# A Disturbing Thought I Had About My AquaClear Filter...



## ClinicaTerra

I was just thinking...because this filter isn't self-priming, what happens if I'm on vacation and a power outage occurs? The filter can't come back on on its own, requiring water to be added to start flowing, so what happens?

I mean, right now I have the second Aqueon filter running with the AquaClear 110, and that one is self priming, immediately sucking water in when the power is restored...but what if I didn't have that Aqueon? What if I had the two 110s or just the one 110 for that matter -- what happens during a power outage if we're not home for some time?

*c/p*


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## James0816

I have found, for the most part, that as long as the water level is maintained in the HOB, it will kick in once the power is back on. Now I'm wondering if the tank level has a factor in that as well. I do have a couple that need an extra push to come back after being down for an extended period of time.

My money is on tank level though. Definately something you can experiment with safely. Prior to leaving, ensure the tank level is at the top. Give it a test run and see what happens. Unplug the filter, let it sit for a few minutes and then plug back. Try again and leave it unplugged a little longer.


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## mk4gti

My girlfriend likes to use this heater that keeps blowing the fuse in my appartment, shes done this several times dispite me telling her not to but anyway, if the water level in the tank is high enough they will pretty much go back on after making a few bubbles and some shakes and rattles. If the tank level is too low then gravity is going to pull the remaining water out of the tube and then there is no chance of it going back on without being primed, if this happens and no one is there to unplug it or prime it then the odds are your filter will burn out.


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## jrman83

The AC filters suck in that aspect. They seem to completely drain out almost when they loose power. If that didn't happen then they would start right back up. Try unplugging and testing to see how yours does..then you'll know. They get there, but seem to struggle.

Clinica - ever fix the problem of yours making so much noise?


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## Gizmo

I've noticed with my AC50 that if I swing the flow limiter all the way to max limitation (minimal flow), the pump will re-prime itself after some grunting as long as there is water in the main filter housing. I've had outages at my house during absentee periods and I've kept the tank level high and the flow limiter maxed and had no problems, and I've been running AC filters for 2 years now.


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## ClinicaTerra

James0816 said:


> I have found, for the most part, that as long as the water level is maintained in the HOB, it will kick in once the power is back on. Now I'm wondering if the tank level has a factor in that as well. I do have a couple that need an extra push to come back after being down for an extended period of time.
> 
> My money is on tank level though. Definately something you can experiment with safely. Prior to leaving, ensure the tank level is at the top. Give it a test run and see what happens. Unplug the filter, let it sit for a few minutes and then plug back. Try again and leave it unplugged a little longer.


Well, I've kind of "experimented" with this when I did disastrous water changes, and the 110 was unplugged for the duration of the maintenance...it didn't seem like it was going to prime on its own, but in all fairness, I didn't give it a lot of time -- I went right for priming it with tank water...


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## ClinicaTerra

mk4gti said:


> My girlfriend likes to use this heater that keeps blowing the fuse in my appartment, shes done this several times dispite me telling her not to but anyway, if the water level in the tank is high enough they will pretty much go back on after making a few bubbles and some shakes and rattles. If the tank level is too low then gravity is going to pull the remaining water out of the tube and then there is no chance of it going back on without being primed, if this happens and no one is there to unplug it or prime it then the odds are your filter will burn out.


So, you're saying it's a matter of water level than can control this -- it doesn't matter if the filter needs priming, as the AquaClears do? The level will rise in the filter container as soon as power comes back on, so long as the water level is high enough?


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## ClinicaTerra

jrman83 said:


> The AC filters suck in that aspect. They seem to completely drain out almost when they loose power. If that didn't happen then they would start right back up. Try unplugging and testing to see how yours does..then you'll know. They get there, but seem to struggle.
> 
> Clinica - ever fix the problem of yours making so much noise?


I'm beginning to think I shouldn't have bought an AC because of this, and I didn't even take power outages into consideration -- but perhaps another "self-priming" model like the Aqueon (a brilliant feature in my opinion) even though they're not the best filters (far from it)...

Why would Hagen create such a filter design (or any other that isn't self priming) without taking accidental power outages into consideration? That just doesn't seem logical to me. So, you're saying it's possible the water doesn't rise in the chamber if I'm gone too long, and then I lose the filter from run dry burnout...?

As for the noise, yes, it seems to have gone away on its own, the filter seems to be running at full capacity again, and my bubble wands have been adjusted straight and seem to be pumping bubbles once more, through both stalks across the back of the tank. Thanks for asking.


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## ClinicaTerra

[email protected] said:


> I've noticed with my AC50 that if I swing the flow limiter all the way to max limitation (minimal flow), the pump will re-prime itself after some grunting as long as there is water in the main filter housing. I've had outages at my house during absentee periods and I've kept the tank level high and the flow limiter maxed and had no problems, and I've been running AC filters for 2 years now.


A couple of questions here gtm...

Are you suggesting that before one leaves, the AC should be set to minimal flow on the intake knob? This would allow for self priming and restarting if there's a power outage? Also -- when you say "max limitation" do you mean with the flow knob switched all the way to the RIGHT, so there's minimal output? To the LEFT is maximum output, correct?

In your second paragraph, you say you had your flow limiter "maxed" and had no problems, but does this mean the flow limiter knob was pushed to the "MAX" output (to the LEFT) or it was on maximum restraint, which would be to the RIGHT? Also, what did you mean by "no problems"...do you mean you came home and the filter was running from starting itself?


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## mfgann

ClinicaTerra said:


> I'm beginning to think I shouldn't have bought an AC because of this, and I didn't even take power outages into consideration -- but perhaps another "self-priming" model like the Aqueon (a brilliant feature in my opinion) even though they're not the best filters (far from it)...
> 
> Why would Hagen create such a filter design (or any other that isn't self priming) without taking accidental power outages into consideration? That just doesn't seem logical to me. So, you're saying it's possible the water doesn't rise in the chamber if I'm gone too long, and then I lose the filter from run dry burnout...?


Glad to see you're still with us! I have an AC50 on my 30G and I have to say, that is the one thing that I'm not happy about. As to why Hagen would make it this way, if I'm not mistaken I used to have a filter like this on a tank many, many years ago.. I think hagen's aquaclear just hasn't been updated in forever. They have a product many, many people like and recommend, and they probably don't want to be seen as a company that messes with something customers are happy with. 
If you really want the best the canister filters are supposed to be fantastic.


> As for the noise, yes, it seems to have gone away on its own, the filter seems to be running at full capacity again, and my bubble wands have been adjusted straight and seem to be pumping bubbles once more, through both stalks across the back of the tank.


Glad to hear the sound worked itself out. I'm convinced it is air bubbles somehow trapped in there, but I don't know for sure.


