I Have Used This Filter For Almost 2 Years On My 72 Gallon Reef Tank. Heavily Stocked. Works Awesome. I Would Choose This Filter Over ANY Others. Just Clean The Filter Pads About Every Month Or You Can Start To Notice A Slight Raise In Nitrates. Also The Other Review Said The Filter Was Loud ??? Yeah If Its Not Above The Min Water Line. When The Filter Water Gets Below The Min Water Line It Will Produce Some Micro Bubbles And Make Some Noise From The Pump. Never Gave Me any Problems, Starts Right Back Up After The Power Goes Out. Filters Are Very Simple To Clean. This Is The Way To Go !!!
I've had the RP3 filter running on my 80 gallon reef tank for over a week now and I will say that I'm thoroughly impressed with its performance. I read the negative review and will agree that its not as quiet as some of the filters on the market, but I don't think that its that bad. I placed my unit in the utility room behind my aquarium so all I hear is a faint humming sound and the sound of the water going into the overflow. I would rather have a little noise and a clean tank than the opposite. The protein skimmer really churns for its size. I like the adjustment mechanism in place where you are only adjusting the skimmer cup up and down without having to deal directly with an air intake.
Great product!
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I've had this unit for about 3 yrs now and I have been happy, self priming and the auto fill saves me from filling it every day. The protein skimmer pump just went out and even though its for a freshwater tank it comes in handy to remove color and too much dust or hard water problems. It is a bit noisy and would need to be off for a quiet movie but puts me to sleep at night. The pre-filter is also better than that it is flat and not the cylinder type which clogs fast.
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After much careful consideration and research I decided to go with TOMs RP3. This amazing device has kept my water crystal clear and healthy for my reef aquarium over the past month. In fact, I visually noticed a HUGE difference with this on my tank. After adding live sand to my tank it was SUPER cloudy I could not see one inch in front of me. After turning on my filter in one day the tank was amazingly clear, no need for special tank clearing additives!
I have fish, live rock, invertebrates such as shrimp, crustaceans (hermit crabs), and corals that are all thriving with the help of this filter. (Its been about a month and a half since initial setup)
The dimensions of this filter fit perfectly in my 55 gallon tank and stand, and It creates good flow and turbulence in my aquarium, perfect for corals.
I do admit, it was not the easiest filter to setup. The instructions were decent, but there were moments where I questioned what I was doing because there was not enough description.
Here are some of the issues I encountered during set-up, hopefully my suggestions can help you during your set-up and create a headache free installation.
1. The flexible tubing which attaches from the base of the unit (the sump) and to the hang on back filter on the aquarium were very difficult to attach ((Overflow Hose & Return Hose)). I had to snip a small piece vertically on the tubing so that I could fit the tight tubes in the plastic without breaking anything. Also make sure that the hoses are as straight as possible, or else it will cause a decrease in the flow from top to bottom (it works using gravity).
2. The metal circular hose clamps that are used to tighten around the flexible tubing need a screwdriver to be tightened to an adequate level. (this was never mentioned in the instructions)
3. My biggest problem with the setup was having the sump on the bottom's water level stay at the recommended water level without draining immediately. This caused the filter to pump out massive amounts of bubble and have little amounts of suction. I tried calling customer service but no one picked up causing me to leave a voicemail. I was eager to set this up so I had to figure something out. I decided to send an email to customer service and this is what I received as a response:
BEGIN EMAIL
Okay, let's get your filter running.
At the top of your aquarium there is plastic trim usually wood grain or black colored going around the full aquarium. When you look at this trim from inside your aquarium there is a little ledge (lip) protruding inward, this ledge supports the glass canopy when using one. Go ahead and add new water to your aquarium until it touches this plastic ledge. Now add new water to your filter sump bringing up to the recommended water level.
Plug in the sump pump electrical cord into the electrical receptacle to start your filter. Your filter will begin priming and the water flowing during the next 30 seconds. Your filter should be up and running at this time.
