# Aqua Top Products - anybody use them



## fishyman65712 (Jan 14, 2013)

Was window shopping Sun. with wife looking for ideas on fish, supplies, filters, and heaters. Gather ideas for the new 72" tank still need to build a stand for it yet, finish cleaning the years of abuse and neglect caked on it.

Noticed a brand on the shelf at chain store "Aqua Top 300 Watt Heater" - what caught my attention was $18.89 price for submersible, did a double take thought maybe it was mis-priced.

Found canister filters made by them as well - namely the "AQUATOP CF-500UV Canister Filter" flow rated at 525 GPH built in UV filter for a 5 stage filter. New in the box with a 30-day in-home trial guarantee has everything you need to hook it up with plug and go kit included.

Hard to find any user reviews, lots of paid to review which tend to give a better then average review when paid for it. If anybody has real world experience on this product line would like to hear back about how they work.


----------



## Mschn99 (Dec 24, 2012)

fishyman65712 said:


> Was window shopping Sun. with wife looking for ideas on fish, supplies, filters, and heaters. Gather ideas for the new 72" tank still need to build a stand for it yet, finish cleaning the years of abuse and neglect caked on it.
> 
> Noticed a brand on the shelf at chain store "Aqua Top 300 Watt Heater" - what caught my attention was $18.89 price for submersible, did a double take thought maybe it was mis-priced.
> 
> ...


my opinion....with a few exceptions you get what you pay for.

Cheap heaters scare me. as of a week ago i had 1 heater that i had been to lazy to replace. It was just a little fifty watt in 15 gallon tank. i had neglected getting a name been in this one tank. Little fifty watt heater was stuck on and the temp in my small fry tank was 96 degrees. Im not sure how but i had no casualties. i learned a lesson there. My one cheap heater could have killed probably 25 fry.

again with canisters......there are a few cheap ones that you can DIY fix and make reliable, but if your not into researching that, then go name brand. is a leak and damage on a floor worth 200 bucks??


----------



## DrTenochtitlan (Jun 17, 2012)

I own the Aquatop CF-500UV Canister Filter. It is a good and inexpensive canister filter that holds tons of media and has the bonus of the UV light. Even though it is an off-brand, a LOT of people on this forum have used it with no problems whatsoever. If you're looking to save money, this is a good product. I should also mention that *many* people on here have mentioned that they have *outstanding* customer service that can help you resolve almost any problem. It is made of a bit thinner plastic than some canister filters, but it is not flimsy. The O-ring around the top should be kept coated in vasoline every time you clean the filter, however, as it can dry out and crack. If it does that, then it may leak, but this is entirely preventable. All-in-all, a very good product. As to anything else made by Aquatop, I can't comment.


----------



## DrTenochtitlan (Jun 17, 2012)

For a VERY well made and reliable heater, go with the Aqueon Pro heater (NOT the regular heater). They are relatively inexpensive and tend to be comparatively durable. A lot of people on the forum like this product as well.


----------



## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

I agree with the Doc ^^^^ above. I have two of the CF500UV filters and love them. I have had one for about 9 months and the other about 4 months. As for the heater I cant' speak to but do agree that the Aqueon pro is a very good heater. I have a couple myself.


----------



## Darkrose (Feb 4, 2013)

I just bought the Aquatop CF400UV and their 300 watt heater... I haven't unboxed them, but did quite a bit of surfing looking for reviews and they seem to be very highly regarded for their price point. They lack some of the extra features of the higher priced ones it appears, but seem to be solid.

I feel reassured for my tank anyway. YMMV


----------



## DanniGirl (Jan 25, 2007)

We have a Product Reviews section on the website and we ask that you take advantage of this resource when possible. We feel that it is better for all who use the site to have a structured place to conduct reviews.

Furthermore, there are reviews regarding some of the Aquatop Products such as the canister found here, Aquatop's CF Series Canister Filters

If you would like to see a new product that is not in the reviews section, we encourage you to fill out the New Product Review form which can be found by clicking in the following link, Recommend a New Product


----------



## fishyman65712 (Jan 14, 2013)

Yes Dannigirl I looked in reviews and did a search for product reviews here but it kept giving the "No Product Reviews Found".

