Aqua clear 110
- Thread starter Tullyman
- Start date
I always buy mine from a LFS. I like going in and shopping around. But it’s probably cheaper to find one online from either eBay, or Chewy.com, etc.. I think the 110 is the best HOB available so spending $10-20 more by going to the store directly doesn’t bother me too much because they last for years if maintained correctly.
This absolutely! Not only will the filter last for years, making the slight cost difference inconsequential over time...but supporting your LFS will hopefully help it last for years as well. Online buying will never replace a trustworthy local shop; people nowadays seem to forget that until it's too late and they have a problem or a question and nobody to turn to except the internet.
Hate to say, nobody has cheap 110s and if they did I wouldn't trust the impellers. They're going to run an average of 70+ to 85 bucks each. I haven't found one yet that was less than that. I had to get replacements for my original set and only saved on the shipping.
You can go Amazon or Ebay, compare pricing total with the shipping cost.
You can go Amazon or Ebay, compare pricing total with the shipping cost.
I would buy them in person. It seems to me they changed the plastic in the body to a more brittle formula that doesn't ship well.
Recently I changed from FX4s to AC110s. I had to open 8 AC110s to get 4 that didn't have a broken main case.
That way you can open them before you go home and verify that they are not broken before you go home and have to make a return trip.
Recently I changed from FX4s to AC110s. I had to open 8 AC110s to get 4 that didn't have a broken main case.
That way you can open them before you go home and verify that they are not broken before you go home and have to make a return trip.
I have been a huge fan and user of AquaClear hang-on. At my peak I has close ro 30 running in every size they make. Today it is only 18. I consider the 110 to be the worst of the line. I have had more issues with that one than all the rest. But I got it used. However, the 110 is still a very good filter.
Most of mine were purchased between 2001 and 2008. I paid $9.99 for my 100s. I bought a number used and they have continued to run well to this day.
IMO they did not use a more brittle plastic, they made it thinner which makes it more prone to cracking. Over the year I lost only one to this. This is pretty much the case with almost all the brands of equipment we use. Over the past 20 years the manufacturers have been bought up by conglomerates with pet divisions. Big companies tend to consider profit margins above all else and will cut as many corners as they can to produce them. Same filter, same capacity but lower quality.
The system of supplying brick and mortar aquarium stores remains antiquated. In 2001 I discovered I could buy an Emperor 400 online for less than the local fish and pet stores could from the distributor. This is what killed so many of the stores.
I have a bunch of AC filters I got both new and used in 01 through 04 still running fine today. So I have not bough much except replacement parts for most of them. I keep spare parts for ACs and my Eheim canisters on the shelf. I have two canisters (one never used) on the shelf for over 12 years. I got them on Ebay because Eheim stopped making them and I wanted backups and even spare parts.
Every now and then ACs will go on sale. The problem is one's need for a new filter may not coincided with the sales.
I do have one complaint re ACs, many will not fit on tanks where one might want them because they wiil not fir over the frame. To run AC 300s (aka 70) on my 75 gal. tanks I had to cut a notch into the lip of the frame to accomodate the output of the filter.
Most of mine were purchased between 2001 and 2008. I paid $9.99 for my 100s. I bought a number used and they have continued to run well to this day.
IMO they did not use a more brittle plastic, they made it thinner which makes it more prone to cracking. Over the year I lost only one to this. This is pretty much the case with almost all the brands of equipment we use. Over the past 20 years the manufacturers have been bought up by conglomerates with pet divisions. Big companies tend to consider profit margins above all else and will cut as many corners as they can to produce them. Same filter, same capacity but lower quality.
The system of supplying brick and mortar aquarium stores remains antiquated. In 2001 I discovered I could buy an Emperor 400 online for less than the local fish and pet stores could from the distributor. This is what killed so many of the stores.
I have a bunch of AC filters I got both new and used in 01 through 04 still running fine today. So I have not bough much except replacement parts for most of them. I keep spare parts for ACs and my Eheim canisters on the shelf. I have two canisters (one never used) on the shelf for over 12 years. I got them on Ebay because Eheim stopped making them and I wanted backups and even spare parts.
Every now and then ACs will go on sale. The problem is one's need for a new filter may not coincided with the sales.
I do have one complaint re ACs, many will not fit on tanks where one might want them because they wiil not fir over the frame. To run AC 300s (aka 70) on my 75 gal. tanks I had to cut a notch into the lip of the frame to accomodate the output of the filter.
.....with respect to the local/independent shops,if you can find a brand new 110 anywhere for less than seventy dollars you are doing very well.
I think my 110 caused about that amount when I ordered it from Foster and Smith two years ago.
I think my 110 caused about that amount when I ordered it from Foster and Smith two years ago.
I usually buy my 110’s used locally for between $30-$50 each
one I bough ran really loud, I lined the impeller and it’s been running quite for almost 3 years with no problems
one I bough ran really loud, I lined the impeller and it’s been running quite for almost 3 years with no problems