Rant: I HATE AquaClear filters!!

[abrage22]

Tonight's incident has pretty much put me over the edge on these filters...
Long story short, I'm a college student and live about 25 minutes from home in a dorm. I get a text from my dad saying how the filter is getting water everywhere and is "not working right".

The problem was (and it has happened multiple times in the past) is that the whole media basket gets 'pushed up' from the water pressure and so half the media is out of the filter and water trickles out onto the floor. I clean this thing top to bottom literally every week now to help with this.

Also, it always takes multiple tries to turn it back on after water changes, I'll fill it with water and just quietly hear the motor, but it's clearly not totally going. So I have to dump out the water and unhook the motor a few times before it finally turns on.

Also, sometimes the water flows over the edge and gets water all over the floor when it decides to "go crazy" with the water on top where it's not a nice smooth flow like it should be.

Also, some weeks it's totally silent, but other weeks it sounds like a train wreck happening inside my bedroom.

There's another 5 or so "Also's" but I'll leave it at that. This is the 3rd one I'm on in the last year, I guess this will be my last.

 

[pcdebb]

if you can, try Marineland. never ever had issues with them. i dont think i've used an aquaclear in years

 

[abrage22]

Marineland is actually exactly what I've been looking at, will have to give them a shot!

 

[abrage22]

if you can, try Marineland. never ever had issues with them. i dont think i've used an aquaclear in years

Whoops double post.

 

[AndI3kAY]

I just had that same problem last night. The filter media pushed up or the top came off, i dont know really but i woke up to a big mess...at 7am. Now after cleaning and drying everything and working 8 hours i am exhausted, but totally paranoid to go to sleep!

 

[dmolavi]

+1 on Marineland HOBs...I've been using Marineland Penguin filters for 8+ years and never had any overflow issues with them.

 

[Convict2161]

Interesting. I've had AquaClears and haven't had issues and actually they are my favorite filters after having those bio wheel ones and even a Fluval fx5. I went back to 2 AC110's on my 75 gallon.

Not disputing all the issues and certainly not defending them. Everyone has opinions and there own experiences. Like me, I hated the canister and will never get another one lol.

On another note. The pushing up is when the sponge gets full or clogged. It will push up then. I simply took the grey media insert out.

No issues. I run a sponge, ploy fill, purigen and bio rings. I clean my filters pretty much one every month. I just did one and in 3 weeks I'll do the other. They've worked great for me.

Even have a AC70 in my soon to be planted tank in the bedroom and I don't hear anything other then the water gently hitting the surface.

 

[Kuddos 2 U]

Marineland Penguin filters are amazing. I don't like aquaclear filters as I got 2 filters that where included with an aquarium set. When I opened the boxes, the impellers wouldn't spin when I turned on, but vibrate instead. I tried to make it spin and the cheap plastic broke from the impeller blades. Had to make a diy impeller from a broken powerhead and it works. That was the only reason why I don't like them, because of the cheap impellers IMO. I recently had to buy a new filter for a new 20g tank and knew that I needed to try out a Penguin Filter. +1 For Marineland.

 

[bshenanagins]

Yeah in my experience with aqua clear all they do is overflow. I find that HOB filters in general are not as good as a solid canister filter but I know people will object. I'm raising a red eared slider and for turtle owners our only option for filtration is a canister filter due to the tremendous bioload. So that has carried to my fish keeping. I'd prefer to spend the money on a good canister filter but HOB's are easier to maintain. For a small quarantine tank I have an aqueon HOB and I really like it but I know most people like the marinelands as mentioned

 

[Rare]

I find the canister for me is easier. Shut off, open, looks at filter.... looks good, back on.

 

[jlk]

Everybody has different opinions on everything! I detest Marineland hob filters and I have a couple of them. They are by far the noisiest filters I have ever owned. If a plant leaf or snail gets stuck in the impeller (which always seems to happen in the middle of the night), it literally sounds like a freight train running through the house. Even with the impellers debris-free (and I clean them weekly), they are impossibly loud. Marineland has replaced the impellers more times than I can count without even asking a question. I suspect quite a few people have had similar complaints for them to not even question it.

 

[Flaxon-Waxon]

The media basket will get pushed up when the sponge filter is so saturated in junk water cannot flow through it... Any filter will not operate properly when this happens and the water will end up finding the path of least resistance (over the media, etc)

 

[bshenanagins]

They can be messy that's the thing. I prefer to shake the gunk from all the trays in tank water and put them back in but yeah I guess it's not difficult just time consuming when you do give it a bit of a cleaning

 

[bshenanagins]

The media basket will get pushed up when the sponge filter is so saturated in junk water cannot flow through it... Any filter will not operate properly when this happens and the water will end up finding the path of least resistance (over the media, etc)

Your 100% correct but that happens too quickly with HOB as opposed to a canister IME. The only benefit I see in that situation is it is quite obvious since water is overflowing that you need to clean the media as opposed to a canister in which you may not know until the water develops an odor or chemistry is altered. Then again I check mine every month

 

[Flaxon-Waxon]

Your 100% correct but that happens too quickly with HOB as opposed to a canister IME. The only benefit I see in that situation is it is quite obvious since water is overflowing that you need to clean the media as opposed to a canister in which you may not know until the water develops an odor or chemistry is altered. Then again I check mine every month

Honestly it's only happened to me once since July

 

[Convict2161]

True everyone has there own opinion. I like to be able to come home and eye ball my media and see the poly fill and if it need to be changed. A canister doesn't allow me to do that without sitting down and opening it. Different strokes I guess. Nothing wrong with that.

 

[jcolon]

Bottom line is the overflowing HOB is nothing vigilant / consistent filter maintenance wouldn't fix.

And yep I can agree having the media basket in my AC-70's rise to the point where water starts to go down the overflow is a bit annoying. But then I think back to when was the last time I did maintenance .. turns out I'm usually a week or two overdue.

 

[meegosh]

Your 100% correct but that happens too quickly with HOB as opposed to a canister IME. The only benefit I see in that situation is it is quite obvious since water is overflowing that you need to clean the media as opposed to a canister in which you may not know until the water develops an odor or chemistry is altered. Then again I check mine every month

With HOBs that is a tell tale sign you need to clean your media out. With canisters you will experience decreased flow when your media needs changed. Odor or water params going out of whack should not happen unless you let one run for a year straight with no maintenance.

To the OP, keep up on your routine maintenance and this shouldn't be an issue. I'm not saying that you're not doing routine work but maybe be a little more thorough in cleaning the pads.

My AC50 did it once, and that was when I left the country for a few weeks and it needed cleaned badly.

 

[Rare]

Marineland has replaced the impellers more times than I can count without even asking a question. I suspect quite a few people have had similar complaints for them to not even question it.

Jess, I dont even hear mines anymore. Since I'm running the 120g with the nice and smooth water over the overflow and in the wet/dry the nosie is gone..lol I need to check if it self fixed itself or not. All I have now in the 400 is two big sponge and the ploy filter.

 

[dmolavi]

Marineland has replaced the impellers more times than I can count without even asking a question. I suspect quite a few people have had similar complaints for them to not even question it.

Actually, I was having issues w/ the impeller on my Penguin 200's a while back, until I realized a thin film of Vaseline on the magnet was all that was needed. I think I had to do 2 "treatments" about 6 months apart and I haven't had a problem since.

That being said, I use gravel, not sand, in my tank (sand is easier to suck into the impeller), and I have no snails or other little critters that can get jammed in their, either...