# Aqueon filter help



## AmunRa (Jan 20, 2009)

Go ahead. No issue, that's what you do after filter has become mucky. Put a new one and wait for it to become like this shortly.


----------



## Aben314 (Feb 14, 2012)

I have that same filter. I switched out the noisy blue plastic drip thing for a sponge. I cut up some foam I had and wedged it in there.

I don't trust Aqueon's claim about the blue plastic holding bacteria.

I've also heard of people putting sponge/ceramic media/purigen above the impelled area. Haven't tried that myself yet.

I would replace that white pad with generic blue bonded filter pads. You can cut them to size and they're cheaper than cartridges. They don't need to be replaced that often.

That said, I'd recommend just picking up an Aquaclear 20 or 30. They're much better. When I have something more than snails in my 10 gal I'll be getting one. They're pretty cheap on Amazon.


----------



## SirGrizz (Jun 24, 2012)

if i pick up an aquaclear 20, would i have to run it simultaneously with my current filter on the side of my tank for a couple weeks before taking out my old filter for good?

and can you post a link to the blue generic pads? i might need to use those for a little while


edit:after looking at this aquaclear it looks very promising to me, i read this comes with a way to adjust the flow is this correct? i currently have a rigged mnt dew bottle blocking the current lol
also, how often should the -floss, charcoal, and bio-tubes be changed on the aquaclear 20'?


----------



## Triggerfishy (Apr 26, 2012)

The blue plastic holds the bacteria, if it gets really gunked up, then you could rinse it in tap water, otherwise the only real time you need to replace the cartridge is when the carbon is spent, if the carbon is not used up, then simply rinse the filterfloss and put it back in.


----------



## SirGrizz (Jun 24, 2012)

tap water would kill most of the bacteria, the thing is i think this dirty filter cartridge, although ive rinsed it twice since ive had it, helped cause the small spike in ammonia


----------



## Aben314 (Feb 14, 2012)

SirGrizz said:


> if i pick up an aquaclear 20, would i have to run it simultaneously with my current filter on the side of my tank for a couple weeks before taking out my old filter for good?
> 
> and can you post a link to the blue generic pads? i might need to use those for a little while
> 
> ...



If you get an aquaclear run them simultaneously


http://www.petco.com/product/5539/M...Pads.aspx?CoreCat=MM_FishSupplies_FilterMedia 
Filter pads like these


----------



## SirGrizz (Jun 24, 2012)

how long should the filters be run simultaneously before i get rid of the old one?


----------



## Aben314 (Feb 14, 2012)

Not sure, a few weeks at least. 
If you're growing plants get rid of the carbon.

All your other questions can probably be answered which a quick forum search for "aquaclear"


----------



## Complexity (Jan 30, 2008)

I'm not a fan of HOB filters, but for small tanks, they're a good option. Most try to use some kind of gimmick to hold bacteria, be it a biowheel or a blue parts or whatever. In truth, they don't hold that much bacteria. True, there's a lot of bacteria in the tank itself (on the glass, substrate, plants, decor), but I still like having a tangible source of bacteria somewhere inside my filter. I guess it comes from running canisters.

I also find the cartridges sold for HOB filters to be a waste of good money. The carbon is completely unnecessary. If you don't consider the carbon, then all you're really getting are two very thin pieces of floss. That's it. And you pay out the nose for it.

So what I do is put biomedia in a bag (cheap knee high hosiery works), and then sandwich that between two pieces of filter floss. The first floss keeps the big stuff out of the biomedia, and the second floss helps to polish the water. Sponges can be used in addition to or instead of the floss.

Then when it's time to service the filter, I just change/clean the floss/sponges. If the biomedia bag starts to look clogged, I just give it a quick dunk in a cup of aquarium water to knock off the stuff on the outside of the bag. I try to disturb what's inside the bag as little as possible.

One of the nice things about doing this is you can jump start a new tank, such as a QT tank, by adding a second biomedia bag inside a filter. Once the second bag gets grungy, it can be moved to a new tank, and you're good to go. You can also move the biomedia bag to a new filter if you need. I like to think of it as portable bacteria.


----------



## SirGrizz (Jun 24, 2012)

wow interesting

looks like im going to order an aquaclear and run it with my aqueon for about a week or at least until the new biomedia darkens with bacteria considerably 

it comes with foam but these that were suggested above http://www.petco.com/product/5539/Ma...es_FilterMedia are similar to what you use?

and i thought carbon was the main way to reduce aquarium odor but quite a few people dont use it, why is this?


----------



## Aben314 (Feb 14, 2012)

SirGrizz said:


> wow interesting
> 
> looks like im going to order an aquaclear and run it with my aqueon for about a week or at least until the new biomedia darkens with bacteria considerably
> 
> ...