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## ClinicaTerra

mfgann said:


> Glad to see you're still with us! I have an AC50 on my 30G and I have to say, that is the one thing that I'm not happy about. As to why Hagen would make it this way, if I'm not mistaken I used to have a filter like this on a tank many, many years ago.. I think hagen's aquaclear just hasn't been updated in forever. They have a product many, many people like and recommend, and they probably don't want to be seen as a company that messes with something customers are happy with.
> If you really want the best the canister filters are supposed to be fantastic.


Thanks mfg!

Well, I'm only still with you because I'm going to give this one more shot -- in doing so, I am going to see how long I could go without doing a water change because that's what's been daunting for us. Right now, the fish seem to be more than okay, the filters are running, the water is as clear as it's ever been and I'm simply okay with leaving well enough alone at least until the next water test...

As for the Hagen approach, I suppose that makes sense that they don't want to mess with success -- but to make a product that can burn out if it loses power and someone isn't home? 

Further -- are you saying that you have experienced these burn outs with your ACs? Where they didn't actually reprime on their own, despite what everyone else in the thread feels would happen (that it would restart on its own depending on water level)? 



> Glad to hear the sound worked itself out. I'm convinced it is air bubbles somehow trapped in there, but I don't know for sure.


You are most likely 100 percent right -- especially since my bubble wands run under each filter directly...there more than likely was air trapped in that intake tube...


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## mfgann

ClinicaTerra said:


> Further -- are you saying that you have experienced these burn outs with your ACs? Where they didn't actually reprime on their own, despite what everyone else in the thread feels would happen (that it would restart on its own depending on water level)?


Nope. I've always been around as far as I can remember, or maybe just never gone long enough for something disastrous to happen. I'm not sure if they would burn out completely, or just try forever more and never succeed. I would think we would hear from former fishkeepers if the ACs burned down houses over the years. Stranger things have happened though..

So the Aqeuon is self-priming? Is it pretty good otherwise? Quiet and seem to run well? I've always been a little wary of Aqeuon, since they're a relatively new name to me, but so far their stuff seems to work alright. In fact my little 2.5G for my kid's betta is an aqueon. 

Yay for cheap chinese goods, eh?


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## ClinicaTerra

mfgann said:


> Nope. I've always been around as far as I can remember, or maybe just never gone long enough for something disastrous to happen. I'm not sure if they would burn out completely, or just try forever more and never succeed. I would think we would hear from former fishkeepers if the ACs burned down houses over the years. Stranger things have happened though..


So, how am I to know if this thing will shut off and never come back on if I'm away on a trip? 



> So the Aqeuon is self-priming? Is it pretty good otherwise? Quiet and seem to run well?


Yes, the QuietFlow line of HOBs are self priming -- they begin suckin in water automatically when the power plug is insterted into the wall, the secret being the submersible pump, which sits under the water. But, to answer your other inquiries, it is in fact NOT quiet, at all (despite its "QuietFlow" moniker) yet seems to run well enough; it does make a racket, though...between the motor on this thing and the obnoxious "splashing" noise from the so-called bio grid that is supposed to polish the water as it returns to the tank, this thing is FAR from quiet.



> I've always been a little wary of Aqeuon, since they're a relatively new name to me, but so far their stuff seems to work alright. In fact my little 2.5G for my kid's betta is an aqueon.


They are actually part of a larger group of companies that came together and merged to keep operations alive; they were known under a different name before this (can't recall right now) but they're supposedly run by hobbyists that are passionate about this field.



> Yay for cheap chinese goods, eh?


I don't believe Aqueon comes out of China...


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## jrman83

Unplug it and then plug it back in. You'll get your answer quick enough. When power is lost it doesn't drain out completely and I think enough water stays in there to keep it from burning up, albeit barely. Your 110 is a better design than the other lower models though. Although they are essentially the same, the 110 just outperforms the others by leaps and bounds....and I don't just mean extra flow. Can't really explain it. I have at least one of every model and the 110 is my favorite of all of them.

Glad your tank has stabilized. If you want to go the path you mentione regarding water changes then you should let testing guide you when it is time to do one. Obviously if you're having a ammonia/nitrite issue you may need to do one. Assuming those are under control and at 0 where they should be, nitrates should be monitored. Use your own judgement here...most say keep at 40 or below. However, if you find that letting it get to 80 and then doing a water change works for you then that may be okay. You'll need to keep an eye on things popping up to let you know a higher value isn't working. Things like algae or cyanobacteria. They could potentially tell you your nitrates are getting too high.

Keep your feeding down to once a day and even then only just as much as they can consume in a few minutes and no more.


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## ClinicaTerra

jrman83 said:


> Unplug it and then plug it back in. You'll get your answer quick enough. When power is lost it doesn't drain out completely and I think enough water stays in there to keep it from burning up, albeit barely. Your 110 is a better design than the other lower models though. Although they are essentially the same, the 110 just outperforms the others by leaps and bounds....and I don't just mean extra flow. Can't really explain it. I have at least one of every model and the 110 is my favorite of all of them.


Thanks JR...

But I've already "tested" it when I unplugged it for the last water changes; I didn't really give it enough time, as I began priming it right away, but it didn't seem like it was just going to start up on its own again...

What makes the 110 really "outperform" the other lower models in the range? I'm just curious. 



> Glad your tank has stabilized. If you want to go the path you mentione regarding water changes then you should let testing guide you when it is time to do one. Obviously if you're having a ammonia/nitrite issue you may need to do one. Assuming those are under control and at 0 where they should be, nitrates should be monitored. Use your own judgement here...most say keep at 40 or below. However, if you find that letting it get to 80 and then doing a water change works for you then that may be okay. You'll need to keep an eye on things popping up to let you know a higher value isn't working. Things like algae or cyanobacteria. They could potentially tell you your nitrates are getting too high.


Well, I wouldn't say the tank is "stable" per se, yet -- it's just that at the current moment, there doesn't seem to be a threat (but again, I haven't tested the water)...



> Keep your feeding down to once a day and even then only just as much as they can consume in a few minutes and no more.


I indeed have been keeping it to once a day -- although at night, when we flip the lights on to relax and watch the tank, I'll give them like a small snack because the three fancys gather up at the surface kind of like begging for one...should I avoid doing this altogether (that is, ONLY feed once a day, no matter what)?


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## jrman83

Can't really say what makes the 110 better. Could just be it's overall size. The chambers are slightly different, but not sure that is it.

Also with the nitrate testing your number should tell you also how much water you need to change. For instance, if the tested value is 80 and you want to get to 40, then you'll need a 50% water change. But....if you plan to stretch the time to longer than a week, then I would do a 50% no matter what whenever it became time to change. Don't go by how the tank looks, go by your testing results. 

All my fish come to the top when I come close to the tank, no matter what time of day, light on/off, if I just fed them 10min ago....they always come. My Angels are really bad as they constantly stare at you while you're in the room (they are in the room with the TV). So seeing that and not feeling for them and feeding them is tough. If there is a certain time you like to sit and watch them and relax, then I suggest making that your normal once a day feeding time. That way you sort of cover both sides - you and your fish's enjoyment.


