55 gal Filter options

[Guest]

FYI.. if you have 5-6inches an aqua clear would definately fit..not too mention the amount of bacteria contained is larger in the aqua clear than it is in the emperor. On another side note aqua clears hold more media and are easier to maintain... This is MHO.

 

[AdamsZoological]

Agreed. The 500 is far superior to the largest Emperor, they're an absolute powerhouse. My personal opinion on the AC 500, is it is the king, as far as HOB filters go

 

[AtodaJ]

Have to disagree here on one point.

Technically the Aquaclear doe not hold more of the good bacteria than the Emperor. Based on my research, the Emperor is a wet/dry system and as such the bio wheels capacity to hold beneficial bacteria is substantial.... much more than that of the Aquaclear. It's not the size of your surface area its how you use it... hehe.

With that said the Aquaclear is an excellent filter and would work just as well (no noticable difference between the two aside from cost) in most conditions and it is actually a better filter for water polishing for sure.

 

[Guest]

Quite the contrary. The sponge itself is a breeding ground for more bacteria than the bio wheel. If you wanna be technical wet/ dry's are also good at having higher nitrate levels.

 

[AtodaJ]

Hehehe. Interesting statement there. "Wet/dry's are also good at having higher nitrate levels." Why would that be? Where do Nitrates come from?

I agree that wet/dry's do increase Nitrate levels by the way.

 

[AdamsZoological]

This is one of those things that come down to a matter of opinion, but, I've known countless people that have used both products for years, and about 9 times out of 10, the AquaClear has been the preferred filter. The biological capacity of both filters are close to the same, and the AquaClear 500 is a much stronger filter, with a much higher 'true' GPH flow, much stronger mechanical filtration...large block of foam as compared to a thin filter sleeve, and I'd like to find another filter that has as long of a life.

 

[Jdills1347]

The 200W Ebo-Jager has been great in my 55gal so far.

 

[Beacious]

Does anyone have any experience with cascade filters?