Aquarium solutions is probably out best LFS in Spokane. Barbie is very knowledgeable on all fish especially cats and cichlids and is always happy to help. she has given me lots of breeding advice on my Tanganyikan chcilds (quite a few of which i bought from her) and plecos. i used some of my...
these pre filters work great on ACs. they will save your filter's life in a tank with a sand substrate. i prefer the one with the course sponge because it doesn't get clogged and restrict flow as easily.
like i said, the back of the box says made in Germany. i'm guessing they're maid by eheim in their factory and rebranded for nat geo...........at least that's what i hope is going on.
glad you got it straightened out. i was confused when you said it was so loud because they are usually very quiet.......aside from the top rattling once in a while. that's an easy fix though. enjoy. they are great filters.