Rio Rio Plus Aqua Power Head Pump Aquarium Water Pumps at Pet Mountain

On April 8, 2013:
This is a very good pump for a large fountain. Ordering was easy and shipping was very fast. Will buy from them again.

On May 30, 2012:
I ordered this product to go in the sump of my 125g tank. So far the product works great, order was received in a very timely fashion and the price was also very reasonable as well. An added bonus was the accessories that came with the pump for other water flow applications.

On May 2, 2012:
I have purchased dozens of this model of pump over the last couple of years and never had one problem. They generate little heat and use little energy and are at the right price point IMO.

On September 18, 2011:
The pump itself works great. The parts that come with it has some design flaws. The plug for the hole where the air tubing silencer goes falls out and gets lost easily.

On May 17, 2011:
I ordered the Rio 800 RVT (the version with the venturi) as a replacement pump for my Bak Pak clone skimmer. The powerhead is well built and it seems well designed to provide proper flow and aeration for good skimming on this unit. The venturi is a bit loud, but can be silenced by adding a longer airline terminating in either the supplied muffler or inside your stand. However, you must add an air valve on the end to achieve efficient skimming - not merely the muffler provided. This allows proper balancing of flow and air to push the right amount of bubbles to the bottom of the bubble chamber and achieve best skimming. With this, I get a good 1/4 cup of scummy green tea daily - not bad for this skimmer. After the venturi noise is silenced, however, the Rio 800 does emit a very loud hum that can be quite overpowering at times - louder than my canister filter and the powerhead I use for flow. It's a bit louder than I expected, but tolerable. We'll see if my wife agrees in the long term. Nonetheless, it's a good pump and works well on this skimmer - much better than the original pump. Certainly can't go wrong for the price.

On May 14, 2011:
Great product, have had no problems with this brand from Day 1. Prices are very competitive if not better.

On May 10, 2011:
I am well pleased with my purchase of the RIO +50 (Model 50/PH 50 - Item 2529) Aqua Pump / Powerhead. In my limited experience, this little pump is more powerful than its size and price would indicate. (See below.) Two safety precautions though. Don't neglect the manufacturer's warning to only use this pump with a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI or GFI). The pump runs on 120 V.A.C., NOT a lower voltage with a step-down (isolating) transformer. If your wiring does not incorporate one, they are relatively inexpensive. If you don't want to replace an outlet or a circuit breaker, you can buy a "stand alone" unit that simply plugs into an existing (3-prong) outlet. (My choice, no wiring to mess with, no electrician to hire if you're not a Do-it-yourself type, and it's totally portable.) Also, aquarium or not, be sure to make provisions such that the pump never runs dry. The literature says that will destroy it. (My fountain will incorporate a "reserve" bottle for that purpose - easy trick - think "water cooler" bottle, in say, 2-liter size. Same trick could be used with an aquarium to replace evaporation losses.) I bought this pump for a homemade table fountain and NOT as a replacement part for an aquarium. Therefore, I had a little confusion figuring out what all the "extra parts" were for. The pictures in the literature that came with it were not much help at first*. More on that below. The little floppy plastic hose (3/16 ID X 11-3/4" long, very soft, with a "funny plastic cap") that comes with the pump turns out to be a "skimmer" for an aquarium. (Obviously, I am not very familiar with aquariums.) There are 'Extra Parts" for under-gravel filters (items 10 & 11* - part of my confusion), and flow control. There is a valve - item 6* (with a venturi jet for the skimmer), an "elbow" and two straight discharge adapters. One has a venturi jet and a 1/2" O.D. discharge. The other, without a venturi jet, is a reducer* for 5/16" I.D. tubing. Both venturi jets have their own air stoppers, if you aren't using the skimmer. There is a duckbill fitting (1/2" I.D.) - on a ball and socket mount with about 30 degree movement (my guess) - that can be used to produce a fan shaped fountain. These "extra parts" allow you to adjust the flow rate, change the direction of the outlet, use different sized tubing (or no tubing at all), or not even use the valve. I had to buy extra tubing at the hardware store (remember, this is a "G-Job") and bought some 5/16" O.D. that fits INSIDE the larger discharge adapter. That gave me a surprising "lift" of over 18 inches (the length of tubing I bought) with a 3/16" diameter stream. I'm going to go back to the store and get tubing that fits OVER the valve/adapter (1/2" I.D. tubing), as I expect that will allow for more lift for a higher fountain. I plan to buy a motion detector (think security lighting) so the pump only runs when there is someone to see the fountain - or when the cat comes for a drink - he really likes running water, so the fountain is partly for his health. Now that I have figured out what everything is for and how it all goes together, I hope to buy more pumps like this and build more fountains. Eventually, I may post my plans on the Internet for others to use. It's lots of fun to build, and now that I have found a low cost pump, I can encourage others to build their own fountains. * (Note. This will make more sense when you see the drawings. In particular, in the drawing that comes with this pump, items 10 and 11 - under gravel filters - are confusingly shown on the wrong side of the pump - they should be positioned between or below parts 1 and 2, because part 1 is discarded when they are used - and part 11 goes OVER part 10. Item 6 - the valve with venturi jet - is not shown at all. It should be shown above or beside item 12 as it replaces that part. The discharge reducer for 5/16" I.D. tubing is neither shown nor given a part designator - it, too, like the valve - can be used to replace item 12, the straight discharge adapter with the venturi jet. Alternatively, it can be inserted into item 15, the elbow or inserted directly into the pump discharge. However, it cannot be inserted into either item with a venturi jet.)

On May 5, 2011:
I'm using two of these pumps in a refugium and so far no issues with flow. Smaller sizes will not circulate water five feet overhead.

On February 17, 2011:
Fast Shipping, item as described, and it worked perfectly for my application.

On February 17, 2011:
Fast shipping, item as described, worked perfect for my application.

On September 29, 2010:
For years, I've been using one of these pumps to power a small pond filter for a 150 gallon turtle tank. Turtles have an amazing capacity to foul water, and this setup is the most effective, lowest maintenance, of all the pumps I've used. After several years, my original Rio died; I just replaced it with this one, and it's working great. Quiet, and keeps the tank clean. Petmountain had the best deal.

On July 13, 2010:
Have used tetra flakes for 5 yes and the fish have done well. I think its a great product

On May 31, 2010:

This is an awesome pump its powerful quite and works great I'm using it on a Protein skimmer and it just great. This is the second one I have purchased the first one finally died after almost 9 years so they last a long time.  I would absolutely recommend this pump to my friends!

On December 31, 2009:
Pump met my expectations and believe it will work very well in my hydroponic garden. Excellent service, price, and fast shipping.

On December 9, 2009:
Pump is great and works efficiently. I needed a pump for an ultraviolet clarifier and it seems to be working perfectly. Thanks Pet Mountain.

On August 15, 2007:
These are great little pumps. They are quiet, efficient, and last a long time. Pet Mountain is a great seller with low prices and fast shipping. I recommend Rio pumps and Pet Mountain.

On August 14, 2007:
Works well and uses low watts. Best one for the value. Even works when flooded from power outage. Have had no issues since I purchased it. I use the 1700 model in my sump.

On July 27, 2007:
I've used this model pump on my CPR bak pak 2r+ for the last 7 years. I have found this pump to be very reliable and long lasting.