# done with AC 110



## B.Roberson (Nov 6, 2011)

so my 75 gal mbuna. I have a xp3 rena. along with a ac110. for the last 2-3 yrs. 
my ac110 has been thru 3-4 impellors and shafts. and been replaced once.. I CANNOT keep the sand out of the impellor on them.. I have A prefilter on the intake, ,,I have raised it, moved it , lowereed it ,raised it, put another sponge on the intake tube........ STILLL sand gets to the impeller, and in a month its grinding like the old...,,, and *** tried vasoline, plumbers grease just plain water cleaning with q tips brushes ,smoothed out the shaft with sandpaper, and even my grinder to make it smooth. My 22 mbuna actually pick up the sand in their mouths and spit it ALL over the tank.. So it is virtually impossible to keep sand out of the intake... Sorry auqua clear.. I am replacing you.

suggestions what to compliment my rena xp3?? 
thanks


----------



## austings (May 12, 2012)

Sounds like you dont have any problems with your XP3, so why not another?


----------



## B.Roberson (Nov 6, 2011)

i thought that, but their not shipping with the parts tray anymore. makes customizing hard.. and wondering ??? just wondering?


----------



## cichlid-gal (Apr 27, 2012)

One last ditch effort on your AC110...try a pre-filter. Fine enough to catch the sand. You will have to clean it often to keep it effective and not have your flow reduced but I understand that they work well.

If you are looking at a canister filter to replace the AC110 you want to look for one that moves between 300-500GPH (old rating on AC110's say 500GPH, new Hagan model says 300GPH). Your current Rena XP3 is rated at about 350GPH. . I don't think you can go wrong with an Eheim. I'd recommend a 2217 (263GPH) or 2075 (290-320GPH) in the Eheims. Lots of folks have Fluval FX5's (925GPH) on their 75G tanks also.


----------



## noddy (Nov 20, 2006)

I have never had a problem with sand and my emperor 400, but then again, it's on a 29" tall tank. Same goes for Eheim filters, they do get full of sand, but that's not an issue because of the fact that the water comes in the bottom and the the motor is on the top. I threw out all my aquaclears years ago.


----------



## B.Roberson (Nov 6, 2011)

yes, thats becoming the issue. I love the ease of the auqau clear, cleaning etc. and huge gph. and i have a prrefilter on the intake for some time. But im really running thin on keeping replacing the impellor and shaft to keep it quiet. Maybe aquaclear should make some design changes idk? 
so ? eheim? im frustrated rena has gone cheap. along with almost the rest of America. Pretty sad.
something with 300+ gph. or about there.


----------



## SOU812 (Jun 11, 2013)

they make surface skimmers for the ac 110,I doubt you'll get sand in your filter with one of these


----------



## B.Roberson (Nov 6, 2011)

really? I did not know that! I will look, thank you


----------



## littleolme (Nov 1, 2011)

I'm a big fan of Eheim classics.


----------



## CrypticLifeStyle (Dec 14, 2009)

Maybe instead of changing equipment you change the substrate? Seems to be the cheaper alternative. I keep a emp 400 on a 29g with no sand problems, but i also use pool filter sand.


----------



## Kaenon (Dec 12, 2012)

How close are your inlet pipes to the sand bed?

I run 4 AC 70s on my 55 gallon and I have no issues with getting sand in the filters.


----------



## B.Roberson (Nov 6, 2011)

im 6" off the sand bed... I have 22 mbuna in here. They move sand from one end of the tank to the other in 2 days.. And then back to the other end by the weekend... sooooo sand is flying around. you can see it. They pick it up ,go half way up the tank and spit it out.. there is no possible way to keep it out of the filter without something protecting the intake.. I finally got a good sanding on this one shaft and currently its silent.. I still have a prefilter on my filter.. but why do i have to PREFILTER my filter?? i shouldnt have to. maybe if you have 5 fish in your tank and they are not spitting sand all over it wouldnt be a problem, idk? even with the prefilter when I rinse the canister there is sand in the bottom of the body. so sand is still creeping by. Thus going THRU the impeller to get to that point!!!
dont get me wrong. I like it. Worked fine on my comm tank. and before i switched to sand. Sand recommended by others that have it. I dont think they run hob's. I am looking to move it to my 30 hospital.. but i already have a ac70 on it, with gravel though... does perfect!


----------



## cichlid-gal (Apr 27, 2012)

B.Roberson said:


> im 6" off the sand bed... I have 22 mbuna in here. They move sand from one end of the tank to the other in 2 days.. And then back to the other end by the weekend... sooooo sand is flying around. you can see it. They pick it up ,go half way up the tank and spit it out.. there is no possible way to keep it out of the filter without something protecting the intake.. I finally got a good sanding on this one shaft and currently its silent.. I still have a prefilter on my filter.. but why do i have to PREFILTER my filter?? i shouldnt have to. maybe if you have 5 fish in your tank and they are not spitting sand all over it wouldnt be a problem, idk? even with the prefilter when I rinse the canister there is sand in the bottom of the body. so sand is still creeping by. Thus going THRU the impeller to get to that point!!!
> dont get me wrong. I like it. Worked fine on my comm tank. and before i switched to sand. Sand recommended by others that have it. I dont think they run hob's. I am looking to move it to my 30 hospital.. but i already have a ac70 on it, with gravel though... does perfect!


Well if this is the case "They move sand from one end of the tank to the other in 2 days and then back...so sand is flying"...it won't matter what you you get...HOB or canister...they will ALL fail because of sand intake. What type of fish do you have? My fish pick up sand and move it but they have room to move it so it doesn't get in the filters...my Lions Cove tank has 11 large mbuna and 6 smaller mbuna (and a number of juvies) but I don't have the problems you are talking about ...maybe the 75G is just too small now that the 22 fish are fully grown...I don't know.


----------



## B.Roberson (Nov 6, 2011)

well maybe not "flying around". But they sure move it around. a mound here, pile on this rock today, a pile on another rock tomorrow. I know the current moves the sand a bit but seeing the sand in the box of my ac110 i still know sand is getting by the prefilter. so i dunno.. My rena on the same tank has no issue, the filter pads pick it up and i only see it when i rinse them, so the sand doesnt make it to the pump.


----------



## Mschn99 (Dec 24, 2012)

What type of sand are you using? Maybe the type of sand itself is the problem. I use sand with aquaclear and canister filters and find VERY VERY few sand grains in filters ever. But i use pool filter sand that is larger grain and sink faster. If your using play sand i can see that being your problem.


----------



## Ensorcelled (Mar 1, 2011)

Mschn99 said:


> What type of sand are you using? Maybe the type of sand itself is the problem. I use sand with aquaclear and canister filters and find VERY VERY few sand grains in filters ever. But i use pool filter sand that is larger grain and sink faster. If your using play sand i can see that being your problem.


This. I don't get how you're having so many problems? I use different sand in both of my tanks and I have never had an issue with my AC's getting destroyed from sand. I say this with confidence because I'm going on 4+ years on one AC110 with all original parts and another AC110 going on 2+ years also all original parts. My cichlids throw sand everywhere constantly as well.


----------

