Customer Reviews

Rena 721 Filstar XP2 Canister Filter

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I have a 100 gallon tank and I paid 500.00 for a wet/dry system that everyone swore would be my last and best filter. Well after a year of loud draining noises and yellow water I ditched it and put on 2 of the XP2's. All I can say is WOW!!!! After only 9 hours my water is crystal clear! I was so used to the yellow tinge in the water I forgot what clear water looked like! My wet dry was rated for a 200 gallon tank and I changed the media religously! It pales in comparison to the XP2's! And the XP2's along with a year supply of filter media cost less than half of the Wet/Dry system! I am sold on the XP2! They are virtually noiseless too!

I did a lot of research when I was trying to decide on a canister filter for my 55-gallon aquarium, and saw a plethora of conflicting information. Eheim was supposedly the best brand, but people described it at "not user-friendly", and they can be a bit pricey. Others looked too cheaply-made to be worth the cost, and I didn't want to worry about replacing parts.

Eventually I settled on the Rena Filstar XP2 canister, and I've never been happier. It's reliable, quiet, and my water is crystal-clear (and that's saying something, since we have very heavy lime in my area). Any time I do a gravel-vac or move ornaments around, the XP2 has my water clear again within a few hours. Even when I slack off on cleaning the media, it keeps my aquarium balanced, runs smoothly, and maintains water circulation and current.

The only problem I've had was a defective hose clamp, so now I have a metal clamp there instead of the black one that came with it. I suggest having at least one on-hand so you don't have to go back to the store when setting up your filter. It also apparently has an automatic shutoff feature if you're silly and let the hose get crimped, like I did. That's the only time it ever ceased to function, which is far preferable to the motor burning out.

Priming this filter is a breeze, as are cleaning it and setting it to work again. The media lasts quite a while, and the only things not included are the Bio-Chem Stars. Definitely worth the money, especially if you're new to canister filters.

I've been using canister filters on my smaller tanks (20-55g) for the past decade and the RENA XP2 is the most impressive by far.

APPEARANCE
The kit was very neatly packaged. The filter itself is definitely not a real "looker", but it certainly has very clean lines. I expected some burrs on the plastic pieces, but there were none to be found. What else can I say about a filter that likely will be hidden away beneath a cabinet or behind the aquarium?

SETUP
It's ridiculous how easily the filter assembled. The media baskets are very practical and easy to manage, plenty of room for whatever you choose to filter with. The ONLY aspect I would consider potentially difficult was fitting the hoses to the rigid tubing -- easily remedied with a very light film of petroleum jelly, emphasis on "light". Once the clamp is in place it's nearly impossible to move the hose let alone pull it completely off the tubing. The instructions are clear and concise and the visuals so explicit the text is almost unnecessary.

OPERATION
I am not exaggerating when I say the filter generates only a whisper of noise. My wife wondered whether it was actually functioning until I opened the cabinet and she leaned over to listen. Amazing, considering the volume of water it's filtering. My water is crystal clear, well-balanced and the aquarium's occupants are healthy and robust -- testimony to how well the filter is functioning.

MAINTENANCE
I've never had another canister filter so easily maintained. Flip, pull, pop some clips and "voila" easy access to everything. I can change any media and swap filter pads all in less than 10 minutes. I'm so spoiled I wish I'd never have to see another wet-dry filter as long as I live.

You really can't go wrong with this one. Two thumbs way up.

I have had this filter running on my 25 gallon tank for about 2 months now. It's more filter than I need for the size tank I have, but I have a few more fish than the tank is rated for. It keeps everything clean and fresh. The fiter is quiet and easy to clean. I really like the baskets you can put different filtering media into. Overall, a great filter.

One issue to note if you buy this filter: fry can get sucked into it and not die. I opened up my filter last night and noticed six mollie fry in the bottom. I was shocked that they could live in the filter - they must have been in there for about two weeks or so given that I hadn't seen any in the tank in that long. Just an FYI.

I've had this filter for almost a month now. It was easy to install, primed on its own, and has my tank the cleanest I've ever seen it. I have a 75 gallon tank and have used numerous filters (last being an EHEIM ECCO canister- stay away from it).

As another reviewer pointed out, it does take a little bit of effort to put this thing together. Getting those tubes onto the fittings was a lot of work, but at least there's no dripping.

Once this was done, and the filter media was in the box, priming the unit was simple enough. Open the tube at the top, pour in some water, then power the unit on. It will not be silent right away. There's still air trapped in the system, and there'll be a few "burbs" from time to time when these air bubbles are pushed out. But once that is all done, it really is whisper-quiet.

Now, changing filter media. The first time I tried this, I was a little worried, but there's nothing to it. Shut the filter off, pop up the lever on the hose-fitting assembly and remove it. It's sealed off, so no dripping water. Now just carry the whole container to where you want to be to replace the filter media, pop the canister open and remove the two media trays. Replace as needed.

How easy was that?

Great price for a high performance canister filter! Assembly and installation was exteremely fast and easy. Within a couple of hours of operation, the water in my 29g goldfish tank was crystal clear. The filter is very quiet, I can barely notice noise coming from the filter. The quick disconnect valve and the easy replacement of filter media makes maintenance is a breeze. Thumbs up for Rena!

I liked the filter itself, but it was hard to put the tubing onto the fittings. So hard in fact that the quick disconnect valve was damaged on mine while I was trying to put mine together. I didn't realize it until I began running it. Then I had to return it. The other thing I didn't like was the hose clamps that are provided for the tubing. They kept popping open after I had squeezed them shut. I think they need to be a little bigger. As it was, I had to use pliers to sqeeze them shut enough so that they would stay closed. I don't think that they were really doing much anyway since the tubing was so tight on the fittings. The filter itself worked really well and ran really quietly. I really like the different options that the unit comes with for the outlet into the tank. My recommendation to anyone buying this product is to stretch the tubing opening before trying to put it on any of the fittings so that it goes on easier and far enough to put the hose clamps on. Try using pliers to close the hose clamps if it seems like they are too small. Other than those small issues I think that it is a really good filter.

This Canister Filter Rena Filstar xP2 for Freshwater is Very Nice Great for my 29 gallon Aquarium!!

This Filer cleaned my 29 gallon Aquarium very Fast over night! Also I like how is so very quite better of my old filer. I have had Aquariums for 35 years, so, I really like Rena Aquariums for my old 29 Aquarium.

Thanks so much Rena!! Because, this Rena xP2 is Great and easy to put into the Aquariums!

Its a good filter, does what its intended to do and quite silent, for the price its worth it.