# AC 110 on a 16 gallon tank?



## solarz (Aug 31, 2010)

I recently bought an AC 110 and want to use it on my 16-gal. However, is the glass of the tank sturdy enough to support the weight of the filter?

I've checked, and the AC 110 can hold up to 5L of water, which is 5 kg. Plus, it requires this "leveler", which is a piece of plastic that keeps the filter from tilting against the glass. This means that the filter's weight would be up against the glass upon a relatively small surface area.

The glass of my tank is 5mm thick. Should I be concerned about this?


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## fesso clown (Nov 15, 2011)

i use a strip of filter sponge to level my ac110, not because I am worried of the weight but because the leveler broke. It works and I imagine it disperses the weight.


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## solarz (Aug 31, 2010)

fesso clown said:


> i use a strip of filter sponge to level my ac110, not because I am worried of the weight but because the leveler broke. It works and I imagine it disperses the weight.


What tank size and glass thickness do you have it on?


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## fesso clown (Nov 15, 2011)

20 gallon, no idea of glass thickness... not at home to check, it's not rimless...


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## solarz (Aug 31, 2010)

fesso clown said:


> 20 gallon, no idea of glass thickness... not at home to check, it's not rimless...


Cool, 20 gals should be about 5mm as well. Thanks for the info!


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## BillD (Jun 5, 2006)

keep in mind that water inside the tank is pressing out against the glass countering the weight of the filter pushing in. The real concern here is not weight but amount of water flow, on a tank that small.


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## kuopan (Sep 6, 2010)

i have an ac70 on my 20 gallon and i thought it was a bit too big for it. i would downsize if you can...although more filteration is always good, i am not sure if that much is required on a 16 gallon.


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## zfarsh (Apr 7, 2011)

i have an ac30 on a 5.5 gal ... but its a quarantine tank.


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## Jackson (Jan 30, 2009)

I have one on a cheap 20gal I bought from Luckys probably 4-5mm thick. No top brace it rimless and it's been on there for 5 years now. It holds two big chunks of lava rock and floss. I use foam to prop it up against the tank. The leveler didn't do much on glass this thin.


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## solarz (Aug 31, 2010)

Jackson said:


> I have one on a cheap 20gal I bought from Luckys probably 4-5mm thick. No top brace it rimless and it's been on there for 5 years now. It holds two big chunks of lava rock and floss. I use foam to prop it up against the tank. The leveler didn't do much on glass this thin.


Wow, them tanks must be sturdier than they look! The AC 110 is pretty heavy when filled up!

On another note, anyone find the filter to be noisy? I'm running it on my 79-gal for testing, and I find it pretty loud.


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## zfarsh (Apr 7, 2011)

yep, it aint quiet.... specially compared to a cannister filter . But, i still love the AC110.


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## Jackson (Jan 30, 2009)

solarz said:


> Wow, them tanks must be sturdier than they look! The AC 110 is pretty heavy when filled up!
> 
> On another note, anyone find the filter to be noisy? I'm running it on my 79-gal for testing, and I find it pretty loud.


Oh man the noise they make can drive a person crazy. I have three on a 200gal it sounds like a pit of rattle snakes. Sad thing is they start to get noisy after 6 months to a year. I'm soon getting rid of all the AC's in my place. The noise is too much for me.


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## solarz (Aug 31, 2010)

I set the AC 110 up as a chaeto refugium on my 16-gal, and apart from the noise, I can't complain.

There's no worries about too strong of a flow. In fact, I have an extra power head in there.

I should probably mention though, that this is a saltwater FOWLR tank.


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