OPINIONS PLEASE: Marineland vs AquaClear

[DeeLee2013]

Hi there!

So, I currently have a marineland penguin 200. It's extremely noisy. Should I upgrade to a marineland emperor 280 or switch to an appropriately sized aquaclear filter? Have you used either of these? Experiences? Suggestions? I'm all ears!

Thanks!

Thanks!


? Diana Lee ?
? the St. Augustine Redhead ?

 

[Coursair]

AquaClear or Aqueon for me. Both are quiet.

AquaClears are often preferred because there is room to add different types of media.


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[Haileyjade]

I love my Aquaclear...I enjoy that I can pack it with media (plenty of room for my purigen), and I like that the flow is adjustable. It's easy to clean and quiet enough that it's not a bother. I've had mine about a year now and haven't had an issue!


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[Fresh2o]

I had an Emperor 280 and it is powerful but noisy. Same with the Penguin 200. Make the switch.


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[DeeLee2013]

Good to know. Thanks everyone!! I'm expecting to get an Aquaclear 50 tomorrow for my 36g. Can't wait to make the switch!


? Diana Lee ?
? the St. Augustine Redhead ?

 

[Brookster123]

I'd do a 70 very least.

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[DeeLee2013]

The 50 is rated for up to 50g; will it not be sufficient in your opinion?


? Diana Lee ?
? the St. Augustine Redhead ?

 

[Brookster123]

I run a 70 on a 30 long. I promise it will be perfect for your taller tank. Or 2 50's

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[DeeLee2013]

Thanks for the advice!


? Diana Lee ?
? the St. Augustine Redhead ?

 

[darkhymn]

The consensus in the enthusiast community is Aquaclear by my research. I use an AC50 (with full flow control, 66gph) in my 10 gallon, and it's been great so far. As for flow, you want a filter that's rated to move about 5x the volume of your tank per hour. The AC50 should be sufficient by that standard (200gph). The 70 is only a few dollars more expensive ($7 US on Amazon) however, so for a larger tank, I'd say the extra flow (plus the option to move the filter to a larger tank later) is worth the extra couple of dollars.

 

[emerald76]

I absolutely hate my AquaClear 30. There's no flow. Get an Aqueon QuietFlow, awesome filters.


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[Brookster123]

I absolutely hate my AquaClear 30. There's no flow. Get an Aqueon QuietFlow, awesome filters.


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What size tank is it on?

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[Fresh2o]

I absolutely hate my AquaClear 30. There's no flow. Get an Aqueon QuietFlow, awesome filters.


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There are other AC options if you want more flow.
The Aqueon QuietFlow series uses cartridges which you can DYI if so inclined. If you wanted to add ceramic media or something like Purigen, it would be a challenge.


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[TheXevv]

I personally prefer the Aquaclear. I have been using them since 1996. I still have my old Hagen Aquaclear 150 for up to a 30 gallon tank. It always kept my 20 gallon tank crystal clear.

 

[JAnders]

I have a Penguin 200 and an Aquaclear 110 on my 55 and an Aquaclear 70 on my 29. I think the Aquaclear is noisier personally (at least in my house!) but I like the flexability of the Aquaclear (i.e. add or remove media).

 

[Stacey W.]

I have been researching the Fluval C4 and Ohh my they are BA. There are soo many options for what kind off media you can store inside the pump itself. Unfortunately I really don't know how quiet they are.

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[Brookster123]

I have been researching the Fluval C4 and Ohh my they are BA. There are soo many options for what kind off media you can store inside the pump itself. Unfortunately I really don't know how quiet they are.

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They're ok. I have one.. honestly.. id just go ac, i know I'll upset some.. they're such a pita. It's like cleaning a cannister. Limited stock bio media as well.. i run ac's with cannisters and it's a perfect union..

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[emerald76]

My Aquaclear is on a 30 but even on a ten the flow was nothing


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[DeeLee2013]

I really appreciate everyone's opinions. I'm getting the AC50 for now, and I've already put the AC70 on order. So, I'll have both models if need be. I would like to run them both to see which polishes the tank better. Also, I'm using my husband's decibel meter thingy-magigger and want to do a comparison between the two ACs and the Penguin. The tank is in the living room, adjacent to the bedroom, but we sleep with the door open so our 5 fur-babies can join us in bed if they so choose. Hence noise being an important factor.

Thanks again and I'll keep ya posted!!


? Diana Lee ?
? the St. Augustine Redhead ?

 

[Paul1792]

The 50 is rated for up to 50g; will it not be sufficient in your opinion?


�� Diana Lee ��
�� the St. Augustine Redhead ��

***********
EDIT: Oops sorry .... don't know how I missed your post #19. I am going to leave this in tact for others to see. As for quiet .... my C'3's and AC50 are all dead silent and my C4 is "extremely quiet." What I have gleaned over time is that it's "luck of the draw/random" on the Fluval C's or AC's and often they take two or three weeks to quiet down. One of my C3's came out of the box loud as could be but I took the advice of others, gave it a few weeks and it became silent. You can look on youtube and find all kinds of cures for noisy impellers such as vaseline or cooking oil.

****
An AC50 is clearly not enough for a 36 gallon bowfront. I run a Fluval C4 (equivalent to AC70) on my 29 gallon and two Fluval C3's plus an AC50 on my 38 gallon.

An upgrade to an AC70 or Fluval C4 is only a few dollars more when you consider that the extensions to get the intake to the bottom on an AC50 or Fluval C3 cost extra but come standard on the AC70 or Fluval C4.

My AC50 clearly does not have enough space in it to run both tighly packed floss and Seachem Purigen (or carbon) for optimal crystal clear and polished water. The sponge on the AC's is way to coarse to act as a polishing pad. The AC70 does have plenty of space so you can add both floss and Purigen so it will look like your fish are "swimming in air."

An AC70 will do a nice job for you but I would urge you to at least consider a Fluval C4. The AquaClears have pretty severe bypasss issues and don't accomodate 50 or even 100 micron polishing pads. The AC's and Fluval C's are made by the same company and have identical motors (they even have the same part number).

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

Or go here to posts #'s 29, 35, & 36

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f60/hob-filters-301925-3.html

for a detailed explanation as to why I prefer Fluval C's over AquaClears.