# Aqua Clear's...



## JWerner2 (Jul 7, 2008)

I wanna know exactly why everyone likes the AC's?

I had some in the past. I never had major problems with mine but I did have a huge pet peeve. Mine were always dirty and needed to be scrubbed out constantly do to scum or algae. I had constant guests come over so everyone noticed it along with the odor that I really think I could pin on the filters since I really never had the same odor problem after. i obviously never had Algae problems inside other HOB' since they were not clear but I also for some reason never had problems with scum build up.

What is everyones favorite function about the AC's.


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## cichlids _killer (Apr 13, 2008)

read the review section you will know why :thumb:


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## Toby_H (Apr 15, 2005)

Until the last year or so the AC110 could be bought online for around $40...

500 gph @ $40 was simply the best buy out thereâ€¦ Penguinâ€™s 350 gph filter and Emperorâ€™s 400 gph filter each cost $50+

I confess since the prices have changed they may not be the best buy out there, but they are still floating on much of the hype formed when they were the best gph per $

I do not believe that the design of the AC HOBâ€™s is any more or less prone to sludge/algae build up than any other brand. Iâ€™ve used AC, Emp, Pen & Whisper HOB filters extensively, and like them in that orderâ€¦ Iâ€™ve also used a few other brands enough not to try them againâ€¦ I suggest sticking to the major brands when it comes to filters motorized filters.

I personally prefer the media chamber of the AC â€˜s over the Pen/Emp filters. The media cartridges are pricey to purchase and (in my opinion) just arenâ€™t a very logical design (so DIY cartridges are still inefficient). All the space being left wide open with just one wall of media is a poor utilization of space.

The ACâ€™s media chamber also provides many media options, where the cartridge style HOBs are far more limited. I personally believe that bio media is a bunch of hype, but thatâ€™s a whole different conversation and since my thoughts on this are the minority, media options becomes a â€˜proâ€™ for this filter.

In my experienceâ€¦ no HOB is silent for any period of timeâ€¦ Plus the sound of the water returning to the tank is built into the design of the filter and should not be blamed on the filter. If the tank is topped off properly by the owner this is not an issue and therefore should not be blamed on the filter.

In my experienceâ€¦ AC HOB filters are less likely to have a minor goof up causing them to be louder. I was often finding myself having to tinker with my Emp & Pen filters to keep them quiet. The main sound I get from my AC110â€™s is the splashing of the water since they move significantly more waterâ€¦

I will admit that all these details asideâ€¦ I began using only AC filters for my HOB needs based on price per gphâ€¦ the other benefits were just a plus and other brands have their benefits that AC may not.

Now that their price tag is considerably higher Iâ€™m not sure if they are the best buy out there for HOBs. I was able to buy a small stockpile of them before their price went up so I havenâ€™t had to consider this question yet.


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## MidNightCowBoy (May 7, 2007)

The reason I chose the aqua clear was because I like the size of the media chamber. It's just bigger than all of the others. Also it's much more customizeable than any of the others. Having said that, it's all about canister filters! I doubt I will buy another HOB filter ever again. Even if it was for a small tank I would just buy a small cannister.

If you are having problems with a "dirty filter" I'd have to wonder if you have sufficient filtration for your tank.


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## JWerner2 (Jul 7, 2008)

> do not believe that the design of the AC HOBâ€™s is any more or less prone to sludge/algae build up than any other brand.


So you believe that a clear case will not allow more light to pass than a solid black one??????????

I'm not sure about the scum but raised lights along with pendant style ones definitely combined with the clear design is what makes them more prone to algae. 
I also did not like how cheap the plastic felt. It was way to thin for how hard the plastic was and when plastic has no flex that is not good.

I guess price is the main reason giving the look I had at the review. I guess I will just pay that few extra dollars for something I have been able to trust as I thought about giving them a shot again :lol:


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## forum-guy (Aug 3, 2008)

Wait, you said the tank smelled?? MAN I use to have that SAME problem! Any ideas how to fix this? Maybe some Carbon.. but that stuff is Way too expensive to keep replacing every two weeks.


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## Guest (Aug 4, 2008)

forum-guy said:


> Wait, you said the tank smelled?? MAN I use to have that SAME problem! Any ideas how to fix this? Maybe some Carbon.. but that stuff is Way too expensive to keep replacing every two weeks.


Purigen...it lasts longer and is rechargeable...

Also more frequent water changes and if you have gravel more frequent gravel cleanings can reduce the smell.


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## Guest (Aug 4, 2008)

JWerner2 said:


> > do not believe that the design of the AC HOBâ€™s is any more or less prone to sludge/algae build up than any other brand.
> 
> 
> So you believe that a clear case will not allow more light to pass than a solid black one??????????
> ...


If you are concerned about algae growing in it because of your hanging lights then why not paint the outside of the filter or cover it?

What is wrong with plastic not having flexibility? Personally I think soft, flexible plastic feels more cheaper than hard plastic. The question is whether or not the hard plastic is brittle, and my aquaclears don't feel brittle at all... I've dropped the lip a number of times with no issues...and I don't see a reason why you'd drop the filter itself...

