Aquaclear 110 vs Seachem Tidal 110 Aquarium Filter Showdown! Which One is Better?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 ต.ค. 2024
- Hello Everyone,
In this video we take a closer look at the Aquaclear 110 vs The Seachem Tidal 110. Which one is better? Watch to find out!
If you are interested in buying either one of these filters check out the Amazon Affiliate links below.
Seachem Tidal 110: amzn.to/3fhiHO6
Aquaclear 110: amzn.to/3cnRyqF
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If you are interested in buying either one of these filters check out the Amazon Affiliate links below.
Seachem Tidal 110: amzn.to/3fhiHO6
Aquaclear 110: amzn.to/3cnRyqF
Bulk Filter Floss: amzn.to/3tWwhdS
Also, our new shirts can be found at: www.primetimeaquatics.com/merch
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For more cool behind the scenes stuff consider becoming a member!
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Marineland also makes a smaller version of that prefilter sponge for the Pro 275 that will fit tightly onto those intakes, or if you buy a 3/4" pvc coupler fitting and work it onto the aquaclear tube, you can use that pro 450 filter.
Jason.
I.already have the tidal 35 and 75.
Great videos and info
Brother.
Jason, with the Tidal wave I use a very thin filter floss in front of the skimmer part to keep both tiny plants out along with fry . It works and the suction works to keep that floss there :)
Nice!
Oooh! That’s a great tip! I’m going to try that with mine.
I put a thin sponge in fount of the skimmer and if you don't clean it often it makes a terable gurgling sound!!
I glued mine on in front of it. I saw another video where you can open it up and put a sling in the inside up again the skimmer intake.
Actually with both of my Aquaclears, there is no reason to remove the basket--I do this only yearly to clean out the filters. The only media I ever used was the foam and biomedia. I also prefer Aquaclear's plastic--you can see through it. There are benefits with that. Both my aquaclears are over 15 years old.
The tidal is a scam.
@@badtrekee4348 lol why?
The only thing that would make the tidal perfect is if it had the filter surface area of the Aqua clear. Without that I would go with the aqua clear, and they will last almost forever especially if you don't get sand sucked into the filter.
@@badtrekee4348 I suspect the same, that dead corner that nothing fits into shows how poorly thought out this is, or it proves selling you proprietary sponges etc. was by design. Aquaclear was made to work with everything!!
Also, bothers me how Prime Time minimizes the Tidals shortcomings (terrible bypass issues) and gets upset that aquaclear doesn't put the biomedia in a sack for you. I have to admit it is fun to get something different and new, I might even do it but honestly I already know the aquaclear is superior. There is a reason you see them hanging on the back of tanks in stores all over the country.
Tidal 110 all day! I’ve had mine for a year with NO PROBLEMS at all I love it. Highly recommend
They are both very good filters but I agree with Tidal is the better filter.
After seeing the differences, I am going to switch from aquaclear to the tidal. So much more efficient and convenient. They thought of everything lol
@@QuintessentiallyEssential If I already had the Aquaclear and it was doing a good job I wouldn't spend the money on the Tidal but keep Tidal in mind for new tanks in the future.
Aquaclears are amazing, keeps my water crystal clear and fish and plants healthy!!
I ran 2 AC 110 filters for 6 years and only found out about the SeaChem filters last year.
Began running the Seachem and the AC on the same tank and after 7 months, swapped out the 2nd AC for a 2nd SeaChem.
When you watch the AC work, it's obvious water bypasses over the top of the basket, it may hit the biological media, but any other filtration would be passive.
With the SeaChem, all the water is forced up from the bottom through all of the media and in theory that should work better, but does it?
Until recently, I wasn't sure if 1 did a better job than the other, until I removed a large decoration and found it had a lot of black algae inside and underneath.
The algae floated around the tank and a few days later at the next water change, I decided to shake all the media from both filters in a container of treated water to get the algae off.
With the AC filter, there was no sign of black algae at all in the media, but the media in the SeaChem was covered in it and it was clear that the SeaChem was much better at removing detritus from the water than the AC.
IMHO, the SeaChem is superior in the most important ways.
Bro way to long
I have an older filter where the motor and impeller are a hybrid of this. The motor is outside but the impeller is inside. It self primes, it's easy to maintain and there is no chances of leaks. It's by far my favorite.