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## ClinicaTerra

jrman83 said:


> Can't really say what makes the 110 better. Could just be it's overall size. The chambers are slightly different, but not sure that is it.


Hmmm...interesting...I was just curious...



> Also with the nitrate testing your number should tell you also how much water you need to change. For instance, if the tested value is 80 and you want to get to 40, then you'll need a 50% water change. But....if you plan to stretch the time to longer than a week, then I would do a 50% no matter what whenever it became time to change. Don't go by how the tank looks, go by your testing results.


Well, right now (and I know I'm going to get dosed with gasoline and set on fire by everyone here for this one) I'm leaving everything alone because it seems all is okay -- so attempting another water change and getting the water all over the carpets again and fish water splashed on the recliners and all over the glass and possibly stepping on another versa top to break it is not in my immediate future. I will go by the goldies' behaviors and test numbers when I finally do the next test. 



> All my fish come to the top when I come close to the tank, no matter what time of day, light on/off, if I just fed them 10min ago....they always come. My Angels are really bad as they constantly stare at you while you're in the room (they are in the room with the TV). So seeing that and not feeling for them and feeding them is tough. If there is a certain time you like to sit and watch them and relax, then I suggest making that your normal once a day feeding time. That way you sort of cover both sides - you and your fish's enjoyment.


LOL...I know what you mean about your angels! My goldies do the same thing...they hover around the front glass and stare us down, as if to say...hey...we never ate today!! I couldn't have a tank in my home theater/TV room due to the fact that I wouldn't know what to look at. 

As for the time of feeding, I see what you're saying...perhaps I will switch my schedule from morning feedings (which I'm doing now) to the evening, as that's when we do our serious sit down time with the tank...


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## Gizmo

Clinica - I meant all the way to the right, so the flow is minimal. Sorry.


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## ClinicaTerra

[email protected] said:


> Clinica - I meant all the way to the right, so the flow is minimal. Sorry.


Thanks for clearing that up -- but do you mean you leave it on MINIMAL flow before you leave on an absence? This would help with the filter's repriming itself?


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## Gizmo

Yes.


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## jrman83

I don't see how that theory works, but I'll take your word for it. When you reduce the flow, you actually move the suction pipe off of the suction pump when you reduce flow. Only reason I don't understand it. Not debating.


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## ClinicaTerra

Hmmm...that's strange...

I wonder if any "harm" would come by leaving the flow control on max output...


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## ClinicaTerra

jrman83 said:


> I don't see how that theory works, but I'll take your word for it. When you reduce the flow, you actually move the suction pipe off of the suction pump when you reduce flow. Only reason I don't understand it. Not debating.


That's what I was thinking, JR -- that how could this filter reprime itself when left on minimum flow rate...


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## Gizmo

For the life of me I don't get it either. I've just seen a noticeable difference in all my days priming my AC50 that when the flow is minimized, the motor actually pulls water up the tube as long as there's water in the filter housing, whereas at max flow the impeller just spins and spins and doesn't prime. Might have something to do with the limiter allowing more water from the filter housing in and around the impeller to generate suction, but that's strictly speculation.


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## ClinicaTerra

Indeed interesting...

At any rate, I have been told that as long as the water level is high and the u-tube inside the AquaClear has enough water in it, the filter should reprime itself incase of a power outage; it seems the non-priming situation comes when the water level of the tank falls below a certain threshold...


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## beaslbob

ClinicaTerra said:


> I was just thinking...because this filter isn't self-priming, what happens if I'm on vacation and a power outage occurs? The filter can't come back on on its own, requiring water to be added to start flowing, so what happens?
> 
> I mean, right now I have the second Aqueon filter running with the AquaClear 110, and that one is self priming, immediately sucking water in when the power is restored...but what if I didn't have that Aqueon? What if I had the two 110s or just the one 110 for that matter -- what happens during a power outage if we're not home for some time?
> 
> *c/p*


You could just turn the filters off while you're on vacation.

*old dude


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## ClinicaTerra

Are you serious? ^


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## beaslbob

ClinicaTerra said:


> Are you serious? ^


Yep.

but then I don't use filters anyway.


I have for up to a week turned off my sump/refugium on my 55g salt tank. Because the evaporation is such the sump will run dry. that didn't seem to affect anything when I came back.

my .02


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## ClinicaTerra

beaslbob said:


> Yep.
> 
> but then I don't use filters anyway.
> 
> 
> I have for up to a week turned off my sump/refugium on my 55g salt tank. Because the evaporation is such the sump will run dry. that didn't seem to affect anything when I came back.
> 
> my .02


I never heard of filters being off for so long, but again, as you said, you're not even running a mechanically filtered system (by that I mean HOBs, canisters, etc.)...


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## beaslbob

ClinicaTerra said:


> I never heard of filters being off for so long, but again, as you said, you're not even running a mechanically filtered system (by that I mean HOBs, canisters, etc.)...


There does seem to be a lot of things I do people have never heard of. *old dude


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## ClinicaTerra

Indeed...:animated_fish_swimm


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## Santaaa

I have an Aquaclear 30 they do not reprime themselves when there is a poweroutage. Sometimes if it is short enough it will but if it is off for awhile it will not self prime. I encourage you to purchase a Marina Slim filter. I have a Slim S20 which has the motor stuck underwater in the tank while the filter media is held in a slim HOB housing on the back. When you set it up you just plug it in. It is a great design, takes up very little room in the tank or behind the tank. It does not make any noise. There is one draw back is the filter cartridges are hard to get. I think because it is such a new design. I got lucky and picked mine up on clearance because the Petsmart by me was remodeling a few months ago and to get rid of inventory they marked it all down really cheap I got mine for $8.00. Good luck getting it that cheap. Odds are you won't but they usually sell for around $20 which is still a great price for an HOB filter. I wish I would have bought 2 so I could have replaced my Aquaclear 30. It is an ok filter but I really prefer The Marina Slim S20 filter. I highly recommend it. You can find cartridges online. I am extremely satisfied. By far the Marina Slim S20 filter is the best HOB filter on the market and I say you get the most bang for your buck.


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## ClinicaTerra

Well, ladies and gents, this isn't good news from Mr. Claus above...

Can anyone confirm whether or not the AquaClears reprime themselves in the case of an outage?

EDIT: Actually, after doing some research on Santa's suggestion regarding the "Marina Slim" filter, I see that Hagen actually makes these alongside the AquaClears -- what's the difference between these lines? They look aesthetically similar, with Hagen's classic transparent housing and such, but I didn't even know these were available when I looked for my AquaClear...


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## ClinicaTerra

Santaaa said:


> When you set it up you just plug it in. It is a great design, takes up very little room in the tank or behind the tank.


