ISTA Canister Filter 1080

The ISTA 1080 Canister Filter offers quick continuous-press startup, 20% energy savings, auto shut-off, and an easy-maintenance filter basket design.

• Quick start by pressing button continuously.
• Energy-saving for 20%.
• Auto power-off when pump over-heated.
• Filter basket design, easy to maintain and change filter media.
• Equipped with tap connector to easily adjust inlet and outlet flow angle.
• High quality PM bio-ceramic, sponge and bio-sponge are included.
• Equipped with spray-bar, inlet pipe, tap connector.

The ISTA Canister Filter 1080 is a canister-style external filter — see our Canister Filter Buying Guide for how to size one correctly for your tank.

Specifications

What ISTA publish for the IF-773 canister filter:

Suitable for aquariums 200 to 350 litres
Filter chamber capacity 8.5 litres
Dimensions 24.5 × 22.1 × 36.6 cm
Hose ø12 mm and ø16 mm
Maximum lift 160 cm
Rated voltage AC 110–120 V / 60 Hz, or AC 220–240 V / 50 Hz
Power consumption 17.5 W at 110 V, 13 W at 220 V
Maximum flow 1,080 l/h at 110 V, 960 l/h at 220 V

The 1080 in the name is the 110-volt figure. ISTA publish two rows for every model in this range because the motor is a mains-frequency one and runs slower on 50 Hz. On Indian mains — 230 V, 50 Hz — the honest numbers are 960 litres an hour at 13 watts. That is the version you want here, and it is the more efficient of the two: you give up 11 percent of the flow and save 26 percent of the power.

Sitting either side of it ISTA place the IF-772 (3.3 litre chamber, 75–250 L tanks, 150 cm lift) and the IF-774 (10 litre chamber, 300–500 L tanks, 170 cm lift).

Compatibility

Sized for 200 to 350 litres. The lower figure matters as much as the upper one. Nearly 1,000 litres an hour through a 100-litre tank is a washing machine for anything that does not like current, and it strips a planted tank's CO2 at the surface.

Maximum lift is 160 cm — the vertical distance from the filter to the water surface. A cabinet stand is comfortably inside that; a filter on the floor beside a tall tank on a high stand may not be, and past the lift figure the flow collapses rather than tapering.

Hose is ø12 mm and ø16 mm, which is the same pair ISTA's glass CO2 diffusers, lily pipe sets and tap connectors are built around. If you are planning glassware, this filter takes it.

The tap connector is fitted, so the hoses can be shut and the filter lifted out for cleaning without draining the pipework onto the cabinet floor. ISTA also sell the single tap connector and a quick-release double tap separately if you want more isolation points.

ISTA publish no water-type rating for this filter. Their page and catalogue entry do not say freshwater or marine either way. Ask us before ordering if it is destined for a marine system.

What's in the Box

• Canister body with filter baskets
• Pump head with the quick-start priming button
• Filter media — PM bio-ceramic, sponge and bio-sponge, all included
• Spray bar
• Inlet pipe
• Tap connector
• Hose

It arrives with media in it. That is worth saying plainly, because a canister filter that needs a separate media order before it can run is a common and unwelcome surprise. ISTA list the bio-ceramic, sponge and bio-sponge as included, along with the spray bar, inlet pipe and tap connector.

ISTA publish no itemised scope of delivery for this product; the list above is assembled from their own product page and catalogue entry. If something is short in the carton, tell us inside the 7-day return window and we will sort it out.

Safety & Precautions

Unplug every device in the tank before you open the canister. Not just the filter — heaters, pumps and lights too. You will have wet hands and an open canister at the same time.

The auto power-off is a backstop, not a licence. ISTA fit over-temperature cut-out to this range, which protects the pump when it runs dry or jams. It does not mean the filter can be run without water; it means the filter survives the mistake once.

Prime it properly before the plug goes in. Press the quick-start button repeatedly until the canister has filled itself. Powering a dry canister is what the over-temperature cut-out exists to catch, and you would rather not be testing it.

Shut the taps before you disconnect anything. The tap connector exists precisely so that a filter service does not end with two open hoses siphoning the tank into the cabinet. Close, then disconnect, in that order, every time.

Put it on an earth-leakage breaker. A residual current device is the cheapest safety improvement available to any room that has water and mains electricity in it, and a canister filter is mains electricity underneath a tank.

Run the cable in a drip loop — dipping below the socket before it rises to it — so water tracking along the lead drips off at the bottom instead of running into the outlet.

Check the seal and the clips every time you close it. A canister filter's one catastrophic failure mode is a head that is not seated, and it empties a tank quietly, overnight, through a closed cabinet door.

Warranty & Support

This product is covered by warranty as per the manufacturer policy, against material and manufacturing defects from the date of purchase.

Warranty support is handled by us directly. Message our WhatsApp support with your order number and we will diagnose the fault first — most cases are solved by replacing a single part, so you rarely need to send the whole unit. If the item does need to come back, it ships to our Delhi or Pune warehouse, whichever one served your order, and courier cost in both directions is borne by the customer. Your GST invoice is valid proof of purchase for the claim.

Returns & Replacement

Returns are accepted within 7 days of delivery, provided the item is unused and in its original packaging. Manufacturer-sealed items cannot be returned once the seal is broken, and sale-priced items are not refundable.

If your item arrives defective or damaged, message us on WhatsApp with your order number — or email us, if you would rather — and we will replace it. Approved replacements are delivered within 3 to 5 business days. Transit damage is covered by insurance on every shipment. If tracking shows delivered but nothing reached you, tell us within 72 hours, which is the reporting window Indian couriers allow. Damage caused during installation or use is not covered; replacement spares for such cases are chargeable.

Full terms are on our Cancellation & Returns page.