Yeah I checked the product line website but it gives no info on head pressure, the head pressure is what I am needing to find on this or any canister filter.
Since the set up I will be running will have a head pressure height of 4 feet 8 inches some pumps are not designed to pump much above 36 inches, I would likely burn the pump out in less then a year if it would even pump that high.

Sorry for the confusion.

You can go ahead and lock the topic if need be.


----------



## iridextr (Feb 8, 2013)

I use ONLY Aquatop heaters. I have the digital 300w heaters in my 55's, and the regular 200w heaters in my 20 and 29, and some smaller ones (forgot wattage) in my q-tanks. The digital ones are amazing! they have a separate piece from the main heater for the thermometer so it won't fry and is more accurate. Not a single problem with any heater, even the cheap ones. I plan on buying the canister filters in the near future for both of the bigger tanks.


----------



## S2K_Alex (Jul 2, 2012)

^^^^ do you want to cook your fish?!?! theres no need for such a high wattage heaters for those size of aquariums, i just hope they never give out on you, if so you'll defenetly have casualties....


----------



## Mschn99 (Dec 24, 2012)

S2K_Alex said:


> ^^^^ do you want to cook your fish?!?! theres no need for such a high wattage heaters for those size of aquariums, i just hope they never give out on you, if so you'll defenetly have casualties....


While i too would be sceptical..... digital heaters area a different beast than the standard heaters most of us are used to. They do not operate the same and generally if thermostatic controll fails on them, they stop working rather than stick on. Im still not to the point where im willing to try them, i want to see more years of proof.....but in theory they are the way to go and really do what many of us with BIG tanks like my 220 do with big heaters that we max out and the put on a controller and let the controller turn them on and off . I run 3 standard 450's on my 220 set to max temp. the two probe controller turns them on and off. Thats similar to what the digital heaters do.


----------



## fishyman65712 (Jan 14, 2013)

Well that is 5 people that have made contact that have used or do use Aqua Top

DrTenochtitlan » February 12th, 2013, 1:06 am - I own the Aquatop CF-500UV Canister Filter.



13razorbackfan said:


> I agree with the Doc ^^^^ above. I have two of the CF500UV filters and love them. I have had one for about 9 months and the other about 4 months. As for the heater I cant' speak to but do agree that the Aqueon pro is a very good heater. I have a couple myself.


by Darkrose » February 12th, 2013, 2:01 am - I just bought the Aquatop CF400UV and their 300 watt heater...

With other 2 from another site - won't mention which fish forum.

My concerns have been with which CF or even Wet Dry can - Pump Vertical Lift against right at 5 Feet of Head Pressure. Since I am going to build my stand for a Multi-Tank setup I will just change my layout to move the CF up so it is closer to top of tank to reduce the Head Pressure then I will know for sure I am getting 4 cycles of tank or more was shooting for 6 to 7 cycles per hour.
Big tank is 72 inches long and 24 inches tall - intend on placing the return at the end where the Canister Filter will be sitting to shorten the return as much as I can to get better flow rates.

Thanks for the input from those that offered real time use results - can't afford to get it wrong and refuse to spend $400 or $500 each to do a pair of filters that can't provide decent GPH at 4 to 5 feet of head pressure. Don't have the room or option of going with an external pump unit sitting some place else in the house, tank and tanks will be set up in Dinning Room in 1 enclosed cabinet unit. Thought it would make good dinner conversation having a fish dinner over fish tanks, plan on sharing pics and maybe a bit of video of the build with finished look. Still have yet to decide Malawi or Victorian decisions - decisions.


----------



## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

The canister filters are pressurized so head loss isn't much of a concern. You want to calculate head loss using no pressurized systems like a return pump from a sump. With tank you have I would not go with a CF500uv or even two. I would go with a couple FX5's, Eheim 2260/2262 or really I would go with a sump.


----------



## JimA (Nov 7, 2009)

I have 2 CF400s up and running for a little more than a year now with no problems at all. No idea if the UVs are still working, the little blue light still comes on. You just have to be carefull when taking it apart or putting it back together. Just like any canister, I also have a FX5 as well.