Also, you said your lights are pendant style...that sounds like Metal Halide lights...why are you using them on your freshwater tank if they are metal halides? And if your tank is saltwater, why are you using a HOB on a saltwater tank?

I personally see nothing wrong with the way AquaClear's are built...I mean unless you rough house them I don't see how they could break at all...I currently have been using them for over a year on my quarantine and fry tanks. And if you are concerned about the plastic on them being hard and not flexible, would you say the same thing about canister filters? My eheim classic canister filters are built with rock hard plastic and are very sturdy. The Aquaclear seems very sturdy also and I don't see how you could break it unless you deliberately slam one on the ground...

~Ed


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## JWerner2 (Jul 7, 2008)

> What is wrong with plastic not having flexibility?


Plastic that does not flex is cheap and can snap easily thats just common sense  . I can go on about tons of items that are clear plastic specifically that I have come across that are very brittle do to that fact. When needing to lift it out from between the aquarium and the wall sometimes things happen. Also when dealing with things that may be wet they can be slippery which means they can accidentally slip and fall onto the ground.



> Also, you said your lights are pendant style...that sounds like Metal Halide lights...why are you using them on your freshwater tank if they are metal halides? And if your tank is saltwater, why are you using a HOB on a saltwater tank?


The lights I have used at that time were on stands but I decided to use pendant style as a added example. Not every pendant style light is a metal halide nor do they need to be on a saltwater aquarium plain and simple  . I have some right now laying around that I made a while back with screw in PC's for when we get into a house to just add some effect to the room itself. Also besides that point many people have used plenty of HOB's on marine nano tanks from 20 Long's on down. I have myself and never saw any problem with it at all!



PS: I have included the use of smiley faces to provide reassurance that I am not trying to come off in a rude way.


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## JWerner2 (Jul 7, 2008)

Marduk said:


> forum-guy said:
> 
> 
> > Wait, you said the tank smelled?? MAN I use to have that SAME problem! Any ideas how to fix this? Maybe some Carbon.. but that stuff is Way too expensive to keep replacing every two weeks.
> ...


+1 I also found that some foods can make a huge difference. I like the Hikari Cichlid gold pellets in large for my Jag Cichlids but they smelled horrible. They smelled up the whole entire apartment.


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## Guest (Aug 4, 2008)

Well using Metal Halides on Freshwater tanks is a waste of money in my opinion and could seriously overhead a freshwater tank if you don't have a chiller. Metal Halides are just extra lights you don't need for a freshwater...especially since metal halides are sold mostly for corals in saltwater tanks.

Common sense tells me not to handle objects when they are slippery and especially pricey . For example I tried to lift a slippery (from algae and tank water) 50lb granite rock out of my rock recently and half way up I drop it, and thankfully the sand and eggcrate broke the fall sparing the glass.

And I understand an accident can happen when lifting it from behind the tank...but even so I find that highly unlikely. As long as you remember to move the little piece of plastic that balances the HOB against the glass nothing should break or even be close to breaking, especially if you allowing adequate room behind the tank for the filter.

You got me with the HOB's on nanoreef tanks... :lol: It's just canisters in my opinion (and at least at my LFS) are more popular with small salt water tanks, and then the other popular one is refugiums/sumps.

~Ed


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## zugbug (Dec 12, 2005)

Marduk said:


> forum-guy said:
> 
> 
> > Wait, you said the tank smelled?? MAN I use to have that SAME problem! Any ideas how to fix this? Maybe some Carbon.. but that stuff is Way too expensive to keep replacing every two weeks.


Purigen...it lasts longer and is rechargeable...

never heard of or used this stuff but it looks like pretty good stuff much better than carbon!


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## JWerner2 (Jul 7, 2008)

Marduk said:


> Well using Metal Halides on Freshwater tanks is a waste of money in my opinion and could seriously overhead a freshwater tank if you don't have a chiller. Metal Halides are just extra lights you don't need for a freshwater...especially since metal halides are sold mostly for corals in saltwater tanks.
> 
> Common sense tells me not to handle objects when they are slippery and especially pricey . For example I tried to lift a slippery (from algae and tank water) 50lb granite rock out of my rock recently and half way up I drop it, and thankfully the sand and eggcrate broke the fall sparing the glass.
> 
> ...


O, when I made my statement on the Pendant system I was saying that they dont have to be metal halide and then what I meant to say is that those systems that are not metal halide do not have to be on a Marine/Reef type setup. I agree that they can be pointless on freshwater.

But really, we are talking about aquariums. What are the chances things will always be dry?

Yes canisters are great for tanks over 30g when doing saltwater. But anything under that is pointless to use one on unless you want to plumb in a UV sterilizer.


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## Toby_H (Apr 15, 2005)

Iâ€™ve cracked several AC 110 shells by picking up the filter from one side when it had some water in itâ€¦ and I thought it was emptyâ€¦

I also agree hard plastics are more brittle than soft plasticsâ€¦

Your algae issue with them surprises me. My local water has high phosphates in it and I fight algae in a lot of my tanksâ€¦ but I do not get much algae built up in my AC 110sâ€¦ I guess you had an algae that likes current more than my algae doesâ€¦

 <~~ I didnâ€™t make any jokes but thatâ€™s because Iâ€™m in a good mood


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