Best HOB Power Filter

[Deleted]

I was wondering about everyones opinion about power filters as the only one I have ever used is the Aquaclear and I do like them. Only problem I found is that sometimes they are a bit noisy. They seem to have the best set up for adding media of any kind to the filter and seem to last forever. Would love to try another make sometime. Any suggestions?

[jbrimz]

i have a fluval c4 filter it runs great its quite but i prefer aquaclear they're cheap and i set up my own media inside of it so its great i swear by them lol ive tried whispers and tetra filter and i dont like them

[3littlefishes]

to me the tetra ones (the ones they sell at walmart) do not have enough area to get a really good healthy bacteria colony going. I have always used aquaclears for smaller tanks, sponge filters for light duty and breeding tanks and I used to run some big Fluval canisters for my large tanks. The aquaclears are very user friendly and great for all fishkeepers I think.

[guppyguy]

agreed even thou I also use the new marina slim filter in one of my tanks and it comes with dual cartridges and wroks great with a low profile.

[plantedrob]

I had a hob that I loved, marineland emperor. It had a regular carbon and filter mesh cartridge and a second basket that you could do with what you want and a bio wheel. The problem was the pump died after 4 yrs, maybe that's not so bad for 50$ but I was bitter none the less.

[jbrimz]

AquaClear FTW lol I also recently starting using a canister filter I really like it but glad I got it free as they're quite expensive

[plantedrob]

I got my fluval 306 for dirt, glad I didn't pay full price but I don't know if I'd go back now.

[Deleted]

Looks like you all confirm what I thought but its good to get other opinions. Thanks for your feedback. I think I'll stay with my Aquaclears.

[jbrimz]

yeah canister filters are defiantly better but alot more money

[egorr944]

As for a noisy aquaclear try replacing the impeller shaft. They are only a few bucks and do need replacing in order to keep the impeller from hitting the side of the motor. The aquaclears are by far the longest lasting and easiest to maintain. Good luck and happy fish keeping.

[lesfromlakeshore]

May 8, 2013 19:14:33 GMT -5 egorr944 said:

As for a noisy aquaclear try replacing the impeller shaft. They are only a few bucks and do need replacing in order to keep the impeller from hitting the side of the motor. The aquaclears are by far the longest lasting and easiest to maintain. Good luck and happy fish keeping.

Just read your post and I have some noisy aquaclears...will try changing the impeller

[egorr944]

Just need to change the shaft. Sometimes just turning them over works to keep them quiet. The impeller is a bit more money and only needs to be changed if the fins are broken off.

[Deleted]

Just a note. If you ignore the noise for an extended period of time it will damage your impeller.
I have worn the shafts down to less than half the original size. The impeller hole becomes oblong and will not run well once you do finally replace the shaft.

After that I just started ordering a bunch of shafts and replacing them more regularly.
However the shaft will come loose in the motor too and when that starts happening it is very hard to keep it running well. You end up needing a new motor block.

Basically they are not meant to last all that long. I'm talking about the largest size btw, the large motor AC500 previously. The smaller ones run and run.

Therefore I like the Emperor's for large tanks and AC's for all others if I'm needing a HOB filter.

[lisachromis]

Aquaclear for me all the way. I have some that are over 25 years old and still work great. They are very quiet or should be.

[Deleted]

Aqua Clears are the best pound-per-pound HOB filters. In terms of canisters, I've got to give the nod to Eheim, the Benz of filters. They're not cheap but you can hand those down a few generations and they'll not disappoint. I was introduced to Eheim while living in Austria.