Changing brand of HOB filters.

I have been using Marineland HOB and canister filters for many years. I use both on most of our aquariums. Have 10 to 1 or more filtration rate.

(for those that are unfamiliar with this it means that for say a 100 gallon aquarium you filter 1,000 gallons per hour)

The canisters are fine (still have three Magnum 350 that are around 20 years old. The newer 360's are also running strong) the issue is the Emperor 400's and the Penguin 350's are one by one failing after years of service. Rather than replace parts as they fail I have decided to swap them out. I really dislike the new line of HOB from Marineland.

So, that brings me to you good people. For aquariums ranging in size from 30 gallons to 150 gallons what would you suggest? I have sponge pre filters on all of the intakes of our filters. Because of my photography the water must be polished.

Oh, and while I have your attention, What is a GOOD heater that will last. I have tried many brands and prices and still have a 50% failure rate after 6 months or so.

Photography is my life passion so I have to go overboard on the clarity of the water.

Thank you for your input.

 

I have really been looking at the Seachem Tidals myself, watching vids and whatnot on them. Seem pretty reliable, adjustable and quiet.

 

Only ever dealt with seachem tidals - definitely have a look at one of those. There’s also aquaclears which I unfortunately can’t get hold of over here so can’t offer any experience with those. They are made by fluval though so can’t be bad.

 

I have really been looking at the Seachem Tidals myself, watching vids and whatnot on them. Seem pretty reliable, adjustable and quiet.

I have used Seachem plant supplements for many years. If they put the same quality in their filters that could be the answer.

Thank you.

Only ever dealt with seachem tidals - definitely have a look at one of those. There’s also aquaclears which I unfortunately can’t get hold of over here so can’t offer any experience with those. They are made by fluval though so can’t be bad.

Thank you.

 

Try to track down a few Marineland Emperor 400's. New ones are still around. I run four of them, IMO, none better.
I ran Aquaclear 110's for eight years. Good filtration, but noisy. They clog up pretty quick too.
SeaChem's Tidals seem to be all the rage, but they haven't caught on in my area & aren't carried in any of my LFS's. Plenty of good reviews on line.

 

Try to track down a few Marineland Emperor 400's. New ones are still around. I run four of them, IMO, none better.
I ran Aquaclear 110's for eight years. Good filtration, but noisy. They clog up pretty quick too.
SeaChem's Tidals seem to be all the rage, but they haven't caught on in my area & aren't carried in any of my LFS's. Plenty of good reviews on line.

I think Petco carries the Tidals, maybe Petsnart too. I know my LFSs don't carry them, either.

 

Try to track down a few Marineland Emperor 400's. New ones are still around. I run four of them, IMO, none better.
I ran Aquaclear 110's for eight years. Good filtration, but noisy. They clog up pretty quick too.
SeaChem's Tidals seem to be all the rage, but they haven't caught on in my area & aren't carried in any of my LFS's. Plenty of good reviews on line.

I think Petco carries the Tidals, maybe Petsnart too. I know my LFSs don't carry them, either.

Thank you both for your input.

 

I have been using Marineland HOB and canister filters for many years. I use both on most of our aquariums. Have 10 to 1 or more filtration rate.

(for those that are unfamiliar with this it means that for say a 100 gallon aquarium you filter 1,000 gallons per hour)

The canisters are fine (still have three Magnum 350 that are around 20 years old. The newer 360's are also running strong) the issue is the Emperor 400's and the Penguin 350's are one by one failing after years of service. Rather than replace parts as they fail I have decided to swap them out. I really dislike the new line of HOB from Marineland.

So, that brings me to you good people. For aquariums ranging in size from 30 gallons to 150 gallons what would you suggest? I have sponge pre filters on all of the intakes of our filters. Because of my photography the water must be polished.

Oh, and while I have your attention, What is a GOOD heater that will last. I have tried many brands and prices and still have a 50% failure rate after 6 months or so.

Photography is my life passion so I have to go overboard on the clarity of the water.

Thank you for your input.

I had a Seachem Tidal 75 and a canister on my 75 gallon. Replaced both with 2 AquaClear 110s.

In my experience, the AquaClears provide better filtration than the Tidal, but they definitely run louder.

 

I had a Seachem Tidal 75 and a canister on my 75 gallon. Replaced both with 2 AquaClear 110s.

In my experience, the AquaClears provide better filtration than the Tidal, but they definitely run louder.

Thank you.

 

i'm a Tidal guy myself. replaced my Aquaclears with Tidals. Seachem took the design of the Aquaclears and made many improvements.

self priming motor, restarts w/o problems after power outage or after the weekly filter cleanings.

an actual media basket.

lid that sits in the filter firmly and hardly rattles.

impeller and motor housing that doesn't need to be cleaned as often as the AC's.

the angle of the output lip is horizontal instead of down at 45' angle.

made of solid black plastic instead of clear plastic (personal preference)

 

Thank you.

i'm a Tidal guy myself. replaced my Aquaclears with Tidals. Seachem took the design of the Aquaclears and made many improvements.

self priming motor, restarts w/o problems after power outage or after the weekly filter cleanings.

an actual media basket.

lid that sits in the filter firmly and hardly rattles.

impeller and motor housing that doesn't need to be cleaned as often as the AC's.

the angle of the output lip is horizontal instead of down at 45' angle.

made of solid black plastic instead of clear plastic (personal preference)

Thank you.

 

I just ordered a third Tidal 75, to replace my last AC. Nothing much wrong with the AC, but I'm tired of taking it apart and cleaning it. The 2 Tidals I use on my 55g are approaching one year. Never had to take them apart, the "self cleaning" impellers actually work! That plus self priming and silent working make Tidals much better imho...all I do is rinse filter material.

 

I just ordered a third Tidal 75, to replace my last AC. Nothing much wrong with the AC, but I'm tired of taking it apart and cleaning it. The 2 Tidals I use on my 55g are approaching one year. Never had to take them apart, the "self cleaning" impellers actually work! That plus self priming and silent working make Tidals much better imho...all I do is rinse filter material.

Thank you.

 

Try to track down a few Marineland Emperor 400's. New ones are still around. I run four of them, IMO, none better.
I ran Aquaclear 110's for eight years. Good filtration, but noisy. They clog up pretty quick too.
SeaChem's Tidals seem to be all the rage, but they haven't caught on in my area & aren't carried in any of my LFS's. Plenty of good reviews on line.

Pro tip for the Fluval Aquaclear...Once the Aquaclear is unplugged and you’re finished cleaning or doing maintenance and you’re ready to plug it back in...dip a pitcher of water into the tank and pour it into the HOB to fill it partially. Once the filter is at approx 3/4 full of the pitcher water, quickly plug it back in while simultaneously continuing to pour in the rest of the water from the pitcher, as it fills. This procedure may take two people unless your plugs are very close to the HOB. My wife and I do this after water changes on our Aquaclear 110 and it works flawlessly.

How it works: what actually makes the noise in the Aquaclear filters is air pockets in the tubing that happens when the filter is priming itself, creating a rattle. By pouring in water, you are either forcing the air out or not allowing the air pockets to form to begin with. It takes a few tries to dial in the technique, but once mastered...you’ll be shocked at how silent these filters actually are. My 110 was obnoxiously loud and then I figured this out one day because we were going mad over the noise it was creating. Life hack indeed!