Unpopular opinion—Imo Aquaclears are the worst

[KribensisLover1]

Hello!

So I have two tanks—a SeaClear acrylic 30 gallon flat back hex and a glass 40 breeder. The 30 acrylic had an Aquaclear 50 and the 40 breeder glass had an Ac 30 and 70. First the ac 30 broke and the motor burned out. Less than two years old. But I had my ac 70 which is doing well so it was fine

But on my acrylic tank I only had the ac 50 and it kept breaking. It would have the smallest amount of water trickling through and I would dismantle it and thoroughly clean the impeller inside and out and the filter would work again. It’s less than 18 months old. It happened every month like clock work and even when it was working the water was cloudy and gross. Long and short I got sick of it so I finally got a new filter. I was told to get a tidal 35 which I can only buy online here, but since the ac 50 broke I didn’t have time to wait a few days. I bought a fluval canister and it didn’t fit the space (sad). So I finally decided on a marineland penguin pro 275. I was not thrilled. It is huge and bulky. And everybody raves about the ac’s. Well it’s been three days. Here is my water a month ago right after a change with a working aqua clear 50. Below that is a photo of my tank three days after a water change (and the filter was broken so the tank was extra gross) with the penguin pro 275. I’m done with aquaclear (and having to prime it wasn’t my fave either!). Yay! Huge diff below in pictures.

 

[BigManAquatics]

I have been using Aqua-Techs from walmart for HOBs for years myself, made by Marineland-minus the bio-wheels-and budget friendly. Definitely like the way they keep my water clear!

 

[Jonmott]

You really can’t blame a filter on water clarity, a 5 dollar sponge filter can keep water looking clear, do you know for sure you weren’t going through some sort of algae or bacterial bloom? I know the ac’s can be finicky when restarting but that also depends on water level, lower levels of water and the Ac will néed a prime to restart, how is the 70 working? Does it keep your other tank clear? I also see a pre filter on that ac, I had to wring my sponge out every few days on mine, I have to say that my experience with ac filters have been great, mine has been running well for about 15 years with no problems, does the 50 still work? maybe you got a lemon? It happens

 

[mattgirl]

I have been using Aqua-Techs from walmart for HOBs for years myself, made by Marineland-minus the bio-wheels-and budget friendly. Definitely like the way they keep my water clear!

Have you had to buy a new one lately? I used aqua-techs for many years. They were as trouble free as a filter could be. A couple of years ago I had to replace the one I had been using for forever. It was my own fault. Sand got in it and ate both the impeller and the walls of the impeller housing. The new one lasted less than a month. I contacted the company and they immediately replaced it so great customer service. Unfortunately the second one gave up in about two weeks. In both cases the motor locked up. It seems quality control isn't what it once was. I gave up on aqua-techs. I already had a penn-plax cascade 300 I had also been running for years. I replaced the aqua-tech with another cascade.

I would not recommend any of the smaller cascade line but have not had a single issue with the 300's. I actually have 4 of them right now. 3 are in use, the fourth is still new in the box and put back for just in case. The cascade 150 caused me nothing but problems with clogging up and within 2 years it finally quit working.

I considered going with an aqua-clear until I read all the reviews on them. I was not impressed so chose not to get one. It seems like with most brands of filters if you get a good one it will be trouble free but unfortunately it seems for every one well made and trouble free there are some that aren't and are a constant hassle. It seems in today's world it is very difficult to find a dependable filter no matter the brand. It seems most are designed to fail after just a couple of years or in some cases even sooner. Good for the bottom line for the ones selling them. Not good for us and our fish.

Companies that make these products used to take pride in making a good long lasting product. In today's world quality seems to have been left behind. We now live in a disposable world.

OK, off my soapbox now.

KribensisLover1 I am very happy to hear that you found a filter that is working so well for you now. Your tank looks great.

 

[Lucy]

I like my aquaclear although it seems to have to prime them after ever power outage where my aqua-tech usually doesn't need it.

 

[Pfrozen]

My only complaints about the Aquaclears are the thin plastic and the configuration not being 100% ideal.. they've been reliable enough for me so far

 

[Cody]

I have never had an Aquaclear but I have always really like my Marineland filters. I tend to use them without the biowheels since I do not like the noise they add from the water swishing but they’re fairly quiet, reliable and good size media housing.

I have one of the newer pro models as well and I’m happy with the improvements they made. They are a little Bulky though as you said but again they have good size media housing

 

[BigManAquatics]

Have you had to buy a new one lately? I used aqua-techs for many years. They were as trouble free as a filter could be. A couple of years ago I had to replace the one I had been using for forever. It was my own fault. Sand got in it and ate both the impeller and the walls of the impeller housing. The new one lasted less than a month. I contacted the company and they immediately replaced it so great customer service. Unfortunately the second one gave up in about two weeks. In both cases the motor locked up. It seems quality control isn't what it once was. I gave up on aqua-techs. I already had a penn-plax cascade 300 I had also been running for years. I replaced the aqua-tech with another cascade.

