hygger Small Aquarium Bio Sponge Filter Mini Fish Tank Filter for Breeding Fry Betta Shrimp Tank 2-5 Gallon (Small)

I'm not one to leave reviews, unless absolutely necessary. This is my second review in maybe ten years, and this product deserves a review! I'm not a professional, but I have a decent amount of experience with fish/plant aquariums. As of now, I only have a small tank setup and have been experimenting with self sustaining ecosystems, which I have accomplished. I went back to using a filter to enjoy more creatures in my tank and handle the heavier bioload. I've been experimenting with hang on back filters, internal power filters and different sponge filters. I decided to try this filter also on and off for about a year, because of its unique appearance. Here is my experience.. I keep going back to this filter! It pulls, but very gently. The build quality is nice. It's suspended off the substrate, which frees up a lot of space. It keeps my water stable and clear. The fish behave more naturally with this filter also, which I get mixed results with other types of filters. I don't know if it's the setup and combination of the sponge and media, but something about this filter keeps a healthy tank. Cleaning this filter is very easy. Just pour out the media and separator into a container with water from the tank, give the top a firm tap like a ketchup bottle, and the sponge comes out. Squeeze the sponge in the cycled water a couple times then reassemble. There's really no need to share pictures of this product, there's enough of those in the reviews. My only complaint is the suction cups do slowly release from the glass in a couple weeks. I don't know why some companies still have a difficult time supplying reliable suction cups for their equipment.. I'm probably going to make a hanger for this filter in time to replace the suction cups. Suction cups aside, this filter deserves a five star review for its effectiveness, ease of use and appearance!

This 3-in-1 filtration system is definitely worth the hype. It’s been going viral on TikTok lately, but I actually discovered it through Amazon. After using it, I can confidently say—it lives up to the praise. The filter does an excellent job of clearing up the water fast. Honestly, it started working within 10 minutes of setup. My tank looked noticeably clearer almost immediately. It also adds oxygen and uses biological filtration balls, which help keep the water clean and healthy for my fish. I’ve tried a few cheap filters before, and the difference is night and day. This one had a ton of reviews, and now I understand why. It’s powerful, but gentle—the water flow doesn’t stress out my fish or force them to swim harder, which I really appreciate. One small tweak I made: I replaced the black sponge that came with it. It felt a bit too flimsy and wasn’t catching much debris. I swapped it out for an AquaClear sponge, trimmed to fit the original size, and the difference was huge. Better filtration all around. If you’re starting an aquarium or just looking for an affordable, reliable in-tank filter, this is the one. Sure, there are TikTok deals, but I stick with Amazon and I’m glad I did. Five stars from me.

My friend has this same filter and it works great. I ordered it and it didn’t work at all. I hooked it up to my pump and nothing happened. I then tried to blow through the tubing myself and no air was passing through no matter how hard I tried. Upon disassembling and checking it, there is nowhere for the air to go. The inlet is a sealed up piece of plastic… as if they failed to drill it all the way through. This is a pretty serious manufacturing defect. I’m quite disappointed, as I own other Hygger products and have always been happy with them. This one is certainly a miss.

I like the compact design of this sponge filter, it has a very small footprint taking up very little space in the aquarium. It works pretty well for filtration in a nano tank and could probably be good up to 10 gallons if the tank is not overstocked with too many fish or heavy-bioload fish. Some things that could be improved: There needs to be an easier way to access the sponge from the bottom for cleaning/maintenance. The current design makes it such that you have to take out all the filter media above, the division plate, and then you can finally access the sponge at the bottom - then good luck putting everything back as-is after cleaning. The other issue I had is with the suction cups. They work well for about 1-2 days, then it would lose suction and I would have to stick them back on to the tank glass, over and over again. I got fed up with it and decided to ditch the suction cups and add some kind of DIY magnetic attachment system. Research told me that regular magnets are not safe as they can deteriorate, rust and leech into the aquarium water. Only magnets which are fully-sealed, enclosed in rubber or plastic are safe for aquarium use. With that, I discovered "Sew-in Magnets" / "Sewing Magnets" - magnets designed as fully waterproof magnetic clasps for sewing into coats or bags. It was perfect for modifying the sponge filter, but I needed 2 pairs of magnets to hold the filter in place. If you are struggling with the included suction cups, this is a possible fix for you as well. Other than those issues, I really like this compact sponge filter.

Hi! First time buyer. I was in the market for a low flow filter for a quarantine tank when I found this!! This product is perfect for creatures like bettas, snails, shrimp etc! I love the two in one feature of a filter/bubbler. For low flow I would recommend the Hygger air pump that I also purchased with this filter. It’s small, sticks to the tank & does the job amazingly. In the video it sounds rather loud.. it’s really not, it’s the same vibe as a standard bubbler. I personally enjoy it. Sounds like water trickling🤷🏻‍♀️ The set up is extremely easy. I do want to recommend that you rinse your bio balls before inserting as they are dusty. Also in the instructions it mentions replacing your bio balls every six months… as a bio user I wouldn’t recommend that. Unless your ceramic bio balls have worn down or are breaking into pieces, there really isn't any need to replace them. For new fish owners & bio users.. to clean your bio balls is best done during a water change. Take some of the water you removed from your tank and swish the bio balls around in it. Don't scrub or wipe your bio balls as this can remove the bacteria/kill off your beneficial bacteria colony. Blah blah blah sorry I just really love fish & all the intricacies that come along with them♥️ All in all I would highly recommend this brand/product for anyone looking for a low flow filter from quarantine tanks to bio beginners. Heck I might even upgrade the filter in my main tank with this guy!🤩

I have 2 of these. 1 is in a planted 10G tank with a small bioload and some cory catfish to keep it clean. It works very well. 2 is in a 20G long tank and it works, but needed some assistance. It's a good value for money, in that the machine itself works well. We replaced the sponge with a better triple layer and the biomedia is split between whT they provided and purigen. It sucks to clean, tbh. A full clean isn't necessary except for every 6 months (don't ruin your bio), but you still have to pour out the media to rinse the sponge in the tank water though. I wish it had a little pull out drawrr or something where I could access it separately from the central media. Otherwise, it's quiet, bigger than expected, and easy to use for sure.

Since I added this bio sponge filter to my 10-gallon Betta tank, the water has cleared up extremely well, and it is now always crystal clear. It is very easy to clean, too. I love Hygger products, and this one is no exception.

Easy set up, takes up as much room if not less than a sponge filter. Cleans 80x better. I had two sponge filters and took one out to put in my new tank to cycle it. After putting hyyger filter in my aquarium the next morning I noticed my tank has never looked cleaner or more clear and continues to look wonderful. I would definitely recommend. I have a 20 gallon long tank which is featured in my video.