I like how you can use the lid on the tidel 110 to hold the basket. Those two raised ovals on the bottom of the lid hold it right in place so you have a place to set it and water doesn't leak everywhere.
Or just have a 5 gallon bucket available
@@benjaminsonksen4451 between having a seachem, ultra pump zero, and a python that is a substantial length, this will completely make buckets obsolete..
Aquaclear 110 set the benchmark years ago with simplicity and huge water flow but would be nice if they released a new model to rival the current 110.
They did release new model its called the Fluval C series filters.
Dude it's all you need
Fluval made a new one but its still no match for seachem tidal
@apdroidgeek1737 Yeah the c series is good if you don't want to tinker but a lot of it needs really really constant maintainence or it's flow shuts down and it's very segmented.
I’ve had the tidal 110 for about a year-ish now and I have to say I love this filter. My only issue is that the intake tube on the bottom does absolutely nothing? All the water comes from the skimmer instead 🗿
Have you adjusted the bottom dial?
Been researching these 2 filters trying deciding on which to buy and I think will go for the the aquaclear 110
I like all the extra features of the tidal but from my research people seem to complain about the media getting clogged too fast, noisy when the skimmer get clogged with food and i don't like the shape of the basket, sponge seems too small the skimmer is described as useless.
The aquaclear is just a more simpler filter the only downside is it lacks self prime other than that it would be perfect.
What's your update? What you get?
I build my own filter media using two layers of double sided washable polishing cut your own, sandwiched between layers of coarse sponge pads also cut to size and reusable. I bleach my polishing pads and actually run them through the wash with my dish rags rinsing out before use. Recently I've been bleaching with dish soap and drying. I do like that removable enclosed filter box but I use Aquaclear so far. Thanks for letting me see the guts of the Seachem, I've wondered. Oops left out the zipper bag of floss I use as one layer and a large coarse sponge on the intake. When I water change I refill the tank and filter so It's ready to start up.
Seachem tidal wins every time. I have the whole range. I replaced a few canister filters with tidals. They are canister killers. The only thing I hate about the Seachem is the blue parts. I painted mine black
I use hang on filters as secondary to my canister filter, I will never give up my canisters.
what did you use to paint the internal ones? i want to do this with mine now that i saw your comment lol
I replaced my hobs with cannisters, Quieter, and holds 10x the mechanical, and biological, man, what a difference,not even close!!!
@@100bgeagle those flow rates just aren’t true on canisters though. I use both at the moment. Oase biomasters and Seachem tidals are my go to filters. If you use decent quality biomedia you shouldn’t need to pack it out as much. Biohome ultimate is the one
How can they be canister killers when canisters hold way more media.
Biggest issue with Seachem's is the surface skimmer. Can't have my baby shrimps getting sucked up into the filter. #TeamAquaclear
Put a round sponge over the intake it will act as a pre filter and small fish an shrimp won't get sucked in
When you cover the skimmer it makes a terable gurgling sound you have to mess with it alot!!
Good video! I love the Aqua clear 110. I have one sitting on the shelf in my closet as a 911 back up. Great reliable filter! Mine is 12 years old and still kicks butt. The bad things are as you mentioned. The thing is noisy. The worst part is sometimes the lid will rattle. Plus struggles to start when shut off. I do not have a Seachem 110 but I do have the 35. Great little filter! Very quiet.
I personally have been using aquaclear for several years I've never had an issue with them them none of my Aqua clear filters have ever been noisy and have never been loud they've never had any problems with clogging and they are extremely quiet and I have had them for several several several years over 10 years and they're absolutely wonderful filters and they keep your water absolutely crystal clear clean And you can go with several months without cleaning them with other filters you have to change them or clean them once a month If An aqua clear filter is noisy that's probably because it's dirty and it needs to be cleaned that's not the filters fault that's people's fault for being lazy and not cleaning the entire filter like it should be cleaned that's why they get noisy and they get loud because they get clogged That's one thing I realize with people as they don't clean You're supposed to take the whole entire filter apart and clean it That's why they get noisy and they don't work properly because the motor gets clogged and gross . Personally I do not like the automatic starter filters they are too bulky and they are not very good looking on a tank That's just my preference to me that's just laziness
I'm a fan of the seachems. My fav. Ill never turn back. I have 110s 75s and 55s on several different tanks. The self primeing is my fav and the other thing I really like is the motor is on the In side of the tank. Had all over a year now and no issues. Best part for peice of mind comes with a 5 year warranty. Thanks for the video was great.
