Betta 1050 Canister filter review

Hi Guys,

For most of us money dictates which direction our hobby goes. Wether its opting for a lesser adventurous fish or a smaller aquarium, Money always has the final say. If we could visit our local store and take whatever we wanted, our homes would be filled with shiny new aquariums running of the biggest external filters you could imagine.

When I first started fish keeping, everything I was able to get my hands on was preowned. Aquariums should always be passed on when your done with them, I think anyway! I was young when I started and with a lack of free cash, the chance of a new (to me, anyways) filter was always welcomed.

Its great to be able to buy the best but sometimes your fish keeping funds just don't allow that and we have to look for cheaper alternatives.

There is a few brands out there that are working hard to offer products that can compete on functionality and quality while trying to keep the price tags realistic. One of those brands is 'Betta'

They offer a full range of products from food to external canister filters. Ive just installed their latest addition to the canister filter range the 1050 Canister up to 230l filter. With a complete range of spare parts available, these filters offer everything you would expect to see in your more expensive and well know brands.

On opening the box and removing the canister, I opened it up to find three trays, well designed with small handles to assist with maintenance. Each tray was very well put together and already had all the media required. All that I needed to do was to remove the ceramic noodles from there packaging and give them a quick rinse. The Bio balls also needed removed from packaging but that was it. I placed the lid back onto the canister and closed it with the four locking handles. The plastic did feel harder than a Fluval but was exactly the same as my Hydra external.



The next stage of installing a canister filter is usually the trickiest part and involves lots of fiddling about behind the aquarium. The Betta 1050 came with the choice of a spray bar or a jet outlet which moved slightly on a ball joint. On this occasion, and for the benefit of my set up, I chose to install with a spray bar. The spray bar itself can be extended by putting both pipes together - I went with the shorter option as my aquarium wall was not long enough for both.
Once the outlet/intake pipework was inside the aquarium, a few minutes later the tubing was attached and I was ready to fill up the canister.


Now, in my experience, priming a canister filter is always a challenge. My Hydor for example takes a lot of effort to get things going and its not always successful either. Any Fluval Ive owned has not been easy for that matter, but the pull out priming handle on this Betta 1050 was so straight forward. All that was required was ONE pull on the primer and it instantly filled up. No pumping required!

So now that it was full and good to go, I switched in on and it worked. Any insecurities of the lesser known brand were gone. It worked, and worked well by the looks of things. Simple to set up. really simple actually. The whole install was completed in under 30 minutes.

Now that its been up and running for a few days, Ive had the chance to have a feel for it. As far as sound  levels go, there is very minimum sound coming from the canister itself. There is a slightly lesser output in regards to current, compared to my Hydor 250 but that is to be expected with the Hydor being for a bigger tank. The Betta will be absolutely fine for my 190 litre corner tank.

So in my own opinion, if you on a budget, try the Betta 1050 canister filter out. With the aquatics wholesaler J&K Aquatics behind this brand and a complete range of replacement parts, you have nothing to loose.

The canister filters are available in 3 sizes which are:


  • 1050l/h - £59.99
  • 1620l/h - £69.99
  • 2000l/h - £79.99
Replacement sets of filter pads start at £4.99. These prices are based on Riverside Aquaria in Livingston as of 10th December where they have the complete Betta range of feeding, maintenance and care products.

I have to say, I was unsure about using a brand of filer that I was unfamiliar with but can honestly say I'm surprised at the quality and design of such a well priced filter.

I hope this review has gave you something to think about and maybe next time your looking to save some cash, you might try them out.

Thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed.

Bye for now





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