Which hang on filters are more quiet, Aquaclear 70 or Fluval C4?

[sealife]

Looking for a dead silent hang on back filter. I have owned an Aquaclear 70 in past and I wasn't exactly the quietest. Is the Fluval C4 more quiet?
Thanks.

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[SpaceFish42]

I prefer the tetra whisper power filters, but that's just my opinion.

 

[sealife]

That brand is not available in my area. Its mainly Fluval, and a few lower name brands.

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[SpaceFish42]

What size tank?

 

[sealife]

50g. Not set up yet. I have Eheim 2217. And instead of an air pump I was going to use wave maker to circulate the water cause they are quieter. Now I'm thinking a hob filter would probably be better than wave maker and clean the water as a bonus too.

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[SpaceFish42]

I have heard that the Fluval C4 is really good and super quiet.

 

[sealife]

Yeah im leaning towards that. I want to know how quiet they are. As my Aquaclear 70 was not really dead silent. Good filter though.

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[KevinB]

Yeah im leaning towards that. I want to know how quiet they are. As my Aquaclear 70 was not really dead silent. Good filter though.

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Please let us know on the C4 since you have experience with the AQ70. I have the latter, and I know it's quieter than the whisper 40, but don't have much else to compare to.

 

[calfishguy]

I have a c3 and an AC 70 and I would say that what decides how quiet they are is the water level in the tank. As the water evaporates they get louder. It's the same motor in both after all.

 

[sealife]

True. They have same motor.
Which is better in filtration? Is the C series a gimmick with all the cartridges and stuff?

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[Brookster123]

Well... i happen to have both! AC 70, dead silent right out of the box, works excellent. Fluval c4, not so quiet out of the box, after a few months it is now silent though. I'm sure some will disagree here. I'd suggest the 70, better flow, more for bio media. My main issue with the c4 is lack of dedicated bio media. At the end of the day they're both good filters.

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[MrGame]

I can't speak for the Aquaclear, but my C4 is a monster at cleaning the water and is near-silent. It's so quiet you can't hear it over the ambient noise in my home


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[RightTurnClyde]

It can come down to luck of the draw with either the AC 70 or the C4. The key is getting a motor shaft that is dead straight along with a well balanced impeller. I had an AC 50 that always had a slight rattle to it, even after trying all the usual tricks to fix it. Then I upgraded to an AC 70 and it was quiet right from the start.

But honestly, there's no such thing as a "dead silent" HOB filter. Anything with a magnetic impeller that moves a decent amount of water is going to at least have a slight hum and rush of water to it.

 

[KevinB]

Well... i happen to have both! AC 70, dead silent right out of the box, works excellent. Fluval c4, not so quiet out of the box, after a few months it is now silent though. I'm sure some will disagree here. I'd suggest the 70, better flow, more for bio media. My main issue with the c4 is lack of dedicated bio media. At the end of the day they're both good filters.

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My AC70 is pretty quiet, but it's not "dead silent". My comparisons are a Whisper 40 and on a smaller tank I had a Penguin 100. The Penguin was indeed silent, but a smaller filter. The AC70 is MUCH quieter than the Whisper.

One thing I've noticed though, is if I remove the top of the filter of (the AC70) it quiets it even more. It's not resonating or rattling though.

 

[ScaryFatKidGT]

I have a c3 and an AC 70 and I would say that what decides how quiet they are is the water level in the tank. As the water evaporates they get louder. It's the same motor in both after all.

Yeah I have a C4 and a AC 110, its really all just water noise. Why do you need it so quiet? I would point ur cansiter near the surface and then just unplug the HOB when you need it quiet.

Well... i happen to have both! AC 70, dead silent right out of the box, works excellent. Fluval c4, not so quiet out of the box, after a few months it is now silent though. I'm sure some will disagree here. I'd suggest the 70, better flow, more for bio media. My main issue with the c4 is lack of dedicated bio media. At the end of the day they're both good filters.

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Dedicated bio media? It has its own trickle chamber of "dedicated bio media".

 

[MrGame]

Didn't Fluval acquire AC and now the C series is replacing them?


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[Brookster123]

Yeah I have a C4 and a AC 110, its really all just water noise. Why do you need it so quiet? I would point ur cansiter near the surface and then just unplug the HOB when you need it quiet.

Dedicated bio media? It has its own trickle chamber of "dedicated bio media".

Yah.. Tiny chamber with very little bio media, luckily you can add lots more to the aux basket.

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[Quest84]

I have a c3 and an AC 70 and I would say that what decides how quiet they are is the water level in the tank. As the water evaporates they get louder. It's the same motor in both after all.

the water level of the tank is the biggest issue with noise, leaving a waterfall sound. I have an AC 110, 70, and the fluval c4 along with a bunch of canisters, they are all pretty much the same but I prefer the aquaclears to the C4, you can pack alot more filter floss, carbon, purigen or whatever other media you choose. I attached a couple photos of the Fluval c4 where you put in your media, look how small it is

 

[ScaryFatKidGT]

Didn't Fluval acquire AC and now the C series is replacing them?


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Hagen has always owned both, I'm guessing the C's were probably intended to replace the AC's but the AC's are so popular they keep selling them and there is no C to replace the AC20 or AC110.

 

[Jferrante]

Hagen owns both Fluval and Aquaclear. I have an aquaclear filter it may be different but it's silent. It only makes noise when starting up but after the water is where it needs to be I can't hear a thing from it, even when it pours water back in the tank.
My tank that has it is only 5 gallons but I figure if you have enough water in the tank you probably won't hear a thing. But Idk about the Fluval C4 but I figure it's exactly the same other than the color since it's the same manufacture.