That's how my Aqueon works -- it is self priming and the motor is submerged beneath the water so it starts sucking in water immediately; great design in my opinion.

What kind of media does the Marina line take? Are they cartridges?


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## ClinicaTerra

Santaaa said:


> I have an Aquaclear 30 they do not reprime themselves when there is a poweroutage. Sometimes if it is short enough it will but if it is off for awhile it will not self prime. I encourage you to purchase a Marina Slim filter. I have a Slim S20 which has the motor stuck underwater in the tank while the filter media is held in a slim HOB housing on the back. When you set it up you just plug it in. It is a great design, takes up very little room in the tank or behind the tank. It does not make any noise. There is one draw back is the filter cartridges are hard to get. I think because it is such a new design. I got lucky and picked mine up on clearance because the Petsmart by me was remodeling a few months ago and to get rid of inventory they marked it all down really cheap I got mine for $8.00. Good luck getting it that cheap. Odds are you won't but they usually sell for around $20 which is still a great price for an HOB filter. I wish I would have bought 2 so I could have replaced my Aquaclear 30. It is an ok filter but I really prefer The Marina Slim S20 filter. I highly recommend it. You can find cartridges online. I am extremely satisfied. By far the Marina Slim S20 filter is the best HOB filter on the market and I say you get the most bang for your buck.


Something else I noticed in your post, Mr. Claus...you mention the "S20" model from Hagen/Marina, but is this not for around a 20 gallon setup? According to what I'm reading online, there is no bigger model on the Marina line -- I have a 60 gallon, so this wouldn't work, unless you meant I should ADD the S20 to my current setup, making THREE filters running on my tank...


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## jrman83

Okay, since nobody seems willing to conduct a test.....I hit the power strip on my AC50 on my 20gal, waited about 15sec and turned it back on. Was pumping water again in about 7sec. Your results may differ - I guess.


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## ClinicaTerra

jrman83 said:


> Okay, since nobody seems willing to conduct a test.....I hit the power strip on my AC50 on my 20gal, waited about 15sec and turned it back on. Was pumping water again in about 7sec. Your results may differ - I guess.


Thanks for conducting the test, jr...I'd be interested to see what Mr. Claus has to say about these results when he claims that the filters DO NOT reprime on their own...


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## mfgann

I would think that the weak point would be the place where the pipe connects to the base inside the filter (where it slides to adjust the flow). If the tank water line is below that point, I would guess it would suck air instead of water and loose its prime. Perhaps the difference is people who let their water levels stay lower may have more trouble? We're really talking about a siphon, right?

I may not be thinking about this correctly. I don't know if I would give up the AC basket design for a self-priming filter that used cartridges. Do the canister filters start right back up, or do they suffer the same problem?


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## ClinicaTerra

mfgann said:


> I would think that the weak point would be the place where the pipe connects to the base inside the filter (where it slides to adjust the flow). If the tank water line is below that point, I would guess it would suck air instead of water and loose its prime. Perhaps the difference is people who let their water levels stay lower may have more trouble? We're really talking about a siphon, right?


I'm not sure if we're talking about a siphon in particular, or the ACT of siphoning within a filter -- I just wanted to know if there's a power outage if the AC 110 won't reprime...



> I may not be thinking about this correctly. I don't know if I would give up the AC basket design for a self-priming filter that used cartridges. Do the canister filters start right back up, or do they suffer the same problem?


That's a good question about the canisters -- I don't run any, so I have no idea. But getting back to your feelings on the media basket vs. cartridges...why do you feel that way about carts?


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## beaslbob

One of the considerations in any over the back siphon is the water levels of both the tank and external (in this case filter) water container.

After some time air can get in the siphon leaving the air down to the water levels.

In the case of a pump in the external box there will still be water there so the pump will fire up. As the water is removed from that tube it sucks the air and water from the tank side. If the levels are high enough the air will be sucked through and siphon restarted. If too low then it will not restart.

So I guess you should do some testing to determine.

the only way the external could be self priming is if the impeller was air tight and could pump the air to restart. But that is not what I have seen. Even the canister filters have a manual pump up push to get the water into the tubes. Other "self priming" pumps require you first fill the filter with water.


my .02


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## mfgann

ClinicaTerra said:


> ...on the media basket vs. cartridges...why do you feel that way about carts?


I'll leave beaslbob's answer as the best response to the pump question. He has a lot more experience there.. mine experience is limited to siphoning water out of the tank with the vacuum hoses, and siphoning gas out of my old mustang many moons ago. 

As for the media basket vs cartridges, I can give you my preferences. To me the design is simple and effective. There is a lot more foam for the water to travel through than the floss of the cartridges, so I expect better cleaning. I don't use the charcoal anymore much, so I pulled that out, but being able to drop in two little bio-ring bags instead of one is a nice trick, and if I start a new tank I can move 1 of the biobags to the new tank, giving it a kickstart. It is just nice having something completely configurable by me.. but then I tend to hate prepackaged solutions and prefer tinkering a lot more. 

I certainly wouldn't knock the aqueon if it is working for you. Many people use filters with cartridges all the time (in fact my 2.5G is an aqueon with a cart filter in the hood). The only major downside I can think of is that when you replace the cartidge you are removing a lot of your beneficial bacteria, but if you're just reusing it, and rinsing it in old tank water, you won't suffer a big loss of BB.


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## Santaaa

sorry did not read you have 60 gallon. Then the best one probably filter wise is an aquaclear. About them not repriming if you read my post a short period it will reprime. Hours no it won't every time. I have had power outages while using an aquaclear 30 that have gone longer than your test and it does not reprime itself. They start running but I have had them run while dry due to poweroutage while I have been gone from home and I come home to a dry filter. Lucky it did not burn the motor up. "I have an Aquaclear 30 they do not reprime themselves when there is a poweroutage. Sometimes if it is short enough it will but if it is off for awhile it will not self prime." I said it can reprime if it short power outage but a longer one no it does not self prime. It may work sometimes but I have had it run dry on me due to longer power outage. As in hours not seconds. The test jrman did was 15 seconds not hours I am talking about hours. Some people have a back up power source and this would not be a big deal for them but for me it is a big deal because I do not have a back up power source. Of course that is why i run an undergravel filter powered with powerheads as a back up if my filters do not restart it will keep the bacteria alive until I can fix the problem. If I may ask why does everyone seem hostile here? Did I do something to offend anyone and just not realize it? I did not say Aquaclear was a bad filter I just prefer my Slim S20. I have both filters and use both. They both have their benefits and their downfalls. The Slim S20 does not have much room for media you are pretty much limited to cartridges and they are harder to get ahold of for me. The Aquaclear has a larger area for bacteria to grow and has a media basket that makes it so you can add different filter media and much more than my Slim S20. The Slim S20 runs more silently than the Aquaclear 30. The Aquaclear 30 is more versatile but I prefer the Slim S20 as the motor is underwater which makes it run more silent and the filter is thinner on the back of the tank and a great design. I don't know what I said but some people here at least in the way they are writing appear to be hostile towards myself and what I post. If I offended you I in no way meant to offend anyone. I think I will keep looking for a new forum maybe I will fit in somewhere else better. See ya around on the net peace out.