The self prim is the kicker for sure
I love my Aqua Clears. I think the actual filtration would be better I'd wager.
But I'd always wished they improve them.
Like supporting the impeller shaft from bottom & also the top.
Also to many nooks and crannies that are hard to clean. Needs to be streamlined.
The biggest complaint is the self prime issue. I think if they'd put a one way valve in the inlet part, the water would be far less likely to siphon itself back out. I think I remember using AquaClear (also under different name brands) for maybe 30 years now. That's a good run.
Hats off to TIDAL though!
Would you recommend two 75's for my 75 gallon or one 110?
Thanks for the honest review. The only fault I have found with my AquaClears is they are not self priming. I've not had noise problems except for one lid in decades of use, that I just put a plant pot on top which worked great.
The Tidal with the motor in the tank can add unnecessary heat to the water and gum up with detritus slime easier. The grates on the skimmer will suck in fry, shrimp & nano fish & because it is part of the filter box, there is not a good enough way to fix this issue that I have found. I love the self priming feature. I don't care for all the fuss of having to get filter floss & stuff it into all the holes that the water bypasses the filter with each time I do filter maintenance. I don't know about the longevity of the Tidal because it is still too new. As you mentioned with the blue dials etc, I also find them an eyesore. I always use intake pre-filters on all my intakes so that wasn't an issue for me on either filter. Just my added thoughts on both filters.
Love the video you help me decide to get the seachem 110 bought 2 off the for my 130 also running a Proclear model 175 wet dry. Keep the videos coming . Thank you
They are both very nice filters no doubt. Am partial to my AC's though. Never had an issue with them in any manner. We often have power outages and the AC filters start back up every time. With routine maintenance of the impeller & providing proper tank water height, the AC's have run flawlessly for me. I mostly use sponge material with a fine poly pad on the top, for finer filtration. Two things I do like about the Seachem filters are the quality of the plastic housing & skimmer. Thanks Jason, for a wonderful comparison video. 👍📺😎
Now this is what I call an end to end informative review. Thank you - awesome video. Keep it up.
Tidal for me. I just tip any shrimp and fry back out when I do my maintenance.
I’ve got an aquaclear, it worked fine I like the clear and it has a nice big media area, it rattled, not super load just irritating, and the pump is outside the tank. I switched to seachem my only complaint is the blue adjuster in the tank, I colored it black with a sharpie.
Hi Jason. When I buy my next filter it will be the Seachem 110. I like the way Seachem self primes. I have 2 aquaclear 110’s on each of my 90 and six foot 150 gallon. Fortunately my power has never has never shut off since I have had the aquaclears so the self priming hasn’t been an issue. I like that the Seachem 110 is less noisy. Don’t get me wrong the amount of noise the aquaclear makes doesn’t bug me. Nice features for both. I put an extra sponge in my aquaclear and it really traps a lot of detritus. To make a long story short I admit the Seachem 110 wins out. Wish I had this video before I bought my aquaclears. Sincerely, Marty Borst
Look at it this way - if the ACs are running well for you that's all that matters.
Jason, you should make a vid of how to get beard so well trimmed. Mine is about as long as yours but I never get it that well arranged! 😭
Seachem for the win. We have intermittent power outages, and this filter just starts right up again. Also, it is very quiet and easy to maintain.
Also you'll be cleaning that thin sponge twice a week. Let anyone with a fish room come tell me thats it's not garbage lol
What, you live in Texas too?
Every time I get all my clocks set, ⚡️ ZOT⚡️. I wake up and they’re all behind again. 🙄
I use both Aquaclear and Seachem, to circumvent the outage, I run both on a surge protector battery that lasts about 3 hours after the power goes out and has came in clutch many times!
@badtrekee4348 those tidal sponges are hilarious 😂
Never once have my aquaclears not started up after losing power. Yours do?
I have an aquaclear, I wanted to love it, I really don't. The basket can be difficult to deal with, it doesn't self prime, makes too much noise for me, and don't get me started on that lid! My next hob will definitely be the seachem tidal. Great video!
