Which Filter? Seachem Tidal 55 Or Aquaclear 50?

Which filter is better? Seachem Tidal 55 or the Aquaclear 50 or the Marineland Penguin 200?

 

Better is subjective. Tidals are still new so longetivity is unknown. Aquaclears are a tried and true work horse that last. Marineland filters I personally don't like.

 

david1978 Is 100% correct.

I favor Marineland.

 

Well I replaced my AC 70 with a because it will always work after a power failure. Even using the Heater bracket. Skimmer works fine and quieter also.

 

Well I replaced my AC 70 with a because it will always work after a power failure. Even using the Heater bracket. Skimmer works fine and quieter also.

How long has the filter been going/how long have you had it?

 

How long has the filter been going/how long have you had it?

Just 2 months. Longevity? Well all there is is a pump motor made by the same company as all of them, the rest is plastic. 5 year warranty isn't too bad either.

 

I have an AQ and I like it, but I have heard during a powe outage, you can't count on them to restart. I can't speak to the rest.

 

I think there is some mixing of apples and oranges regarding the Aquaclears restarting after no power.
If they don’t start at all after power fail, that’s a maintenance issue. The impeller “jams” in the motor and needs a bump or flick to get it turning. That’s caused by gunk or other particles in the motor, that shouldn’t be there. I think any filter could suffer from that, if not properly maintained.
Ac filters may lose their prime after a power fail, if the water line falls below the filter box end of the intake tube. Tidals, having the filter motor in the tank side of the unit, are not prone to this.
I have used both, and I think I like the tidal better. The outflow adjustment allows for much greater range of flows, the surface skimmer feature is great, the adjustable depth intake tube is nice, and my fave feature is one they don’t even advertise. If your waterline is close to the filter’s outflow, that outflow is directed laterally across the water’s surface, not downwards. Better surface gas exchange without the turbulence. And it’s super quiet. My only complaint is the the filter sponge is too coarse. Great home not bacteria, not so awesome at catching fine debris. Filter floss = problem solved.

 

I think there is some mixing of apples and oranges regarding the Aquaclears restarting after no power.
If they don’t start at all after power fail, that’s a maintenance issue. The impeller “jams” in the motor and needs a bump or flick to get it turning. That’s caused by gunk or other particles in the motor, that shouldn’t be there. I think any filter could suffer from that, if not properly maintained.
Ac filters may lose their prime after a power fail, if the water line falls below the filter box end of the intake tube. Tidals, having the filter motor in the tank side of the unit, are not prone to this.
I have used both, and I think I like the tidal better. The outflow adjustment allows for much greater range of flows, the surface skimmer feature is great, the adjustable depth intake tube is nice, and my fave feature is one they don’t even advertise. If your waterline is close to the filter’s outflow, that outflow is directed laterally across the water’s surface, not downwards. Better surface gas exchange without the turbulence. And it’s super quiet. My only complaint is the the filter sponge is too coarse. Great home not bacteria, not so awesome at catching fine debris. Filter floss = problem solved.

Agree. And of course 100% of all Aquaclears in the world have had their maintenance done every month right? Let's drop that to say 30-40% will not have the maintenance done. Couple that with the flow rate turned to the right to reduce the flow, media plugged by at lease 50% and that's why they may not start.

 

I'm probably the worst person for filter maintance and I can say I have never had one not restart. And power outages are a weekly thing here.

 

I have over the years had many different filters in including sumps. The only HOB filter I have used are the Aqua Clear. I also live in an area that has quite a few power failures and I can not remember any AC that failed to restart after an outage. BuI I will say this I do clean my HOB filters every week and this includes cleaning the pump and I know this helps. I still believe in AC HOBs. I to am looking at the Tidal HOBs but will wait to see how there performance is and reliable.

Thanks Bill

 

AC50's go for $35 online while Tidal 55's go for $40 on Amazon. So price is about the same.

Tidal's are made by Sicce, have skimmer feature, 3 year warranty and the lid turns into a holder for the media basket when it's removed. All that plus a submerged pump, I would try a Tidal.

I own 4x AC's, but when I need another HOB, I have been wanting a Tidal lately.

 

l can't speak for the Tidal but l really like the Aquaclear 50. l used them on 20 longs in the past. Now l have 2 10's and use them on the 10's. l put AC 30 impellers in them so it wouldn't be too much flow for a 10 gallon. l first had an AC 20 on a 10. But switched to the 50 because of the huge media basket. The only times l've had an AC that would not restart after an outage is if l went too many months without cleaning the motor/impeller area(usually more than 5 or 6 months).