Just bought a fluval C4 hob today, has anyone had experience with them and are they really that great for an hob ?
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Fluval C4?
- Thread starter BilabongAthlete
- Start date
I had one on my 29 gallon several months ago and it ran fine. It couldn't keep my 29 clean, but it was quite is about all I can say good about it. I will never purchase another.
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Was it your only filter on the tank and how dirty was your tank while using it ?
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I had one on my 29 and one in use right now on my 20 gallon (only filter). They both did/do a great job. Parameters are great and fish are happy. The reason I don't have it on my 29 gal no more is because I got an eheim 2217 cheap and decided to use that instead. I had absolutely no problems with the C4 on my 29 (filtration included 2 marineland powerheads with sponge attachment also... mainly for circulation but addded the sponge because it helps too!). My water was crystal clear in the 29 and is crystal clear on my 20 right now. My bro has the C2 as his only filter on his overstocked tank and the water is super clear with perfect parameters. He barely changes his water because he is lazy. LOL.
I love them as HOB's and would buy another one in a heartbeat if I needed one. Wish they would come up with a C5... To be honest and risking some flaming... I like it better than my Aquaclear. It's much easier to clean and does a great job. Water bypass and floating sponges which equals flooding is not an issue with the C series. I got mines packed with biomedia in place of the carbon. Think about it. Aquaclear (rated the best HOB by most MFK'ers) is made by Hagen and so is the C4. You think they would release a product that is inferior to the Aquaclear? It would be easier to redesign the Aquaclear if possible to make the ultimate HOB... But the design of the Aquaclear allows for bypass and the ever so risky flooding issue that cannot be remidied by the bottom flowing design without just turning it into a canister. The C series filters also cost a little more than comparable Aquaclears if you are thinking that it would be the more economical thus an inferior product.. Sometimes I wonder about the negative reviews on products that work perfectly for me... Were they using them correctly? What are they comparing it to? You cant compare a C4 to an Aquaclear 110 on the same tank... Imagine a grossly overstocked 29 gallon. If you use a C4 as the only filter... of course it would not produce the same results as if you were to use an Aquaclear 110 on the same tank... Second thought... Mechanically it wouldn't be as effective but in the biological sense the C4 is a BEAST.
I love them as HOB's and would buy another one in a heartbeat if I needed one. Wish they would come up with a C5... To be honest and risking some flaming... I like it better than my Aquaclear. It's much easier to clean and does a great job. Water bypass and floating sponges which equals flooding is not an issue with the C series. I got mines packed with biomedia in place of the carbon. Think about it. Aquaclear (rated the best HOB by most MFK'ers) is made by Hagen and so is the C4. You think they would release a product that is inferior to the Aquaclear? It would be easier to redesign the Aquaclear if possible to make the ultimate HOB... But the design of the Aquaclear allows for bypass and the ever so risky flooding issue that cannot be remidied by the bottom flowing design without just turning it into a canister. The C series filters also cost a little more than comparable Aquaclears if you are thinking that it would be the more economical thus an inferior product.. Sometimes I wonder about the negative reviews on products that work perfectly for me... Were they using them correctly? What are they comparing it to? You cant compare a C4 to an Aquaclear 110 on the same tank... Imagine a grossly overstocked 29 gallon. If you use a C4 as the only filter... of course it would not produce the same results as if you were to use an Aquaclear 110 on the same tank... Second thought... Mechanically it wouldn't be as effective but in the biological sense the C4 is a BEAST.
I love my C4, to me they have addressed a few of the aquaclears weaknesses such as a larger mechnical area which includes a finer sponge also which catches allot of what my aquaclear misses. The carbon basket can be used anyway you want. The trickle seems to work well and I think its a better solution for bio then just putting a bag of media on top. I am and will be buying more. I agree the only downside is that they messed up big time when they didn't release a C5 version.
Thanks for the reply everyone ! Much appreciated !!
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I can get a c4 for $38 on sale at the lfs. I have a aqueon along with 2 canisters on my 75 and I wanna add another HOB. Thought about the c4 but aqueon pushes way more water and can be modified with media.
THE GOAT
THE GOAT
You can't compare the biggest Aqueon filter to the C4. There would have to be a C5 model to compare it to... If you wanted to compare the Aqueon to the C4 then you would have to compare it to the Aqueon quietflow 50 which would pump 250gph to the 264gph of the C4... For some reason they stopped at the C4 size which would compare to a Aquaclear 70... If they made a C5 it would compare to the Aquaclear 110. Then you could compare the flow of the C5 to the largest Aqueon HOB. That being said it is obvious you wouldn't want to use the C4 on a 75 gallon... Until they make a C5 the best HOB for larger tanks will still be the Aquaclear 110. If you want a HOB filter that pushes the most water and is extremely moddable the Aquaclear 110 to this date can't be touched. Oh, and you can mod any HOB... Why buy a filter that need's to be modded when it is made right?
Here's food for thought: C4 vs. any other HOB on the market. The wet dry system in the C4 with some denitrate from seachem is able to prduce the flow needed for denitrate to actually work.
I was just stating why I chose the aqueon over the c4. I wanted a filter I could later use on my 150 once set up. I plan on replacing my cascade 1000 with another aqueon or a ac110. Still don't know which I want but the aqueon pushes just as much water as the ac110 does imo only because it gets packed with media. My one problem with the aquaclears is they have no bypass and can leak if clogged up which is why the c4 is a better design.
THE GOAT
THE GOAT
The water flow design is one of the reasons why I like the C series filters better. It pushes the water out the back, through the mechanical, then down to where the carbon would be (I replaced it with more bio) then up and out while forcing some water up the tube to supply water to the wet/dry. The Aquaclear definitely allows for some bypass. The water seems to go through the holes in the basket and even flow up and over the basket allowing for 100% unfiltered water out of the filter. The flow design is one of the Aquaclears biggest flaws. In theory it works, but the basket pushing up and flooding is a major issue. Even if it doensn't flood moving the basket allows for some major water bypass around the filter media. Not saying the aquaclear isn't an awesome HOB, it just NEEDS to be maintained to work at optimum preformance.
If I were you I would go with the AC110. Wouldn't you be packing your Aqueon (400gph) with media which would therefore make the flow less than the Aquaclear packed with media(500gph)? Wouldn't a HOB packed with media that pushes 400 gph be better than one that couldn't be packed with media to push near the 400gph rating. The Aqueon obviously really won't be pushing 400 gph because it will have some media in it right? The Aquaclear is able to fit more media and is much easier to mod/customize your media to your liking. It is more expensive though...
If I were you I would go with the AC110. Wouldn't you be packing your Aqueon (400gph) with media which would therefore make the flow less than the Aquaclear packed with media(500gph)? Wouldn't a HOB packed with media that pushes 400 gph be better than one that couldn't be packed with media to push near the 400gph rating. The Aqueon obviously really won't be pushing 400 gph because it will have some media in it right? The Aquaclear is able to fit more media and is much easier to mod/customize your media to your liking. It is more expensive though...