I've decided to post my initial impression of the API Nexx filter.
Pros:
Cheap
Easy to set up
Easily modified (perfect for the DIY people like me)
Cons:
Some parts are poorly designed.
To Start!
If you have any experience with DIY or canister filters, don't worry about the instructions.
First I ran it empty just to make sure everything worked fine. It holds a surprising amount of water.
One of the major selling points is that with the turn of the handle, you can remove it without making a wet mess. That isn't entirely accurate but you are only talking about a few drips so have a towel handy.
Early reviews complained about the seals being tiny, I'm assuming this problem has been fixed. Many automotive oil filters don't even have this good of a rubber seal.
I decided that since this is basically a double barrel canister filter, I would load one side up the way they wanted, and the other side the way I wanted.
Their methods,
Uses the filter pouches and their special bio stars. The filter pads look to be good quality, unlike the kind you see for HOBs and stuff that might as well be cotton. This is a heavier poly so it should hold up better.
The bio stars are also a highly porus resin. I read on another forum an API rep saying these things are more porus than ceramic. After messing with them, I think I'll agree with their assessment. They look like cheap solid plastic but water flows through them very well. If they sell bulk, they might be a good investment for larger DIY projects. I should note that they only include enough of them to fill one tray, not both.
On my side,
I started by cutting a piece of needlepoint plastic to help make a gap between the water opening and the upper layers. Next I used the bulk filter pad from Petsmart and cut a 3 inch strip from the long side and rolled it up loosely like a cinnamon roll. Because of the molded water return, the square end fit snugly, reducing the ability for water to flow around the filter material. Then threw a bag of ceramic biofilter media on top because it was too big to fit in the little tray...I didn't realize how dirty it was until it was too late.
I didn't feel like cutting another hole so I ran both the in and out lines through the same hole in the lid. There is a single jointed ball and socket mounted jet but I took it off because the little fish were getting swirled around too much.
The pump is held in place by two suction cups clamping onto the top and bottom. They work very well as shock absorbers and reduce vibration extremely well. But they will slip if the motor is torqued too much.
The nice thing here is that the pump can be swapped to anything with the same sized barb. I seem to remember seeing 0.2 A on the pump meaning it is 24 watts. The ID of the hose they provided was 5/8, which gives us a huge range of custom options for expansion and larger scale integration.
My largest complaint is how the water gets over the edge of the tank. I guess to reduce manufacturing costs they are using the intake pipe of HOB filters. I find this idea both genius and stupid. It is a great idea to reuse parts from other models, but the intake pipes have the molding seam on each side that creates a very small gap. Add water pressure and you get a leak. Hard plastic on the tank lip also makes noise.
Their solution to this leaking problem is even worse.
They re-engineered the good 'ol hose clamp by breeding it with a zip tie.
Typical engineers "if it ain't broke, fix it 'till it is"
I circumvented both by using PVC cement to glue the nylon hose to their repurposed HOB tubes.
The hose attachments on the in/out on the filter assembly and on the pump are all barbed so no need for those crazy things there.
Aside from those gripes, the filter has many great and innovative designs that, hopefully, will result in another arms race in aquarium filters. For those of you who are always thinking about a better mouse trap (poop trap in this case), just like a battery, these can be hooked up in parallel and in series.
At the moment, this filter has my seal of approval. I'll keep tabs of this thing over the long run to see if it is a keeper.
Pros:
Cheap
Easy to set up
Easily modified (perfect for the DIY people like me)
Cons:
Some parts are poorly designed.
To Start!
If you have any experience with DIY or canister filters, don't worry about the instructions.
First I ran it empty just to make sure everything worked fine. It holds a surprising amount of water.
One of the major selling points is that with the turn of the handle, you can remove it without making a wet mess. That isn't entirely accurate but you are only talking about a few drips so have a towel handy.
Early reviews complained about the seals being tiny, I'm assuming this problem has been fixed. Many automotive oil filters don't even have this good of a rubber seal.
I decided that since this is basically a double barrel canister filter, I would load one side up the way they wanted, and the other side the way I wanted.
Their methods,
Uses the filter pouches and their special bio stars. The filter pads look to be good quality, unlike the kind you see for HOBs and stuff that might as well be cotton. This is a heavier poly so it should hold up better.
The bio stars are also a highly porus resin. I read on another forum an API rep saying these things are more porus than ceramic. After messing with them, I think I'll agree with their assessment. They look like cheap solid plastic but water flows through them very well. If they sell bulk, they might be a good investment for larger DIY projects. I should note that they only include enough of them to fill one tray, not both.
On my side,
I started by cutting a piece of needlepoint plastic to help make a gap between the water opening and the upper layers. Next I used the bulk filter pad from Petsmart and cut a 3 inch strip from the long side and rolled it up loosely like a cinnamon roll. Because of the molded water return, the square end fit snugly, reducing the ability for water to flow around the filter material. Then threw a bag of ceramic biofilter media on top because it was too big to fit in the little tray...I didn't realize how dirty it was until it was too late.
I didn't feel like cutting another hole so I ran both the in and out lines through the same hole in the lid. There is a single jointed ball and socket mounted jet but I took it off because the little fish were getting swirled around too much.
The pump is held in place by two suction cups clamping onto the top and bottom. They work very well as shock absorbers and reduce vibration extremely well. But they will slip if the motor is torqued too much.
The nice thing here is that the pump can be swapped to anything with the same sized barb. I seem to remember seeing 0.2 A on the pump meaning it is 24 watts. The ID of the hose they provided was 5/8, which gives us a huge range of custom options for expansion and larger scale integration.
My largest complaint is how the water gets over the edge of the tank. I guess to reduce manufacturing costs they are using the intake pipe of HOB filters. I find this idea both genius and stupid. It is a great idea to reuse parts from other models, but the intake pipes have the molding seam on each side that creates a very small gap. Add water pressure and you get a leak. Hard plastic on the tank lip also makes noise.
Their solution to this leaking problem is even worse.
They re-engineered the good 'ol hose clamp by breeding it with a zip tie.
Typical engineers "if it ain't broke, fix it 'till it is"
I circumvented both by using PVC cement to glue the nylon hose to their repurposed HOB tubes.
The hose attachments on the in/out on the filter assembly and on the pump are all barbed so no need for those crazy things there.
Aside from those gripes, the filter has many great and innovative designs that, hopefully, will result in another arms race in aquarium filters. For those of you who are always thinking about a better mouse trap (poop trap in this case), just like a battery, these can be hooked up in parallel and in series.
At the moment, this filter has my seal of approval. I'll keep tabs of this thing over the long run to see if it is a keeper.
