Hey EVeryone, I been out of the game for awhile so decided to come back to freshwater. Im going to get a 75 gallon tank and I would like to do a hang on back filter. I used to use aquaclear filter, but now I been hearing about seachem tidal filters. Has anyone experienced with both? Also what would be better 2 aquaclear 70s or 1 aquaclear 110/tidal 110? I also might be getting the "Intank" media baskets for the aquaclear if it matters.
Aquaclear 70 vs Seachem Tidal 75
- Thread starter Pazzoman
- Start date
You will be fine with either brand. My only advice would be go with the larger 110's and use 2 for redundancy. I prefer the Aquaclears but many folks like the Tidal better. Here's an idea get one of each brand.
Agree with the above.
What kind of freshwater species?
Sometimes amount of water movement/flow, is dictated by the species, and the habitat they have evolved to live in.
On a tank that size I would run a single AC 110 and be done. its plenty IMO.
I haven't used the seachem tidals but Im not sure I buy into the hype. AC's can last 20 years, I doubt you will get the same longetivity out of the Tidal
I haven't used the seachem tidals but Im not sure I buy into the hype. AC's can last 20 years, I doubt you will get the same longetivity out of the Tidal
I've had both. Agree with going with one, maybe two 110s, with either one, depending on stock level and other factors. There's no reason at all to think the Tidal won't last, they're manufactured by Sicce, a respected company with a history of well made, highly rated pond and aquarium pumps. Seachem took their time designing the thing and selected a quality Italian company to make it.
Both are good and durable filters by just about any review you can find. I say it's personal preference; like a lot of things, some prefer one and some the other. There are things I like about both. The Tidal is a bit quieter in my experience, but the main advantage is with its pump inside the tank the Tidal is absolutely self-priming, doesn't struggle to prime or need you to fill the reservoir like the Aquaclear. The other potential advantage is the Tidal's more flexible material is less likely to crack... the media basket in the Tidal is also a nice feature. On the other hand the Aquaclear pumps 500 gph vs 450 for the Tidal. Imo the pump is easier to remove on the Aquaclear.
...I can't say that it's true, but I've seen people say the plastic on the Aquaclear is cheaper and easier to crack than it used to be. Maybe someone else has an opinion on that.
Both are good and durable filters by just about any review you can find. I say it's personal preference; like a lot of things, some prefer one and some the other. There are things I like about both. The Tidal is a bit quieter in my experience, but the main advantage is with its pump inside the tank the Tidal is absolutely self-priming, doesn't struggle to prime or need you to fill the reservoir like the Aquaclear. The other potential advantage is the Tidal's more flexible material is less likely to crack... the media basket in the Tidal is also a nice feature. On the other hand the Aquaclear pumps 500 gph vs 450 for the Tidal. Imo the pump is easier to remove on the Aquaclear.
...I can't say that it's true, but I've seen people say the plastic on the Aquaclear is cheaper and easier to crack than it used to be. Maybe someone else has an opinion on that.
I suggest a pair of 300s on your 75. It will spread out the intaks and returns which will help with circulation. Also if one stops, you only lose 1/2 of the filtration. I nkrmally put one filter on each en of a tank and, when possible, I put one intake closer to the bottom of the tank and the other less deep.
I have had as many as 28 ACs running at one time. Now its more like 16. I have them in every size. I have never used the Tidal and it never even occured to me. I did not know it existed until reading this thread. I still have my two oldest ACs which have been in continuous use. one from 2001 and the other bought used in summer or 2003. My AC 110 was bought used abput 8-10 years ago. The owner had it a very long time.
The only AC media I ever use are their sponges and I now replace them when needed with Poret foam. When they came out with their bio media I threw it out or gave it away.
I have one Tetra Whisper mini and an Eheim Liberty 200 I loved but no longer use. I had an Emperor 400 on my first tank from Jan 2001. When it died about 7 years later, I replaced it with the new version. It ran for an hour, went back in the box and I sent it back for a refund and bought an AC.
I use all ACs because I can standardize spare parts. The various sizes share a fair amount of parts which makes it a lot easier to have spares on hand.
I have never had an AquaClear hang-on die. I did have one of the smaller models I gut used and it had a crack in the body buy no leak, It eventually did and I saved the parts and threw out the body. I have had most of my spare parts for ACs for a lot of years on the shelf.
Yes the plastic on ACs is thinner. But almost anything we can put in our tanks is that way. I only have 6 ACs running in my bedroom: 3 x 150, 2 x 200 and a 300, no noise. The 300 is on a 75 and I had to cut a notch in the rim to make it fit. That is my one criticism. I also have and Eheim 2026 canister on the tank.
I am about to replace one or both of the impeller and the shaft in the used 110. I cleaned it a while ago and it got really noisy, It has since becoem less so but it rattles. I assume it is a bent shaft but I also bought the impellor JIK.
