When I visited Amazon to get the link there was note at the top of the page indicating “You last purchased this item on July 14, 2013.” That doesn’t represent the first one of these I have purchased, just the most recent. That’s a nice amount of time for a pump to still be pumping I think. That’s especially true when it’s around $25 to buy.
Uses for this pump
I used the above mentioned pump as the return in my 20 gallon. It’s a 20 gallon tank with a 10 gallon sump. The Maxi-Jet 1200 returns the water into the tank from the sump at about 4 feet. The higher a pump like this pumps the slower the water flow is. Depending on the set up you can have a second one set up as a powerhead inside the tank.
That’s another good thing about this pump. It has several modes so you can use it for different purposes. I also use one to do my water changes. I use it to pump the water back into the tank. That’s probably a different article on how I do water changes but it’s a great method that someone with a bad back will appreciate.
Other versions
This pump comes in slower versions as well down to the Maxi-Jet 110 which puts out 500gph rather than the 1300gph that the 1200 puts out. You can pick the speed that is right for you. For a return I recommend the 1200 but for a powerhead in a smaller tank the 160 or 110 can be great. You can also use multiple pumps in larger tanks to get your in-tank circulation really going. I wrote an article about flow that can help you decide.