SunSun Canister Filter Review

SunSun Aquarium Filter Review

Today we are going to review the SunSun Canister Filter to see how this filter stacks up against the competition. This filter has a number of advantages over the competition and some pretty incredible features that you will love but also has some disadvantages that you may find frustrating.

Pros
Premium quality filter at a budget price
Four flexible medium trays offering four different types of filtration
Self-priming pump
High-powered filter that is strong enough to be used in the biggest tanks
High media storage capacity
Extremely quiet compared to other canister filters

Cons
Difficult to install
More difficult to manage due to the increased size
You have to buy additional media because not much is included

Review of the SunSun Canister Filter

In this SunSun Canister Filter review, we will be looking more closely at some specific attributes to determine whether this is the right aquarium filter for you.

Key Features

This filter will support tanks of up to 150 gallons
The SunSun pushes an impressive 525 gallons per hour
The filter comes with all of the nozzles, hoses and other accessories you need as well as some filter media
A self-priming pump means you never have to siphon the tank manually
The four media trays can be changed around and there are four types of filtration
Comes with an adjustable spray bar

SunSun Installation

This is the only real weak point in what is otherwise an extremely strong filter. This canister filter is quite a bit larger than what you may be used to and that makes it more difficult to handle when you are installing it. In addition, the instructions are very badly written and do not provide a clear path to the installation.

You will have to do some research online and watch the videos just to figure out how to install it.

Ease of Use

Once you get the SunSun Canister Filter installed though it is extremely easy to use and to maintain. It has a self-priming pump so you never have to siphon the tank manually. Just make sure you prime it with water in the system.

Value for the Money

This is probably the best part of this canister filter. This filter can easily compete with some of the big-name brands out there with names that you are probably very familiar with. However, they all cost a great deal more than this filter.

It gives you all of these features and power but at a budget price.

SunSun Filtration Capacity

This filter is pretty amazing when it comes to capacity. It will support a large tank of up to 150 gallons and it has amazing flow pushing 525 gallons per hour.

Filtration Effectiveness & Media

This is an extremely effective filter with four different filter mediums. The first is mechanical, the second is biological in the third is chemical. In addition to these three standard filter mediums, this canister filter also has a built-in UV sterilizer.

Although this does have the disadvantage of not actually including any media with the unit when you purchase it, once you have the media installed the filtration is extremely effective. Four-stage filtration means that it is a great deal more effective than many of the canister filters on the market.

How does it compare?

Now let’s look at this particular unit versus some of the similar models from the competing canister filter brands that are out there. This canister filter is priced a lot lower than the one that is being compared with here, but you want to take a look at how it stacks up against each of the competitors to find out if that higher price is worth it or not.

SunSun Canister Filter vs. the Eheim Ecco Pro

When you compare this SunSun model against the Eheim Ecco Pro there are some definite advantages of the latter. First, this model is a lot more energy-efficient than the SunSun Canister Filter. It is also easier to set up and it comes with all the media that you are going to need. You also find this easier to handle and more lightweight. However, there are some disadvantages as well. For one thing, it only pushes 198 gallons per hour and it will only support an 80-gallon tank at the max.

If you have a smaller tank, this might be what you are looking for, but it is not going to be nearly as powerful or even workable for large capacity tanks. If you are looking to filter more water in less time, then you definitely want to go with the SunSun

SunSun Canister Filter vs. the Filstar XP-XL

The Filstar XP-XL is an excellent canister filter and should be your choice if you have a tank that is more than 150 gallons. The SunSun Canister Filter will only support tanks that are up to 150 gallons while the Filstar will support up to 265-gallon tanks. However, even with that being the case, the SunSun still pushes more water than the Filstar. The former will filter 525 gallons per hour while the latter can only push 450 gallons per hour.

However, this Filstar does have some other advantages like an anti-overheating motor, some additional safety features, and integrated flow control. You are going to be paying for those extras though as this unit is nearly double the price of the SunSun.

SunSun Canister Filter vs. the Cobalt E-X-T

The Cobalt E-X-T is an extremely energy efficient filter. It only uses about 6 watts of power. Although it is a really quiet canister filter, it is not any quieter than the SunSun so there is no advantage there. It is also not suitable for large tanks whatsoever. This filter will only support tanks that are 55 gallons maximum and the amount of water filtered per hour only reaches 210.

It does come with the same four-stage filtration included the UV light though.