I Need a new filter, please help?

KellyL

Thank you, I will watch the video! That one like like a good choice, you can never beat the best! thanks again!

twocents

I just use a foam block filter I got from angelsplus that runs on air. My water paramters are all good.

Sanguinefox

Feeling the need to pop in here and say something. I have dealt with Aquaclears for quite a while now. I've owned both a 70, and a 110. They are the best HOB on the market. However there is a fundemental flaw in HOB's at least most that I have seen and the AC carries this as well.

It makes no sense design wise to have your water go through the impeller area first and then through your media. Any sand, small bits of plants, or even bits of poop that make it through the intake just end up clogging up the motor/impeller and being a pain.

I cannot tell you how often I have had to fight the AC over the years with my tanks because they get clogged so badly. It's to the point that my big 150 Gallon is now on Canister only and I hope to make the swap with my 80 soon enough to get the current AC 70 off of it as well. So with that said, if the OP plans on an HOB by all means get an AC. A canister however expensive is going to long term be a much better buy if it pulls the water through the media first before hitting the impeller area.

JDM

Well, I won't disagree with the idea that the canister pulling water through the filter first is the better design. I will disagree that it makes no sense to go impeller first on HOB filters... I consider it a necessary evil given the need to fill a low to medium end market need. I'm in that market, I priced canisters.

If the impeller were last, it wouldn't work very well. The weak impeller draw (not a high quality pump mechanism) would fail as the filter got clogged and the circulation of the water would stop. In the HOB filters that I looked at, they have a bypass function so the water will still flow around the filter media when it is clogged. In my case, that is not a problem as the filter is secondary anyway.

If the impeller is anything like the small pond pumps, I really don't see the problem with having to clean it occasionally. Just wrap the intake with a coarse foam filter media to avoid the worst of it and extend the time between cleanings.... or anti up for a canister.

Jeff.

HMlairy

I have the U2 fluval filter and would recommend the series highly. Hasn't broken since I got it (about 2 years ago) and makes a great home for bacteria. It also is fairly cheap. :)

Reefing Madness

Ive used this one. For the media storage and cost, you can't beat this thing. And it has good flow.
Fish Canister External 5 Stage Filter Pump for Aquarium Pump Fish Tank New | eBay

Sanguinefox

I know that the limitations on HOB's are why they are designed that way. They have to be cheap and so doing it the other way might not work. However for the cost I paid for an Aquaclear 110 (arguably one of the best HOB's on the market) I could have gotten a decent Canister for just a little more. So...just offering that caution is all which is you get what you pay for. If you are going to spend close to a hundred on a filter you may as well go all the way with a Canister.

JDM

Absolutely. It's all about the bang for the buck. I'm going to buy an AC50 for less than $50. If I were going to have a large enough tank to justify a 110 then the price of the filter is no longer as much of an issue. I think, with just a quick look around, canisters might be $130 or so to start.

Jeff.
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