Fluval 304 or AquaClear 500?

[slicksta]

Jim
that may have to do with what you feed, your load and your water as why your hoses get gunked.....maybe more than mine.....use a prefilter..it helps
me, about once a year...I soak the hoses in a bleach solution then push a hose cleaner through it....takes about 15 minutes....
to me it's worth the extra time not to see the filter.........
John

Why worry about the hoses? It's a natural buildup. If I was concerned with this then I'd have to mothball my wet/drys & Magnums. For me Fluvals are more work then they're worth. The media capacity is no more then a couple of Hydro Sponge III filters. I don't know why I'd bother using one so I sold the one that I had. And the ability to hide the filter is not an advantage when you've got lots of tanks and not much space. Mind you I also don't have space for an Aquaclear either... my tanks are up against the wall with about 1/2" space between tanks and I don't want to hang a filter on the front of them.

Dave

[slicksta]

Dave
I agree with you on the hoses....I love my wet/dry....and I do the same for them....for someone with a multiple tank set-up....it's a non-issue....any individual filter is not your best system..IMO

I am a pure hobbyist and like show tanks.....that's why I do what I do......

John

[henryD]

I have had both of these and I find that AC500 is easier to clean. But I really don't see a big diiference between these and the Sponge filters. Maybe it can handle a heavier load but if you are doing daily W/C not sure it makes a difference.

As for canister, I use it for 100 gallon tank I have that I don't do daily w/c. It is also more of a show tank in my living room. So the fact that I can hide the canister is great. I think it does a heavier load than the AC500.

So I guess if you are going to do a BB tank and do daily changes I would just go with sponge and save money for more fish...

[shootingstar]

I am thinking about switching from fluval 304 to sponge filter. It is reall pain in the butt to clean it, I have replaced the impeller 2 times already ( paid $15.00 dollars each ), not to mention cleaning the filter pads and the hose......oh man....


My question now is: do I need both aqua clear filter and a sponge filter for my 55g tank ? I do water change everyday.

[Lauro Baldini]

The answers I'm getting here are similar to the ones I've received in a board here in Brazil: some people LOVE Fluvals, some people HATE them. Anyway, below is the Customer Service of Hagen answer on my question if I should buy a Fluval or an AquaClear:

"Dear Lauro Baldini,
Filtration of any tank involves a number of factors, personal preferences and the type of aquascape that is desired. You are correct that the AquaClear 500 in many cases is a cheaper alternative and it does pump more water, but in certain cases this can be a detriment rather than an advantage. You mention a planted tank, depending on the types of plants to be grown, strong currents may not be the wisest choice.

The two types of filters have different strengths, the AquaClear will remove particulate matter as a result of its strong water flow in input suction. The Fluval, on the other hand does not create as strong currents or water flow, but offers a much larger sealed canister that is designed to house almost any filter media available. The AquaClear has Foam, Carbon, AmRid (and Zeo Carb ammonia remover/carbon combination) Inserts made for it. You can strengthen the biological filtration with the addition of Bio~Max rings to fill the media chamber up.

As far as restarting the filter after a power failure, the Fluval is sealed and as long as the output is below water and there is no are trapped in the unit when the power fails, the siphon should hold, but this is not always the case. So yes, in many cases the factors required for restart when power is applied are not met each time. The AquaClear does start more often, but again the water level of the aquarium will influence this as well. Since there is essentially a siphon feed from the input when power is removed, the water will seek its own level. If the level of the tank is too low, the water will siphon from the AquaClear to the tank below the impeller well and thus the unit cannot restart either. Another factor that influences both machines is the way the power returns. The technology of both pumps is the same, an electromagnetic coil rotating a permanent magnet. The motors use little energy as they operate, but they both require the full voltage to be applied to start the impeller spinning. If the power returns gradually - slowly (in electrical terms) there may not be enough "pop" to allow the impeller to go around fully to get it spinning. This is a function of the way power is applied, not the design of the pump. So in some cases everything may be perfect for restart in the tank, but the gradual re-introduction of the power may not allow either unit to get the impeller spinning, instead the impeller will simply vibrate back and forth and not pump water.

I know this may not be exactly what you wanted to hear, however, the choice of the filter is most dependent on the type of aquascape you want to keep, the features of each unit are different and their abilities often help each other, rather than conflict.

Best Regards,
Rolf C. Hagen Inc.

Steve Pond"

Did he say anything worth reading or my understanding of English is ok and the guy just wants me to buy both filters?

Lauro.

