Aqua Clear Filters on Amazon

[RobStark]

So I was sure I was going to get an Aqua Clear 70 or 110 for my 29BF after doing some research and seeing all the good reviews.

Today I was planning on placing my order so I'm looking for the best price online and I notice on Amazon they have a disclaimer on the Aquaclear page. It says


Item Under Review While this item is available from other marketplace sellers on this page, it is not currently offered by Amazon.com because customers have told us there may be something wrong with our inventory of the item, the way we are shipping it, or the way it's described here. (Thanks for the tip!)
We're working to fix the problem as quickly as possible.


Then I check out the reviews and click on the 1 stars to see why 72 people gave it 1 star. Alot of people saying they aren't built like they used to be.


Now I'm a bit worried about buying one of these. Was there a timeframe when they were being built of inferior parts or in a factory with poor QC? Or are they just hit and miss and that's the way it is? I'll be making a purchase very soon so it's crunch time for making a decision and this just threw a monkey wrench in my plans.

 

[mattcham]

Ignore the negative reviews. I have aquaclear 50, 70, 110, all purchased between Feb 2014 and today. All of them are problem free. The newest reviews on Amazon have been positive. Most of the complaints seem unreasonable to me. For example, one person wanted a cartridge style filter medium that could all be conveniently discarded without needing to wash anything. Clearly someone who has never head of the nitrogen cycle or biological filter...

 

[RobStark]

Yeah, the disclaimer from Amazon kind of freaked me out a bit. After reading through all of the 1 and 2 star reviews, I see your point.

At least half of them seem to be people who don't know what they are doing, or had a problem with shipping breaking their filter.

The other half have issues with either the motor quitting out of nowhere or the impeller being noisy, stopping, or breaking.

There are way more 5 star reviews than 1 and 2 star. I guess I could be unlucky and get a cracked one from shipping or a bad impeller, but it seems the odds are definitely in my favor of getting a good one.

 

[toddnbecka]

I've been using aquaclears for about 30 years now, don't even have any other brands any longer. Check e-bay too, might find a better price there than on Amazon.

 

[mattcham]

Some of the reviews claim that the sponge falls apart and disintegrates rather quickly. This is also not true. It's the same material for the past 20 years. I've even bleached some of my sponges for 5 minutes in 20% Chlorox and they are fine (must completely wash off bleach or it will kill fish!).

Do not squeeze a sponge that has dried up (become crusty) with organics. That will shatter the infrastructure of any sponge. It's like shattering steel that was frozen with liquid nitrogen. Make sure the sponge is thoroughly wet before you squeeze it.

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[Paul1792]

Suggestion: Investigate Fluval C4

Both made by the same company, Hagen. Go here and see my post #11

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f60/what-is-the-best-hob-filter-138948-2.html

The Fluval C series is far more advanced and represents the latest technology. The only reason I got a aquaclear is because of the people on this forum that swear by them. I find custom media in the Fluval C much easier than in the AC. In my opinion, the Fluval C makes and AquaClear an absolute relic from the past.

You might take a look at these pictures of HOB's in my photobucket account:

HOB Filtration Photos by Paul1792 | Photobucket

Good luck whatever you decide.

The only real problem both of these share is they use the same motor (up to AC70) and the motors/impellers are sometimes noisy at first ...... but the problem usually goes away and the chance of a problem with noise is completely random.

If you need an AC110 ...... there is no C5 to compete ...... but there's enough room in there to use floss and Purigen to get crystal clear water.

Best wishes.

 

[mattcham]

I decided not to get the fluval C series because a large minority of verified amazon reviews complained that the impeller chamber frequently gets clogged by bio-slime, possibly due to tighter chamber design. I do not know if this is true but many verified owners mentioned it.

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[RobStark]

Wow, Ok. I think my mind has been changed. The C series looks great. I'm heading out now to buy at a shop instead of online.

 

[marsh]

I know you changed your mind but in any case, I got my new aqua clear 70 from amazon this week, set it up today and it's working perfectly!

I would go through amazon again. By the way it was thicker than expected but hey, I should have known. I have it mounted on the side of my 29g as I have used whisper in-tank filters up till now and put my tank very close to the wall. Oops

 

[Paul1792]

Wow, Ok. I think my mind has been changed. The C series looks great. I'm heading out now to buy at a shop instead of online.

*********
You can usually get the Fluval C4 for about the same price as AC70 unless there is a super sale at Amazon or Drs Foster & Smith.

I have a C4 and two C3's ....... one from Amazon, two from Drs Foster & Smith ...... I watched the sales and when I bought mine when the C's were the same or less than the AC's. I've seen the reverse thought ...... I think it depends on what's hot or in short supply or over supply at the time.

