Better Silent Aquarium Filter

[ChanMan183]

I’m so tired of my Fluval C4. The only reason I went with it over an AquaClear or Seachem Tidal is because the media is easier to remove and replace as each media compartment can be removed/replaced individually. It quiets down eventually, but it’s always loud when I have to take it apart to clean it but even when it quiets down it’s still not completely silent. I don’t know what to do. I’ve taken it apart twice and I lubed the shaft and impeller I don’t know how many times since I’ve had it. I’m about ready to say screw it and buy a new one. Please give me suggestions on filters that are SILENT and will stay SILENT and that the media is easy to remove and replace. I can’t do canisters as they are too expensive for me.

 

[DuaneV]

AquaClear. lol There is a reason so many of us use them. Its the only HOB Ill use and at like half the price of the Fluval, its a win win.

 

[nikm128]

What size tank is this going to be for?

AquaClear. lol There is a reason so many of us use them. Its the only HOB Ill use and at like half the price of the Fluval, its a win win.

Right, the FLUVAL AquaClear, is cheaper then Fluval...hahaha

 

[DuaneV]

Figure that one out. How can the same company make 2 products so similar yet so different with such a price discrepancy.

 

[ChanMan183]

What size tank is this going to be for?

Right, the FLUVAL AquaClear, is cheaper then Fluval...hahaha

29g tall

AquaClear. lol There is a reason so many of us use them. Its the only HOB Ill use and at like half the price of the Fluval, its a win win.

but AquaClears use the same motor and impeller as the Fluval C-series so that’s why I’m skeptical of the noise factor on the AquaClears. I had an AquaClear and it was quiet but I only went with the C-series because of how you can take out each media compartment individually

 

[Dawn Michele]

I LOVE Marineland Penguin 350 filter's!!! I use them on my 125 & 72 gallon. You can get one from Amazon for about $25.

 

[nikm128]

In all honestly, there is no filter that is dead silent. The best you can get is a low hum
I'd suggest the marineland penguin 200 (just a smaller version of the above post), maybe a larger tetra whisper model, aqueon quietflow 30, or an aquaclear 20. I personally have an aquaclear 110, and it's fairly quiet besides an occasional bubble up the intake from my airstone I need to move. I have also used all the filters I'm suggesting so I'm comfortable saying they should be quiet enough for you

 

[DuaneV]

I run 5 AquaClears and I don't hear any motor noise. Never have.

 

[nikm128]

I run 5 AquaClears and I don't hear any motor noise. Never have.

What sizes? They do tend to be slightly louder the bigger the model

 

[ChanMan183]

I run 5 AquaClears and I don't hear any motor noise. Never have.

I also have a sponge filter in my tank that’s rated for a 40 gallon and my tank is a 29 gallon tall. What size AquaClear would be good for it?

 

[Cichlidude]

A Seachem Tidal 55 or 75 would work perfect for your 29 gallon.

The have these advantages over all other HOB filters.

1. A flow knob to control 80% of the water flow. Each notch is a 10% increase or decrease so you can manage your water flow to slow your water so it stays in contact with your media longer which is better for beneficial bacteria.

2. Draws water from three locations, top (skimmer), middle and bottom for better water filtering, not just the bottom.

3. Another knob to totally shut off the bottom intake if you only want to filter the middle and top of your tank only.

4. If the mechanical media at the lower portion of the media basket ever gets clogged it has a slightly higher bypass in the basket so the water will still be filtered through your media and continues to run efficiently.

5. Media basket locks in place so it will never rise up pushing the media up high possibly causing an overflow and flooding your floor.

6. Removable no spill media basket comes out for easy cleaning using the lid as a no drip carrying tray.

7. Self priming so you don’t have to worry about it not starting and recovering from a power failure or maintenance.

8. Self cleaning impeller. From Seachem Support: The self cleaning feature of the Tidal Filters can be explained by the structure and build of the impeller housing. There is a groove in the Tidal 55 that goes through the slot where the impeller stays and it will continuously clean the impeller of any debris or buildup. For Tidal 75 and 110, where the impeller goes that continuously flushes a little bit of water through the back to keep it cool and quite clean. The 75 and 110 have the same mechanism.

 

[DuaneV]

I have the 30's and 50's. No noise from either of them. My head is 2 feet from one right now and all I hear is running water.

 

[nikm128]

And once again, I forgot about seachem tidal filters
They're really great, and I think I will be using them specifically in the future

 

[ChanMan183]

The only thing I like about the Seachem Tidals is that they’re self-priming. When I have to clean the filter it’s hard for me to fill it up with water and plug it in at the same time.

 

[nikm128]

The majority of newer filters claim to be self priming, so I think you have a 95% chance of getting one that self primes with any brand

 

[Tol]

I use a Tidal 55 on my 29 gallon and love it. It's quiet, easy to clean, and works extremely well from my experience with it. Definitely will buy another Tidal when I need more filters.

