Fluval Vs Aquaclear Filters

So I have been using a fluval filter with three different types of filters. The sponge, the carbon, and the bio chemical part. I recently bought a new bio filter part since I read after about 4-6 months you should replace it and its been about six months. I purchased one from aqua clear without thinking it would be different and the actual material inside the mesh look different. The fluval was a light brown color and the aqua clear one is white. Is this the same type of filter or is it any different? I don't want to change it if it will hurt the aquarium. It is the biomax filter insert by aqua clear

 

It should be the same stuff. However the manufacturer recommendation to change it every 6 months is a waist of money. It lasts for many years. In 18 years I think I replaced mine 3 times.

 

Oh wow! That’s much longer than I’ve been lead to believe haha so I should be ok leaving this same one in for another five months or longer If I wanted? I only ask because it seems like you have a lot of experience. You’ve had no issues?

 

No issues. I only needed to add because I rob some to jump start new tanks. Even the cartridge type that they recommend to change monthly last about a year.

 

Thank you! I’ll stick to the foam and carbon changes and keep the bio max to a much longer change

 

Oh I thought you meant the foam. The foam is good for years the bio max is probably good forever. As far as carbon I have some under my tank in case I want to use it but I don't use it on a regular basis.

 

The bio media will last till it is gone . Should be basically forever. It may need to be rinsed off it was to become clogged with debris.
The sponge till it wears out .
I think the media between the fluval and aquaclear are the same .

 

Tpane27 the parent company Marina, owns both Fluval and Aquaclear.

At one time Aquaclear was its own line of products, but now marketed as a line under the Fluval brand.

Fluval and Aquaclear both call their biological media "bio-max" and are a ceramic based porous media. Some appear to be small pellets, and others medium or large sized bio-ring style construction. It is all the same, just different shapes.

Fluval/Aquaclear's marketing dept decided to advise to replace their "3-stages" of media in staggered intervals, except for the carbon, none of it should be replaced until it is falling apart. This will literally take years. The carbon is the only item that becomes "exhausted" and needs replacement. Otherwise, as the other members advised, the sponge and Bio-Max does not need to be replaced.

The recommended to replace the media in staggered intervals is a marketing ploy to generate more sales after the filter is initially sold.

Since it is not cartridge based, there will be a limited on-going realistic need for buying more media. Because of this, their marketing/sales dept wants you to replace it unnecessarily every few months.

If you already bought additional media and haven't thrown away the original, just add it to the basket.

When it is time to change the carbon, consider adding a 2nd block of foam sponge in it's place. They are great for trapping muck and colonizing beneficial bacteria.

 

Tpane27 the parent company Marina, owns both Fluval and Aquaclear.

At one time Aquaclear was its own line of products, but now marketed as a line under the Fluval brand.

Fluval and Aquaclear both call their biological media "bio-max" and are a ceramic based porous media. Some appear to be small pellets, and others medium or large sized bio-ring style construction. It is all the same, just different shapes.

Fluval/Aquaclear's marketing dept decided to advise to replace their "3-stages" of media in staggered intervals, except for the carbon, none of it should be replaced until it is falling apart. This will literally take years. The carbon is the only item that becomes "exhausted" and needs replacement. Otherwise, as the other members advised, the sponge and Bio-Max does not need to be replaced.

The recommended to replace the media in staggered intervals is a marketing ploy to generate more sales after the filter is initially sold.

Since it is not cartridge based, there will be a limited on-going realistic need for buying more media. Because of this, their marketing/sales dept wants you to replace it unnecessarily every few months.

If you already bought additional media and haven't thrown away the original, just add it to the basket.

When it is time to change the carbon, consider adding a 2nd block of foam sponge in it's place. They are great for trapping muck and colonizing beneficial bacteria.

Marina/fluval/aqua clear are the same company owned by Rolf C. Hagen they are just different divisions of one company.

 

100% correct.

Had a brain freeze yesterday .

Hagen is the parent company that owns all of those lines.

 

I am using the AquaClear 50 with the stock out of the box 3 layer media that it comes with. After some reading I found that activated carbon was not a requirement and should be used for special circumstances.
Its been running a couple weeks now and things look very good. Fish (9 Tiger Barbs) are healthy and tank water is very clean.
However my API test kit has not arrived yet. So I will not know for sure where I stand until the kit arrives.

Okay: I watched a YouTube video about the AquaClear DIY approach. The presenter does not use carbon, but uses the blue/white filter media in the bottom first. Two layers to be exact.
Then the second layer is the sponge and finally stage three is the ceramic biological media.
I plan to use this method. I have ordered more ceramic biological media and new nylon bags to hold it as there will now be more room.

Does anyone see any issues with my plan? If I use this method all I would need to buy again would be the bottom layer (blue/white) media?
Or would it be more beneficial to use two blocks of sponge instead?