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## ClinicaTerra

Dear Mr. Claus (Santaaa):

No one is being hostile, at all! Sorry if you are taking it that way; I will say, though, respectfully, it is VERY difficult to read your posts when all the words are typed together like that in one paragraph -- I DO NOT mean to be rude at all; I'm just having a difficult time making out your passages...

As for my tank, yes, I'm running an AquaClear 110 PLUS an Aqueon QuietFlow 55 together on my 60 gallon, and I had never heard of the Marina line before you mentioned it -- I researched it and saw that Hagen actually made it alongside their AquaClear line, but I didn't know what the differences were between the two pumps.


----------



## ClinicaTerra

mfgann said:


> I'll leave beaslbob's answer as the best response to the pump question. He has a lot more experience there.. mine experience is limited to siphoning water out of the tank with the vacuum hoses, and siphoning gas out of my old mustang many moons ago.
> 
> As for the media basket vs cartridges, I can give you my preferences. To me the design is simple and effective. There is a lot more foam for the water to travel through than the floss of the cartridges, so I expect better cleaning. I don't use the charcoal anymore much, so I pulled that out, but being able to drop in two little bio-ring bags instead of one is a nice trick, and if I start a new tank I can move 1 of the biobags to the new tank, giving it a kickstart. It is just nice having something completely configurable by me.. but then I tend to hate prepackaged solutions and prefer tinkering a lot more.
> 
> I certainly wouldn't knock the aqueon if it is working for you. Many people use filters with cartridges all the time (in fact my 2.5G is an aqueon with a cart filter in the hood). The only major downside I can think of is that when you replace the cartidge you are removing a lot of your beneficial bacteria, but if you're just reusing it, and rinsing it in old tank water, you won't suffer a big loss of BB.


I was curious as to your perspective on the carts vs. non-cart media, that's all; thank you for your insight and opinions here...

Given that, let's discuss a couple of things regarding your statements, if we may: First, with regard to discarding the old cartridges in filters like my Aqueon...interesting you mentioned this, because I'm kind of in a dilemma with regard to replacing the carts on this filter...being that I'm not a water change kind of guy and I am reducing the amount I have to do drastically until there's no choice, I don't think I'm going to have many opportunities to rinse the old carts out in old tank water and just reuse them -- I MAY just dunk them in tap water that has been treated with a conditioner (i.e. Prime) but I am tempted at this point to just replace them as they get stuffed up, but one at a time (my Aqueon model 55 takes two carts) so as I don't throw away too much BB at once. My thinking is that fresh new carts will allow the water to be cleaned a bit more, and although I could lose BB, there is still plenty on the surfaces in the tank and in the AquaClear...

Now, moving on to the AquaClear and its media...I am running the stock configuration on my 110 of the supplied trio of media -- that is, the sponge on bottom, then the carbon and the biomax rings in the mesh bag on top. Is this OK to run like that? If I want to replace the carbon bag with, say, Purigen as a water polisher, would that be alright? When do I need to replace -- or start monitoring -- the sponge and biomax? I realize everyone says just to let the sponge go until it's literally falling apart, but what's the maintenance on this thing? Do the ceramic rings need to be replaced ever?

I was thinking of starting a separate topic on the AquaClear 110 maintenance protocols, but depending on the kind of feedback I get here from you (and others) I will possibly hold off on that...


----------



## mfgann

ClinicaTerra said:


> I was curious as to your perspective on the carts vs. non-cart media, that's all; thank you for your insight and opinions here...
> 
> Given that, let's discuss a couple of things regarding your statements, if we may: First, with regard to discarding the old cartridges in filters like my Aqueon...interesting you mentioned this, because I'm kind of in a dilemma with regard to replacing the carts on this filter...being that I'm not a water change kind of guy and I am reducing the amount I have to do drastically until there's no choice, I don't think I'm going to have many opportunities to rinse the old carts out in old tank water and just reuse them -- I MAY just dunk them in tap water that has been treated with a conditioner (i.e. Prime) but I am tempted at this point to just replace them as they get stuffed up, but one at a time (my Aqueon model 55 takes two carts) so as I don't throw away too much BB at once. My thinking is that fresh new carts will allow the water to be cleaned a bit more, and although I could lose BB, there is still plenty on the surfaces in the tank and in the AquaClear...


Just so you know where I am in aquariums, my parents always kept them as I was a kid, and I kept them for several years myself, with little contact with anyone but shopkeepers, who as you may have seen, can mislead or misinform. I do remember having an aquaclear many moons ago, along with a penguin filter. I haven't kept one in about 7 or 8 years, and never kept plants before. Now I've been back into it for a few months, and am enjoying all the things I can learn on the forums that I never knew before. Even with all the differences of opinion on here, it is worlds better than just relying on a shopkeeper, unless you got a great one.

I think you have the right idea on the Aqueon (I never think I spell that right). Replacing one cartridge at a time would keep a good bacteria load in the tank, and still keep clean cartridges changed in. The main reason people just rinse them out in dechlorinated water is both to keep BB and to keep expenses down. If you don't mind buying the cartridges (and I always bought new ones on the penguin) then I don't think its a problem.



> Now, moving on to the AquaClear and its media...I am running the stock configuration on my 110 of the supplied trio of media -- that is, the sponge on bottom, then the carbon and the biomax rings in the mesh bag on top. Is this OK to run like that? If I want to replace the carbon bag with, say, Purigen as a water polisher, would that be alright? When do I need to replace -- or start monitoring -- the sponge and biomax? I realize everyone says just to let the sponge go until it's literally falling apart, but what's the maintenance on this thing? Do the ceramic rings need to be replaced ever?
> 
> I was thinking of starting a separate topic on the AquaClear 110 maintenance protocols, but depending on the kind of feedback I get here from you (and others) I will possibly hold off on that...