 

[Markc]

I have had a aquaclear 70 for a lot of years and it is virtually silent. Very easy maintenance and holds all the media you need. Couldn't ask for more

 

[DuaneV]

AquaClears self prime as long as the water isn't too low. From 5+ inches it takes a minute to get the water up.

 

[Cichlidude]

You say you can't get a canister filter because of cost. Here is one that will work that cost the same as the HOBs above, maybe less. 4 star rated.



Only $47.

 

[kmbeck]

I second the polar aurora. I had theone mentioned above, but it wasn't quite enough for my 60 gallon tank. I switched to a polar aurora one sizeup from that one and It works great. It should be plenty for a 29 gallon.

 

[imba]

I run 3 acquaclears, 2 20s and 1 50 and I agree they are dead silent.

But if money isn't an issue, I'd say go with the tidal

 

[ChanMan183]

I LOVE Marineland Penguin 350 filter's!!! I use them on my 125 & 72 gallon. You can get one from Amazon for about $25.

Is it quiet?

In all honestly, there is no filter that is dead silent. The best you can get is a low hum
I'd suggest the marineland penguin 200 (just a smaller version of the above post), maybe a larger tetra whisper model, aqueon quietflow 30, or an aquaclear 20. I personally have an aquaclear 110, and it's fairly quiet besides an occasional bubble up the intake from my airstone I need to move. I have also used all the filters I'm suggesting so I'm comfortable saying they should be quiet enough for you

Are the Marineland’s quiet?

 

[nikm128]

They are very quiet. I never hear anything from them but water trickles.
They will need to be primed if they sit for much more than 40 minutes though.
The process of priming and the filter getting suction is a little loud, but after that you're good

 

[Sergeant Pepper]

I have to vote personally for Seachem Tidal. I have a 110 on my 60. I have used Marineland and Aquaclear. I love the Seachem over both. When the Marineland on my 29 goes, I'm replacing it with a Tidal. They are effortless. Literally. It has a surface skimmer, that is amazing. It's self priming. Like immediately. I unplug mine for cleaning, plug it in after and it's running like a puppy seconds afterwards. Also, it's Silent! I love them.

 

[ChanMan183]

1. Marineland Penguin
2. AquaClear
3. Seachem Tidal

Out of all three of these filters, which is the quietest and better filter? I’m leaning more towards the Marinland 200 or 350 because they’re cheaper than the Seachem Tidals and AquaClears. But I want to hear your guys’ thoughts.

 

[A201]

The jury is still out on the Tidals. Its a very new product. All reviews I've read about Tidal are good.
Tidal is trying to dethrone Aqua Clear, which has been the experienced fishkeepers standard for quite sometime.
I run several AC's, and I strongly recommend them.
The Marineland Bio-Wheel type filters are also good. I'm running a 20 y.o. Marineland 280 Bio-Wheel on a spare tank.
IMO, the Bio-Wheels time has come & gone.
The Bio-wheel filters are initially a lot cheaper than the AC's & Tidals, but will cost much more over time due to the the high costs of replacement filter cartridges.

 

[grump299]

HI I’m sorry I can’t help much about HOB filters I’m a canister guy myself but I have heard the marineland biowheel can be high maintenance IMO I would go with the aquaclear you can costomize the media it has a large area for placement and volume of media.

 

[DanInJakarta]

How big is your tank?

 

[ChanMan183]

How big is your tank?

29 gallon tall and I also have a sponge filter in it that’s rated for 40 gallons.

 

[Sergeant Pepper]

I've owned all three.
I had an Aquaclear 50 that lasted a while, but it took forever to prime and eventually I would have to prime it myself regardless of how often I cleaned the impeller.
The Marineland I have is the oldest filter I own. It's been going strong. It takes a long time to prime for me as well. I find the wheel pretty useless but the bigger filters have decent space for filter media.
The Seachem Tidal 110 on my 60 currently has a HUGE amount of filter media space. I have mine pretty well packed and it flows great. Super Quiet and Primes right away.

I will say, the Tidal are for sure the higher in price of the three. In my opinion, I think it's worth it. Second best, I'd say Aquaclears.

 

[goldface]

I only have experience with Tidals. It's okay. I find it pretty loud, though.

 

[Islandvic]

Penguin 350's can be found online for $26, so they probably are the most cost effective.

Instead of using cartridges, try inserting a foam sponge block in each of the reservoirs.

These can be found for $5 & have 3 in a pack.

Aquaclear 50 Sponges

• Islandvic
• Dec 24, 2018

Aquaclear/Fluval sponge replacements are available in 3-packs for $3-$5. Perfect for DIY media!

My 2 Aquaclear 30's are near silent compared to my AC70 and AC110.