Aquaclears aren't supposed to be loud, either clean yours or somethings wrong with ot
It was that way right out of the box. I'm very sensitive to sound and it bothered me tremendously.
@Drinking Water not yet lol
The Tidal can make terable gurgling sound when you cover the skimmer to protect your little fish.. It drives me crazy
Great review, I would like to see a review on the New & Improved, Aqua-Tech 20-40 hang on back filter.
I have the Aquaclear 110 for my 40G
I am a firm believer in the motor being in the tank. I have had a couple of problems after power outages. Last thing in that circumstance that I feel like doing is chasing around the house priming filters!
I hear you!
💯👍
Tidal has an excellent motor too, Seachem partnered with a well known Italian company named Sicce (pronounced Sea-che) the company is well known for making good motors as well as other filtration devices. This motor if you look at it resembles a miniature pond pump.
The simplicity of the aquaclear is great, IMO, with a huge downside being the impeller position making starting up after water changes just a little more annoying. I like my aquaclears as far as HOBs go, but that update would put them over the top.
There is a update to the Aquaclear it's called Fluval C series
I have been using Aquaclears for YEARS!!! (Don't want to admit how many! LOL!!) But I bought a Tidal because it has the motor on the INSIDE of the tank. I really do love that feature. REALLY LOVE IT. SINCERELY. But my Tidal played out after 8 months. GRRRRRR!!!! I was so mad!!!! But I was smart enough to have left my old AquaClear in that tank and it just keeps on keeping on! I have no idea how old it is. At least 5 years. If Aquaclear ever comes out with one that has the motor in the tank it will NO DOUBT be the best Hang on the Back filter ever invented. Hands down!!!
you cant kill a aquaclear. i have been using for years. Also with the motor on outside you can replace it if you like. i use a 110 but put a motor from a 30 on it so can use on a smaller saltwater tank that cuts down on your flow but you add all the benefits of the larger unit . i dont think you can get to the motor on the tidal.
I have been using AC filter for a long time. What I can see, the quality of AC filter is getting worse. The main problem on AC filter is vibration on the top lid. I purchased two AC110 and two AC70 and all have vibration issue. I returned them because it was very annoying vibration noise.
My aquaclear filters prime right up no prob. I turn them off for 10 minutes when feeding almost every day. Never once have they not started back up. Marineland never starts back up.
Just got back into the fish world after a 5+ year hiatus and was totally lost since i didn't keep up with all the new goodies out now but this video helped me alot determining which one to pick, I had the a.c in my Amazon cart but after this I've leaned towards the tidal. You have a new subscriber good sir! Appreciate the detailed info!
I have 4 AC110's running on my 75's, and I have liked them quite a bit. Literally the only downside to me is the impeller. It should be situated in the tank for self priming and noise, as it can rattle. I would absolutely be all over the Tidal 110 IF it's basket had a more user friendly, simple shape like the AC, and it didn't have the surface skimmer gimmick. I am, however, in the process of phasing out HoBs in general in favor of canisters and sumps supported by sponge filters. I'll keep my AC's as backup for sure though. Simple and effective.
Hi. Why switch from HoB to Canisters?
I am also going to hob from canister filter and I’m torn between the aqua clear and tidal but I like to add a floss pad for smaller particles and I have several flat sponges from coarse to fine I want to do my own set up it’s for a Jack Dempsey tank 1 fish large tank so I don’t know which is best for me yet!! Driving me crazy
I have 3 aquaclear110s and I love them, but I do have to say; the Seachem internal motor is a really nice feature. Those blue parts would annoy me though. The clean look of the aquaclear is great but you definitely do need some kind of prefilter on the intake if you keep smaller fish or fry. Looking forward to your update (eventually)!
Man not even a challenge aquaclear all day everyday you can tell who new to the hobby
I’m on the newer side - only been keeping fish for 43 years. 😀
Had a dial for the intake break on my Tidal filter, and the piece fell down the sink. Emailed Seachem with my problem. Within a few days , was sent a replacement part and some Seachem fish flakes at no extra cost. That’s true customer service.