Carbon leaches nutrients that plants need. It's really a lazy way to reduce odor and clear the water. Best way to do that is with water changes and a good filter. A better alternative to carbon is Purigen.

Aquaclear media preferences vary. If you're getting it I wouldn't bother with the filter floss I suggested above. That was only if you stick with the aqueon.

A common AC setup for the three media chambers is
Sponge/Purigen/Biomax


----------



## SirGrizz (Jun 24, 2012)

is the purigen reusable? squeeze in old tank water?


----------



## Complexity (Jan 30, 2008)

SirGrizz said:


> wow interesting
> 
> looks like im going to order an aquaclear and run it with my aqueon for about a week or at least until the new biomedia darkens with bacteria considerably
> 
> ...


The link isn't working for me so I can't comment on that.

Carbon is a throwback from long ago and is still used in most cartridge filters because it's cheap and what else are they going to put in between the flimsy pieces of floss to make the cartridge look like it's worth something? But it's not really what you want to use. If you want a carbon substitute, purigen is a good suggestion. However, you don't need either one.

You need mechanical and biological filtering. If you have that, you're good to go.

Carbon is good to use for removing chemicals from the water, such as removing medicines when you've finished dosing them. However, even things like that can usually be removed naturally through water changes. I haven't used carbon in years. I don't even have any in the house (except for some of the original cartridges I never used that came with some of the filters I bought).



SirGrizz said:


> is the purigen reusable? squeeze in old tank water?


Yes, it's highly reusable, but not by squeezing it. Read the Regeneration section on this page: http://www.seachem.com/Products/product_pages/Purigen.html


----------



## talontsiawd (Oct 19, 2008)

I had the same aquaclear, came with my tank. Like Complexity, a lot of bacteria exists outside the filter once the tank is established. I wouldn't worry too much about rinsing the blue piece if it's causing issues. On the flip side, I wouldn't rinse it if it just looks ugly from the gunk, that's what happens.

If you don't want to get rid of the filter, just throw some bio media in a small bag. It has room. Or stock on the light side, you have the substrate, the plants, and other surfaces of the filter so it's not the only place.

I really don't like that filter though. I actually like the design since the motor is below the water so it doesn't have dry start issues but mine was a bit loud and the cartridges are way to fine. They don't last long and you don't have a good alternative as the shape of the filter is odd so you can't easily add much to it for extra mechanical filtration. You also can't easily switch media types to sponges or something because the filter cartridge has the plastic frame. 


Though I would recommend saving your money for a different type of filter (likely canister), I know that can hit the wallet pretty hard. If you want to switch to something similar, I think Aquaclears are a good buy. They have more media capacity which is nice. Each type of media is the same shape and size so you can swap one out for the next if you want to. All the media is rectangular, not some odd shape so it's easy to add a different type of media. Lastly, you can swap the impellers so you can run a smaller impeller with more media. Just don't go the other way and add a larger impeller because it will overflow. I use an AC 50 (fits a Purigen bag well) with a AC 20 impeller on my 6 gallon.


----------



## JP55g (May 11, 2012)

I have the Aqueon 55/75. When i used it i stuffed it full of filter floss and pot scrubbies. If they would have just made the holding tank wide open instead of the slots it would be a great filter, of course then it would be basicly an aquaclear lol


----------



## BS87 (Apr 9, 2012)

JP55g said:


> I have the Aqueon 55/75. When i used it i stuffed it full of filter floss and pot scrubbies. If they would have just made the holding tank wide open instead of the slots it would be a great filter, of course then it would be basicly an aquaclear lol


I've done the same. My primary filter is an AquaClear 50, and i used the Aqueon quietflow that came with my 29G as a polisher. I've stuffed it chock full of filter floss, and I clean it about every 2-4 weeks.


----------



## wetworks (Jul 22, 2011)

The best way to fix an aqueon filter is to cover it with gas and set it on fire. I have six of them in my possession and not one of them works, or has ever worked right. I worked at a pet store a while back, and we got a ton of returns on these. Try the Marineland or Aquaclear filters.


----------



## SirGrizz (Jun 24, 2012)

thanks for the input guys

recently bought the Aquaclear 20 with sponge-ammonia bag-bio bag, and am currently running it on the opposite side of my tank while it builds up bacteria

its done a fantastic job of cleaning my water but my only qualms are the noise (much louder than my aqueon although i heard you can grease the propeller to stop this) and the adjustable flow still doesnt go low enough for my bettas to be completely comfortable around it

and because of the bigger size i will have to move my bed (tank is on top) to fit it in lol


----------



## david meyers (Jul 15, 2011)

Drs. Foster&Smith have the Hagen Aquaclears at a great price now. Just ordered the 110 for $56.


----------

