OASEBioMaster External Filter for Aquariums Up to 160 Gallons, Multi-Stage Filtration, Easy Maintenance Prefilter, Quiet Canister Filter, German Engineering

I received the OASE BioMaster 600 a few weeks ago and have been running it on my 55-gallon planted tank since. I’ve used a few different canisters in the past (including Fluval and Marineland models), and this one easily stands out in terms of build quality and thoughtful design.Setup & Installation:Unboxing was straightforward, and everything arrived well-packed. The included media trays were preloaded, which saved time, and the filter came with an adapter for adding an inline heater — a huge plus if you want to keep equipment out of the tank. Installation took under an hour. The Quick Release prefilter module is clever and genuinely helpful for maintenance. Hoses are a bit stiff out of the box, but they relaxed with some warm water.Performance:Running this on a moderately stocked tank with CO₂ injection and high plant load, the flow rate has been consistent, and water clarity is excellent. The integrated prefilter does a solid job catching debris before it reaches the biomedia, and it only takes a few minutes to pop it out and rinse. Compared to my previous Fluval 407, the OASE runs noticeably quieter — a soft hum that’s barely audible under the stand.Build & Design:Feels sturdy and well-engineered. The primer is one of the best I’ve used — took about three pushes to get it going. The tray system is intuitive and seals well, with no leaks or bypass issues. I also appreciate that it doesn’t take up a lot of space in the tank itself; everything’s external, and the footprint under my stand is compact considering the capacity.Pros:Excellent build quality and modular designQuiet operationEasy-to-access prefilter reduces full cleaningsHeater integration optionStrong, consistent flow even with media fully loadedCons:Hoses are rigid and take time to adjustA bit pricey, especially if you're not planning to use the heater moduleOverall:This filter feels like a long-term investment, especially for high-tech or heavily planted tanks. Maintenance is easier than most, and the performance has been reliable so far. If you're willing to spend a bit more for convenience and quiet, it's worth every dollar. I’ll update if anything changes over time, but so far it’s been a rock-solid addition to my setup.

I’m pretty happy with this canister filter so far. It’s very quiet, easy to set up and prime. Mine came with the better pre-filter tube. It’s easy to clean the pre-filter, but from what I see online, it has to be cleaned more often (every one or two weeks) especially if you’re overstocked and have a lot of plants. The good thing is, the rest of the filter stays very clean and doesn’t have to be cleaned for all really long time. I purchased the heater separately to get a cleaner look in my tank. This replaced an older canister that I over tightened and broke one of the plastic screws on. I may stay with this brand if all goes well long term.

The media could not be loaded. The overall design and principle of the unit is phenomenal. The execution of that design leaves a lot to be desired.Pros: Pre-filter. Insanely genius design. Easy to clean and maintain.Cons: Flow rate. Not even close to what is on the packaging. Air purging. Constantly. Somewhere on the system it sucks in air and periodically, every 5 minutes or so, you can hear the filter blowing air. If you rock the filter after a day or so, it has drawn in so much air you have to prime it to get it rolling again.Over all it does the job. Its big and loud however with the air purging. Not sure what Oase is going to do but they have some serious air leaks in the system.This was my first Oase and at this point will be my last.EDIT: In contact with Oase support. I will update once the conversation has concluded.EDIT: OASE Support was less than helpful. Flow rate is still less than desired but the air purging was solved by drilling additional inlet holes in the pre-filter tube. No more purging. None. Upgraded the rating to 4 stars now and I do recommend this filter with the easy modification to the inlet pre-filter tube.

Update: I was hesitant to add the rubber feet that were included, knowing the extra friction would make it harder to slide the filter out from the cabinet under my fish tank; However, after seeing reviews on how much those feet made a difference in reducing noise, I caved in and stuck on the feet. Yes, it’s going to be harder to shimmy the filter out during my bi-weekly cleanings, but the filter is now virtually silent. Changed my rating to 5 stars.****************************************************I purchased this because my Eheim canister was very inconsistent. Overall the Biomaster 600 is not bad so far, but I’ve only had it running for a couple days.I have a 65 gallon and got the 600. I was hoping for a stronger flow but it’s adequate and stronger than my previous Eheim, even at its best. My water is still a little cloudy from a water change but it’s gradually clearing up after setting up the Biomaster.Love the removable prefilter function, makes cleaning much simpler.It’s not as quiet as I expected, maybe still has some air stuck in it.One thing that really needs to be improved is the instruction manual. I know it’s translated from Italian or German, but its all over the place. You have to press down on the prefilter “knob” to get the filter flow started, and this was barely mentioned in the manual!

Very "fussy" to use. Too expensive for some of the pieces to be made of thin plastic. It did a fair job of keeping our turtles tank clear. However, the inlet was easily clogged and it needed to be cleaned frequently.