----------



## iridextr (Feb 8, 2013)

Mschn99 said:


> S2K_Alex said:
> 
> 
> > ^^^^ do you want to cook your fish?!?! theres no need for such a high wattage heaters for those size of aquariums, i just hope they never give out on you, if so you'll defenetly have casualties....
> ...


The 300w heaters are on for shorter intervals than the 200w, not heating up as much internally and therefore protecting the stuff inside from damage. Over my winter break I spent a whole day monitoring and comparing a 300w digital heater to a 200w regular heater. Yes, I'm a nerd. And in fact the 300w heater stayed on for shorter intervals and kept the tank at 82 easier than the 200w. 
I did in fact cook my fish before I bought the digital heaters, a 200w marineland visitherm got my tank up to 92 degrees when it burnt out, lost half the tank in a day. The thermometer fried and the heater would not shut off. That's when I upgraded. The digital heaters have a separate thermometer probe that is connected to the main body with a 6ish inch wire, keeping it cool and providing a more accurate reading. 
From what I've learned in almost a decade of fish keeping, is that it's safer to go with a bigger heater than a smaller heater. I've never once had a heater failure with an over-sized heater, but have had numerous failures with heaters of appropriate size or under. Even cheap heaters have worked for me for years when I go up in size. I would recommend this to anyone.


----------



## rp-photo (Sep 22, 2011)

i use a CF-500UV and love it however after a few months my UV Light went out ....


----------



## fishyman65712 (Jan 14, 2013)

Looks like I won't be using the "Plan B" approach after all - locating what would be needed then buying it.

While at work today a fellow employee asked how the project aquarium build was coming along, to which I said looks like I was going to have to buy everything I would be needing. Won't go into long version I shall just cut to the meat part of the story. Since I work in Maintenance in the Gov. sector we have a bone scrap area where all things broken and dead go before being sent out to be salvaged recycled. The plastic stack is about 15 feet high by about 25 feet where all PVC and other plastics go to be forgotten. Boss heard conversation said "oh yea I was suppose to check on that for you" he apologized for not getting back to me on it. He then went on to say take what you will need with in reason, I now have a small pile of scrap PVC to use for a DIY wet/dry sump trickle filter as well to build a canister filter. So it's back to "Plan A" with a pair of pumps I had found to use rated for 12 feet of head that pump @ zero head 700 GPH pumps have a 3 year warranty coming in at just under $40.00 dollars each. Discounted from supply house that furnishes all of the pool equip. and Koi pond parts we work on - going to give me the discount as if work related. Pump is very quite you have to place your hand on it or ear against the tanks to tell if they are even on.

Problem solved on to the next hurdle.

13razorbackfan - do you by chance use this same user name at You Tube maybe?

Thanks to all for the more then helpful tips and hints.


----------



## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

fishyman65712 said:


> Looks like I won't be using the "Plan B" approach after all - locating what would be needed then buying it.
> 
> While at work today a fellow employee asked how the project aquarium build was coming along, to which I said looks like I was going to have to buy everything I would be needing. Won't go into long version I shall just cut to the meat part of the story. Since I work in Maintenance in the Gov. sector we have a bone scrap area where all things broken and dead go before being sent out to be salvaged recycled. The plastic stack is about 15 feet high by about 25 feet where all PVC and other plastics go to be forgotten. Boss heard conversation said "oh yea I was suppose to check on that for you" he apologized for not getting back to me on it. He then went on to say take what you will need with in reason, I now have a small pile of scrap PVC to use for a DIY wet/dry sump trickle filter as well to build a canister filter. So it's back to "Plan A" with a pair of pumps I had found to use rated for 12 feet of head that pump @ zero head 700 GPH pumps have a 3 year warranty coming in at just under $40.00 dollars each. Discounted from supply house that furnishes all of the pool equip. and Koi pond parts we work on - going to give me the discount as if work related. Pump is very quite you have to place your hand on it or ear against the tanks to tell if they are even on.
> 
> ...


Yes....that is me.


----------

