# aquaclear 20 or tom aquarium rapids canister filter



## jwest (Jun 12, 2011)

just want to hear some opinions on these two. trying to figure out which one to buy for a ten and fifteen gallon heavily planted tank.


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## Chevelle (Jun 19, 2011)

as to help you with your question, go with the Zoomed 501 filter instead.
Others will chime in, more then likely with Eheim.


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## VeeSe (Apr 16, 2011)

Aquaclears are always nice; I guess it depends on your budget. AC20 is likely pretty cheap compared to your usual canister filter and will be among the best choices for a HOB power filter, I think. Obviously, canister filters have their benefits too, you just have to spend more to get them.


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## jwest (Jun 12, 2011)

thats what i was thinking vesee it just seems the most cost effective way. the only thing that concerns me is if the water would be disturbed enough to lose c02.. maybe its just a stupid thought.


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## shrimpnmoss (Apr 8, 2011)

The zoomed 501 won't be enough for a 10g let alone a 20g. +1 for the AC, but I'd get a AC50 for a 20g.


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## VeeSe (Apr 16, 2011)

shrimpnmoss said:


> The zoomed 501 won't be enough for a 10g let alone a 20g. +1 for the AC, but I'd get a AC50 for a 20g.


Except he only has a 10G or 15G tank, I believe, so he might be fine with just the AC20. As far as the gassing off of CO2, I wouldn't be worried about it. In fact, you should welcome that disturbance because it will help to introduce O2 into your system. Even though you might have to use a little bit more CO2 from your CO2 tank, your fish will be much more able to cope with a certain level of CO2 if you have more O2 in the water, allowing you to maintain higher CO2 concentrations because you have a higher O2 concentration to go with it.

edit: and I hope you are talking about CO2 injection and not just losing CO2 in a non-CO2 tank, because it doesn't matter in non-CO2 tanks. You will keep your tank at equilibrium, so offgassing doesn't really matter.


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## jwest (Jun 12, 2011)

this is for both a ten and fifteen. and yes it's being injected


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## kevmo911 (Sep 24, 2010)

I don't have any canisters on smaller tanks. I use an AC20 on a 10g, an AC50 on a 20g long, and an AC70 on a 25g. The only one that I feel is a bit over the top is the AC70 on the 25g, but even then it's not *too* much, just a lot. I have injected CO2 in the 10g and 20g via an Atomizer diffuser, and will be doing the same in the 25g shortly. 

To me, a canister is just an excuse to build a reactor for CO2 injection, and smaller canisters often don't have the power to deal with the couple extra feet of head that a reactor necessitates. Though, to be fair, I've only used Rex reactors and never a Cerges or a manufactured model like the Red Sea or any inline diffuser, which add minimal or no extra height for a canister to overcome.

And I agree with VeeSe, surface agitation will help introduce O2 to the water, while the loss of CO2 is really just some extra loss of a dirt cheap gas. Oh, and HOB filters are very quick and easy to clean out.

By the way, the best AC prices I've found have been through Amazon.com

And one final thought - by far, the biggest headache I've found with HOB reactors is increased evaporation ...which wouldn't be an issue if I didn't have 3 HOB filter tanks in my bedroom. I have a deep tupperware bowl next to my bed that I use to top off tanks every couple nights


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## jwest (Jun 12, 2011)

sounds like the aquaclear is the winner! I have been checking out the prices on amazon. should i go for the aquaclear 30 for the fifteen? I imagine too since you have them in your room they are pretty quiet. does anyone know if it will fit on rimless tanks too? alot of questions... but thank you for the input!


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## Dr. Acula (Oct 14, 2009)

Aquaclears are great HOB filters, and the price is usually right compared to a canister. A 30 should work fine for a 15 gallon. And they do fit on rimless tanks. They'll lean a little bit but work fine, and you can fit a piece of something between the filter and the tank to straighten it out a little if you like. Lastly, they're usually quiet enough for a bedroom, and I've run one in a tank right next to my bed and slept fine. One filter required a little messing with the impeller before it quieted down, but that's the worst of my experience with them.