 

I have a couple of AC's, and use a layer of fine filter pad and/or filter floss on top of the sponge. It either gets rinsed and re-used or discarded and replaced defending on how it looks.

Here are some examples of how I've placed media in them before.

AC30 media basket 1

• Islandvic
• Nov 18, 2018

AC30 media basket 2

• Islandvic
• Nov 18, 2018

AC110 media

• Islandvic
• Nov 15, 2018

AC110 sponge, polyfil, 100 micron pad, poly media pad cut from bulk roll, 1 liter of assorted...

AC110 back view of reservoir stuffed with media

• Islandvic
• Nov 15, 2018

At the top of this section for Filters and Filtration, there are about a half dozen threads highlighted in yellow. One of threads towards the tops is titled something like "DIY Media for HOB's".

Check it out, lots of ideas and has examples of AC's near the end.

 

Thank you Islandvic
I see you are using stones instead of store bought biomedia? Seems everyone layers these filters different.
I received my order for the biomedia and the biomedia mesh bags. Seems the mesh is to fine and the bio ceramics are three/four times bigger than I than what came with the filter. Way to big for a size 50 AQ. The mesh bag that onions come in would work and it is always free. Looks identical as well except the onion bags are red. But they look like nylon and stretch like nylon and free.
Looks like I will need to return both items.

Do you know where I can get the same size biomedia and mesh material that came with the filter. The kind in your picture. The same size as comes with the AQ 50? I am going to try and see if I can contact them directly. Thanks in Advance.

 

ForceTen , the 1st and 2nd pic of my AC30 basket has Seachem Matrix bio-media, which is literally very porous pumice stones.

I own 2 AC30's and the original included bio-media is combined into one bag and can be seen in the 3rd pic, center bag.

Pics 3 and 4 are of my AC110. The bag on the left is more Seachem Matrix. Middle bag is the Bio-Max media that are shaped like pellets. The bag on right are the bio-ring shaped Bio-Max, which was included with the AC110.

Fluval/Aquaclear has about 4 different shapes-sizes of their Bio-Max line of media. Some are pellet shaped, while some are medium and large bio-ring shaped. There is another size of that brand that is not in the pics above. It looks like this....

Fluval 500gram box of Bio-Max and Top Fin Media Bag

• Islandvic
• Dec 24, 2018

Fluval 500gram box of Bio-Max (large ceramic bio-media rings) can be found $6-$8 online and Top...

As long as the media you bought can fit into your AC50, then that will work.

The filter is just the means to an end, where the goal is to intake tank water and push it through media, and discharging it after mechanically and biologically treating it.

It really doesn't matter the brand of filter or media, as long as the media fits and water flows through it, it works.

I think the bag on the right in the 3rd pic was originally a bag of carbon, that I emptied out, refilled with bio-rings, and did a hack job of sewing it bag up.

Spare media bags can be found at petsmart, Petco, and online like chewy.

The site liveaquaria is having a sale on aquarium supplies. I linked the site to the main page of the sale/clearance items for you. They have some assorted media bags on sale there, along with a lot of other stuff on clearance.

Any bag will do, even the fine mesh bag you mentioned. Water will flow through it just fine.

 

Islandvic.
I got brave yesterday and removed the biomedia bag I made to small, used my food vacuum (it has a heat sealer) and closed/sealed one end of the onion bag.
Dumped my biomedia into it and now I have a free bio bag with enough room to expand once I remove the carbon insert.
I have calmed down and will just wait until I get near town to look for extra bio media. The filter was very clean for being in there 2 weeks. I just changed the padding media and reassembled.

Note: the padding material came from my old filter. I used it to jump start my new AQ 50 filter.
Thanks for the link and advice as well.

 

Islandvic
The 500 gram BioMax box in your picture is the one I sent back. They were giant. Nothing like the third picture to right in the bio bag picture.
I want more of the picture in the middle. That's what came with mu AQ 50. Thanks Again.

Oh.....Got my API freshwater test kit today.

 

You will have to buy a few bags of these to get the same sized media....

Fluval Spec Bio-Max refill bag

• Islandvic
• Dec 24, 2018

Fluval Spec Bio-Max refill bag (small ceramic bio-media pellets) available online and Petsmart...

Usually they are $1.99 for a bag.

A couple of those may fit your need.

It is the same sized bag and same media as the AC30 direct replacement, but for 1/2 price. So 2 or 3 of those would equal what your AC50 came with.

You could also add a 2nd block of foam sponge. They hold a tremendous ammount of bacteria as well.

 

You will have to buy a few bags of these to get the same sized media....

Usually they are $1.99 for a bag.

A couple of those may fit your need.

It is the same sized bag and same media as the AC30 direct replacement, but for 1/2 price. So 2 or 3 of those would equal what your AC50 came with.

You could also add a 2nd block of foam sponge. They hold a tremendous ammount of bacteria as well.

Thanks very much Vic