I feel if aquaclears was self priming, there is no point in getting any other brand, unless you don't like the clear case look.
the Aquaclear motor clogs up too easily and requires more maintenance. The Tidals shred plant matter sucked into it and never clogs and is self-priming. SICCE makes the best submersible pump and why their product is superior. The Aquaclear motor is NOT sellf priming and the flow is softer if that is what your livestock require. Just my humble opinion from my experience.
Nah the design is outdated, Fluval already made a better Aquaclear its called the C Series, too bad its not self priming but it has a lot of cool features.
@@grizzybear9111 I ran four C series in my 55G tanks until I found the new Tidal filter, more flow with much easier maintenance, and the current in the aquariums more consistent in direction, better for the fish.
Agree with everything you said. I have 5 of each in my fish room. If AquaClear would put the motor in the tank and change the plastic to the type the tidal uses they would take over the world. I have been replacing my tidals with marineland pro filters. That skimmer just kills the tidal. Let’s see a tidal vs AquaClear vs Marineland pro.
Tidal brand any day and twice on sunday.
I have the AquaClear 30 for my 20 gallon tank. Runs quiet for me and I love how it blends in with my black background. I have a fluval pre-filter on it and can't even tell its there! I have a sponge and 2 bags of biomedia in it (one will be moved to a 10 gallon hospital tank.).
Sounds like a nice setup!
I would really like to see a video of these two filters addressing the "bypass". Maybe explain the flow directions etc. Thanks
I just ordered 2 of the Aquaclear 70 filters, cant wait to get them up and running. They make using your own media so much more efficient than most other HoB filters
So you have experience with the AC filter which would you choose AC no Seachem
Honestly just buy the extra foam for a few bucks and fill it with foam. Foam is the best static media hands down.
I tried a Tidal 55 and didn't care for it. It kept overflowing around the media. I haven't tried any Aquaclears.
You must of done something wrong, probably not maintained your tank or the filter wasn't big enough for your tank/fish capacity.
yes, I have the Tidal 55 and it also overflows around the media. Problem is you cant use any media for biological filtration. If you use it with its supplied coarse blue filter and matrix media, the media clogs with detritus. So, if you put in any filter floss to catch the detritus before the biomedia, it just goes into bypass. mine is on a lightly stocked tank, with prefilter sponge, and a bigger filter than my 20 long needs, and is set to 1/2 flow. I have to clean the filter every 4 days. Not really dirty, just at full bypass by end of 2nd day. will have to get something different.
I love the aquaclear,always have.I have 2 110s on a 125,also 2 60 gal sponge filters.I change water weekly and feed the heck out of my fish.
I have some Aquaclear 500s (they used to be called) that are 15 years old. These are arguably the best filters ever made imo.
Had I got into the hobby at a time when stuff isn't made to last... sucks..
My aquaclear 110s over 15 years old too! Still going on strong!
LOL at those years the plastic gets hard then cracks and you definitely had to replace impeller and spindle few times (since they get loud over time),i know i ran them that long too. I don't believe you if everything is still original.
@@grizzybear9111 One of them I did replace the motor, which I got very reasonable on ebay. The other not. I do periodically clean them. I found the Aquaclears very satisfactory and did a much better job than the SUMP pump.. which I had problems with.
seachem tidal self primes and has the top skimmer. Not sure how this is even a contest LOL.
I had an AC20 that wouldn't even move after I unplugged it for a 5 or 10 minute WC! Contrast that with the Marineland Penguin 350s I have that will run for 5 minutes without water in them and ask for more! Fluval is a good company, and most of their stuff is good, but the AC line has a GLARING problem that should have never made it past the initial testing phase.
@@woodworkerroyer8497 , did it get jammed up with gunk. After a water change I have sometimes have to take apart my Aqua clear and clean the impellor area to get it going again.
@@audrisampson nope. It was less than a week old and barely had any slime buildup. It just doesn't have a powerful enough capacitor (if it has one at all).
I like the filter otherwise, but that one issue is just a frustration and I can't believe any engineer let it slide.
@@woodworkerroyer8497 , oh yuck! I'm just cheap or else my one Aqua clear would be a tidal LOL.
I prefer Tidal also but Aquaclear is a good filter too.
fluval 110 is the best hang filter
Great video! I love how you do filter reviews. I was wondering if you guys could reschedule when you stream because I can't make it at the time when you stream.
