Aquaclear 500?

[popcorn1]

hey im looking for a filter for my uncle with a 80-100g tank and im thinkin about the aquaclear 500 because i have the aquaclear 70 and its too easy to maintain.

he wants a canister but they have too many parts. do you guys think a AC500 is good enough? i have an AC70 for my 30g and my water is crystal clear.

 

[duke33]

How does a canister have to many parts? Two tubes, in and out. As far as the HOB, I don't know.

 

[popcorn1]

for example the rena xp3 http://www.planetrena.com/Filstar-Rena-Parts.html. a hob has just the container, the the motor and the sponge.

 

[tydus]

For an 80-100 gallon tank, you would need more filtration than an ac110 by itself. I know it says that it can filter up to 110 gallons, but it just isn't enough. 2 ac110's would be more ideal than just one if you don't want the wet/dry or canisters.

 

[Aquariumjunkie]

i was running two AC500 on my old 100G, and they do the job just fine. easy to maintain, very simple, high flow rate...

 

[mohinder]

I would get two AquaClear 500s for the tank. A good canister, like the Eheim 2217, would be another option.

 

[gomezladdams]

2 aquaclears or 1 and a emperor 400.
I cant deal with canisters either,too much work to clean them.

 

[Trippingpara]

2 AC110s will be fine on the 100g tank. ONe definitely won't cut it. I prefer canisters over HOBs but sometimes HOBs are just easier.

 

[popcorn1]

he went ahead and bought a canister from a swap meet. im pretty sure he didnt buy a good canister like a eheim or a rena but it costed around $130. ill get back on that later when i find out.

 

[butane216]

I searched the forums for this answer, but came up with 300+ pages of information without finding a direct answer. I also have an AC500, but mine is in a 65 gallon, and I've been toying with the idea of using bioballs in addition to the normal sponge, is there a advantage/disadvantage to doing this or is it a general no-no? Currently the AC500 is being used in its default manner, with the sponge and charcoal inserts. Thanks in advance for anyone that gets back to me! (sorry I've been gone so damned long....)