I would not recommend any of the smaller cascade line but have not had a single issue with the 300's. I actually have 4 of them right now. 3 are in use, the fourth is still new in the box and put back for just in case. The cascade 150 caused me nothing but problems with clogging up and within 2 years it finally quit working.

I considered going with an aqua-clear until I read all the reviews on them. I was not impressed so chose not to get one. It seems like with most brands of filters if you get a good one it will be trouble free but unfortunately it seems for every one well made and trouble free there are some that aren't and are a constant hassle. It seems in today's world it is very difficult to find a dependable filter no matter the brand. It seems most are designed to fail after just a couple of years or in some cases even sooner. Good for the bottom line for the ones selling them. Not good for us and our fish.

Companies that make these products used to take pride in making a good long lasting product. In today's world quality seems to have been left behind. We now live in a disposable world.

OK, off my soapbox now.

KribensisLover1 I am very happy to hear that you found a filter that is working so well for you now. Your tank looks great.

I have not tried a newer one yet. I have seen they have changed stylisticly at least. I haven't had reason to try one yet! Also figured i would go for actual Marineland or a Tidal when that day does come....

 

[A201]

I ran two AC 110'S for many years w/ no problems, except the noise!
About a year ago I replaced them with modified Marineland Emperor 400's. No regrets.

 

[Cody]

I have not tried a newer one yet. I have seen they have changed stylisticly at least. I haven't had reason to try one yet! Also figured i would go for actual Marineland or a Tidal when that day does come....

Highlights of the new are the following.

1. The pump is not directly inline with the intake inside the aquarium which makes it self priming. Although I found they always start fine in their own after a water change. But the new ones it’s instant.

2. Adjustable flow. It is adjustable but I think it could of been better after having played around with Tidals before.

3. The output now has more of a duck bill design pushing the water straight across to the front creating much better surface agitation compared to the straight down water fall of the others.

4. Intake basket. There is a removable basket that is attached to the intake inside of the HOB. This can be filled with bio media, carbon, etc. or they make a sponge that can be installed in its places. This is more of a gimmick in my opinion. But it’s there.

Overal you can tell they added some features to compete with the AC and Tidals as they touched on some of the selling points of those filters.

 

[ruud]

I run AquaClear 20s, 30s and 50s for years, without any problem. Couple of considerations:

• A bit noisy with cover, so I run ACs without a cover.
• I am not too fond of the flow direction (of hob filters, regardless the brand), however, I only run ACs for open tanks where the water level is at par with the height of the tank. In those cases, the flow direction is great.
• The intake is not safe for shrimplets and fry. I think most people use a sponge. Depending on the sponge, it can clog a bit too quick for my liking. The last couple of years I have been using mesh protectors (as can be seen in my avatar), and these seem to represent the best of both worlds. Shrimplet and fry save, while the smallest particles are allowed to enter.
• Priming has never been an issue. Frankly, I can't even imagine how this can be problematic. When priming, position the intake in such a way that flow rate is reduced (not maximized). When water runs through, you can either leave the position as it is, or increase flow rate.

 

[jtjgg]

Aquaclear is a 40 yr old design. I started with several AC's, but replaced them with Seachem Tidals within a year.

 

[KribensisLover1]

I have to say I loved my ac for a while. And my ac 70 is fine but I guess I got two lemons Bc the 30 and the 50 did the same thing! And I’ve had them clogged before and this was not that. It was reduced output flow to almost nothing—just dribbles. And once is fine but repeatedly? I am shocked at the water clarity diff—I didn’t purchase a new filter expecting the clarity to change actually—it was totally for the fish safety but the water looks way better! It’s hard to compare the clarity of the new filter on this tank to my other tank I have an ac 70 on Bc that tank is glass so it will never look as clear and I don’t want to do a side by side when there isn’t a fair basis for comparison.

 

[ruud]

The clogging depends on your bioload and filter media of course. I think that is way more important than the actual hob filter brand, because they more or less operate the same. A comparison between difference brands only seems fair if filter media and filter volume are the same.

I love the versatilty of ACs, or perhaps hobs in general (I never tried another hob brand); the fact that I can throw in lava split as filter media and have java moss grow on top of the lava split or put in some Pothos. Lovely.

 

[LizzzFish1]

I got an Aquaclear 8 days ago and this weekend it started to rattle and then stop. Id fix it and 5 minute later it rattles and stops. I fix so many time an it stop betwen 5 minutes and 4 hourse

 

[CHJ]

I have run emps for years. I find the ones with the spray bars are to be avoided as they are a pain. The bars only work when you pull the intake and then they pump the HOB dry. So you have to point the bars back into the filter instead of having them spin the wheels. They cavitate like no ones business. You get the to stop by replacing the rotor but then they begin again. The next smaller have no spray bars and I love them.
I got 2 AQ110s free with a 220 recently. I put one on a 10g whose HOB burned after evaporating dry (we thought we had unplugged it months before). It shall we say "works well" on the 10g. A little noisy. The other is sitting on my porch as I haven't found a place that needs a hob.
They seem to have plenty of space for media so that is nice.