Believe it or not that is the only time we have available during the week - always on the run!
@@PrimeTimeAquatics Oh, that stinks. I made it to one of streams and I loved it!
The impeller and motor inside the tank is quite for us but not the fish in the tank
You could make the same argument about sponge filters being loud for fish as well?
Had a aquaclear motor gave out after about a month.. waste of money. The fact that it struggles so much to start even when priming it and it’s soooooo LOUD. Got a tidal I’ll never go back it’s unbelievably quiet and the floater has already saved me 2 times before it got too clogged. Tidal allll the way!
I’m using the aquaclear 30 for a 16G tank, i think it’s too weak in terms of filtration, considering to add another sponge filter on top of that
I have both. Seachem is better.
Loved my AquaClear 110 for 3 years, but then the motor went out. Went to buy a replacement, and now Fluval has bought them out and the quality is HORRIBLE. I've gotten two of them locally, not shipped, and the plastic is super cheap and brittle. One of the clips on the motors broke so it just fell out of the bottom, then I returned it for a second one but the reservoir was completely shattered. After a second return, I said forget it and just ordered a Seachem Tidal. I hope it works as well... The AquaClear was SUPER easy to clean/maintain. I hope the Seachem Tidal is also.
Hi Jason, are you able to make a one year long term update?
Thanks
Coming soon!
Aquaclear 110 is a brute. I run it on a 55g blackwater setup.
I've used aquaclear 50 and it got the job done when I was using it. Now I have been raising my guppies in all my tanks without an hob filter and just using natural filtration just using guppy grass with no problem so far.
Aquaclear hands down!!
Love all of my SeaChem filters. I have replaced all of my other HOB's with them. The Aquaclear just feels and looks so cheaply made to me to be at the same price point. Plus the flow adjustment and the way the flow tube mounts inside is pretty hokey to me and it's not self priming .
Jason, me again,
Please make a Penguin Pro 375 versus Tidal 75.
I think both are pretty much toe to toe.
It would be rather interesting to have your personal standpoint on them!
Cheers!
:ove the Seachem Tidal out with the old in with the new time is money.
I have 3 tidal 110 love them .if you buy nano sponge filter from aquarium coop 4 bucks cut the sponge in half you got to in take sponges . Use the base for plants that can't be buried in suppstrate works great an you can move them around .an still use top for air move ment in tank all for 4 dollars
Extremely subjective. Filter media capacity being almost the same between the two????.....500% UNTRUE!!! The Aquaclear has VASTLY VASTLY more media capacity. A liguid volume test will easily prove that. When it comes to what these are meant to do, "filter water", there's 100% positively no contest, the Aquaclear outdoes the Seachem hands down!! It has roughly 1/3 again more filter volume. Quietness?, the Seachem is noisier by far. Ive got 7 AC 110s, 8 AC 70s, 5 AC 50s and 5 Seachem 110s along with 4 Seachem 75s and in my experience, all of my Seachems are definitely louder. ALL of my Aquaclears, not just the 110s either, are dead silent. The skimmer on the Seachem is worthless and does basically nothing, nothing more than a good sales tactic. The pop-up filter change indicator, worthless, 3/4 of the time it gets stuck and doesn't work after a period of time. The fact that you can use the lid as a holder for the media basket, who cares, can do the same thing with the aquaclear lids also. Self priming pump, is actually great if you don't mind having a gargantuan and very very obtrusive sized black box with a neon blue dial hanging down inside the back of your aquarium in plain view. The water bypass on the Seachem is ridiculous, even with brand-new media it has a ton of bypass.
All that being said, the flow control on the Seachem is definitely better. Some people choose form over function, I choose to spend my hard earned money more wisely and choose function over form, and if a person is doing that when comparing these two filters and what they're intended to do--FILTER WATER, then there's no argument on which filter does the better job.
Easy winner = TIDAL
How do you clean the motors/impellars and curved tubes? Floss has loose fibers that wrap around impeller shafts.
Depends on the filter, but these two - the motor housing guard can be removed and the impellers are only held in by a magnet so removing them is very easy to wipe down.
