Need to pick a new filter. Want your reviews of my choices

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
I own 2 now. I don't think they are loud. They actually put me to sleep listening to the water. I just wanna upgrade to a HOB with more media options

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mine kept rattling and making noise from the impeller area

I even got a new impeller, nothing such garbage and a headache
 
Go for an AC110, I own 2x110, 1x70, 1x50, 1x30, 1x20 and all of them are running in my room. The loudest is the 70 because it's probably 15+ years old and i haven't replaced the impeller yet. My 2 AC110s are the just as quiet as the smaller ones. Look on ebay and craigslist for some, I bought a 110 for $40 free shipping brand new on ebay, only thing was part of the output was broken... 10 minutes, some super glue and duct tape later, brand new filter. They run like a dream and have HUGE media options and capacity. Believe me, it's what you want.
 
Just waiting to sell my cascade 1000 before I order. Gonna get the AC110

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i have 5 emperors ( 4 400s, 1 280). Ide give away my AC, and will break it down once the 280 has another week or so to cycle.
 
MonsterMinis said:
i have 5 emperors ( 4 400s, 1 280). Ide give away my AC, and will break it down once the 280 has another week or so to cycle.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't trade them either but mine are around 5 and 10 years old and I want a more media friendly filter. Cartridges are a thing of the past for me and will save me money not having to buy them even tho I don't change them often.

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I had the same problem with emperors. Over time they just seem to develop really weak flow! I've had better luck with penguins in fact... You know you don't have to run those stupid marineland disposable cartridges in your marineland HOB's right? The emperors have the media basket option. You can buy more (just the basket) online. The penguin's also have a media basket option for the 350 and 200 models. You can do combinations of stuff in there. Fill it with biomedia like I do with some floss.

An Aquaclear is a great choice. They do have a few downsides though. If you forget to or don't have time for regular maintenace the sponge will float up and can start to flood your floor. I have found that by placing a filter-max III prefilter on the intake it really allows more time between actually having to clean out the sponge in the aquaclear. Its easier to squeeze out the little sponge on the prefilter than the gigantic block sponge that comes with the aquaclear. Their is also a bit of a bypass issue with these filters. The holes in the media basket (small holes on the side, and larger hole on top side) allows water to bypass the media chamber. Still a great filter and does the job well enough. Oh, and if your worried about noise. I find they are very quiet. I run mines with the cover and don't experience the rattling/buzzing noise that people complain about (maybe I got lucky?... but with all of them I own ;)).

That being said I do love my fluval C4's. I think the design is better. Much less by pass of media, good use of space designed into the filter, quiet, poweful, and super easy to clean (everythings very modular). They are also much sleeker looking. The only problem is that they don't make a fluval c seires HOB equal to the power of the AC110. So it really depends on the size of your tank. I've had great experiences with these also. They do an awesome job.

P.S. Hagen also has some of the best customer service around. When I got mines (both aquaclear and fluval C series filters) more than 50% of them I bought came with cracks in the covers... Contacted hagen with problem and proof of purchase and they sent me new covers at no cost to me, with pretty quick shipping. They are a stand up company that stands by their products.
 
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