# emperor vs. aquaclear



## chompy

Just wondering, what kind of power filter people are most fond of. The aquaclear obviously sells more, but I like the emperor because I think biowheel works amazing and can be modified into a great filter. The aqua clears are cheap, simple and have a nice big basket though. It's a tough choice.


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## holocron

I like eheim, does that count?


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## chompy

Ya I hear bad things about their power filter. But I hear they rule the market for store baught wet dry filters. I can't afford it though.


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## holocron

you can win one, just refer people to the forum!


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## chompy

That's a canister filter, not a wet dry. Great filters though, they don't make a sound as with all ehiems. I'll try to get some friends to join, although it might be hard because I don't know many aquarist in the GTA.


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## holocron

right, to be honest I don't know how wet drys work.. perhaps you can enlighten me?


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## chompy

The benifitial bacteria living in our filters need O2, and wet dry increases the amount of air exposed to the water alowing better bio filtration. That is why I like biowheels, because they act as a wet dry.


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## holocron

cannister filters rely on water flow I suppose and dissolved O2 in the water column?


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## chompy

To further increase the O2 in my emperor I did a little fiddling.
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/power_filter_tricks_v.php


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## chompy

canister filters dont involve O2 at all I don't think. All the O2 they get is whats in the tank. Your right


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## Ciddian

I am not a biowheel fan that much myself....I did give them a try but i cant stand inserts at all. I like to throw bio rings and stuff in my AC. 
Also...when you have brackish i really try to cut down on as much spray as possible... just because of the salt build ups. 

I do like the idea of it however. Increased biofiltration with more O2... I always had a clear tank...just, a crusty salty one. 

Good Vs Chompy ^^


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## Aquatic Designs

I like the Eheims as well. The liberty filter is silent and has modular media that is very easy to replace or remove to clean.


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## Plant Crazy

I've have to also agree with Eheim canister filters. The advantage of canister filters in general is that they can hold a large volume of biological or mechanical filtration media, only require cleaning every month or two, and are generally very quiet (no splashing of water as it enters the tank from the filter). I've had an Eheim 2213 for over 3 1/2 years without any issues; a very reliable filter. I recently purchased an Eheim 2217, and it's also working well with no issues so far. The great thing about Eheim filters is that they're quiet, reliable, and easy to maintain. The disadvantage is that they have they're are slightly more expensive, however since proper filtration is important for a healthy tank, I think that it's worth the one time hit to the wallet for a long term investment.


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## Aquatic Designs

I was talking Eheim Liberty filters. They are a HOB filter. But i couldnt agree more that there canisters are the best.


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## FishPedagogue

I prefer AquaClear as Emperors are too proprietary for my liking. If you do not want to spend all the money on their inserts you are out of luck.


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## WaterWorld

I have a 40 Gallon and I have both types of filters in it. The aquaclear is very easy to clean and I see it does more of a water polishing than anything else so that's where the emperor comes in to do most of the cleaning. The emperor is good but if you don't do your scheduled filter cleaning it can reduce the water flow. Aquaclear is a bit quieter than the emperor. They're both good filters so I'm neutral to which one is better. Right now they have a promotion at Big Al's where if you buy any emperor filter you get a free 3 pack of filter cartridges.


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## chompy

FishPedagogue said:


> I prefer AquaClear as Emperors are too proprietary for my liking. If you do not want to spend all the money on their inserts you are out of luck.


I don't replace my inserts because I have no carbon in my filters. I cut the insert open, removed the carbon and replaced it with more bio filtration media. But if you do want the carbon Walmart sell cheap knock off versions that would be fine.


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## Pablo

I used to LOOOOVE emperors- now I think they SUCK. Here's why:

The plastic is not rigid. Especially in the 400 this causes bowing of the filter case

The media capacity is pitiful, and due to the back to front rather than bottom to top flow your options are limited.

The spray bar is fed DIRECTLY by the impeller- the water is NOT prefiltered as erroneously claimed by marineland. So, basically, about 25% of the water it sucks in (the amount needed to feed the spray bar) never gets mechanically filtered! It just hits the biowheel and goes back into the tank. Its just such a bad design...

If you want a biowheel that isnt too bad, Hydor has a nifty little sponge thing that rotates with a powerhead. This makes for more even rotation.

With an Aquaclear, you have much less noise (Did I mention Marineland doesn't even ride their impellers on a shaft? So they're nice and noisy? Gotta save that dollar!) and you have more media options- and more media capacity.

When you get right down to it- neither is a very good filter. You're much better off with a high quality canister filter or better yet a sump (not many people bother for FW... the guy at finatics has one on his Discus display)

But I have a couple of aquaclears and I like them. The Emperor is really just not a respectable product in my experience. Its nice and gimmicky and impressive to the novice but when you get down to it its really a crock.

