I’ve been running this filter on my 55 gallon African Cichlid tank for almost a year so I wanted to let people see how it’s doing and maybe help someone decide if they want one or not. It shares some parts with some of the other hang on back filters from Aquaclear so whether you’re getting a 10 or a 500 this should still help out. Thanks for watching!
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just bought an AquaClear 70 for my 29gl. Has 3 fancy tail goldies and plants and sand bottom…been running since noon Friday and at 6am Saturday there is a visible differance in the tank..
I put a pre-filter sponge on the intake tube but don’t use a fine one so it don’t suck sand into the motor.
Great help, thanx!
Thanks for this informative vid! Today I’m awaiting delivery of my Aquaclear 70. I’ll use mine in a 29L community tank in conjunction with a Penguin 150. The A70 will handle the regular duties of filtration while the P150 will do light mechanical and mostly bio filtration (Seachem Matrix). I’m hoping that fully utilizing 2 HOB filters with seperate duties/functions increases better tank chemistry in the long run. Yes, I will still perform my weekly 25%+ water changes.
So far we’ve had really good luck with ours too!
The Aquaclear 70 is a newer model of the Aquaclear 300. The 30 is the 150, the 50 is the 200. Think they changed it because tanks are sized by Gallons. Aquaclear 70 is good upto 70 gallons.. the 30 up to 30 gallons.. etc. The impeller shaft is what wears and lets the impeller magnet lean a bit which will cause noise and wear rings on the magnet. Running them on low flow setting will wear the shaft out faster because that puts an unbalanced load of water on the impeller. (more on one side than the other). Shafts are an easy replacement though, or just downgrade your impeller one model and run it at full (just pull it out, pop the lower model one in).
Everyone says these are the best Filters but if after only 8 months, you have to “Push Start”, that makes think maybe these aren’t that great. I have owned 2 Old School Tetra 20 HOB Filter for 10 years without any problems. I understand this is technically a better filter because it has a place for Bio Media, but I would have called the company & made them give me a new impeller. Perhaps it’s not too late to do that. I’m sure they would replace it since this Product has a Lifetime Warranty. Good video though. Thanks.
That’s smart. I might have to try that.
I don’t, have sand but to avoid fry and vegetal debris getting sucked in, i’ve attached a slim net at the intake tube.
It gets full of 5h1@t once a week, but it’s very easy to clean and allows me to extend the time between inner filter maintenance.
Plus that, caridinas and young ancistrus love to feed on the brown vegetable mass that gets trapped. 😀
this is the best aquarium filter
I have this same filter,I’ve had it for several years,and the only issue I’ve had is the impeller and the sand issue,because I have sand in my tank. The carbon bag has never been replaced,I just wash it out, I think it’s just tuned into bio filter on it’s own along with the bag of media,most of the dirt gets trapped in that huge sponge on top,my tank is 55 gallons and is always crystal clear.
Good video bro. Be sure to fully prime the filter before starting it again and set the intake to max to be sure it will run without airpockets, which are responsible for most of the rattling. After the initial startup you can set the intake as low as you want.
is there any difference between the hagen ac and the fluval ac?
Great video. Just one question why get rid of the carbon? Sorry I’m new to the hobby.
I heard the bacteria remains alive for like an hour without flowing water.
does it suck the poop of fish out from aquarium?
aquaclears are the best HOB’s on the market IMO.
My wife gets them from the dollar store for me. They come in 10 packs from “Scrub Buddies” light duty scouring pads.
Oh ya, you don’t need to lube the impeller parts.. the water does that. Lubing it is pointless since the magnet shouldn’t touch anything in the first place, and the lube will just wash away since it’s submerged in water!! The impeller shaft and the inside of the impeller magnet where the shaft goes threw are the only parts that wear.
Beautiful design, good flow, best option besides a sump, but I returned it. Couldn’t deal with the noise in the living room.
REALLY irritating how Hagen doesn’t stock this over here in the UK..
We just get these bloody Slim filters.
I am looking to buy a filter for a 50G tank I just bought, I have a 50G internal filter that I like to use more than anything for the water circulation it creates, I like the Aquaclear I heard a lot of good things about it and then after watching your video helped me make my mind, thanks for the info, I will be using both filters in the tank.
and………how many. liters would that be? because I have 140 litre tank.
put a pre filter sponge on the bottom of the intake tube. That will help with the sand some…
I’ve had my AquaClear 70 for nearly 20 years it still runs fine
does anyone get an air bubble in the intake by the flow control spot.
Just call Fluval and they’ll work with you if it’s only 8 months old. They stand behind their product and this is an extremely rare circumstance with the impeller.
Poor sound quality dude
I have a few things. First off, what media does this thing come with in the box and whats the name of the different media types for replacement? Second, what is each media types function? Third, can u buy generic media? I didnt see any detail on the type of media u were using and I would have liked to see the layers come out after draining. Fourth, do u need the extra biological wheels? Fifth, can u use this as a stand alone on a 40 gallon tank?
That sucks. The unit you got must not be right. Mine is still pretty quiet except with the occasional noise.
great video, someone else on the comments sugested putting a sponge on the intake, i wish i thought of that before i changed out my sand, but the cichlid mix substrate im using now is great, i did have tho change my impeller I mangy 70 to quiet it down
Nice tank you have, very clean. Any specific brand of scrub pad you use? Everytime I look at one it has the ‘not for aquarium use’ label. I’ve been using 2 AC sponges and 1 bio bag but the water line is a little above the basket.
When i started up my 70 all hell broke lose! It´s incredible loud. Lucky me i had a 50 too, so i took the motor and impeller from that and put in my 70, now it´s pretty quiet! Varning to people about the noise from the 70 if you don´t have spare parts from a smaller model;)
I can’t even hear my filter. The only thing you can hear is the waterfall, which can be silenced if you top the tank off.