Seachem Tidal HOB filters?

[FreshyFresh]

I got the new Tidal 110 setup today. It's OK. I'm a little disappointed with it compared to an Aquaclear 110. It's media and water holding capacity is a quite a bit smaller than the Aquaclear, but it does seem to flow more water than the Aquaclear. It's not any quieter than the AC either.

Here's my take at this point. The goods:
1) Fits together precisely.
2) Heater clip is great.
3) Leveling screw is excellent.
4) Water flow is good.
5) Built by Sicce, which I'm told is good.
6) Comes with a small zipper bag of Seachem Matrix bio media.

The bad:

1) Lots of pump whirring noise just like all HOBs and a bit of water splashing noise that my AC110 doesn't have.
2) Very little mechanical media and none available online.
3) It bypasses when I added a few sections of AC70 sponge to it's media basket.

It seems like Seachem is marketing this HOB more for bio and chemical media than mechanical. If you want more of a mechanical filter, stick with an AC110.

Pics below are the new Seachem Tidal sitting on top of an AC110. The AC110 is 13.5" wide. The Seachem is 11.5". Also is a side/side comparison of the Tidal 110 blue mechanical sponge vs. and AC110 sponge.

 

[jaws7777]

I got the new Tidal 110 setup today. It's OK. I'm a little disappointed with it compared to an Aquaclear 110. It's media and water holding capacity is a quite a bit smaller than the Aquaclear, but it does seem to flow more water than the Aquaclear. It's not any quieter than the AC either.

Here's my take at this point. The goods:
1) Fits together precisely.
2) Heater clip is great.
3) Leveling screw is excellent.
4) Water flow is good.
5) Built by Sicce, which I'm told is good.
6) Comes with a small zipper bag of Seachem Matrix bio media.

The bad:

1) Lots of pump whirring noise just like all HOBs and a bit of water splashing noise that my AC110 doesn't have.
2) Very little mechanical media and none available online.
3) It bypasses when I added a few sections of AC70 sponge to it's media basket.

It seems like Seachem is marketing this HOB more for bio and chemical media than mechanical. If you want more of a mechanical filter, stick with an AC110.

Pics below are the new Seachem Tidal sitting on top of an AC110. The AC110 is 13.5" wide. The Seachem is 11.5". Also is a side/side comparison of the Tidal 110 blue mechanical sponge vs. and AC110 sponge.

Thx for the honest review lots of times you see guys rave about anew product simply because they have it.
You could try curting up some 30ppi poret foam using the peice that came with the unit as a guide

 

[FreshyFresh]

Thx for the honest review lots of times you see guys rave about anew product simply because they have it.
You could try curting up some 30ppi poret foam using the peice that came with the unit as a guide

Yeah, that's the plan eventually. Cut my own foam media the size the factory stuff. Problem is, anything more than the thin piece of blue sponge and a small bag of bio media and this filter bypasses like a mofo. Like I say, some of the features are really nice like the heater clip and the ability to adjust flow from nothing to full-out, but this filter really annoys me otherwise.

You can't turn the top skimmer off at all. If fact you can't adjust it what so ever. The lower adjustment wheel is to throttle the suction tube. Problem is, even with the tube suction set wide open I don't see anything being picked up by it. I do see debris getting sucked in the "surface skimmer".

I've currently got it setup with some filter floss on top of the blue sponge, then the bag of bio media. The bypass indicator is part way up.

 

[Def Leppard Hysteria]

Yeah, that's the plan eventually. Cut my own foam media the size the factory stuff. Problem is, anything more than the thin piece of blue sponge and a small bag of bio media and this filter bypasses like a mofo. Like I say, some of the features are really nice like the heater clip and the ability to adjust flow from nothing to full-out, but this filter really annoys me otherwise.

You can't turn the top skimmer off at all. If fact you can't adjust it what so ever. The lower adjustment wheel is to throttle the suction tube. Problem is, even with the tube suction set wide open I don't see anything being picked up by it. I do see debris getting sucked in the "surface skimmer".

I've currently got it setup with some filter floss on top of the blue sponge, then the bag of bio media. The bypass indicator is part way up.

I put a layer of polyester batting in my AC 110's between the foam block and the mesh bag of Pond Matrix. Might be something to consider on your Tidal 110, if your still getting a lot of bypass. I buy it at Michael's and use the 40% off coupon that is always available. It does a great job of keeping my biological media clean and it polishes the water at the same time. I find it's a little easier to deal with and just cut my own sizes. Only downside is, it is more expensive than the bags of polyfill.

 

[FreshyFresh]

I put a layer of polyester batting in my AC 110's between the foam block and the mesh bag of Pond Matrix. Might be something to consider on your Tidal 110, if your still getting a lot of bypass.

Yep, the filter floss I mentioned above is just polyfill. That's exactly how I have my Tidal 110 setup. Blue sponge first, then a thin layer of polyfill, then the bag of bio media up top. It bypasses a tiny bit (totally fine with that) and hasn't gotten worse, but adding more sponge or more polyfill would put it into a lot more bypass.

This filter has some great things going for it, like the level adjustment screw, the awesome heater clip, the Sicce pump, the nice fitting lid and the fact it doesn't rattle as much as Aquaclears can. It's still hums loudly and makes some water splashing noise, even with the tank completely topped up. The Tidal is also ugly in the tank, given the pump housing sticks way down into the water. I probably wouldn't buy one again. If it's a large HOB you need, stick with the AC110.