I only had problems before I knew that the impeller needed to be pulled out every so often and cleaned inside of the motor with a Q tip or small brush. I now do that every 4 months and all start as long as there is an inch of water or more in the impeller chamber. The ac 50 I have is about 7 years old and still going strong ( I probally shoulnt have said that) How ever I agree with you that all these hob filters should have the impeller in the pick up tube in the tank side so you dont have to refill the filter after a water change.
Upgrading Tank - Best HOB Filter 55g?
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I only had problems before I knew that the impeller needed to be pulled out every so often and cleaned inside of the motor with a Q tip or small brush. I now do that every 4 months and all start as long as there is an inch of water or more in the impeller chamber. The ac 50 I have is about 7 years old and still going strong ( I probally shoulnt have said that) How ever I agree with you that all these hob filters should have the impeller in the pick up tube in the tank side so you dont have to refill the filter after a water change.
ArtesiaWells
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Thanks, Mike...my impeller probably needs a good cleaning then...
I did the test, after raising the water level to top trim (barely under the black trim). it primes like a charm.. no issue at all. Now I won't worry about it any more. mine is AC 50. so far so good. I had bio wheel 280 before. liked the wheel , but not very quiet. Thanks for the tip. btw. I think the flow setting on AC is important too. have to set it to "max" in case of power off.
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GIZMOSPAZZ
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Sorry it's been a while everyone. I just finished working over 66 hours this week.
We did get our 55 gallon set up. It's cycling now. Without our Iso in it, of course.
It just has the gravel, bubbler, filters, and one bunch of anacharis in it. We definitely need a background for it. We are going to get a few rocks and a bunch of plants when it's ready. Nothing really to look at yet, but here is a pic of our new 55g!
We did get our 55 gallon set up. It's cycling now. Without our Iso in it, of course.
It just has the gravel, bubbler, filters, and one bunch of anacharis in it. We definitely need a background for it. We are going to get a few rocks and a bunch of plants when it's ready. Nothing really to look at yet, but here is a pic of our new 55g!
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GIZMOSPAZZ
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Also, both of our ACs are so quiet , as well as our Tetra Whisper air pump. Thanks for the advice on those. We are very pleased with our choices.
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GIZMOSPAZZ
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The ones in the picture are AC 70s. They fit on our 55g glass tank with no problem at all. I don't know about acrylic.
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GIZMOSPAZZ
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And thanks!
ArtesiaWells
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Sorry it's been a while everyone. I just finished working over 66 hours this week.
We did get our 55 gallon set up. It's cycling now. Without our Iso in it, of course.
View attachment 197051
Lookin Good, 'Spazz!
I think I have the same "natural pebble" substrate in my 60...
How high do you keep your water topped off? Does the flow from the AquaClears really create deep "splashes" from the waterfall return?
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GIZMOSPAZZ
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Thanks!
You can see the "splashes" in the pic. We have the water level almost even with the water return. We do have the speed of the filters at max though. I hope that's a helpful answer.
ArtesiaWells
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Yeah, that's why I was curious...
Okay, so the return "wave" creates a slight "splash" into the tank water, yes?
The most frustrating thing I've encountered is that because I'm running two different kinds of HOBs on my tank -- an Aqueon QuietFlow 55 and AquaClear 110 -- and they both create different water return "orientations," I could never get these two filters to run the same when my water is filled back up after a change...in other words, if I keep the water level up to a point that the Aqueon is creating a nice, solid "ripple" of return water across the surface, then the AquaClear is way too low in terms of its "return splash" and the turbulence inside the tank near that filter is great...conversely, if I keep the water level so high that the AquaClear is the one creating the nice, tight, strong ripple across the surface, then the Aqueon's flow is nonexistent because the water height is too great to allow its "ripple" to form...
Just out of sheer curiosity -- is there a reason you're keeping them at max flow? Are you planning on reducing them once fish are in?
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GIZMOSPAZZ
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Yeah, that's why I was curious...
Okay, so the return "wave" creates a slight "splash" into the tank water, yes?
