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Diane,

I just received my new AquaClear 50 in the mail today and it stated on the box that it is the former AquaClear 200 and is rated at 200 GPH.

I also bought this to place on my new 20 gallon long which I recently purchased and plan on also having heavily planted. It includes three different filter media with it which are the sponge, the carbon insert and the BioMax insert.

Not sure if this is different than the AquaClear 40 as you stated in your post.

Jim

---

Water, taken in moderation, cannot hurt anybody. -- Mark Twain

Splashing isn't the issue so much as surface agitation is....basically when O2 dissolves in water the O2 molecules are trapped between H2O and other molecules in the water. This only really happens at the surface. Air stones and pumps do not really inject the water with any extra oxygen, most of the benefit just comes from the effect that they have of keeping the surface of the tank agitated as the small bubbles break at the top. The more vigorously the surface is agitated, the more O2 is going to become trapped in the water.

It is possible to set a small pump up so that all of the water movement is happening below the surface, and the actual gas transfer will hardly be affected at all, at least not enough to cause any noticeable CO2 loss.

Maybe I'm wrong, but from what I understand about oxygen levels in the tank is that as water is exposed to air, those o2 molecules are added to the water. I once believed that splashing released co2, but I'm of the opinion that alot of increased movement, splashing or not, provided it brings more water in contact with o2, will drop co2 levels. Am I wrong?



Last edited by Cory_Di at 13-Apr-2005 14:09

Being a planted tank, I want to preserve co2 so no powerheads

I'm currently running a powerhead in my planted 20 (running the AC 150 new 30 I believe) The powerheads don't have to increase surface agitaion or movement. Mines connected to the CO2 diffuser in the tank. On occasion I've run an additional powerhead just to keep the water moving on the far side of the tank (cyano issues). The reason I suggested powerheads is that they do give you the option for increased circulation without the drawback of increased surface agitation...which an additional filter or a larger filter would do.

^_^[hr width='40%']"I'm alright, I'm alright
It only hurts when I breathe"[/font]

The flow rate adjuster thing on ACS works pretty well, it's just a little "switch" that moves the intake tube a bit making it either partially blocked or dully open. If I drop mine ALL the way to the lowest setting it sometimes causes issues with the filter refusing to run properly, but if I fiddle with it it a bit it starts working again. *shrug* It is FAR easier to adjust than the penguin.

I would go with the 40....Always better to overfilter than not have enough, and if there is too much current you can turn it down.

Long tanks can sometimes have issues with detritus getting caught on the gravel or stagnant pockets forming away from the filter intake, especially if you use a HOB model. Even if you have CO2, a small submersible pump or powerhead can be added to keep the water moving on the bottom, just as long as it doesn't disturb the surface too much. Instead of a normal submersible pump, I sometimes add a small internal filter. One good internal (that I don't own but have been drooling over for ages) is the eheim aquaball. It is basically just a pump with a media chamber but I really like the simplicity of the design.

The AC flow adjustment is simple and works very well. Not too sure why you need a "stronger" filter that you'll be running at 3/4 flow?.... For heavily planted tanks, my tanks that have 2 filters have noticeably better circulation than the tanks with just one.

I guess they went and renamed the 200 to the 40, then renamed the 40 to the 50 :%):%):%)

I'm still thinking that I would be better off with a stronger filter, provided I can turn it down. If I run the 200 at 3/4 speed, I should be about the top speed of a 150, no?

Does the water flow adjuster work well on the AquaClears? I know that I wouldn't think of running my BioWheels at a lower speed because that requires lifting the intake tube, and it doesn't stay (Penguin 170). On my Emporer, if the switch isn't fully open, the filter doesn't want to siphon correctly and that is with a high water level.

Old Timer - when are you going to have that all set up and running? I'm interested in hearing your take about the flow in the 20 long at full open, and how it works at reduced flow.

Last edited by Cory_Di at 13-Apr-2005 09:21

Last edited by Cory_Di at 13-Apr-2005 09:22

Since the new, re-named AC's all(?) come with the BioMax media, just go ahead and use it. If you have to buy the BioMax, I'd just get another sponge.

Get two 30's and you'll have great circulation for your size tank.

that's what I was gonna say assuming the 30 is what used to be called the AC150. I'd also go with 1 sponge and the biomax personally. with the biomax I don't see the need for the second sponge.

Hey Aquaclear people - I need help picking the right size for my 20 long.

All this time I've seen aquaclears I never realized how the water comes up from the bottom through essentially three potential layers. I like that.

This is for my 20 long, which is (or will be) slightly overstocked. It is planted.