And if you smoke a lot the biowheel ain't gonna be happy... AAAAND biowheels love to remove co2 from the water with their nice big surface area so no planted tanks for you.


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## Pablo

chompy said:


> To further increase the O2 in my emperor I did a little fiddling.
> http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/power_filter_tricks_v.php


haahaaahaaa whoever came up with that is a retard.

That doesn't actually work. The bacteria can't access the air bubbles because the surface tension is too great between the bubble and the water (notice how an ant can be trapped in a dropplet of water)

The bacteria are simply too small to use the oxygen with that pressure difference. They can't penetrate the pressure "shield" between the air bubbles and the water. Bacteria can only access oxygen in solution OR oxygen in the atmosphere. In either situation, the oxygen has to be available in solution.

To think that something like this could make any significant difference is hilarious.


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## Largesse

Pablo,

Pardon my igorance, I'm somewhat new to the industry. I have a AquaClear for 20 gallon in my 10 gallon vase. I noticed that the water flows through the biological media the last - and there is a bit of space at the top (does this mean that the media is actually wet-dry). Also, I wanted to find out whether I should replace the biological media after three months, or just rinse it in dechlorinated water. I thought replacing the media would get rid of all the accummulated good bacteria.

Thanks





Pablo said:


> haahaaahaaa whoever came up with that is a retard.
> 
> That doesn't actually work. The bacteria can't access the air bubbles because the surface tension is too great between the bubble and the water (notice how an ant can be trapped in a dropplet of water)
> 
> The bacteria are simply too small to use the oxygen with that pressure difference. They can't penetrate the pressure "shield" between the air bubbles and the water. Bacteria can only access oxygen in solution OR oxygen in the atmosphere. In either situation, the oxygen has to be available in solution.
> 
> To think that something like this could make any significant difference is hilarious.


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## Pablo

Largesse said:


> Pablo,
> 
> Pardon my igorance, I'm somewhat new to the industry. I have a AquaClear for 20 gallon in my 10 gallon vase. I noticed that the water flows through the biological media the last - and there is a bit of space at the top (does this mean that the media is actually wet-dry). Also, I wanted to find out whether I should replace the biological media after three months, or just rinse it in dechlorinated water. I thought replacing the media would get rid of all the accummulated good bacteria.
> 
> Thanks


Man I read my old response. I have to become a kindler gentler poster...
Anyways no its not wet dry. the media has to be wet, then dry, then wet again. having some of it exposed isnt the same thing.

That biomedia is just cheap ceramic substrate. Its decent stuff. No you definitely never have to replace it. Thats a marketing scam. Rinse it in tank water, in a bucket. Thats the best. Just beat it around until it looks cleaner.

Good choice on the aquaclear... Emperors stink.

The new AC110 is a beauty...


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## Largesse

Pablo,

Thanks for the info on the AC. The vase is a lot healthier, and I'm only going to have planted greens and invertebrates in that space. I also modified a powerhead to combat the white fuzz fungus, along with water changes and some invertebrates, and the white fungus died. Good shtuff!


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## Pablo

Largesse said:


> Pablo,
> 
> Thanks for the info on the AC. The vase is a lot healthier, and I'm only going to have planted greens and invertebrates in that space. I also modified a powerhead to combat the white fuzz fungus, along with water changes and some invertebrates, and the white fungus died. Good shtuff!


You might want to try our new Eco Bio Block product...
It'd keep your tank relatively algae/disease/fungus free..


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## Largesse

*Where?*

Pablo,

Where can I get it? 

Thanks

L.


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## Pablo

Largesse said:


> Pablo,
> 
> Where can I get it?
> 
> Thanks
> 
> L.


Well if you've got like fifty bucks to spare you can order it in the mail. It'll last like 3 years so if you ever decide to setup another tank you can just put it in the filter and you wont have to cycle, just stock it right away.

a3m Biotech Solutions

905 482 2223

Mention Pablo sent you if you wouldn't mind.


You want the small 'aqua' block.
Just jam it in your filter. If it doesnt fit you can break it into smaller pieces its not problem.

Rinse it in tap water then let it sit in a glass of water for 24 hours to 'wake up' then throw it in your filter(s)


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## gblackma

Aquaclear.


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## Pablo

Hooah!

Did you guys know they recently made the emperor even worse btw?


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## IMCL85

I like aqua clear mainly because its easier to clean then other canister filter I have. And ofcourse best for my dicus along with sponge filter.


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## Pablo

Theres no way a filter is 'better for discus' or worse for discus or any kind of fish except maybe fry and sponge filters IMO you can set the flow output of any filter any way you like once you know how.

I thought cool guys with slick hair and sunglasses knew that


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