Equipment Review and Discussion :: Aquaclear 110? Good Idea?

[my.lovely.turtle.]

Hi there everyone. I had recently upgraded my tank from a twenty gallon to a hundred gallon!, and of course a little twenty gallon filter is not going to cut it. I just bought a Aquaclear 110 today, just wondering if that was a good idea or a mistake. I only have one turtle in the tank if that makes a difference.
I was wondering if there are big problems with these filters, and if this will be sufficient for a 100 gallon tank.
Thanks for any comments concerns, suggestions, anything.
Thank you

[steve]

The AQ110 is a decent filter. It's room for media is pretty limited compared to a canister, so I would expect to change/clean it more often. Another thing about it is that you might not get very good circulation from it, so the end without it might have more debris and be a little cooler. A powerhead might fix that though.

[my.lovely.turtle.]

how often would you say I will be cleaning it?
Could you explain about not getting very good circulation? I'm sorry I don't quite understand.
Thankyou!!

[steve]

The cleaning frequency will be determined by you... but it would be more often compared to a canister.

As for circulation, this filter hangs to the side. So the intake tube and output are very close to each other while the other side of the tank has neither. So it will not circulate as well over there and the water exchange won't be as good.

[my.lovely.turtle.]

oh I see what you mean.... would it be better if I attached a long tube to the end so it reached to the other side of the tank?

[steve]

It's possible, though an aerator or powerhead might be an easier solution.

[marisa]

I like the 110, and in a smaller tank, the Aquaclear 110 circulates water quite well---the force of the water falling pushes the water around (I'm talking about an Aquaclear in a 40 gallon tank). But in a 100 gallon tank, I wouldn't have the 110 as the primary filter. I'd opt for a good canister.

[my.lovely.turtle.]

oh I see what you mean.. does just having one turtle in the tank make the chance of cleaner water better? Canisters are sadly expensive here

[VeipaCray]

The less bioload the cleaner the water... so yes one turtle in a tank means cleaner water than two turtles in a tank.

I completely agree the AC 110 is underpowered for a turtle in a 100G tank.

If you are concerned about price... check out the cheap knock off canisters at aquatraders.com
http://www.aquatraders.com/Odyssea-CFS4-Canister-Filter-p/42044.htm
http://www.aquatraders.com/Odyssea-CFS700-Canister-Filter-with-UV-Sterilizer-p/42051.htm

[my.lovely.turtle.]

wow! That is more than half the price of the canister in the pet store near me! wow. hmmm. I will have to consider that. I wonder if they ship to where I am.

[VeipaCray]

There are many good reviews on these filters from various people . There are also a few negative reviews. Use your own judgement. I do not have one of these filters, I just know they are very inexpensive. If you do decide to get one, please post about it. Thanks.