filter comparison

[philk]

aqua clear 70 vs emperor 400. what do you guys think of these filters? which do you prefer and why?

[emartin]

Aquaclear all the way. Bought an AquaClear, loved it will never even TRY another power filter (never used any other brand before).

[joe_jaskot]

Not really a good comparison. Outputs of filters are not the same. An aquaclear 70 (old 300) has a little more flow than an emperor 280. An aquaclear 110 (old 500) has a little more flow than an emperor 400. I use aquaclears and emperors. Often one of each on the bigger tanks. Both filters have been running for years with no problems. Both filters work. Take about the same time to clean. Emperors do have the biowheel and cartridges that can be filled with any type of media. Spray bars on the emperors do clog up and have to be cleaned often. It comes down to a personal preference. I would run either of them on a tank.

[BlondeFishGal]

I tend to go narrow and deep. If I like something, I just get more of the same.

ACs are on all my tanks. Actually, I keep two on each large tank. So you could say i have quite a number of ACs!! Not saying they are 'the best' but like Ed, I tried one, loved it, never found the need to try any other. So I might not be the best person for comments on a comparison, but maybe the fact that I never felt the need to try anything other than an AC says something about the performance of how good ACs are.

Jeez, can I EVER write a short anwer to a post??!!!
:becky:

[cracks]

I had an aquaclear 70 and a emp. 350 on my 55 gallon and both ran fine. I did notice more noise frpm the 350 due to the biowheels. Also on the side that had the 350 seemed to have more microbubbles (maybe from the biowheels?) And the water always seemed kinda cloudy. I picked up a rena (thanks imerialfish!) And took off the 350, can barley hear any hint of an aquarium in my room now. IMO get whatever one is on sale, you won't be disappointed with either.

[pogi2009]

I bought 2 E. 350 before I tried AC, There is more noise in E 350 than in AC110. Thought both 350s are still running, I decided to standardized on AC. Also in AC's intake, I can put a sponge to prefilter the water, also traps any food, which the fish can still eat. I can't do the same in E350 because the intake is rectangular.

All in all, depends on individual preferences.

[nick a]

My tendency is to go wide and deep :whistle:
I use a lot of a lot of different kinds & brands.

All filters have pros/cons. It's really up to the user to defeat the cons and supplement the pros. The biggest con for ACs, for instance, is the combination of a very brittle plastic and any kind of spazzing. I dropped an AC50 in the sink last night and broke off part of the outflow lip. Can't change the plastic--mental note to NOT drink anymore coffee or get in any kinda rush and maybe put some sponges in the bottom of the sink next time.........

[F8LBITE]

Aquaclear all the way!!!!!!!!

[Tony]

I vote Aquaclear. I've had both and having to buy new filter cartidges on the Marineland filters bugs me. With the AC, rinse out the sponge, refill a carbon sock (if that's your thing) and you're good to go. Reusing the same sponge will also ensure you keep your good bacterial going.

Suppose you were using one on a bare-bottom fry tank and changed out the cartridge in your Marineland filter. You lose all your bacteria and may get spikes.

[Pete]

Was going to stay out of this but misinformation forces me to jump in..


having to buy new filter cartidges on the Marineland filters bugs me.

I've run Emperors for 10+ years and never purchased a Marineland cartridge. I just put floss into the extra media baskets, rinse it weekly until it's dead and replace the floss at a tiny fraction of the cost of a new cartridge.


Suppose you were using one on a bare-bottom fry tank and changed out the cartridge in your Marineland filter. You lose all your bacteria and may get spikes.

The Emperor's biowheels are doing the biological filtration. I have no qualms about replacing all the floss on any of my tanks (and happily do so) because the bacteria lives on the wheels.

[Tony]

Was going to stay out of this but misinformation forces me to jump in..

I've run Emperors for 10+ years and never purchased a Marineland cartridge. I just put floss into the extra media baskets, rinse it weekly until it's dead and replace the floss at a tiny fraction of the cost of a new cartridge.

You're right. I was thinking of the smaller Penguin models and not the larger Emperor one like the OP is talking about. The smaller ones don't have the extra media basket. My bad.

The Emperor's biowheels are doing the biological filtration. I have no qualms about replacing all the floss on any of my tanks (and happily do so) because the bacteria lives on the wheels.

Right again.

Mondays are always a bit rough for me... :runnningaround:

[Picklefish]

Also in AC's intake, I can put a sponge to prefilter the water, also traps any food, which the fish can still eat. I can't do the same in E350 because the intake is rectangular.

I did make some out of some spare poret foam for my Emp 400 intakes. Cheap and easy. Keeps the java moss from clogging the impellers.