An AC30 + your sponge filter should handle your 29g.

Here are pics of how I have one of my AC30's media baskets stacked...

AC30 media basket 1

• Islandvic
• Nov 18, 2018

AC30 media basket 2

• Islandvic
• Nov 18, 2018

 

[dojafish]

Marineland can run forever but the impeller wears down easily if not maintained regularly, which can make it quite noisy if the impeller is off.

I have been running aquaclears for a couple years now and have no issues. Haven't had to replace any filter media, maintenance is so simple, I don't have an issue with priming as of yet. Though I feel like I have a trick for it and that's to turn the flow to about medium-low and for some reason that gets it going quickly. Then you can put it back to high flow.

I think tidals super cool and worth trying out. Some people have grumbled about noise, but I think one reviewer (had a post-year review video) said that it seems to make noise if the little balancing nub on the bottom of the housing is missing and/or if the water is too low. I'm still gonna try it on another tank soon.

 

[NKlamerus]

IMO, Stay away from the Marineland. I've had quite a few and they have always been WAY too loud. In both cases I upgraded to a canister filter just for the noise!

I will say I've had great experience with their customer service, a had a fin break off the impeller of my Emperor, and mentioned the top cover was cracked. They sent me both free of charge.

 

[mattgirl]

It isn't on your list but I use Penn-Plax Cascade 300 HOB filters and if I didn't see the water coming out of them I wouldn't know they were running. They are that quiet. There is quite a bit of room for customizing the media. The best thing about them other than being grave yard quiet is the water flow control knob is right on the top of them so it is easy to turn down the flow during feeding time. They also self prime after a power glitch which we seem to have fairly often.

My oldest one is at least 20 years old. The newest is less than a year old but I expect it to last just as long as the original one. The only maintenance they get is the filter itself rinsed out and impeller cleaned every few months.

 

[DanInJakarta]

29 gallon tall and I also have a sponge filter in it that’s rated for 40 gallons.

Thank you. Those who know me are already aware that I am a fan of over-filtration and over-maintenance. It is not fair of me to recommend something out of your budget or liking. I will share what I have, however.

ON my 60 liter (15.85 gallons) I have the submersible filter that came with the tank that has a flow rating of 400l per hour and an Eheim Class 250 canister filter rated at 440l per hour. The submersible is for a tank of 90 liters and the Eheim of tanks of 80-250 liters. I use the Eheim for biological and the submersible for mechanical filtration (although each one will do both at the same time). In hindsight, I would have gotten an Eheim 350.

The filter is completely silent, always runs and does a great job of keeping the water clean and clear.

Now, because you are looking a HOB filters, and I have some of those on a small aquarium, I choose the one that allows me to add as much filter media as I can. All my HOBs have Seachem matrix biological media in them as well as aquarium floss.

As someone said above, go with the one where the impeller works well and for a long time without problems (read quiet).

Sorry that I could not be of more help.

 

[Thunder_o_b]

Is it quiet?



Are the Marineland’s quiet?

If you want a waterfall none of them are silent. You hear the water as it falls. I run Marineland filters. Canisters (Magnaflow and Magnum) and waterfalls (Emperor and Penguin). Marineland has proven themselves to me over the last 30 years. There are reports that the newer HOB's are noisy. But I just installed two more Emperor 400's and they are still mechanically quiet after a month.

I have some that are many years old and are still mechanically quiet. I use sponge pre filters on all of our filters, and clean them weekly. The filters themselves are cleaned on a biweekly rotation (I keep two filters on most of our aquariums)

Their Magnaflow canisters are as quiet as you are going to find. I have 3 of the 360's running.

EDIT: Marineland HOB's self prime if you have the water level where you should. Meaning if the power goes off then the comes on the filter keeps running...But it IS noisy as it regains prime.

 

[Dawn Michele]

Is it quiet?



Are the Marineland’s quiet?

The Penguin 350's are very quiet. I switch out the impeller's from time to time and let them soak in white vinegar to clean them. NEVER Had a problem with them. They keep my 125 & 72 gallon sparkling clean!!!

 

[Thunder_o_b]

Oh, you do need to fill the filter (Marineland) with water when you first start it. It will then self prime.

 

[Cichlidude]

Oh, you do need to fill the filter (Marineland) with water when you first start it. It will then self prime.

Then it's not self priming. Any HOB with the motor outside the aquarium is not self priming.

 

[ChanMan183]

Is an AquaClear 50 enough for a 29 gallon tall with (as of right now) 4 cardinal tetras, 5 lemon tetras, and 4 rasboras and a 40 gallon sponge filter? I will be adding at least 12 more fish.

 

[Cichlidude]

Folks said 70 would work along with the Tidal 75 also.

 

[Skavatar]

its up to 200 gph, for a 29G tank, that is almost 7X turn over rate, which is plenty. plus you have a sponge filter.