# Sunsun 304b



## Sanjo Eel

Hey hey I just replied to another thread and mentioned this filter, and I thought I should go ahead and tell everyone about it since IMO it is a great filter at an even greater price. I can't give you a long term report on this as I have only had it for a week, but I did a LOT of research before buying and it seems many people have been running them for years with no problems at all.
This is my first canister filter, I have always been HOB until now.
This canister is basically the same as a Marineland C-530, aside from a few cosmetic differences, and all the specs are the same, EXCEPT the SunSun 304b comes with a UV sterilizer and a surface skimmer which the Marineland does not. The Marineland retails @ Drs. Foster & Smith for $254 plus shipping. I paid $120 total for my SunSun and it can be bought for less, and some sellers even include ceramic rings for you so find the best seller and order from them. 
SunSun is a Chinese manufacturer that makes parts for Marineland and other companies, and it's products are widely available in Asia, Australia, and Europe (from what I have read). Apparently these filters and some of their other products are also appearing in shops in and around Cali as well. Here is my initial review on the SunSun 304b:

First Impressions:
Well I must say that my initial impressions of this filter are very good. Instruction manual is in Engrish, and is a pretty entertaining read LMFAO. The canister is huge, which is great of course, and the plastic for the canister body and lid are very thick and sturdy. In/Out plastic fittings could be a little sturdier in my opinion, but work fine, just exercise care when installing the tubes. I am not known for my finesse but I managed not to break anything.
The rubber seals were coated in grease so a good cleaning is recommended before use (Duhhh).
Assembly was super easy. It has 4 media baskets and they are huge! I crammed a crapload of media in there and there's room for more. It comes with a sponge pad and 4 floss pads for media. I spent $3 on pot scrubbies and $11 on a box of Fluval ceramic rings to fill it up so no big deal. I will add more ceramic rings over time but it has plenty of bio-filtration in there. For replacement floss and sponge pads I will either cut my own or buy the Marineland ones since they are the same, except the SunSun pads have holes cut out for the UV lamp.

Operation:
I had a little trouble getting it primed until I realized the water level in the tank was a little low and it might be easier if the water had less vertical space to travel up the tube to get the siphon action going. Once I topped off the tank it siphoned fine and filled up right away. Plugged it in and after a couple minutes purging a little air it was running really quiet and pumping out a ton of water. I'm impressed so far. The surface skimmer that comes with it is great and works like a charm, keeping the top of the water crystal clear, whereas before there was always a little scum. Also, in spite of me running 3 AC110's on my 135 gallon Pygo tank, there always seemed to be particulates in the water which was a little annoying. The morning after I put the SunSun on the tank the water was the clearest it has ever been in this tank. I have since discovered that adding a single layer of polyester batting over the sponge in the AC110 acts as a great microfilter and keeps the water much clearer on the other tanks I run AC's on. Anyway back to the SunSun. 
One of my worries with canisters was what would happen if there was a leak? I imagined 100 gallons of water on the floor because of a cracked seal or something, so I was always a little hesitant to buy one, even though I have only heard a few stories where something like that has happened. However, this filter has a surface skimmer which will break the siphon if the water level gets too low. This is a nice feature because it means if there is a problem its only gonna be 40 gallons on the floor instead of 100 and the fish will ok cause they'll have more water. 
There's also a spray bar and plenty of suction cups to attach stuff in the tank.
I don't think I'll need the UV sterilizer anytime soon but it's great to have!

Parts: Parts can be ordered direct from SunSun if anything ever breaks. Many of the Marineland parts should be interchangeable with this filter.

Conclusion:
Well built, quiet unit that pumps out tons of water and holds a TON of media. I don't really have anything bad to say about this filter, I think it's great. Some sturdier plastic fittings would be nice but they are basically the same as on the Marineland C-530 and they work fine so no complaints really. Especially for less than half the price of a C-530.
I would recommend it, and I plan on picking up a couple more soon. If you want to buy one, do a search for "530 canister filter" on ebay. It is the white one with a UV sterilizer. This is an unbiased review, I am not a seller or anything, just wanted to share since I think its a great deal. I am happy to answer any questions about this rig!


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## I Can Mate

is it as big as the fx5?


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## Sanjo Eel

I have never seen an FX5 only pics so I am not sure. From the pics the fx5 looks like a shop-vac LOL.


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## Sacrifice

Sounds like a nice pick up. I've never used a surface skimmer before, but I've always wondered how to keep the water surface clean. Can you post some picks of yours and maybe explain a little how they work? How does it hook up to your canister?