Up in Canada on Amazon. The price was 90.00. But it altogether was 129.00
I have both of these filters on my 75g oscar tank. The AC is in fact LESS wide than the Tidal by less than a half inch. I can not fit the Tidal between the wall and my tank but the AC does fit. The AC does a better job picking up poop from the tank than the Tidal.
laurendoerr, I agree
The aqua clear is a better filter,i compared it to flu val canister, Sunbeam canister, and nothing is easier to clean and run then this its 110 will do a 125 with no problem if u added another 1 it would reduce water levels fast so 1 would clearly be enough and another thing he must be trying to promote the sea tidal filter because he doesn't like the activated black crbon use in the aqua 110 that makes the water crystal clear ❤❤Beautiful realtalk 💯 he's just trying to market the tidal,he has no clue of hands on maintenance, My homework is based on use,quality viability, and price ❤Beautifully being said realtalk ,Take my word for it! It's like a sports analyst that never played sports lol,realtalk 💯 has spoken ❤❤❤
I do like the 😂aquclear ( the looke of it ) if it would prime it's self hands down . So i vote for the seac hem tidal . To vad aquavkear does look better i think they work the same other than the self priming .😊
Aqua clear plastic is literally half the thickness of what it used to I would guess 10 years ago!🙄🥴🧐 The AquaClear 110 used to be called the AquaClear 500 which I could only assume is their plastic weight difference in grams!🤯 Have a bunch of both.🤔🙄 Typical changes that seem to happen over the years nowadays.🤫
Not true!! an AC will start and flow water with no issues after a power outage..
on the other hand if your water level gets to low using a Tidal and air gets in that pretty surface skimmer grill . Can you say BUBBLES 😂
I do prefer the AC but really want to try a Tidal out
Love my AC 110s. I do wish they were self priming, but the surface skimmer on the seachem I think would cause more headaches than what’s it worth. Aquaclear for me.
Hi Christopher! I have both filters (although my Aquaclear is a much smaller version) and I can assume you that the surface skimmer is a LIFESAVER. I even rely on it more than the actual input when feeding, because most of the debris or uneaten good tend to go at the surface.
I, bought a Aqua clear, pump
And I, don't know the filter size.
Please help.
The written instructions are incomplete. It doesn't even show in diagram or explain the ring that is to be placed between the inflow tube and the motor assembly module that allws for adjusting the rate of flow and I had to figure that out. It would be better had you shown that ring and explained it. But thanks, yoyr vid helped. The written instructions didn't even say to rinse the medium.
I was sold on the Tidal until I thought about the surface skimmer and lots of floating plants...:(
Most of my LFS's that use HOBs use ACs and do nothing but stuff filter floss in the chamber....
I have marine land 350 2 of them I put in foam and carbon keeps my aquariums clear.
ok so im running the tidal 110 now..things i noticed. 1 it is noisy too. pretty loud. steady loud hum... 2 there is alot of bypass. the basket has those channels around the basket for bypass.. 3. the huge pump assembly in the water is ugly. its huge and takes up alot of space and its all the eye catches in the tamk.. i like the big basket.. very not impressed with the loudness if the filter
Hey Jason, I have 2 Tidal 110s on each of my 100g acrylic moderately stocked all male cichlid tanks. Crystal clear all the time. I'm turning 900 gals an hour in each tank. No better HOB on the market. Canisters filters, been there, done that. Love the ease of HOBs. Thanks for the comparison. As always, great vid...
Why do you prefer hob over canister? just curious
The Seachem is definitely more refined, if you prefer the thicker foam, just buy another Seachem foam filter and double them up, now you will have about the same thickness as the AQ 500, but alot easier to clean, with the added benefit of alternating cleaning of the Seachems foam if you are a firm believer in maintaining the good bacteria. The AQ foam is one and done, more difficult to get clean as well.
I have 4 seachem 110s. I had one 2 years ago and have gradually changed over all other HOBs to these filters. They are absolutely quiet, turn back on after outage (which is great when I live alone and am off at work) and the give great flow to the water which is a plus for those fish that like fast movement. Finding intake pre filter sponges is easy - they’re an alrounder.
One downside is if due to evaporation your water level goes down a bit - there’s a point where the skimmer in the tidal starts making a sucking sound and in my experience that has always been at 2am - and you WILL want to get up and fix it :)
I’ve only had one aqua clear and I personally didn’t rate it - but have heard rave reviews form others.