Yes, that is exactly why people do like the aquaclears.. if you wanted to run with purigen, just pull the charcoal and put in some purigen. I've never used it, but it sounds great. I know I've seen some people with canisters mention it and a few other products like it, maybe they'll have more insight if you need it. The main things you NEED in the ACs are the sponge, and the bio rings. As for the sponge, they're really right.. you just put the sponge in the dechlorinated water and squeeze it out a while to clean it, then pop it back in. Until it impedes flow or falls apart, I wouldn't worry about changing it, though it wouldn't hurt to change it. The reason it wouldn't hurt is that the ceramic rings should host plenty of BB as well (just keep them wet all the time). Other than that, go crazy and replace the carbon with whatever you like. I think I'll change mine out for a second bag of ceramic rings, so if/when I start a new tank I can pop it over in the new tank


----------



## ClinicaTerra

mfgann said:


> Just so you know where I am in aquariums, my parents always kept them as I was a kid, and I kept them for several years myself, with little contact with anyone but shopkeepers, who as you may have seen, can mislead or misinform. I do remember having an aquaclear many moons ago, along with a penguin filter. I haven't kept one in about 7 or 8 years, and never kept plants before. Now I've been back into it for a few months, and am enjoying all the things I can learn on the forums that I never knew before. Even with all the differences of opinion on here, it is worlds better than just relying on a shopkeeper, unless you got a great one.
> 
> I think you have the right idea on the Aqueon (I never think I spell that right). Replacing one cartridge at a time would keep a good bacteria load in the tank, and still keep clean cartridges changed in. The main reason people just rinse them out in dechlorinated water is both to keep BB and to keep expenses down. If you don't mind buying the cartridges (and I always bought new ones on the penguin) then I don't think its a problem.


I totally get why folks rinse the carts out -- no doubt. It's just that because I plan to cut my water changes way down (due to my utter frustration with them) there really won't be an opportunity for me to get a bucket of old tank water to rinse them in. I don't mind buying the carts now and then -- but let me ask you: How often should the "rotating" take place with the dual carts? In other words...once I remove one to replace it, how long should I wait to replace the other one -- about a week or so? Is that good? 

Just out of curiosity...why did you always replace the Penguin carts? 



> Yes, that is exactly why people do like the aquaclears.. if you wanted to run with purigen, just pull the charcoal and put in some purigen. I've never used it, but it sounds great. I know I've seen some people with canisters mention it and a few other products like it, maybe they'll have more insight if you need it. The main things you NEED in the ACs are the sponge, and the bio rings. As for the sponge, they're really right.. you just put the sponge in the dechlorinated water and squeeze it out a while to clean it, then pop it back in. Until it impedes flow or falls apart, I wouldn't worry about changing it, though it wouldn't hurt to change it. The reason it wouldn't hurt is that the ceramic rings should host plenty of BB as well (just keep them wet all the time). Other than that, go crazy and replace the carbon with whatever you like. I think I'll change mine out for a second bag of ceramic rings, so if/when I start a new tank I can pop it over in the new tank


Okay -- lots of good insight and info here. Let me see if I could break this down more succinctly...you're saying the main parts of the AquaClears are the sponges and ceramic rings -- yes? Okay, if so, this is how I have it running now:

*Biomax pellets (top)
Carbon (middle)
Sponge (bottom)*

This configuration is okay? If I switch to Purigen, it would lay out as:

*Biomax pellets (top)
Purigen (middle)
Sponge (bottom)*

Is this correct? I've also read that these filters can be run with two sponges or two bags of the biomax rings -- is that so?

When should the sponges be rinsed out -- how often (if I'm not doing regular water changes right now)?


----------



## jrman83

I rinse mine out weekly. Going too much beyond that makes a mess. This is why...I leave my filter running and just pull out the sponge...this will cloud up your aquarium as a lot of the debris that is in the bottom will shoot right into your tank (usually too lazy to completely remove entire filter of shut it off)...doing it weekly just keep the amount of stuff that comes out of my filter down. A little counterproductive on my part, but....


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## ClinicaTerra

jrman83 said:


> I rinse mine out weekly. Going too much beyond that makes a mess. This is why...I leave my filter running and just pull out the sponge...this will cloud up your aquarium as a lot of the debris that is in the bottom will shoot right into your tank (usually too lazy to completely remove entire filter of shut it off)...doing it weekly just keep the amount of stuff that comes out of my filter down. A little counterproductive on my part, but....


Weekly...

Hmmm...well...mine have definitely been going longer than weekly...

How long can they, on average, go (the sponges) before you need to rinse them? And what about the biomax rings?


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## jrman83

It depends on the fish you keep. For you, weekly would have to be a minimum of what you need to do. I read you added another fish and plan to add another. I think you should add another AC110 or look into a canister filter. 5 big goldies in that little tank is going to make for a nasty tank if your maintenance is not performed weekly. The longer you go without maintenance, the worse the level of required maintenence is going to be. Weekly just keeps the time to perform it all to a minimum. Wait longer and it will be harder on you.


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## ClinicaTerra

jrman83 said:


> It depends on the fish you keep. For you, weekly would have to be a minimum of what you need to do. I read you added another fish and plan to add another. I think you should add another AC110 or look into a canister filter. 5 big goldies in that little tank is going to make for a nasty tank if your maintenance is not performed weekly. The longer you go without maintenance, the worse the level of required maintenence is going to be. Weekly just keeps the time to perform it all to a minimum. Wait longer and it will be harder on you.


I didn't think 60 gallons constituted a "little tank"...

I am not going to change the Aqueon right now, but thanks for the advice.

You're saying rinsing out the sponge should be done weekly? 

We're not sure if we're getting another fish because of this last one's aggressive tendencies.


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## jrman83

Mention of tank size is a reference to the fish being kept in it. A 60g is a medium sized tank I think. Yes, the filter should be rinsed weekly. Just a good practice. Normal maintenance can be dictated by the type fish we keep and I think your fish could possibly dictate a good routine to keep the water quality good.


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## mfgann

ClinicaTerra said:


> I totally get why folks rinse the carts out -- no doubt. It's just that because I plan to cut my water changes way down (due to my utter frustration with them) there really won't be an opportunity for me to get a bucket of old tank water to rinse them in. I don't mind buying the carts now and then -- but let me ask you: How often should the "rotating" take place with the dual carts? In other words...once I remove one to replace it, how long should I wait to replace the other one -- about a week or so? Is that good?
> 
> Just out of curiosity...why did you always replace the Penguin carts?


I changed them because that's what the instructions said to do. 
I didn't know quite as much then, and really, the filters weren't that expensive.. especially since I wasn't as religious about water changes. A pack of three filters would last me a month or so, and I found out I could get the cheap wal-mart aquatech filters to fit it. 
In your shoes, with your plan of attack, yeah I would change about 1 a week, and I would rinse out the AC110 sponge about once a week.



> Okay -- lots of good insight and info here. Let me see if I could break this down more succinctly...you're saying the main parts of the AquaClears are the sponges and ceramic rings -- yes? Okay, if so, this is how I have it running now:
> 
> *Biomax pellets (top)
> Carbon (middle)
> Sponge (bottom)*
> 
> This configuration is okay? If I switch to Purigen, it would lay out as:
> 
> *Biomax pellets (top)
> Purigen (middle)
> Sponge (bottom)*
> 
> Is this correct? I've also read that these filters can be run with two sponges or two bags of the biomax rings -- is that so?
> 
> When should the sponges be rinsed out -- how often (if I'm not doing regular water changes right now)?