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## kevmo911 (Sep 24, 2010)

I don't particularly agree with the "quiet". A couple of my AC's are quiet. A couple aren't. The one AC I tried to quiet down by greasing the impeller shaft with silicone grease I now have to smack around - literally - every time I turn it on to get it to start functioning. My guess is that grease somehow started messing with a connection, but I don't know. It's just as possible that the filter had a wiring issue to begin with (I greased it after plugging it in only once to make sure it worked). The bottom line is that an average HOB filter will be louder than an average canister filter, and, either way, you can always hide a canister filter in a cabinet or behind a full-size cutout of Princess Leia. Not that I would know from firsthand experience.

BUT ...from everything I've read, AC HOB filters are among the quieter of the HOB filters, and I've read stories of people quieting them even more by greasing the impeller shafts.


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## shrimpnmoss (Apr 8, 2011)

I agree. My AC 20 is not quieter than my canisters. I was using a AC 20 for a 10g heavily planted tank. It was fine at first but as the plants grew it put more load on the filter and I wished it was a bit bigger. I also run a sponge over the intake for shrimps so that reduced the flow also.


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## jwest (Jun 12, 2011)

well that sucks cause i plan to have this in my dorm room... does the sponge over the intake work pretty well for you shrimpnmoss?


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## Higher Thinking (Mar 16, 2011)

I have a tom's rapids canister running my 20 and this thing is awesome. You can get them as cheap as 27 bucks and it has been up and running for over a month and a half and I haven't touched it. Still has a strong current coming out of the spray bar.


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## jwest (Jun 12, 2011)

higher thinking, how is the noise? the only thing bad i hear about the rapids is they tend to leak


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## Higher Thinking (Mar 16, 2011)

jwest said:


> higher thinking, how is the noise? the only thing bad i hear about the rapids is they tend to leak


Well it's in my living room with 5 other fish tanks so I don't notice any sounds coming from it. I just put my ear up to it and could only hear my power head. Turned that off and could hear a slight hum from the canister.


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## jwest (Jun 12, 2011)

sweet! you got me leaning towards that now


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## Higher Thinking (Mar 16, 2011)

It comes with the bio media which is nice, it also comes with this weird carbon sponge which I went ahead and used but probably will just use filter floss when it finally comes around time to opening it up. I got 7 tanks and this is the only one with carbon just because it came with it.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Two of the tom rapids I owned leaked after a few months. At first I loved it. Then it clogged a lot and then it drained about 2 gallons of water on my floor before I noticed. I got a replacement, set it up and it started leaking within a few months. Personally, I think they are crap. I have a brand new one that I pass by everyday that I was selling a while back. I changed my mind because I didn't want to share the headache. But that's just my experience. Your mileage may vary.


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## demonr6 (Mar 14, 2011)

Finnex makes a nice canister now too. The ZooMed 501 is great for a really small nano but I would not go over 4 gallons with one. The flow just isn't enough.. you can forget a lily pipe with the ZM. Shrimp only, small and not wanting to disturb the water at all.. then ZM.


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## jwest (Jun 12, 2011)

I ordered an ac 20 and ac 30. they are solid filters and i havent heard any really bad reviews on them plus they are cheap


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## shane3fan (Nov 2, 2009)

sewingalot said:


> Two of the tom rapids I owned leaked after a few months. At first I loved it. Then it clogged a lot and then it drained about 2 gallons of water on my floor before I noticed. I got a replacement, set it up and it started leaking within a few months. Personally, I think they are crap. I have a brand new one that I pass by everyday that I was selling a while back. I changed my mind because I didn't want to share the headache. But that's just my experience. Your mileage may vary.


ditto--my experience pretty much mirrors yours.


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## shrimpnmoss (Apr 8, 2011)

jwest said:


> well that sucks cause i plan to have this in my dorm room... does the sponge over the intake work pretty well for you shrimpnmoss?



Works really well if you are keeping shrimp. I was cutting my own sponges for the intake, but my final solution was to purchase a replacement sponge for the ZooMed 501 from Petsmart and that fit PERFECT over the intake with out further modification.


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## ren (May 19, 2010)

I have two tom rapids canister filters. They both work fine i have one on a 2.5 and a 10 gal. If you do want more flow i would advise you to swap out the hoses and take out the flow meter. Also mine haven't leaked at all and ive had them for about a year now. i don't use the carbon that came with it, just filter floss. If i were you i would just get an aquaclear they're pretty reliable.


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

i have an AC30 on my 10 gallon, and i wouldnt put anything smaller on it. so for a 15g i would suggest ( if you go the HOB route, never tried the canister in question) getting an AC50 ( unless there is something between the 30 and 50)


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