# Aquaclear Filter Question



## Plectoman (May 13, 2009)

Hey Guys, 

I decided on getting a aquaclear 70 filter for my 55 gallon. Ive read some reviews on the product and they all seem positive. I plan on removing the carbon portion since I wont be adding chemicals in the near future. Should I just keep one sponge and one biomax in the filter? Or maybe two sponges and one biomax? Also, should these parts ever be replaced? Maybe yearly? Thank you for the advice!


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

i would suggest the AC 110 over the 70....i have been using the AC filters for years....they are my favorites...and the least expensive to operate in the long run...
i set the carbon aside and use it only if i need it....
you can use the biobeads because they are great for holding the bacteria....i have foam blocks that are 4 and 5 years old...use them until they are falling apart...but before you toss the old one...put the new one under it for a few days so you can transfer some of the bacteria to it....then you can clean and cut up the old one to make prefilters .....


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## AquariumTech (Oct 12, 2010)

Its up to you and your tank what you do with chemical media, personally in most cases I like to use it. Like what was said above, get the 110, it will serve you much better. Now I would keep the media it comes with, bio-max is pretty much the best stuff out there for biological filtration capacity, but its up to you wether you want another sponge, or some other bio media. Pretty much anything that does mechanical filtration, has a decent amount of biological (even some chemical medias), so adding another sponge will still give you more biological filtration and mechanical, but like I said its up to you what you want to do. Most mechanical and biological medias pretty much last forever too, so pretty much no matter what you get (including stock stuff), your not going to have to worry about replacing it.


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## Plectoman (May 13, 2009)

Good news!..a friend of mine has an unused marineland emperor 400 filter. This would definitely save me some money. Can anyone comment on the quality of this filter?


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## AquariumTech (Oct 12, 2010)

No lol, the problem is it relies on the bio-wheel for biological filtration. Now in theory it works, problem is Marineland didnt give 100% I guess when they made it so, it is pretty much near useless. Not to mention, look at the amount of media that comes with the AC110, then glance over at the Marineland, you will see that just the sponge in the AC, is more media than the Emperor has all together. Media, is the "soul" of a filter, media is what makes a filter, a filter. Otherwise you just have something moving your water around (powerhead, current pump). So having more, usually (not true under all circumstances/with all filters) media usually means a better filter, and in this case that is definitely so. 

Fluval C Series, AquaClears, and possibly the Rena SmartFilter, should be the only HOBs anyone ever considers buying, the most competition just doesnt come close.


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## toddnbecka (Jun 30, 2006)

I ran 2 70's on my 55's before I upgraded tank sizes to 75's, still run 1 on my 33 long. I just use 3 sponge blocks, and replace them when they're actually falling apart. They usually last for years before that happens.


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## bmlbytes (Aug 1, 2009)

I've run almost every brand of filter out there. The Hagen Aquaclear filters are among my favorite. They give you many of the benefits of a canister filter, while still having the price of a HOB filter. 

I also like the Emperor/Penguin series made by Marineland. The Biowheels always did work well for me. Many of them have an adjustable spray bar, which really helps. You just have to get it so it continuously spins. The one complaint I have about these is, you have to adjust it JUST right so that it spins well, but doesn't splash. The noise it makes when its not adjusted properly is annoying.

The best filters you can get, are by far canister filters. After my first canister filter, I swear I will use nothing else ever again. I would look into it the next time you have a few extra bucks to spend.


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## Plectoman (May 13, 2009)

I decided on spending the cash and got the ac 110..thanks for the advice


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## AquariumTech (Oct 12, 2010)

Plectoman said:


> I decided on spending the cash and got the ac 110..thanks for the advice


Good choice and GL.


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## snyderguy (Feb 9, 2010)

Hit a super deal yesterday, got a 110 and a 70 for only $18 total. Plus a 29 gallon with canopy and lights for only $25


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## AquariumTech (Oct 12, 2010)

Yea used aquarium stuff is ridiculous these days.


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