I'm thinking of getting the 40, but running it at a lower setting. It is rated at 200 gph, but I'm assuming that is at full power. I'm even wondering if it would be just fine at full speed in my 20 long??? Otherwise, I'd get the 30. I'm currently running a Penguin 170, rated at.....170 .

I need other info. For example, are there different size sponges (hole sizes)? My only wish is that one layer would pass through the kind of floss seen on many cartridges today because I think it catches alot. For the most part, I'm planning on two sponges and a bag of the bio-ceramic pieces or whatever it is called. Periodically, I may have to run activated carbon, but won't run it constantly.

I'm planning on sticking the bag of bio-ceramics into the current Penguin 170 I have right now and let it seed a good 4 weeks, along with one of the sponges if I can get it in. Otherwise, I'm thinking of just floating the sponges in my 20 long to let them partially seed.

Any other suggestions for me to consider?

Tell me about some of the ways you stack your media.

Last edited by Cory_Di at 12-Apr-2005 16:26

All the AC's have 3 layer capacity, but for a planted tank (especially if it's heavily planted) circulation is more important, since most of your chemical/biological filtration is taken care of by the plants. I find 2 sponges in each filter (I double-filter each of my planted tanks) adequate and that leaves room for carbon, crushed coral, peat, or whatever else you need. I don't inject CO2, but use Flourish Excel, Tropica MasterGrow and other supplements. I have from just under 2wpg to just over 5wpg on my various tanks and get quite decent growth.

With CO2 injection, just top up your water so it's level with the filter outflow and your CO2 loss will be minimal. My guess is you'll get more gassing out with the sponge filter than with the AquaClear's.

Last edited by csfish at 13-Apr-2005 00:02

Being a planted tank, I want to preserve co2 so no powerheads or extra filters. I do like the two filter concept in general tho because stuff happens. I have a sponge filter for a 15 gal already running in a back corner of this tank.

The 20 long dimension is 30 inches long x 12 inches wide and 12 inches high.

Bob - I hear what you are saying about the AquaClear 30 and I appreciate the turnover values. I'm thinking if I get the 40 (200), I can turn it down, but with the 30 (150) I can't go any higher. As it stands now, I will lose 20 gph switching from the Penguin 170 to the AquaClear 30. Is this making any sense? The rotation method you describe seems pretty good.

Also, doesn't the 40 have capacity for 3 layers versus 2? If I go the two sponge route, I'd like to have room to add activated carbon if I need to pull out meds or something else.

Get two 30's and you'll have great circulation for your size tank.

*Thinks*

I have a old 120 on my 20 regular....considering the longness of a long () I'd suggest either the 40 or a supplimental powerhead. The (120) 30 just doesnt seem to cut it on my tank and I'm rather lightly stocked....plus bigger sponges is a good thing .

^_^



[hr width='40%']"I'm alright, I'm alright
It only hurts when I breathe"

Di,

Go with the 30 (old 150) and two sponges. The sponges will provide a tremendous amount of media for bacteria with no need for the ceramics althought the new unit will ship with the ceramics. If you use the two sponges, you will have little room for the rings atop the foam.

I cycle filters by adding it to an established tank for three weeks. The temporary extra filtration is good for the tank and for seeding! The 30 will provide you with a 7.5X water turnover at full flow and 2.5X at restricted flow. The 40 (200) will give you a 10X turn with 3.3X at restricted flow. I think you will like the option to have a little less flow because of the height of the 20L.

Maintenance is relatively easy with the two foam pads. The bottom pad gets squeezed in waste water each week then becomes the top pad. Once a month, I clean the riser tube, HOB unit, scrub the impeller with a tooth brush and run a bottle brush inside the impeller housing. Never have had problems using that routine.

__________
"To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research."
researched from Steven Wright

The name changes on the Aquaclear are really confusing. I liked the old names better. I think the 40 (the old 200) would be perfect for a 20 gallon. I'd probably use it full blast, but you can always turn it down if you find it to be too much. I think it would be better to err on the side of having "too much" turnover and having to turn it down a bit then in not having enough turnover.

Okay ...I take it that the 40 is what the 200 was renamed to :%)...Had one of those on the 30 only had space for two sponges or a sponge and a bag...unless there was a redesign with the rename .

I started out with sponge on the bottom, carbon on the top, switched to just sponges after I found out carbons effects on plants (or it coulda just been my plant keeping ability).

To my knowledge there is only one hole size in AC sponges, but you can of course run other media. I used the floss bag from a tetratec filter over the intake (greatly reduces flow of course and likely kills the motor). You might be able to slide a layer in the media basket, although the lid may pop off if you did that .

^_^[hr width='40%']"I'm alright, I'm alright
It only hurts when I breathe"