Aquaclear Seal leak

[fishguy1978]

I run AC filters because they are d*** near bullet proof. I transitioned from a canister to the AC because I am more likely to regularly clean an HOB than a canister and in less time too. I appreciate the fact that when I let one go to long the media does raise up to allow water to bipass and not rinse filth back into the tank. Now the uplift tubes can be problematic in that they clog very easily especially in tanks were fine leafed stem plants are present. But simply removing the uplift tube and regularly cleaning the strainers solves that problem.

 

[DrownedFishonFire]

tiger15 very cool organized setup! The cutting part is what kills me- am considering taking a really old gullitone style paper cutter with the huge handle to cut my sponge/prefilter sponges/batting’s straight. I like rinsing out the more finer sponge layer I have in the ac110s in two of my heavily stocked tanks at least twice or three times a week- those huge sponges have nearly nothing in there when I rinse them out once a month- I love the way I customized mine- 3 layers- batting for the finer polishing work-

 

[DrownedFishonFire]

fishguy1978

Agreed- I prefer the AC110 over my fx6- have actually had a thread over my gripe of the fx6- i swear it outperforms and catches more dirt than that dang fx6 by the time I am pulling it out and cleaning it there’s nothing in there not much to rinse out but keeping it as its a great place to have bio media in place- I am adding more lava rocks when I find more smaller ones as heard the lava rocks are actually better than the ceramic rings. just love being capable of going to the hob grab the sponge and clean it.

 

[tiger15]

tiger15 very cool organized setup! The cutting part is what kills me- am considering taking a really old gullitone style paper cutter with the huge handle to cut my sponge/prefilter sponges/batting’s straight. I like rinsing out the more finer sponge layer I have in the ac110s in two of my heavily stocked tanks at least twice or three times a week- those huge sponges have nearly nothing in there when I rinse them out once a month- I love the way I customized mine- 3 layers- batting for the finer polishing work-

fishguy1978

Agreed- I prefer the AC110 over my fx6- have actually had a thread over my gripe of the fx6- i swear it outperforms and catches more dirt than that dang fx6 by the time I am pulling it out and cleaning it there’s nothing in there not much to rinse out but keeping it as its a great place to have bio media in place- I am adding more lava rocks when I find more smaller ones as heard the lava rocks are actually better than the ceramic rings. just love being capable of going to the hob grab the sponge and clean it.

You don’t need a paper cutter, just get a 6+ inch long scissors and make the cut. Both AC and HOB cartridge come in 6 inch by 3 to 5 inch size, and polyester batting come in 4 ft wide sheet. So all you have to do is to fold the sheet in half multiple times to get 6 inch cut, and a cardboard template guide will help. I standardize the size of the filter pads by using same model HOBs and precut them as assembly line operation ahead of time. I placed Poret foam in front of filter pads in couple HOBs to increase media volume, but the foam doesn’t trap fine as tightly as batting nor significantly prolong cleaning time. When I had AC, I wrapped a piece of batting around the foam to improve mechanical efficiency. I don’t like rinsing dirty foam, and for a nickel a piece, I much prefer disposable fish diapers. I don’t believe in the need for additional bio filtration foam or bio wheels provide, as there are plenty BB in tank walls, substrate and all surfaces.

 

[FJB]

That is a good example of ingenuity leading to permanent solutions that work and save money.
I keep two types of HOB's - Mostly Aquaclear 110s and 50s, and 2 Penguin 350B. This how my Penguins look like, which never needs replacing, and works fairly well for an admittedly smallish filter; but they move quite a bit of water.

 

[RD.]

Same old tired argument. LOL

I have two 125's, both have 3 AC 500's on them, and two AC 500's on a 90. No dead spots, no waste build up, and plenty of room for BOTH mechanical and bio media. I have used the same media for more years than I can remember. I also am a great believer in redundancy. I have spare O-rings sitting on a shelf for several years, but to date have never needed to replace one. Some of the O-rings in my AC's are now close to 20 yrs old. lol

Yes, all things can fail, including an o-ring, but often times how one maintains parts, moving and otherwise, will depend on how long they last. I use water only to lubricate these O-rings, nothing more, and I am careful if/when I need to remove & re-insert the motor from the plastic housing that it sits in. Again, 15-20 years, no o-ring issues. While I understand that failure is a possibility, IME over many years of using this brand it is not very probable, IF one takes care.

Same filters still running today, over 20 yrs old now. No issues, no o-ring failures, no problem. Ditto to all my old AC's of the past. BTW - I only clean my filter media in those tanks every 3-4 months. I guess I have just been lucky all these years. lol

 

[tiger15]

I run 6 Penguin 300, 2 Penguin 350, and 2 Penguin 170 in 6 tanks. The 300 and 170 haven’t been made for 20 years, so they must be 30+ years old, still running as in day one, and the only parts I have changed are the impellers when they started making rocking noise. I found a way to quiet down the impeller by wrapping plumber Teflon tape around the bushing to stop rocking. I also made them run quieter by replacing worn out impeller with smaller impeller of the next lower model, and I found lower gph filter more efficiently. Plants and fish appreciate good circulation and I provide high gph circulation with dedicated wave makers.

Since my big tanks are located in my living area, they must be quiet and absolutely leak proof and I won’t trust canister, AC or sump filter with potential hose, O ring or overflow leak.