The most frustrating thing I've encountered is that because I'm running two different kinds of HOBs on my tank -- an Aqueon QuietFlow 55 and AquaClear 110 -- and they both create different water return "orientations," I could never get these two filters to run the same when my water is filled back up after a change...in other words, if I keep the water level up to a point that the Aqueon is creating a nice, solid "ripple" of return water across the surface, then the AquaClear is way too low in terms of its "return splash" and the turbulence inside the tank near that filter is great...conversely, if I keep the water level so high that the AquaClear is the one creating the nice, tight, strong ripple across the surface, then the Aqueon's flow is nonexistent because the water height is too great to allow its "ripple" to form...
Just out of sheer curiosity -- is there a reason you're keeping them at max flow? Are you planning on reducing them once fish are in?
Yes, it seems to be more of a splash with the current water level. I'm sure if we played around with it, we would be able to get more of a ripple.
One of the reasons we decided to go with two of the exact same filters was to eliminate having the issue you are describing.
We just had it on max flow to prime the filters. Since we are doing a fishless cycle, we didn't really bother trying to find a good flow rate. We will probably adjust when we get our fish switched over. Since it takes av while to cycle a tank, we hadn't really thought about what we were going to leave it on.
ArtesiaWells
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Fresh2o
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I run two AC50 HOB filters and to deal with the splash, I made some "lip extensions" for each:
It might be hard to see from the pics because of the algae/slime buildup. I cut the plastic strip that comes with glass tops and connect them to the output of the filter. Note: the ones that come with MarineLand glass tops are thin and easy to work with. The ones with the Aqueon tops are very thick and hard to cut.
Anyhow, after cutting them to fit the overflow lip, some bending will be needed to direct the flow along the surface. The part of the plastic that normally connects to the glass lid will connect to the filter's overflow lip. Sometimes it might be necessary to pinch that part with a pair of pliers to make it "stick" to the filter lip.
I also run one of these on filter in a tank in the bedroom and it is quiet.
It might be hard to see from the pics because of the algae/slime buildup. I cut the plastic strip that comes with glass tops and connect them to the output of the filter. Note: the ones that come with MarineLand glass tops are thin and easy to work with. The ones with the Aqueon tops are very thick and hard to cut.
Anyhow, after cutting them to fit the overflow lip, some bending will be needed to direct the flow along the surface. The part of the plastic that normally connects to the glass lid will connect to the filter's overflow lip. Sometimes it might be necessary to pinch that part with a pair of pliers to make it "stick" to the filter lip.
I also run one of these on filter in a tank in the bedroom and it is quiet.
ArtesiaWells
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I run two AC50 HOB filters and to deal with the splash, I made some "lip extensions" for each:
It might be hard to see from the pics because of the algae/slime buildup. I cut the plastic strip that comes with glass tops and connect them to the output of the filter. Note: the ones that come with MarineLand glass tops are thin and easy to work with. The ones with the Aqueon tops are very thick and hard to cut.
Anyhow, after cutting them to fit the overflow lip, some bending will be needed to direct the flow along the surface. The part of the plastic that normally connects to the glass lid will connect to the filter's overflow lip. Sometimes it might be necessary to pinch that part with a pair of pliers to make it "stick" to the filter lip.
I also run one of these on filter in a tank in the bedroom and it is quiet.
Great idea and good pics, Fresh! If I still had the plastic edges from the glass tops I used to use (with this new Marineland tank I bought, it came with plastic dual hoods, not glass versa tops...but I had both the Aqueon AND Marineland glass tops in my last setup so I know exactly what you're referring to) I would definitely look into this idea with my 110...
I see you leave your flow control set to maximum...yes?
Fresh2o
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Yes, set at maximum. Some might view it as overkill on my planted tank (200 gph x2 on a 20 g long) but IMO the flow is spread out over a greater area and not as powerful or directed like a powerhead or canister output.
ArtesiaWells
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I see...
Would you recommend, in general, leaving these AquaClear controls at max flow output?
Fresh2o
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Depends on the situation. If the flow is too strong for the fish or disruptive to the plants and substrate, then I would say reduce it. Otherwise, let it run full throttle. Yes, reducing the flow will increase the amount of water being re-filtered, however, I am not to sure if this necessary.
ArtesiaWells
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Hmmm...something to think about...
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GIZMOSPAZZ
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Perhaps we will keep it on max flow then. We'll see how our Iso likes it when and put him in and adjust accordingly.
In other news, we started seeing nitrites last night. Our cycle is on its way.
In other news, we started seeing nitrites last night.
Our cycle is on its way.Similar threads