The only AC filter I turn off when I clean it is the 110. The rest I remove the intake and leave the filter running. I can drop the water level for a 50-60% water change. I doubt one can do that with the Tidal? In the cases where I do disconnect something running during maint., you can be sure that every now and then I will forget to plug it back in. This is why almost all my heaters in tanks are palced near the bottm and horizontally. I don't have to unplug them for water changes.
I love my ACs and Eheim canisters
I have had as many as 28 ACs running at one time. Now its more like 16. I have them in every size. I have never used the Tidal and it never even occured to me. I did not know it existed until reading this thread. I still have my two oldest ACs which have been in continuous use. one from 2001 and the other bought used in summer or 2003. My AC 110 was bought used abput 8-10 years ago. The owner had it a very long time.
The only AC media I ever use are their sponges and I now replace them when needed with Poret foam. When they came out with their bio media I threw it out or gave it away.
I have one Tetra Whisper mini and an Eheim Liberty 200 I loved but no longer use. I had an Emperor 400 on my first tank from Jan 2001. When it died about 7 years later, I replaced it with the new version. It ran for an hour, went back in the box and I sent it back for a refund and bought an AC.
I use all ACs because I can standardize spare parts. The various sizes share a fair amount of parts which makes it a lot easier to have spares on hand.
I have never had an AquaClear hang-on die. I did have one of the smaller models I gut used and it had a crack in the body buy no leak, It eventually did and I saved the parts and threw out the body. I have had most of my spare parts for ACs for a lot of years on the shelf.
Yes the plastic on ACs is thinner. But almost anything we can put in our tanks is that way. I only have 6 ACs running in my bedroom: 3 x 150, 2 x 200 and a 300, no noise. The 300 is on a 75 and I had to cut a notch in the rim to make it fit. That is my one criticism. I also have and Eheim 2026 canister on the tank.
I am about to replace one or both of the impeller and the shaft in the used 110. I cleaned it a while ago and it got really noisy, It has since becoem less so but it rattles. I assume it is a bent shaft but I also bought the impellor JIK.
The only AC filter I turn off when I clean it is the 110. The rest I remove the intake and leave the filter running. I can drop the water level for a 50-60% water change. I doubt one can do that with the Tidal? In the cases where I do disconnect something running during maint., you can be sure that every now and then I will forget to plug it back in. This is why almost all my heaters in tanks are palced near the bottm and horizontally. I don't have to unplug them for water changes.
I love my ACs and Eheim canisters
I suggest a pair of 300s on your 75. It will spread out the intaks and returns which will help with circulation. Also if one stops, you only lose 1/2 of the filtration. I nkrmally put one filter on each en of a tank and, when possible, I put one intake closer to the bottom of the tank and the other less deep.
I have had as many as 28 ACs running at one time. Now its more like 16. I have them in every size. I have never used the Tidal and it never even occured to me. I did not know it existed until reading this thread. I still have my two oldest ACs which have been in continuous use. one from 2001 and the other bought used in summer or 2003. My AC 110 was bought used abput 8-10 years ago. The owner had it a very long time.
The only AC media I ever use are their sponges and I now replace them when needed with Poret foam. When they came out with their bio media I threw it out or gave it away.
I have one Tetra Whisper mini and an Eheim Liberty 200 I loved but no longer use. I had an Emperor 400 on my first tank from Jan 2001. When it died about 7 years later, I replaced it with the new version. It ran for an hour, went back in the box and I sent it back for a refund and bought an AC.
I use all ACs because I can standardize spare parts. The various sizes share a fair amount of parts which makes it a lot easier to have spares on hand.
I have never had an AquaClear hang-on die. I did have one of the smaller models I gut used and it had a crack in the body buy no leak, It eventually did and I saved the parts and threw out the body. I have had most of my spare parts for ACs for a lot of years on the shelf.
Yes the plastic on ACs is thinner. But almost anything we can put in our tanks is that way. I only have 6 ACs running in my bedroom: 3 x 150, 2 x 200 and a 300, no noise. The 300 is on a 75 and I had to cut a notch in the rim to make it fit. That is my one criticism. I also have and Eheim 2026 canister on the tank.
I am about to replace one or both of the impeller and the shaft in the used 110. I cleaned it a while ago and it got really noisy, It has since becoem less so but it rattles. I assume it is a bent shaft but I also bought the impellor JIK.
The only AC filter I turn off when I clean it is the 110. The rest I remove the intake and leave the filter running. I can drop the water level for a 50-60% water change. I doubt one can do that with the Tidal? In the cases where I do disconnect something running during maint., you can be sure that every now and then I will forget to plug it back in. This is why almost all my heaters in tanks are palced near the bottm and horizontally. I don't have to unplug them for water changes.
I love my ACs and Eheim canisters
I appreciate all the info, thats exactly what im thinking of doing with the filters. Have one intake lower than the other to cover more of the tank space. I see you like the Eheim canisters, I never had them. Im trying to stay away from canister filters to make more room in the stand, but I used to have the fx5.I Wonder how they compare to fluval
Double check if the Aquaclear 70 will actually fit over the trim on your 75G tank, it doesn't on my 75G tank so I use an AC110.