I Like My SeaChem Tidal 55

Just got a SeaChem Tidal 55 today and put it on a 10 gallon tank. It will ultimately be used on a larger tank, but it is on a 10 for now.

I thought it would be okay on the 10 by virtue of the ability to reduce the water flow. However, the water flow is still very strong for a 10 gallon tank even at the minimum setting. I have moderated the flow a bit further using a sponge and with that, it seems okay.

The filter is very quiet right out of the box. I also have an Aqueon Quietflow 30. It is now almost as quiet but was not as quiet out of the box. It took several weeks to build up some biofilm and / or algae to reduce the noise. I have an old Fluval 70 that was very loud at first but got quieter over time.

I like the overall quality feel of the filter. I have watched several reviews and my experience is similar to the reviews. I am currently using the standard supplied media plus some donor seeded media. I plan to let it run like that for a while and then customize the media a bit. Perhaps add some filter floss for better fine particle filtering.

Assembly and start up was easy and intuitive, especially since I had watched some video reviews.

 

some complain about bypass issue, not sure its true or not.

 

I have the same filter on my 20g. Love it! Simple design, quiet, and easy to mod the way you want it. I added a layer of poly-fill between the sponge and bio-bag, and it works great for me

 

I added a layer of poly-fill between the sponge and bio-bag, and it works great for me

This is what I am contemplating.

some complain about bypass issue, not sure its true or not.

Do you mean bypassing the media?

It appears to draw water to the bottom and let it filter up through the media. I suppose if the media did not fill the entire box the water might follow the path of least resistance and by pass some of the media. Hard to tell.

 

This is what I am contemplating.


Do you mean bypassing the media?

It appears to draw water to the bottom and let it filter up through the media. I suppose if the media did not fill the entire box the water might follow the path of least resistance and by pass some of the media. Hard to tell.

I think some user complain box is not tight enough at the backwall to prevent water overflow, so when you put more media in it, the water will just go through the back wall, which has the least resistance.
I don't own tidal so I don't know how much is true, someone could put some extra media in it, and open the lid to check if there is overflow from backwall.

found this on youtube, I don't own tidal so I don't know how true it is.

 

I recently added one to my 20 long as well after my AC 50 started acting up a little and I agree it is a really nice filter lot of room for media and I like how the basket comes out and holds everything as well as the flow can literally be turned down to a trickle. Sorg67 yours may seem very strong cause from the front to back of a 10 isn’t very wide. If it’s on there just to be seeded for another tank maybe you can hang it off the side so the flow isn’t as powerful.. just a thought

 

s002 Thanks for posting the video. I watched and did the same thing the guy in the video did. The water level does come up when I turn the flow up but it does not come up higher than the level of the basket.

The guy in the video also commented on weak suction. I do not see how bypassing the media would cause weak suction.

Looks like it works fine to me.

The fact that you cannot turn the skimmer all the way off is good to know. I suppose you could block it if you wanted it completely off.

 

I think some user complain box is not tight enough at the backwall to prevent water overflow, so when you put more media in it, the water will just go through the back wall, which has the least resistance.
I don't own tidal so I don't know how much is true, someone could put some extra media in it, and open the lid to check if there is overflow from backwall.

found this on youtube, I don't own tidal so I don't know how true it is.

You can please all the people some of the time, you can please some of the people all of the time, but you can't please all the people all of the time! I think this guy is really picking the nit!

Yes, mine does the same thing too, but it's such a small amount of water that I don't think it really amounts to more than a hill of beans. We're talking about a 1/64 or smaller gap between the basket and the frame. Water under pressure will find that gap, and due to the pressure and such a small opening, it will look like it's a lot of water, but in reality, it's minuscule. Think optical delusion here.

No, you can't "shut off" the skimmer. The top adjustment knob adjusts total flow through the filter. The bottom adjustment knob diverts the intake to/from the skimmer, but it can be reduced to next to nothing.

I feed flake, freeze dried and frozen, and have never noticed food being drawn in through the skimmer nor have I noticed excessive clogging from food. I have never seen the "clogged bobber" in any position other than all the way down. In other words, mine has never clogged to the point to showing or overflowing. At best, I clean mine every two weeks, so I would think if clogging from taking food in through the skimmer, it would show after two weeks.

I have also been around long enough to know that any product that is mass produced is going to have a small percentage of product that slips through QC and isn't quite up to par. It's not fair to judge a product line based on a single unit.

All to be taken with a grain of salt. Personally, I'm totally happy with my Tidal 55. It has done it's job flawlessly for me, and I would and do recommend it to anyone that asks. YMMV.

 

some complain about bypass issue, not sure its true or not.

I added some media and got some by pass. I am not sure the by pass issue is significant. But you can avert the bypass by reducing the flow. I do not think the by pass issue applies with the standard media. It seems to only apply when you stuff too much media in the box. Or when the media needs cleaning.

I wonder if some people who are customizing media are putting too much in. It seems that having some space for water to flow easily would be important.