AquaClear 110 Review

I had the same problem when I added one to my 55 gallon community. I left the lid propped the best I could. It eventually aggravated me enough thought that I did a large water change and pulled the tank out another inch. I didn't have any issues with the lid propped though. Just be careful to make sure that when you say you pushed it down a little, the filter is running level... it does have the little lever on the bottom that keeps it at the right angle; if that gets partially off kilter it can collapse and splash some water out.

 

alright thanks, yea it is bothering me but I really don't feel removing 80 gallons of water to move it half an inch lol maybe I will eventually

 

Oh man I'm going thru the same thing with my emperor 400. It's too much because the stand weighs just as much as the tank filled.

 

Canister filter time! One of the advantages of canister is wall clearance can be as little as an inch.

 

Canister filter time! One of the advantages of canister is wall clearance can be as little as an inch.

Haha, true, canister filters are great... I run those in addition to the AC110's, but I still love the AquaClear's too

 

I don't keep the lid on my 110. It's not worth the hastle and aggravation of hearing the thing buzz. Mine is shoved in behind the tank because I mismeasured how large the thing was and I don't have much room in front of the tank to move it much more out LOL

 

I love AquaClears, they do a great job, and last forever. But the lid is sometimes a problem. When I can't fit the lid on properly (due to my inability to measure properly), I just weigh down the media section in order to keep it from rising, as they tend to do-rick

 

I love AquaClears, they do a great job, and last forever. But the lid is sometimes a problem. When I can't fit the lid on properly (due to my inability to measure properly), I just weigh down the media section in order to keep it from rising, as they tend to do-rick

I've made that mistake... I add quilt matting as a filter floss. I put it on top at first.... found it in the tank more than once. Now it goes before the bio-rings so they can weigh it down.

 

I was previously running a emperor biowheel 400 and a aqueon quietflow 55/75. I replaced the biowheel with an aquaclear 110 today and I will say what a difference!

First of all, assembling the 110 was cake! Anyone can do it using the instructions and any hobbiest who knows the slightest amount about filters can do it without. It took me maybe 10 minutes to get it up and running.

Second it has 5 stages of filtration. Mechanical, Chemical(carbon), Biological(bio pellets), and a sponge which collects particles and holds bacteria as well. I don't know of any other power filter which does this much.

Finally, the amount of water this moves is unbelievable! The aqueon quiet flow I am currently running is supposed to put out 400gph. The Aquaclear 110 is supposed to put out 500gph. It is evident by the amount of air bubbles in the water the aquaclear 110 is putting out way more gph! The angle of the water release tray on the filter is almost the same on both filters so there is no doubt the 110 is just pulling in that much more water.

Overall, I am impressed with this filter and definitely recommend it. I got it off of for around $80. It is well worth the money!

 

I love mine. It's sold old it's still a 500 LOL Makes noises now though. Just replaced it with a cheapy eBay canister the other day. I'll keep it around for back up

 

I'm a big fan of all AquaClear HOB filters! You can't beat the ease of use and the quality, especially the large *square* space so that you can customize the media you wish to use. And they last forever - I've have one that was "passed down" to me and is about 20 years old, still working!

 

Its only 3 stages. Sponge is mechanical(and bio), carbon is chemical, and biomax is bio. So unless you count the sponge's bio as a stage, it's 3 stages. Based on the AC I had, I'd say you bought a great filter, however, any of your AC motors get hot? They run hotter than other hob

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Fish Lore Aquarium Fish Forum mobile app

 

I counted sponge bio as a stage and the amount of water/surface movement as a stage. Its advertised as 5 stages. Great filter either way! Not sure on motors yet. Just put it on today but I will let you know

 

Aquaclear is hands down the best HOB filter easy to use and customize I run mine on salt water with fluval black foam chemipure and live rock

No other HOB filters consistently push this much water and don't clog
+5⭐️

 

They also have great customer service. I bought a 110 that would not prime. I called them and they replaced it no questions asked. One of the best customer service experiences I have ever had.

 

I've never met one experienced fish keeper who really understands filtration and systems who doesn't swear by the AC's as the best HOB out there.

 

I have an AC110 and it's truly amazing. It gets the job done. It keeps my water very clear. I'm going to get a canister filter soon so there can be a little extra filtration on my 60

 

I'm using 2 of these (10g tank, 45g tank) and also think they're great. I have a Penguin 350 and it drives me nuts. The AquaClear works much better and is easier to clean.

