Aquaclear Power Filters Question

Well, looks like I'm not the only one then. Sometimes I get blasted just for pointing out something I dislike about Aquaclears. It's like Hagen has hired a defense agent on every forum...

galen said:
if you take that media tray that comes with the emperor and put a bunch of bio media in there with a sponge filter on the intake, you got yourself one bad boy cleaning your tank.
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You can basically do that with any filter. Some of the power filters I run use a prefilter as mechanical filtration, with the entire chamber filled with bio media.
 
msjinkzd said:
I like aquaclear filters because they have good versatility of media, either by using theirs (sponges, ceramic rings, carbon) or by making your own (I use pot scrubbers and polyfill). This makes it easy to seed new tanks by robbing media that will fit alot of other filters. They also have an adjustable flow. I don't think you can over filter, just provide too much current. In my opinion, the more filtration the better. I also like AC filters because they are quieter in my experience than alot of hte filters with biowheels.
Iwould run a new filter in conjunction with the old for at least two weeks. Why not leave your old filter on? I run two filters on lots of tanks, I like the redundancy and it also makes it easier when you need to do filter maintenance (less chance of a stress on your biofilter if they have alternate cleanings). There is beneficial bacteria on every surface of the tank as well.
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When you say pot scrubbers, do you mean like 3M Scotchbrite pads? Aren't you worried about soap or other residue in them? And is it polyfill like you'd get at a fabric store?
 
i get the cheapo orange pot scrubbers from the dollar store, I just make sure they don't have the metal ring in the middle. ANother alternative is shower scrunchies. The polyfill is pillow stuffing bought in huge bags for $3 at walmart's craft section. With polyfill, it can clog easily so its important to monitor the filter discharge but with how cheap it is, its worth it to me. It also is not easy to rinse, so I do replace it frequently after one rinse.
 
i have 2 and i'd rather have regular hob's,
i use poly filter pading to keep the tank clean they are good for different media, but of all 11 tanks the aqua clears are a pain when power goes off or blinks off, as they seldom restart without trouble, i always have to prime them,.. or what ever, my top fin and whisper and regents (for smaller tanks) do just fine and all have bio sponges in front of filter media. and much happier with them,.. if i'm gone when power goes off then tank has a good chance to crash without filter kicking on by itself, btw, the 2 i have i still have to check both of them each time a storm rolls around..
 
but of all 11 tanks the aqua clears are a pain when power goes off or blinks off, as they seldom restart without trouble, i always have to prime them
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I have the opposite problem. If I lose power, all the canisters and AC's start up, but my HOB's that utilize cartridges always need to be reprimed or filled up to start again.
 
I've been running 3 AC 50's for years. The cost to run these things is almost zero. Seems like the media lasts for years and only needs to be cleaned every few months.

The lids make noise on all of them, so they all run topless now.
 
I run 1 Rena XP1 canister, 1 AQ 20 Hob, 1 Emperor 280 and 1 Emperor 400.

Rena XP1 = Very quiet unit. Availability to put intake and output just about anywher eyou want. Lots of media diversity IMO. They are a little pricey but worth it.

Aquaclears = Media diversity. These guys are also very very quiet IMO (they have run much quieter than any other HoBs I have). They are generally a bit more pricey up front but well worth it in my opinion.

Emperor BioWheels = Large place for beneficial bacteria to breed. They are quite a bit more noisy than my AQ or cannister filter which can get annoying when they are parked in your bedroom and your trying to sleep :D. They are generally a bit less costly up front (I bought my 400 for like 38 bucks of BigAls.).

My opinion for you would to be invest in a nice canister filter to coincide with your HoB. In my opinion you are definitly underfiltering your tank, but I shoot for 10x the water turnover in mine (i am anal). Lots of good canisters out there, and while they are a bit more money they are definitly worth the cost!

Good luck.

SubluxT7:headbang2:
 
msjinkzd said:
I like aquaclear filters because they have good versatility of media, either by using theirs (sponges, ceramic rings, carbon) or by making your own (I use pot scrubbers and polyfill). This makes it easy to seed new tanks by robbing media that will fit alot of other filters. They also have an adjustable flow. I don't think you can over filter, just provide too much current. In my opinion, the more filtration the better. I also like AC filters because they are quieter in my experience than alot of hte filters with biowheels.
Iwould run a new filter in conjunction with the old for at least two weeks. Why not leave your old filter on? I run two filters on lots of tanks, I like the redundancy and it also makes it easier when you need to do filter maintenance (less chance of a stress on your biofilter if they have alternate cleanings). There is beneficial bacteria on every surface of the tank as well.
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:iagree:

It also seems like the AC's are the only HOBs that I don't run into problems with...tetra, marineland, penguin, etc. I have all tried and something always goes wrong.
 
my aquaclears are silent, unless they are turned off for a bit. then they take about 2 days to get quiet again.
 
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