Yep, I think you have it summed up pretty good. If you did the two sponge plus biorings, I would rinse out the bottom sponge each week, and put the one in the middle in the bottom slot after that, so that one sponge keeps its bacteria. The biorings are just there so bacteria have a place to grow. Really some of the precautionary advice may be overkill, but you've had some issues, so it might be good to try these ideas (changing one filter pad at a time, etc) before experimenting too much.

The sponge is there as a "mechanical filter" meaning anything big sucked up, from leftover food, to plant mater, etc is supposed to be caught in it. If they don't get rinsed out, these things will rot in them, producing.... ammonia! Bleh. So you have to keep them rinsed out semi-regularly. Also if it sucks up too much crud, and isn't cleaned it will eventually start to impede water-flow through the filter, making your filter less fuctional.

Oh, and I think the small tank reference was just in view of what you have in your tank. Some people have 200G tanks.. whew. My big tank is a 30G.  but then I only have glofish, and platies, and other little things.


----------



## ClinicaTerra

jrman83 said:


> Mention of tank size is a reference to the fish being kept in it. A 60g is a medium sized tank I think. Yes, the filter should be rinsed weekly. Just a good practice. Normal maintenance can be dictated by the type fish we keep and I think your fish could possibly dictate a good routine to keep the water quality good.


I would actually think a "60 gallon" would be considered bigger than medium, just based on the fact that everyone seems to be running smallish tanks with very small fish, but I suppose that gets into what you're saying about the kinds of species being kept...

In that regard, I'll say this: The four goldies that we have now are not large, but medium sized -- are they growing since we got them? Sure. Will they most likely get big? Probably. But right now, I don't think we need more filtration or size for the four we have in there based on _their current size status_.


----------



## ClinicaTerra

mfgann said:


> I changed them because that's what the instructions said to do.
> I didn't know quite as much then, and really, the filters weren't that expensive.. especially since I wasn't as religious about water changes. A pack of three filters would last me a month or so, and I found out I could get the cheap wal-mart aquatech filters to fit it.
> In your shoes, with your plan of attack, yeah I would change about 1 a week, and I would rinse out the AC110 sponge about once a week.


Interesting thoughts here; thanks. As a matter of fact, we had to go to PetSmart today to get food for our dog, so while I was there, I picked up the Aqueon three pack of large cartridges for our filter -- I changed just one right now, and if you say it's okay, I'll change the second one out in a week or so...

But let me ask you: Are you suggesting I change these cartridges _weekly_ at any rate? I was saying I should wait a week just to change out the second one -- but then once the second one goes in, I planned on keeping these running until they gunk up again. This should be much longer than just a week... *c/p*



> Yep, I think you have it summed up pretty good. If you did the two sponge plus biorings, I would rinse out the bottom sponge each week, and put the one in the middle in the bottom slot after that, so that one sponge keeps its bacteria. The biorings are just there so bacteria have a place to grow. Really some of the precautionary advice may be overkill, but you've had some issues, so it might be good to try these ideas (changing one filter pad at a time, etc) before experimenting too much.


So...if I get Purigen, put that inbetween the sponge and the biomax, correct? And if I get a second sponge, just rotate the sponges between rinsings? And the bio rings don't have to be replaced at all?



> The sponge is there as a "mechanical filter" meaning anything big sucked up, from leftover food, to plant mater, etc is supposed to be caught in it. If they don't get rinsed out, these things will rot in them, producing.... ammonia! Bleh. So you have to keep them rinsed out semi-regularly. Also if it sucks up too much crud, and isn't cleaned it will eventually start to impede water-flow through the filter, making your filter less fuctional.


Gotcha...as is the function of the Aqueon cartridges as well...



> Oh, and I think the small tank reference was just in view of what you have in your tank. Some people have 200G tanks.. whew. My big tank is a 30G.  but then I only have glofish, and platies, and other little things.


I understand that; it's just that I don't think this is such a "small" aquarium based on the goldfishes current sizes...

What they grow up to be...well...I will indeed consider going to a larger tank.


----------



## mfgann

ClinicaTerra said:


> Interesting thoughts here; thanks. As a matter of fact, we had to go to PetSmart today to get food for our dog, so while I was there, I picked up the Aqueon three pack of large cartridges for our filter -- I changed just one right now, and if you say it's okay, I'll change the second one out in a week or so...
> 
> But let me ask you: Are you suggesting I change these cartridges _weekly_ at any rate? I was saying I should wait a week just to change out the second one -- but then once the second one goes in, I planned on keeping these running until they gunk up again. This should be much longer than just a week... *c/p*


With the troubles you've had, it might be helpful. I'm not sure how much ammonia, if any, that activated carbon picks up, but I do know the usual estimate is that it is only going to work for about a week. Given that, if it is something you don't mind doing, maybe it would offset a little of the relaxed schedule you've adopted. Someone may chime in and let us know if carbon helps at all or not.. if not, just rinse and replace when you want.



> So...if I get Purigen, put that inbetween the sponge and the biomax, correct? And if I get a second sponge, just rotate the sponges between rinsings? And the bio rings don't have to be replaced at all?


Never used purigen, but I would think that is correct. If I remember purigen is one of those things you have to 'recharge' with bleach or something, right? Not sure how much effort goes into that. Might want to really check and see if it is worth it before investing in it.
As for the sponges, that is exactly what my thought would be. I still haven't replaced the carbon with anything else yet, though. And yeah, the bio ceramic rings never get changed. Just try not to let them sit dry while you clean things in the filter, as that would kill the bacteria in them.



> I understand that; it's just that I don't think this is such a "small" aquarium based on the goldfishes current sizes...
> 
> What they grow up to be...well...I will indeed consider going to a larger tank.


Yeah, with my comment I was pointing out that my 'large' tank was half the size of yours, and yours is less than half of other peoples. It is all very relative. 

No experience with goldies, so I can't comment on them.


----------



## ClinicaTerra

mfgann said:


> With the troubles you've had, it might be helpful. I'm not sure how much ammonia, if any, that activated carbon picks up, but I do know the usual estimate is that it is only going to work for about a week. Given that, if it is something you don't mind doing, maybe it would offset a little of the relaxed schedule you've adopted. Someone may chime in and let us know if carbon helps at all or not.. if not, just rinse and replace when you want.


Well, I surely can't afford changing these carts _weekly_, but I can change them out when they get full or gunked up...



> Never used purigen, but I would think that is correct. If I remember purigen is one of those things you have to 'recharge' with bleach or something, right? Not sure how much effort goes into that. Might want to really check and see if it is worth it before investing in it.


Yes, it can be recharged -- but I wouldn't deal with that. I'd replace the sack when exhausted. 