[Goldfish_in_a_bowl]

Lauro,
Not sure why all the Hype about the Fluval's,
I am sure they are good filters ... I think it is like anything else.. It all in the "Name" or Marketing, Kinda like Cereals that have a PRIZE inside I guess! *&^ I hate that fight Every week at the grocery store with my kids! LOL

Great advice here...both are Great Filters with Both having Draw backs or different advantages.
And no I don't think anyone with a KBZILLION tanks would opt for the Hang on A clear 500.. Sorry I am Laughing thinking of Daves set up with Seperate AC 500 on the front of EVERY ONE of his Tanks! Sweeeeeeeet set up ya got here Dave! ;D
but for someone Uh..... Like me ;D with a couple of display tanks it works.

Now Slicksta.......
Where do you put all You're JUNK if you put you're filter under the tank and use that space for what it is intended for? HCOW I mean I have Bird seed.... Spare filter parts and air pumps that don't work but ya never know if you might be able to use them : Lights that are almost burnt out........ Yadda yadda yadda... I would have to get a storage shed just for my JUNK! LMAO
I know John... You could start up a Fluval cleaning service!! Yah yah... Fly up to Jims for the day... Clean his Fluval's.... ;D

Karen

[Aquarius]

I have Fulvals and takes me 20 min to clean two of them thats on one of my tanks. I had a Aquaclear that was on my kids tank a while back, sponge got clogged, water went over the back of the tank, and you can guess the rest...

Tehn again, if you lose power using the Fluvals, take them off the tank and drain them, cause if the powers off for awhile it won't be pretty...

As far as hoses..what hoses...why bother but maybe once or twice a year..I have more problems with the hoses on my wet/dry spitting out this white junk..

If your replacing parts to the Fluvals..somethings wrong..never had a problem with 03 or 04 series

Also of note to Lauro Baldini,

"Hagen will get my money"

Hagen makes both of these FILTER's, so either way, they get your money!

Lauro,

It's not worth reading. (the Hagen reply, not Karen's post... at least she provided pictures).

Fluval - dangerous in a power failure because it's sealed so oxygen can't get to the media
- can be hidden under or beside tank
- tougher to clean, hoses to disconnect, the fact that it's under the tank stand can make it even harder to get at
- hard to restart after cleaning
- prone to breakdown, seals can go, leaks can happen, impeller can die
- holds multiple types of media but doesn't hold much compared to the size of the unit
- output can be submerged, better for planted tank
- big bucks for what you get

Aquaclear - easier to remove sponges in power failure and rinse in a bucket of tank water
- must hang on tank edge
- easy to clean, lean over the tank and remove the sponges, place in a bucket of tank water and squeeze clean, replace sponges
- easy to restart after cleaning, you don't really have to turn it off to clean
- impeller can die but leaks are uncommon unless you overfill the media
- fill with 3 sponges only (other then AC500, 2 sponges), reasonable amount of media
- output must drop into tank, no means to redirect it, not as good for plants, keep water level high
- cheap

For me it's a no brainer, given these 2 choices I get the Aquaclear.

Dave

[Goldfish_in_a_bowl]

Lauro,
You were posting as I was.....
I read you're post, I think....I need more coffee!
I think he was just telling you that they are equal/close to the same in Different ways for different reasons....
and as far as the Start up on a filter after a power outage....
I am not sure that is a Plus. Depending on the outage length...I have had a few canisters that when I experienced a Power outage It was NOT what I wanted turned back on.
Okay....
I'll be back... I obviously need More coffee! LOL

Karen

[roger]

I use both types of filters, since they both serve a different function.

The fluval are great for long term use on tanks with lots o fish. I also have some sponge filters in there. I use the sponge filters as seed filters for power losses or for new tanks.

The AC are great for tanks that are setup for temporary use, qt hospital etc ... They are easier to clean and you can add or remove carbon quickly.

I really cant recommend one over the other but if your crunched for money the AC are a better bang for the buck.

Peace,
Roger

[slicksta]

again.....
if your having problems with the seals and impellers I suggest you read the owners manual....no problems in 10 years with 4 different units...
as far as restarting the unit .......you have to be smarter than it....lol
clean mine in less than 10 minutes.....

Dave...if Ebo made them....would you like them then... ;D
(only kidding.. )

and I only keep filter, media, food and cleaning tools under my tank....

I'm not saying you should buy or use one.....but I am saying they are getting a bad rap for no reason....

Ha ha ha, if Ebo made them they'd overflow some people's tanks suddenly with an unexpected throughput of 30,000 gph. I find the disadvantages of the Fluval enough with Hagen making them, don't try to make it a worse product. 8) btw, I never had trouble with leaks or breaks, just priming it was a pain. I could even get used to that. I just found it was a brutal filter for my needs.

As for being smarter then the filter... I am... I sold mine.

Dave

[jim_shedden]

;D

ruht row

I like my fluval 404's :P

I have both, the aqua clears and the fluval 404's ..... I have 2 aqua clear 500's and a 404 on my 150gal tank..... sufficient filtration for my needs

I do like the ease of cleaning on the aqua clears much better though

Beth