 

I also think they are a great filter for the money. I have used AquaClear filters for many years and for the money you get what you pay for and easy to maintain and parts easily available. Thanks

 

Anyone know if there is anywhere I can buy just the water intake tubes for this filter, the screen part on bottom of mine broke.

 

Is it just the screen that is broken or the tube as well? What you could do is get a prefilter sponge. Extra biological and mechanical filtration in there and you don't have to replace the whole tube.

 

They usually come with 2 tubes. If you still have both, put the one with screen on the bottom, or just run it with one tube.

 

Here you go.

 

I wanted an aquaclear 110 but I noticed in some videos that a bit of water goes over the filter instead of under then up so the boi-media gets clogged easy. And I find thew baskets a waste of time because the holes are all over it so water barely goes down.....

So anyone for mods I can make to have filtration being done efficiently without using the sopnges they give us since it is really coarse from pictures I see

 

That's basically all HOBs. The intake tube goes to the bottom left corner of the filter (outside the tank), and pushes the water to the right, into the media baskets. Then the water travels up and out through the outtake.

Not really sure what you mean by "water barely goes down", since the water is travelling up, and then out. The baskets are only there so you don't have to stick your hand in the filter and fish out the filter media.

 

It is said that the water goes down the side of the media basket the up through the sponges but I noticed it just goes over the bio media than down the side of the basket and up through the sponges

 

Check out the Seachem Tidal 110. I got the 75. There are a bunch of videos on youtube reviewing it and there are a couple comparing it to the AC 110. I'm biased because I bought the Tidal but I think its the best HOB on the market. I'm sure others will disagree, but it's worth a look. It has a large basket for holding whatever media you want and it self-primes. There are a lot of other great features that I won't list, but check it out!

 

It is said that the water goes down the side of the media basket the up through the sponges but I noticed it just goes over the bio media than down the side of the basket and up through the sponges

All HOBs will have some type of bypass. The water is not forced through the filter media, like in a canister.

 

I wanted an aquaclear 110 but I noticed in some videos that a bit of water goes over the filter instead of under then up so the boi-media gets clogged easy. And I find thew baskets a waste of time because the holes are all over it so water barely goes down.....

So anyone for mods I can make to have filtration being done efficiently without using the sopnges they give us since it is really coarse from pictures I see

I bought medium and fine foam from Great Wave Engineering https://greatwaveeng.com
The Seachem Tidal I bought came with a corse piece of foam and then I cut out the medium and fine to match the corse piece. I then put some BioGravel, (which I got from Great Wave as well) in a mesh bag on top of the sponges. I just fired up the tank yesterday but I feel like that is going to give me some really solid filtration both mechanically and biologically.

All HOBs will have some type of bypass. The water is not forced through the filter media, like in a canister.

I could be wrong but I think the Seachem Tidal does force the water down so it has to come up through the foam then through the bio media and then back out into the tank. Not sure if it's 100% and I'm sure it's not as efficient as a canister, but that's supposed to be the theory anyway.

 

I could be wrong but I think the Seachem Tidal does force the water down so it has to come up through the foam then through the bio media and then back out into the tank. Not sure if it's 100% and I'm sure it's not as efficient as a canister, but that's supposed to be the theory anyway.

I have two Seachem Tidal 110s. It doesn't really force it down, there's some space on the sides for the water to bypass, and the water is just directed down by the shape of the media basket.

 

I have two Seachem Tidal 110s. It doesn't really force it down, there's some space on the sides for the water to bypass, and the water is just directed down by the shape of the media basket.

Makes sense. Don't know if it does a better job of directing the water down than the AC110 but I'm really happy with mine and adding the extra foam I think will improve my filtration even more (at least I hope so).

 

For what its worth I love my aquaclears. My 110 is 15 years old and still works like new. They self prime unless your water level is pretty low.

 

Hey Shiv I modded my AQ70 to work as a refugium. So, we placed an acrylic baffle inside the filter box, with holes drilled at the bottom, ensuring water would flow down before it moved over to the media and chaeto in the larger chamber. It works well.


There's a grid piece that you can't see here, it's on the other side of the floss pad and was made with material from the basket that came with the filter. The baffle was placed with just enough room to create a skinny chamber big enough for the a floss pad.

 

I might try your idea stella.....looks like it works good.....Anyone think the AC 110 would hold about quarter to half gallon of media if I used stella idea