> As for the sponges, that is exactly what my thought would be. I still haven't replaced the carbon with anything else yet, though. And yeah, the bio ceramic rings never get changed. Just try not to let them sit dry while you clean things in the filter, as that would kill the bacteria in them.


Thanks; I'll keep my rings in there then. You're still running your carbon as well in your AquaClear? How long has it been in there? 



> Yeah, with my comment I was pointing out that my 'large' tank was half the size of yours, and yours is less than half of other peoples. It is all very relative.


I understand the aspects of relativity; but what did you mean by "your tank is large at half the size" of mine? Because of the fish? How do you mean?


----------



## jrman83

Carbon does not remove ammonia. Is there any in your tank? 

You should go to a place that has hundreds of tanks for sale. You'll see that a 55-60 really is just a medium tank. I have a 75g and believe it is a medium sized tank, along with the two 125s I have. Although a 125 may start to enter into the large arena, by far not a large tank.


----------



## mfgann

ClinicaTerra said:


> Well, I surely can't afford changing these carts _weekly_, but I can change them out when they get full or gunked up...


Yeah, when I changed the ones in the penguin, I think I did it bi-weekly, if I wasn't too busy. I understand.



> Yes, it can be recharged -- but I wouldn't deal with that. I'd replace the sack when exhausted.


Ah, well, I don't know how much it costs and how much it lasts. if it is cheap enough and lasts long enough, perhaps thats a good option.



> Thanks; I'll keep my rings in there then. You're still running your carbon as well in your AquaClear? How long has it been in there?


No. I had to medicate my tank at one point, pulled out the carbon, then put it back in to remove the meds from the tank. After a week beyond that I just pulled it out and threw it away. I suppose its a place for BB to live, but I didn't want carbon that had all those meds soaked into it sitting around.



> I understand the aspects of relativity; but what did you mean by "your tank is large at half the size" of mine? Because of the fish? How do you mean?


If I'm not mistaken you have a 60G with 4 goldies? I have a 30G.. and the fish I have are all much smaller too.. 2 platies, 2 glofish, and 4 kuhli loaches, plus some ghost shrimp. Not nearly as big. I need some new fish for it, but after my last run-in I'm a little wary. Lost half my fish to some disease. I need a QT (bought one but it got repurposed as a betta tank. Oops).


----------



## ClinicaTerra

jrman83 said:


> Carbon does not remove ammonia. Is there any in your tank?


No, I don't think I have a spike. I didn't replace the cartridge to get rid of ammonia specifically; just to polish the water a bit and get rid of a small amount of odor.


----------



## ClinicaTerra

jrman83 said:


> You should go to a place that has hundreds of tanks for sale. You'll see that a 55-60 really is just a medium tank. I have a 75g and believe it is a medium sized tank, along with the two 125s I have. Although a 125 may start to enter into the large arena, by far not a large tank.


I have gone to a place that has many tanks for sale -- perhaps not hundreds -- and it seems 90 percent of them are in the range of like 40, 45 gallons and bowfronts...


----------



## ClinicaTerra

mfgann said:


> Yeah, when I changed the ones in the penguin, I think I did it bi-weekly, if I wasn't too busy. I understand.


Oh, well, yes, I can understand that in terms of a schedule; I would just prefer to wait until the pads in my Aqueon are full. 



> Ah, well, I don't know how much it costs and how much it lasts. if it is cheap enough and lasts long enough, perhaps thats a good option.


From what I researched online, the packs that drop into the filter baskets aren't that expensive...I am going to order some soon. 

The recharging method is VERY daunting -- from what I understand, you need to do a bleach process to it and the tutorial on it just seemed ridiculous to me. I just want it to polish the water to sparkling clarity anyway. We'll see how long that takes or how exhausted the media gets. 



> No. I had to medicate my tank at one point, pulled out the carbon, then put it back in to remove the meds from the tank. After a week beyond that I just pulled it out and threw it away. I suppose its a place for BB to live, but I didn't want carbon that had all those meds soaked into it sitting around.


Oh, I can understand that with the meds -- what was wrong in your tank? So, now you're not running anything in place of the carbon? 



> If I'm not mistaken you have a 60G with 4 goldies?


Yes. They're not large right now though.


----------



## mfgann

ClinicaTerra said:


> From what I researched online, the packs that drop into the filter baskets aren't that expensive...I am going to order some soon.
> 
> The recharging method is VERY daunting -- from what I understand, you need to do a bleach process to it and the tutorial on it just seemed ridiculous to me. I just want it to polish the water to sparkling clarity anyway. We'll see how long that takes or how exhausted the media gets.


Yes, my understanding is it was daunting as well. Didn't know it was relatively inexpensive. Sounds good.



> Oh, I can understand that with the meds -- what was wrong in your tank? So, now you're not running anything in place of the carbon?


I bought a small school of neon tetras. They starting dropping dead with no obvious signs of distress about 1 each day, a betta, 2 glofish (genetically altered zebra danios), and an oto. My best guess was that it was Neon Tetra Disease based on a small patch of discolored skin on one neon in the beginning. Other fish can get it as well. I still haven't restocked the tank, and to be honest I'm not in a hurry. I did get a 2.5G to be a quarantine tank, but the new betta I got was much more aggressive, so he got put in the 2.5G and I'm again without a QT. Definitely not happy about adding fish straight to the tank, but I don't think SWMBO will allow another tank. 

Nothing to replace the carbon right now. Just one sponge and one bag of ceramic bio rings.


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## ClinicaTerra

mfgann said:


> Yes, my understanding is it was daunting as well. Didn't know it was relatively inexpensive. Sounds good.


Yeah; there's no way I'm going to go through the recharging process with Purigen -- I'm just not that dedicated in the hobby to even attempt that. 



> I bought a small school of neon tetras. They starting dropping dead with no obvious signs of distress about 1 each day, a betta, 2 glofish (genetically altered zebra danios), and an oto. My best guess was that it was Neon Tetra Disease based on a small patch of discolored skin on one neon in the beginning. Other fish can get it as well. I still haven't restocked the tank, and to be honest I'm not in a hurry. I did get a 2.5G to be a quarantine tank, but the new betta I got was much more aggressive, so he got put in the 2.5G and I'm again without a QT.


Ahhh...good ole Neons, huh...I used to keep them years ago; they were like feeder fish for the larger, more aggressive species in the tank like Gouramis and such. The next day, I'd find many or all of the Neons missing...



> I don't think SWMBO will allow another tank.


*Conf*



> Nothing to replace the carbon right now. Just one sponge and one bag of ceramic bio rings.


Gotcha. Does this media stocking keep your water fairly clean?


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## PapaM

I have an 2-AC 20's on my 29G. If I lower the water below the inlet during a water change, the pumps will not prime on their own. If I leave the level above the inlet, set the flow halfway between min & max, it will prime itself in less than 15 seconds. I recently added extensions to the inlet tubes to get them near the substrate, and the pumps still prime themselves.


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