Innovative Marine Minimax Pro Series Media Reactor (Desktop)

Really wanted to like this product but it’s very over priced for how cheap it’s made.. the design concept is good but the execution is horrible.Con’s:1. Over priced for cheap materials that break easily.2. Very loud if it’s not completely submerged (which it’s impossible to if you are using it for an AIO tank)3. Does not stay in place, the cheap plastic screw that comes with it keeps loosening on its own.. and if you tighten it too much you’ll crack the cheap plastic it’s suppose to secure.4. Pump looks to have multiple flow settings but after adjusting it, the flow didn’t change at all, it’s either on or off so I can’t run carbon in it cause the flow is too high.. Only good for bio pellets.Pro:1. Easy to install and add/remove media.

This UV system has been installed on an Innovate Marine 15g Nuvo fusion cube, freshwater planted aquarium, for over a week without issue. The design and construction are exceptional.

It will work for what I need it for. Was smaller than expected. Could use a slightly stronger pump.

I wanted to use this reactor for GFO. Unfortunately the pump is too strong for this application, and results in the GFO being blown out of the unit. The flow cannot be controlled properly at low level. The form factor of the design is just right for my application so I'm trying to fit the unit with a lower wattage pump, and come up with a better way to control the flow. Rotating the inner chamber to reduce the flow only has limited effect due to the poor design of the rotatable valve. Closing the flow control on the pump makes the pump sound like it's struggling, and it sounds like it may damage the pump over time. Too high of a risk to take in a reef tank where a pump failure could easily release metal into the water totally wipe out the tank.

Can’t beat this product for the price. I am one year in from purchasing this product and it works amazing still.

Reactor came without mounting bracket or pump. Hopefully the replacement comes with everything that is supposed to be included.Edit- replacement came, part that goes into the pump was broken, bracket that holds reactor to tank is stripped. Not sold on this. So far would not recommend.

If you keep it clean it will not clog and you don’t need to worry about it. I am cleaning mine at least the top tube every 1 or 2 months.

This takes up minimal space and can actually just sit in the sump behind the tank. Doesn’t have to be clipped on. Great, just a bit too small for me, because I want to mix media.

This really is an innovative product, a simple yet ingenious design. I'm using this in an 11 gallon Aquatop aquarium housing a Betta. I understand the limitations of this product and have adjusted my use of it accordingly.The inner chamber is outfitted with 4 small sponges, there are complaints of the sponges being hard to remove, this is true. If you have slender tongs you can remove them in a matter of seconds, if you don't, you will struggle. To avoid this struggle I've placed all 4 sponges at the top, right below the cap. I can easily remove them with my fingers, I filled the chamber with Fluval Biomax rings (at most it will hold approximately 12 individual rings) and filled the spaces between the rings with Marineland Zeoilte mix. The rings and zeolite are large enough that they do not fall through the bottom.To maintain the media I will remove the cap, and rinse the sponges weekly. I will also rinse the bio rings and zeolite mix in aquarium water to remove any trapped debris. Once a month I will separate the biomax rings from the zeolite mix, reinsert the biomax rings and add fresh zeolite mix.Yes, the pump is small but it is the right size to pass water through the tiny 1.5" diameter inner chamber. Pumps can be mistaken as broken if they are not primed. Simply place the pump under water and shake it around to release any air bubbles that might stop the pump from working. This is a great filter for a betta tank because it produces no current whatsoever in the tank. Any current is first pushed up through the inner chamber and then redirected downward through the outer chamber.My suggestions are to use heavy or large media (biomax rings and coarse charcoal/zeolite) that won't get blasted out of the reactor and into the tank. Place the sponges on top to prevent any fine media from entering the tank and just agitate your rings in a bucket of tank water weekly to release any trapped waste, since they are acting as both prefilter and biological filter. Don't pack it full. Leave some room so the media can tumble around. Set it to maximum flow, set the pump and chambers to maximum (more importantly the pump). Just because a pump has a flow regulator doesn't mean you should use it. Restricting outflow will place more stress on the pump and cause it to wear out faster. Just use appropriate media and flow restriction shouldn't be necessary.Make it fantastic: I'm going to experiment by adding a Rio Mini 180 Internal Power Filter to the reactor in place of the stock pump included. The rio 180 filter will only house sponges, this way I can eliminate the sponges inside of the reactor and rinse the reactor media less frequently.One difficulty: The cap is basically a big rubber cork, it's thick and takes a moderate amount of strength to push it back into the acrylic cube. It's a bit counterintuitive to the design. The inner chamber is easy and quick to remove but opening the inner chamber requires more effort. If you have arthritis in your hands I imagine it would be impossible to push the cap back into the chamber. I wish instead of a rubber cap it had an acrylic cap with rubber o-ring that screwed into into the chamber. I also wish all parts of the reactor were clear acrylic. The bottoms and tops of the chambers are capped in black acrylic, I purchased this partly because it looks quite interesting, sort of like an artistic object/sculpture and while the black ends don't ruin it for me, clear ends would have enhanced the overall look.Only real criticism: The mounting bracket is slightly warped, specifically the acrylic screw that threads through the mounting bracket. It still works just fine but looks a bit shoddy, however this small acrylic screw isn't a focal point at all, my only concern is that because it's slightly warped it might be prone to crack if fiddled with frequently.Something curious: The reactor hangs off the side against the tank wall and the pump is on the very bottom... the pump has suction cups that face down as if it should suction to the tank floor. The pump should have suction cups on the side to attach to the aquarium wall, not the floor. Basically the suction cups are not needed and useless.Overall, give it a shot, it's a great concept and so far works like a charm. I've called Innovative Marine and spoke to someone in California, the customer service is friendly and helpful, they even told me to call back if I have any questions at all, for any reason. This leads me to believe they care about feedback and customer relationships. Will consider more products from Innovative Marine. Will update if necessary.

Muy buen producto