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## Guest

When I look on ebay all it keeps showing me is replacement pads or UV bulbs for theunit. Is there awebsite for Sunsun product? I tried to goole it but for the life of me cant find a single thing other than peoples reviews.


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## Sacrifice

ksls said:


> When I look on ebay all it keeps showing me is replacement pads or UV bulbs for theunit. Is there awebsite for Sunsun product? I tried to goole it but for the life of me cant find a single thing other than peoples reviews.


I found this one

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320510686429&rvr_id=132257766999&crlp=1_263602_263622&UA=WXI8&GUID=cc83e40f1280a0b582f6c4a6ffedc709&itemid=320510686429&ff4=263602_263622

It worries me that they are so hard to find??? Sanjo Eel where did you purchase yours?


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## Sanjo Eel

SunSun sells them under different brand names, also Grech and Perfect. Do a search for sunsun canister filters on ebay and check the box "include titles and description". It is usually not listed as Sunsun in the title. I purchased mine from DiscountAquatics on ebay, but after I ordered I saw cheaper ones. 
Co. website.
http://www.sunsun-china.com/en/Company/Company_Browse.aspx?id=1
The surface skimmer is great I'll explain it later but I have to bounce....


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## Sanjo Eel

Sacrifice said:


> Sounds like a nice pick up. I've never used a surface skimmer before, but I've always wondered how to keep the water surface clean. Can you post some picks of yours and maybe explain a little how they work? How does it hook up to your canister?


In the diagram, #13 is your intake, #14 is one of the surface skimmer elbow tubes, #11 is the actual skimmer that floats at the surface of the water and slides on #12 so it is always at the waterline. The skimmer is a star shaped grid thing that keeps out big debris, but lets a small amount of surface water into the intake. It also acts as a stop-loss in the event of a leak, and will break siphon and stop the water flow once the waterline gets below the #12 tube. Nice peace of mind for me.


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## banshee42096

they are a hard filter to find but the price sounds good.


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## Sanjo Eel

There are a lot of them on ebay and SunSun is huge, so I wouldn't consider them too hard to find once you know what you are looking for. 
Wow I just saw that SunSun also makes a $100 pond canister filter that pumps out over 2300 gph. I wonder if it's too loud to have in the house? LOL I want to find out cause I want that bad boy on my piranha tank.


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## cobra29svt

Hey guys& gals (my 1st post here)
Stumbled upon this thread & figured I'd add my 2-cents....

Like the OP, I also had only used the HOB power filters prior to buying the SunSun canisters. I purchased the 302 (264gph), & the 303 (375gph + UV) for my 72-gallon tank. I've had them up & running for maybe 3 months now, & overall I'm very happy w/ the product I recieved vs the money that I spent. The surface skimmer doesn't work on either of my filters. Might be something I did, or didn't do? That's really my only complaint w/ them. If I had to do it all over again, I'd buy another 303 or 304 to work in tandem w/ the 303 instead of buying the 302.


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## Guest

Hey Cobra!








and your 2 cents was appreciated! How about atarting your own thread in the Intro section or the piranha pics section and show us what ya got!


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## cobra29svt

ksls said:


> Hey Cobra!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> and your 2 cents was appreciated! How about atarting your own thread in the Intro section or the piranha pics section and show us what ya got!


Thanks. Sounds like a good idea. Problem is, I don't have any P's. Came here to do more research before I make my purchase.


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## Sanjo Eel

cobra29svt said:


> Hey Cobra!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> and your 2 cents was appreciated! How about atarting your own thread in the Intro section or the piranha pics section and show us what ya got!


Thanks. Sounds like a good idea. Problem is, I don't have any P's. Came here to do more research before I make my purchase.
[/quote]
They are great fish Cobra. Not really demanding they just need lots of room. Welcome to the forum. Glad your sunsun is running good! I will probably purchase another soon. I wonder why your surface skimmer doesn't work. Mine works great but the fish knock it off the tube sometimes. Makes a big difference for me, though.


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## Sacrifice

cobra29svt said:


> Hey Cobra!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> and your 2 cents was appreciated! How about atarting your own thread in the Intro section or the piranha pics section and show us what ya got!


Thanks. Sounds like a good idea. Problem is, I don't have any P's. *Came here to do more research before I make my purchase.*
[/quote]

Oh my Lord, if only every person would do this!!!! Thanks for your interest in Ps Cobra29svt. Feel free to wonder around and soak up as much info as possible, this place is full of it (in more then one way







)


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