Unsponsored Long Term Review of the Seachem Tidal vs Aquaclear HOB Filters - My Honest Opinion.

Many people love the Tidal Hob filters, others hate them and prefer the Aquaclear. I am not sponsored by either and have used both long term. This is my opinion about the advantages and disadvantages of both.
#aquariumhobby #aquariumfilter #seachem #aquaclear

[@craniumrex4614]

Thank you for your comparison - appreciate the unbiased reviews. I run both and have for 2 years - for my 55 I like the Aquaclear because the inhabitants don’t care for as much flow. I run an air stone to keep O2 levels up. My 75 I run the Tidal and love the flow variability. Skimmer can be a pain with plant bits and pieces. They are both easy to service. I agree if they could only put the best features of each they would have a stellar filter! May your channel explode with subscribers- enjoy your experienced perspective.

[@droeksonfishkeeping]

Thanks!

[@kgonzi868]

Appreciate your break down on the difference between what the filters do when dirty. Makes things make so much more sense.

[@droeksonfishkeeping]

You're welcome. Wish one could combine the best of both.

[@BubblyF]

You have my vote. Thank you for the great review. This is going to help a lot of people decide on what to get and what not.

[@droeksonfishkeeping]

Thanks!

[@thomashaapalainen4108]

Before I even get two minutes into the video. I prefer the shape of the aquaclear basket. It is easier to cut polyfill because it's a rectangle. I prefer how easy it to use a pre-filter on the aquaclear. However modern aquaclear filters get loud and burn through impellers very fast compared to the ones I used in the early 2000s. The seachem has an awkward shape for cutting polyfill but the motor is dead silent and has been going strong with no repairs needed. Also not having to prime the filter is nice especially in a power outtage. I can't deal with aquaclears lack of quality in recent years. Seachem wins by default

[@BackyardAquatics-o2m]

they came out with new aqua clears recently and fixed a lot of the issues :D

[@stoneysscapes7544]

If you want to make the skimmer intake less aggressive the best way is to get a sheet of plastic knitting mesh & cut it a little wider than the intake and then slip one side into the 1st slot and do the same with the last slot . If you look at the area inside you can cut a piece to lay flat where you have another small intake . Hopefully I made my tip understandable because it makes any chance of having a potential casually pretty much 100% safe and no glue is required . 🌊

[@SnapRasta]

I got one tidal to run with my aquaclear 110 and after 2 years i finally switched the aquaclear out for another tidal 110. My main reasons are because i have had quite a few outages and the tidal auto primes without needing to fill it, unlike the aquaclear. The Aquaclear motor started to become loud after the 2 years while the tidal is whisper quiet. I noticed there was quite a bit of film on the surface on the side of the aquaclear while because the surface skimmer there was never a film on the side with the tidal filter. The flow is better and gives better surface agitation with the tidal. That is just my 2 years with the tidal filter.

[@BackyardAquatics-o2m]

they fixed the priming issue on the newer aqua clear filters now :D

[@sherlockbonez]

Got a tidal 55, waiting for the drystart to finish in our new 40 to try it out.

[@thomashaapalainen4108]

Alright now at the end of the video we have exactly the same opinions on these filters. Cheers my friend greeting from America. A simple fix for the fast clogging of the seachem is to drill extra holes in the bottom of the basket .

[@droeksonfishkeeping]

I suppose that will work.. now to find the right drill.. I am not exactly the King of DIY 😂.

[@thomashaapalainen4108]

I used a quarter inch drill that's about 7mm.

[@gk9417]

I put extra holes in the tidal basket and put a mess inside the skimmer area to reduce the flow from there I just had it running for a week now So will see what happens 🙏✌️🇨🇦 Thanks for video 👍

[@droeksonfishkeeping]

@@gk9417 thanks for the tip

[@apaulmcdonough2170]

The "Skimmer" is the primary intake of all Tidal Filters.

[@BackyardAquatics-o2m]

they fixed the priming issue on the newer aqua clear filters :D

[@anthonyc1589]

Hi,to get a o ring replacement for the aqua clear if you near lolli locks fish farm or pet masters they normally carry them,last resort is a hardware store and I also found at a motor store just need the old o ring to compare

[@droeksonfishkeeping]

Thanks, great tip!

[@stevemacdonald2303]

And I got aqua clear too 110 it works great too

[@Craig-777]

I have both and i perfer the Aquaclear, I detest the surface skimmer on the tidal, also the flow adjustment on the aquaclear is awesome

[@droeksonfishkeeping]

If they would only put the motor inside the tank, the Aquaclear would be perfect. I also like the flow adjustment since it does not "choke" the pump. They are just becoming crazy expensive in South Africa, costing more than your cheaper brand cannister filters on the big models.

[@stevemacdonald2303]

I got one it works great. Mind is tidal 110

[@leondeswardt]

Bearing Man has the Oring. Take your filter with you for them to measure the rite size. Like R0.50c each.

[@Bergwagter]

How does the penplax cascade 300 compare to these?

[@droeksonfishkeeping]

Not sure, never had one of those. If you could fit it with your own media it may be ok.

[@Bergwagter]

@@droeksonfishkeeping I saw them going for quite cheap, R800 for a filter that does 1100 lph and thought it may be a better option than R2500 tidal 110 😀

[@savage.sadistic.sensationa1184]

If both compare with fluval C4 what's your thoughts , please review thanks...

[@droeksonfishkeeping]

Haven't seen the Fluval C4 in South Africa yet but by the looks of it what I have seen on line, looks a bit fidgety too me with all the inserts

[@AQUARIUMFREAK123]

notice the box on the tidal is a complete basket where on the aquaclear, the media can fall foward when removing the half open media box... It can flop onto the floor.... TIDAL WINS with this alone, Never mind the power out problem that the Aqua clear gives you.

[@droeksonfishkeeping]

Thatv is an improvement they can make on the Aquaclear. I sometimes wonder why they just can't seem to get it 100% right.

[@BackyardAquatics-o2m]

media bag solves this problem :D

[@michaelwilliams27]

Tidal is to noisy ac is better i now have them both 110

[@AndyP126]

Replace the impeller shaft on the Aquaclear.

[@dbenn3774]

Why would you even leave the filter so long that it cogs up?

[@droeksonfishkeeping]

Thing is with the Tidal, it clogs uo very quickly, less than a week because of the way it is designed.

[@apaulmcdonough2170]

​@droeksonfishkeeping How much extra bullshit did you jam into the Tidal media basket??? The Tidal is designed to BYPASS when the Flow is restricted. This keeps Water Circulation ongoing along with continued Oxygenation. Stuffing the Media Basket doesn't improve Biological Filtration and is Operator Error.

[@stevemacdonald2303]

Just use hot clue on the skimmer

[@apaulmcdonough2170]

The "Skimmer" is the Primary Intake. "GOOD JOB" - closing it off!

[@artsergo]

19:15 👍 )

[@toddt6730]

I'm goyback to my aqua clear, the tudal75 I don't like that skimmer, I have filters that take those expensive pads, I'm doing away with them

[@antonolivier9291]

Ek gebreik thread tape op my cascade motor en lek nie ooo ek is anton en broei met kribensis hou van jou videos dankie

[@droeksonfishkeeping]

Dankie Anton, waardeer die ondersteuning.

[@eccentricsmithy2746]

Tidal filters are garbage. Aquaclear runs circles around Tidal.