Self priming for me is a must so I go seachem all the way.
Seachem are the new gold standard for HOB imo
The Tidal is a good step forward in filter evolution but, for me personally I prefer the AquaClear because I do have shrimp and fry so the skimmer and mid level intakes is a huge problem. I’ve even tried putting filter floss on the inside of the mid level intake and it just sucks air. So you need that intake open without any obstruction. I don’t think I’ve ever dropped anything while taking the AquaClear basket out, it’s pretty simple. But I do like the locking slide on the Tidal as well. IMO it depends on the type of tank you have. If your fish are big enough to not get caught in the intakes of the Tidals, it’s great. But if you have smaller fish or fry and like simplicity AquaClear is best. I don’t like the contours of the Tidal basket. I wish they can make it rectangular like most other filters. And if AquaClear can put that motor on the inside, that would be a dream filter for me.
Geeze Tidal, can you make that blue sponge any smaller? If you use it as designed and not add floss, I wonder how clear your water will be?
Once i didn't maintain my Aquaclear with filter floss, when clogged it pushed my media up basket up and water over flowed onto my floor. This cannot not happen with Seachem since the basket is locked in. Yes its my fault for not cleaning it but something to think about.
I actually had one overflow on me before too.
Love the Tidals. Currently running 5. From the 35 up to the 110.
Question: I bought a 75, I could hear the motor if the AC isn't cycling. I swapped for a 55 - same thing, not as loud but with the TV off and the AC off - I can hear it across the room. Is this abnormal? It has so many reviews on how quiet - I'll try one more time. But if I'm just being over sensitive because I don't leave a lot of background noice on, it would be nice to know
Never own a tidal, but it make no sense to play 💯 to fix a filter problem. I own an aquaclear and returned it the next day.
Hands down the tidal. It has a tray that comes out, the lid sits under the tray to stop the water leaking on your floor, and heater handle.
There is a problem with Tidal because the water does not flow through all media, only the water goes to the top of the media and flows into the aquarium.
ordered the tidal.. tried the aquaclear and it was so noisy. just aweful.. returning it as soon as the tidal arrives
I have a tidal 110. I absolutely love it. My question for you is , you said you never had a problem with bio filtration doing it your way , then you only put the sponge and filter floss inside the basket. Do you not put the bag of matrix media into the filter ? Or any bio media for that matter besides the sponge ?
I don't use the bio media - I like the extra space for sponge and floss. The biomedia is certainly good stuff, I just don't use it.
I have one Aquaclear on my super red grow out tank on one end and a sponge on the other. Looked at the Seachem but didn’t get because of the reason you brought up about sucking up fish /snails .
That was a good choice in your situtation!
Very nice comprehensive review, already looking forward to the update (in the not so near future) 🤓
The companies could include a sponge filter so there's an option included
Seachem Tidal has another advantages.
1. The blue pin at the cover, will move up when it is clogged.
2. When we want to ckear the media, use the cover to avoid water spills to the floor. Flip it back, put the media basket on top of it. There are two holes at the basket, which we can place it nicely on the flipped cover
Seachem 110 filter is a slight upgrade to the aquaclear
Yeah, it actually works after a water change lol.
@@woodworkerroyer8497 what size tank are you running these on? on a 75 you would have to change almost 75% of the water for them to lose their syphon lol. Assuming you're using both intake pieces for maximum depth.
I had to use some polyfill to get that marineland prefilter to work on a aquaclear intake tube
I was not impressed with my tidal 110. The skimmer is pretty much useless. Media clogs too fast and leaks when that happens. Made me switch back to canisters. The aquaclears are good only con is they dont auto prime.
I added purigen another layer of sponge and some bio rings and I realized it does clog easier with all that I’ve been removing some stuff and it seems to be better first the extra sponge that helped a lot and now I’m down to just purigen and the original sponge it came with with a few bio rings and it seems to have better flow but the blue maintenance indicator is still rising I was mislead by another yter that said I should cram as much as will fit into the media basket overall I still like it just wish I had it setup better also I have two 110 seachems on a 125 gallon tank and a sponge filter...is that overkill?
LOL why would you use canister and then go to a HOB that's so dumb. Canisters are the best
The aqua clear leveler sucks. Constantly falls out.
I have both. I like tidal a little more.