Netlea HOB filter NO.2S

[HarryL]

I've been using the Sunsun XBL-400 HOB filter for my 11 gallon tank for a little over a year now.
Here are the specs
Power: 5w
Output: 300L/h or 79.25G/h
Dimension: 5.51"x3.43"x8.66"

It works great, my only complaints were that the motor is at the top by the water output and air can be trapped nearby making noises here and there, and that the flow is a bit weak and require more cleaning. Otherwise it's not enough to help distribute the co2 on the other side of the tank.

So I saw this Netlea HOB filter NO.2S. Larger, more powerful, better design, and has integrated diffuser.
Specs:
Power: 7w
Output: 600L/h or 158.5G/h
Dimensions: 5.75"x3.66"x10.63"

It came with about 950mL of filter media. I also bought a pair of scissor and a pinsette.


Here are the two filters side by side


The motor is placed at the bottom of the input side, water gets pumped to the right where there is a compartment for filter floss. Above that are all space for filter media.



I mixed some of the previous media in with the new ones that came with it, which was K1 bio filter media. I think that was not the best idea, because the media is very light and they can bounce around a bit making noises. I will remove them next time I clean to see if that makes the filter even more quiet.

The flow is very strong which I'm happy with, and I can adjust the input through a knob at the top of the input tubing.


Still testing out the diffuser, it's located in the corner of the output, similar to an inline diffuser? With the strong flow, bubbles get distributed almost everywhere in the tank.



I saw online that the actual tested flow is around 80gph. So it should still be much stronger than the Sunsun HOB. So far happy with the filter!

 

[Naturescapes_Rocco]

I've been eyeing one of these at ARC for a while. Are the CO2 bubbles loud when being diffused?
And, do you wish you had the HOB with the integrated skimmer?

 

[techman81]

Looks really interesting. How's the noise level?

 

[HarryL]

I've been eyeing one of these at ARC for a while. Are the CO2 bubbles loud when being diffused?
And, do you wish you had the HOB with the integrated skimmer?

The diffuser is definitely louder than the stand alone diffuser I had in the water.

I do use the integrated skimmer for the inlet. They provided an inlet sponge but that only fits the inlet without the skimmer. There's no easy way to slip on a sponge for the skimmer inlet, so I wish they made that better.

 

[HarryL]

Looks really interesting. How's the noise level?

It's hard to tell right now because I can hear my K1 media clonking around a little. I've not used other super quiet HOB filters before so it's gonna be difficult for me to provide a good comparison. I'd say its pretty quiet and I have it in my office, I can hear it in the background but nothing disrupting.

 

[HarryL]

Looks really interesting. How's the noise level?

The clonking is gone, the diffuser is louder than the motor and that's pretty much all I hear from a few steps away.

 

[HarryL]

I am really liking this filter so far. The co2 gets distributed much more evenly and the mist is a lot finer that what I had, which I have to look closely to know that there are gas. A lot more pearling on the stem plants in the back.

 

[HarryL]

New issue arise from after I did water change. I stop the filter every time I perform water change because I use the skimmer and my water level will drop to below the lowest point the skimmer can go, and that leads to the air constantly getting sucked into the filter.

For the Sunsun HOB, I just start the filter back on and it will operate normally again. But with the Netlea HOB, the motor seemed to have trouble running properly again for whatever reason. The water will trickle in and out of the filter but never return to full capacity.

I had to refill the filter for it to start normal again as I noticed the inside of the filter was half empty last week. According to the customer service, the water inside the filter may be drained from siphonic effect once stopped. They recommended unplugging the stopper from the inlet to prevent this, which was easy enough to do. But last night as I did my water change, I made sure the water was full inside the filter and it still wouldn't recover. I had to open up the lid, drain the water, and fill again for it to work(which I don't really understand the difference here, both ways the filter is full of water).

Will continue to experiment and report back.

 

[HarryL]

I was adding a smart plug today because I want to monitor my energy usage, so I had to cut the power for a few sec. The filter stopped working again.

After talking with customer service again, the issue seems to stem from the transformer not being able to consistently output 50Hz current. The filter motor is designed for 220V 50Hz and the frequency has to match perfectly for it to perform at 100% capacity. I don’t know my physics enough but that’s what I’ve been told.

The other thing I noticed was that the filter was not drained this time, it was actually too full. I removed a bit of water and it was able to return to normal.

I think it wouldn’t be too difficult to remove a bit of water from the filter every time I do water change but it’s an extra step. And in the case that there’s a power outage, it won’t be able to power back up to normal. Which is annoying knowing that I will be taking trips later this year. Not sure how I can resolve this.

 

[Count Krunk]

The itty bitty filter is set up for 220v?

How would it receive that from an 120v outlet?

 

[SingAlongWithTsing]

oh i remember this filter. someone tried running over it with a car and it survived lol

 

[techman81]

The itty bitty filter is set up for 220v?

How would it receive that from an 120v outlet?

Most of the world is set up for 220v 50hz household power. The US, Canada, and a handful of other countries use the 120v 60 hz standard. Most modern electronics are designed to work with either but some devices like motors will be affected by the change in frequency.

Blame the Edison/Tesla rivalry.

 

[HarryL]

How would it receive that from an 120v outlet?

That's why I had to use a step up transformer to convert from 110v 60Hz to 220v 50Hz, but apparently most transformers don't do it well enough

 

[snowballs99]

Had a few of these.
Think pretty decent filter compartment and a good medium sized filter.

Though the one I got by Hygger was so difficult to clean and restart I eventually threw them away.