t opened mine since I put all the media in it and attached it to the tank. I am afraid to open it lol. I also added a fx6 to my new MBUNA tank and I also have two tidal 110 hobs on it. So a lot of filtration on the MBUNA tank. I added prefilters on all my tidal filters. Man what a difference I got the idea from you. The two tidal 110s and the tidal 75 and the tidal 55. For the fx6 they have a aftermarket prefilter you can buy that has really small holes. It doesn’t allow food to get sucked up into it. They also have prefilters for the 407 which I bought for my 55 gal and I bought one for my 207 that is on my 20 gal long. These are all plastic with really small holes. They make a difference not sucking up food or plant stuff.
Man it's been so long since I even had a canister filter...sump life baby!
Sumps rock. I run them in tandem with sumps.
@@BenOchart yeah you're getting that extra water polishing action!
Happy New Years Ben!
Happy2025 for the family. From Belgium
Happy new year 😃
There seems to be an informal competition amongst aquarists for "bragging rights" on who can let a cannister go without cleaning the longest. There are at least a couple negatives in doing so. For one, as it clogs water flow slows down negatively affecting filtration efficiency. The 2nd reason is that the accumulating detritus and muck continues to leach phosphates and other organic wastes back into the aquarium which are detrimental to overall water quality
The pre-filter, as evidenced by the condition of the media, is preventing the clogging that you're referring to. Secondly, it is my understanding that detritus, whether in the canister or in the tank, becomes eventually of no consequence, becomes inert. If that wasn't the case nitrates (and phosphates) would be through the roof after several months of running the canister, but they never are.
You are correct about nitrates not continuing to leach. My experience is that phosphates and organics continue to be leached
Dude runs a sump that he probably cleans regularly. Having this filter on his tank at all is worthless.
I have two sunsuns running in tandem. The first is full of foam for biological filtration and the second is full of biohome for biological filtration. Been running three years this way. When I hear it sucking air, I will clean the sponge on the intake and it's quiet again.
i have a 303 and a 403 .. they took a 9 year break in between.. but i got them in 2004 i believe.. still kickin
Hi Ben happy new year. My sun sun hw303b purchased in July 2019 has been hands down very reliable and problem free since new (on 4ft Africa cichlid tank). Its course medium fine sponge on bottom tray and middle top tray all bio home media. Don’t use the sun sun uv sterilizer has I have an ultra violet 25 w on it instead. It gets serviced every two months and keeps the water very clean and clear. Parameters are always good and still has original seals on head unit and return valves. Just some food grade silicone once a year. Definitely recommend them for a basic reliable filter and bang for buck.
My two Eheims have been running since 1998.
@@macmoondoggie How many times have you changed the cover o-ring?
@ About twice.
My fluval 406 runs like a champ, now my 407 leaks and leaks. Going to try to do a test run, only running it with the trays clear of any media to see if I have an issue with the trays not seating properly. On the other hand, my FXs run perfectly. Thanks for the great video.
If you haven't dropped your fuval before. The leaking issue should be resolved by changing the o-ring.
@truthbetold89 never been dropped and I also replaced the o-ring. I'm going to try running it, this weekend with the trays empty and see how it goes. I'll post the results here
@DCunha78 I personally never had any leaks with my fluval after replacing the o-ring. I hope you didn't get a defected product.
@@truthbetold89 I actually purchased 2 o-rings. Both leaked. Brand new it used to leak a drop or two daily, it was no big deal at the time, but now, for the past 6 months I could see a stream of water coming out of it. I stopped using it for now and placed 2 HOB filters for now. It is a small 65 gallon tank.
yea Ben I had a Sun Sun that came with a used tank I bought and the trays were actully melted from the UV light I guess the previous own let the UV run all the time is my guess
I’m not sure why that happens but that plastic probably ends up in the water column or in the fish 😳
@@BenOchartI think the UV light over time really deteriorates the plastic tray's. Just like UV rays aren't good for us in long exposure
I have that sun sun. Overall it is a pretty good filter. I don’t like the UV light or the glass covering it. Water got inside the bulb housing and ruined the electrical. I can still use the filter with no UV. I retired it and replaced with an FX 6. I kept the 704 B as back up in case another filter fails.
That usually happens when you keep the uv light on for a long time.
Let's open that baby up ❤
I had 2 704b’s for about 2-3 yrs i now have 2 fluval fx6 now cuz 1 of my sun suns started leaking really bad i read reviews on em & they warned about leaking i shoulda got the fx6 first. I gotta tell ya i like the fx6 waaaay better
I have 2 fx4 running my 125 in my living room and never hear them.
I opened my fx 2. Yesterday after 4 months. Its was filthy. All the pads were dark in gunk. I open mine up evory 4 months. Today after changing the pads. Putting in a new chemi blue and purigen I see the difference in water quality 💦 ✅
For what ever reasons my SunSun captures at least twice the detritus of my fx series filters
Are they running with pre-filters?
@BenOchart my SunSuns have prefilters. None on my fx4 nor fx6
Sunsun 704b imho is not a good filter it moves alot of water holds alot of media & has a uv filter but in my experience its a rattlebox no matter wut i did it was never quiet plus its prone to leaking alot of bad reviews on it It hapnd to me pretty bad. So glad i trashed them for 2 fluval fx6’s. Def a superior filter
FX-6’s are superior. 2-3 times the cost but built like battleships.
Over the years I’ve run 4 SunSun canisters. Never had an issue with either noise or leaking🤷🏼♂️🤷🏼♂️🤷🏼♂️
@ i guess ur lucky but whats better is ur setup ur in a garage so u can just mop it up my water was leaking down into my moms apartment downstairs. Not good
Seachem matrix is 1000000% bleached pumice
Those Sera balls looks like old fuzzy potatoes.
Why run a canister and a sump? Of course it will be cleaner after 14 months with the sump.
Maybe that's a reason to run both
@@andytchir8601 it's doing too much and a waste of power. It's just him trying to show off.
Use fx6 on my saltwater 60gal.its been running since March 2024.use to open them up every 4 to 6 months. But I'm pushing for a year now.love & have 4 of the fx6s that I've used for fresh & or saltwater.