I hope you love your C4. Since the C4 can perform like a canister, it's worth it even when the price is more.

 

[RobStark]

Well I went to petsupplies plus first and they only had fluval aquaclear..the 70 was 49.95. So then I went down the road to Petsmart. They had C2 and C3's. But no C4's. Instead they had fluval aquaclear 70. So I asked the aquatics employee if they had any C4's in the back. He checked and no luck. Then he checked and they didn't even have a spot on the shelf for them. He said they are probably phasing them out because they didn't sell well. I didnt think that was the case and told him they seem to be really good from reviews ive seen. He said we get mixed reviews and they have some issues. I pointed out you can find the same mixed reviews on the ac70 and most are from broken parts during shipping or not enough knowledge on fishkeeping and filters. But he insisted they have issues and petsmart is probably not carring them anymore.

Anyways, the AC70 they had was on sale for $45.59. Which is about the same as the best price I found online..so thats what I got. They also had fluval air pumps on sale so I grabbed a Q1 with the 2 outlets for $27.59.

Even though they didnt have the C4, overall I'm happy with what I picked up today. And excited to get it all set up. Only need to order my Current sat + led light now. A local place carrys them but at 110 dollars for the 18". Almost 40 dollars more than online.

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[RobStark]

LOL my tank looks like a jacuzzi the water is bubbling so much at the top. With 2 air stones coming from that Fluval Q1, plus the AC70. And I threw on my Whisper 10i from the 10 gallon to help with the beneficial bacteria. I turned the AC70 down as much as I could but it's mostly the Q1 causing the ruckus. But then again it's a 29g and that thing is rated for 45-80.

Fish seem happy enough though.

 

[RobStark]

I like the way it came out...might put in a few more small decorations to give them some more cover is all.

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[Paul1792]

Getting optimal results

......
Anyways, the AC70 they had was on sale for $45.59. Which is about the same as the best price I found online..so thats what I got .....

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***************
That was a good price. If you want crystal clear water for fish with that "swimming in air" look, you will have to do some modifications, primarily because the AquaClear filter sponge is too coarse to remove micron particles. It takes tightly packed floss (SeraWool is best) for that. Also, the carbon is pretty much worthless. Seachem Purigen is a better alternative which you may have already read from users on this forum.

If you want optimal filtration, Thumper828 has tried many configurations and has pristine water with an AC70 on his 36 gallon bowfront. See his post #14 here:

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f60/aquaclear-bypass-issues-292796-2.html

Best wishes to you.

 

[Brookster123]

I think the issue with the ac ' s on amazon are some are t he actual aquaclear and some are hagen.. I've ordered 4 ac ' s 20,30,50,70.. all are working fine and dandy

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[mattcham]

If you want optimal filtration, Thumper828 has tried many configurations and has pristine water with an AC70 on his 36 gallon bowfront. See his post #14 here:

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f60/aquaclear-bypass-issues-292796-2.html

Best wishes to you.

I think that link is incorrect. It links to an off-topic discussion on cannibalism.

Regarding increasing micro filtration, you can simply use batting wool from walmart's knitting and crocheting section. Cheap and effective. It's basically filter floss. If you go this route, be prepared to clean the floss medium every 12 to 24 hours depending on your bioload, because it will quickly accumulate fine particulates (which means it is doing its job).


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[RobStark]

I think that link is incorrect. It links to an off-topic discussion on cannibalism.

Anytime I click a link from the App, it takes me to the cannabalism page. But from a PC it works the way it should.

 

[RobStark]

***************
If you want crystal clear water for fish with that "swimming in air" look, you will have to do some modifications, primarily because the AquaClear filter sponge is too coarse to remove micron particles. It takes tightly packed floss (SeraWool is best) for that. Also, the carbon is pretty much worthless. Seachem Purigen is a better alternative which you may have already read from users on this forum.

I have read about upgrading the media. It didn't all sink in really because I was more concerned with what filter I was buying and figured I'd get around to the media later.
I did grab the ammonia remover insert for the AC70. Because I was having issues with the ammonia levels in my 10 gallon and since the 29g is a new tank I'm expecting some ammonia. So I put that in instead of the carbon. Other than that I'm all stock right now. Thanks for the link, I'll definitely pick up some of that Serawool and Seachem.

 

[Brookster123]

You shouldn't have issues with amm in a cycled tank.. just up the wc's until it drops off. I use cut to fit blue poly pad from the pet store along with.the sponge and biomax.. water is crystal clear..

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[RobStark]

Yeah, I am running the whisper 10 filter in there too to help get it cycling. Would it be better to just throw the insert or sponge into my AC?

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