The Cobalt EXT Canister filter is a new media bucket with a handful of interesting, innovative designs. From the pump to the servicing, the Cobalt EXT Canister is not your granddad’s old school filter with the pump built in, needing priming and complete disconnection before servicing.
The guts of the EXT Canister from Cobalt Aquatics is the similarly named EXT inline water pump, which can be placed inside the tank or right near the canister’s main body. The EXT pump powering the EXT Canister is rated for 210 gph in free flow so we’d expect to still have about 150 gph once the flow has gone through the filtration media.
Speaking of filtration media, unlike many canister filters the Cobalt EXT comes preloaded with no less than four layers of filtration media including a sponge filter, activated carbon, ceramic biorings and a fine filter finishing pad. And speaking of the filter pads, you won’t even need to turn off the pump to clean or service the main body of the canister because one twist of a lever and the EXT Pump turns into a closed loop that keeps the water flowing.
Now most of you won’t be yearning to make the Cobalt EXT canister your main aquarium filter but how would you like a media reactor that can be serviced without unplugging or disconnecting any cords? Of course you would, and that’s where the Cobalt EXT really looks like it might have a future helping to polish up reef tanks with carbon, GFO and other medias.
Cobalt Aquatics offers a 3 year warranty on the EXT Canister and it will have an estimated retail of $150 when it becomes available in early summer.