END EMAIL
The Senior Tech who helped me did a great job explaining what I had to do to get my filter up and running. I think the attention to detail really helped me out. Its really important that you fill up your aquarium to the maximum water level, almost to the point that it is overflowing. This was not really stressed I feel in the documentation. Also, something I recommend is since there are two different electrical cords, plug them into a power strip. Then when you turn the power strip on both pumps will start priming which quickly and effectively fills the tank. (or just plug both pumps into a power outlet at the same time)
The pumps lower the level of water in your main aquarium and balance it out in the bottom sump, so you need plenty of water in the main aquarium to stay at the recommended water level.
SO, if you have been having excessive issues with bubbles just add more water to your aquarium simple as that!
One last tip, there is a black plastic band that wraps around near the skimmer, make sure that is left where it is or else your tank will have a HUGE leak! I had this issue and luckily was able to catch it before it became a big problem.
So here are the PROS and CONS to the RP3.
Pros
-Great build and quality for the price
-Great customization options, you can customize the filter with your own carbon and filter media.
-not as noisy as people have stated, its got a slight hum which is not noticeable. Maybe the people experiencing issues set it up improperly? I recommend keeping it enclosed if noise is a big issue, (maybe even purchasing noise cancelling sheets if you want absolute serenity, but this is not necessary), and it even comes with a noise reducer in the HOB filter that keeps noise levels low.
-Keeps water crystal clear
-NO fish have died, corals are thriving, AND bacteria in the tank are doing great with live rock and this filter, no adverse effects
-incredibly easy maintenance, can keep the filter running and wash/change the filter media at the same time.
Cons
-lots of parts to assemble, can take a bit of time, confusing instructions
-customer service takes a while to respond and is virtually non-existant over the phone (try email instead)
-if one part breaks/fails could create big problems
-the skimmer is not the best, so far no waste has been produced but I will keep you updated as time goes on.
-no recent updates to the product line
-a little pricey, but you get what you pay for!
Overall, this filter is great because its an all in one package that is most likely easier to setup than creating your own sump! Just make sure to take your time during setup and keep checking on after initial installation to make sure it is running properly.
Leave comments if you have any questions!
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i just wanted to let purchasers of the RP3 Know, who are Having Some issues. after i Bought this Wonderful filter and setting it up this is what i Discovered.
#1. while i was trying to hook up hoses that are near impossible to hook up i simply used a hair Dryer to {Gently Heat up !!!! the hose ends so they go on Easy to both the overflow box and filter housing.
#2 set water in tank at about 3/4 inch from the inside lip of aquarium rim after you fill up the RP3 to the maximum fill line then set the level of the surface skimmer Gate on overflow box at about middle setting, and the( tank level} water height regulator Ring on the overflow box under noise reduce chamber ,about 5 or 6 clicks up.
#3 i used aquarium safe o-ring lube for both the access lid and the protein skimmer /pump module to keep the o-rings from hanging up. THIS IS A AWSOME FILTER!! never mind the negitive if you just take time to get to know this filter.
i have been in the aquarium Hobby for some 32 years and this is the first compact WET/DRY With Skimmer That I Really Like. I will Put on Updates as i discover Them. Hope This Helps..
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I purchased this LED bubble ring for my 20 gallon tank. I have had no problem with it floating as I buried the first 1-2 inches of the cord and air line tubing in the substrate. And I do mean bury, not just cover them. I have nothing on top to hold it down just a few pebbles that get pushed around by the gravel vac and my oranda. The lighting is brillient and the bubbles it produces, in my opinion, are small to medium in size, not fine like that of an airstone or bubble wand. I have large apple snails that move across the unit itself as well as on the cord and tubing, and it stays inplace. During the day with my tank's LED lights on, I can see the colors from the bubble ring although I don't normally keep it on during the day just at night...it's quite captivating!
