SunSun 303B Unboxing and Setup

[Fish Tank Travis]

Hey all,

So, I got a SunSun 303B to replace my broken Fluval 204. It was about $88 shipped to my door.

You will definitely see that it is a knockoff by the poorly translated words and phrases. It starts with it being titled on the box as an Outside Filter as opposed to an External Filter.

So, here's the box



Here's everything out of the box. Btw, I wear a size 13 shoe for size reference.



And here's the filter media and sponges/floss that came with it (I bought the combo package that included media)



Here is a picture of the lid with the UV lamp and cover installed.



Next up is the media baskets and their order in the canister. Be sure to rinse the media to get rid of any dust on it. I chose to use the blue sponge in the very bottom of the bottom basket (first) and put the bio balls on top of it in the same basket.



Next is a basket full of ceramic rings. The amount they sent was a bit pitiful and didn't even fill up half of the basket. Luckily, I had 10lbs of it that I plan on using in my sump for my 220 (if I ever get the time to get it set up).



Last basket I used all three pads of filter floss. I did not use the carbon.



Then I put the basket topper and the lid on.



At this point it was ready to go. I already planned to do a water change while installing the filter so I siphoned some tank water into the canister before starting it up. With it being filled up with water, I found the large priming button on the top to work very well and a few presses of the button had it off and running. Se the picture of the spray bar with the flow below.



It is rated at 370gph but I think that must be with a completely empty canister. My guess is after all of the media is added the flow is around 250gph. The media capacity is incredible though. If it were full of just ceramic rings then I think it could hold about 12lbs of them.

Last few pictures here. This first one is the badge on the pump head.



Next picture is the SunSun 303B sitting next to my old Fluval 204.



Lastly, a picture of the filter sitting in front of my 29 gallon tank, that it will be filtering.



So, it is all up and running. Also, it is QUIET! I couldn't believe that I couldn't hear it at all over my air pump. It was extremely quiet.

The way the water flow works is the intake goes down through a tube that is built into the baskets, which also holds the UV tube. It gets to the bottom and then disperses and is drawn up through the filter media from the bottom to the top, and is then pumped back to the tank. The plumbing that came with it is pretty cheap but the vinyl tubing is pretty nice. I didn't use all of the plumbing parts that came with it because I thought that some of them were too restrictive.

It is very easy to use if you've ever use a canister before. So far, I would definitely recommend it.

Let me know what you all think or if you have and comments or suggestions.

Thanks all

 

[fishnatics]

Glad you like it. I run 2 sunsun 304b on my tank and I love it. Some people may disagree with me but why spend hundreds of dollars on 1 filter when you can spend less than $100 for these and it works just as good as the higher priced ones.

 

[xraycer]

You got it set up backwards. The water from the tank comes into the tank, down the uv housing, and then up through the different trays starting from the bottom and working its way to the top. So, the tray with just the filter pads should be on the bottom of the canister.

 

[xraycer]

This is what I do to make this canister a better mechanical filter: for the bottom tray, I just lay down a single filter pad, and fill the remaining space with Poly-Fil (pillow stuffing)

 

[Fish Tank Travis]

I like to use the floss as a water polisher so I like to have it as the last media in the filter. I do have the blue sponge on the very bottom for mechanical filtration though.

As for the cost of this vs the much more expensive filters...I do think the flow is a little weak for the size of the filter. Like I mentioned, I am using this on a 29 gallon tank and it does provide a lot of flow but it's not anything like a crazy whirlpool. I would say that this 303B would suffice for a 55 gallon on its own, maybe a 75 gallon but I think that would be pushing it. You would probably need several of these to make up for the flow of one of the more expensive filters but you can easily get 3-4 of these for the price of one of the others. You will then have just as much flow but be able to hold a ton more media.

The built in UV steralizer seems decent. I do hear a lot of complaints about that so I will have to wait and see how it holds up.

 

[fishnatics]

I've been running my uv light 24/7 for a yr now and it seems to be working. Water is always clear with weekly water changes.

 

[FreshyFresh]

Cool write up! Thanks for taking the time. I love my little Sunsun 302. I've had it in service for over 3yrs. Haven't even had to replace a seal on it yet (knock on wood). I open it up for cleaning every 3 months or so. Like others have said, you want your mechanical media on the bottom. I do sponge in the bottom trays and bio in the top. I don't run chemical media.

 

[Fish Tank Travis]

You're welcome. I've seen them mentioned on here from time to time but I haven't seen much first-hand about them. So, I decided to make an "unboxing" thread with some pictures. I hope it helps to allow people to decide whether or not one of these filters is right for them.

 

[Fishy-Botany]

Very nice unboxing post.
Now off to research more in this awesome looking filter.

 

[Fishy-Botany]

Does it say on the filter or packaging if it is UL rated?