AquaClear Fish Tank Power Filter for 20- to 50-Gallon Aquariums

12-7-2013 Update and some additional information: I moved my aquarium to another room the week 11/24/2013. When I moved the aquarium, I decided to clean the housing, impeller, and the cavity the impeller sits in. Up until this time, the AC 50 had been running quiet. However, after cleaning everything out, the impeller was making noise like it did when it was new. As of today (12-7-2013), this noise has been reduced by about 1/2. If things continue, the filter should be quiet again after the impeller builds up a slime coat. I also removed the undergravel filter from my aquarium. 12-13-2013 filter is quite again, just the sound of the motor running. I have been reading several negative reviews about this filter not priming itself after a power failure, filter cleaning, or a water change. One thing that appears to be an issue when reading these reviews is that the water level in the aquarium has gone below that of the top of the impeller cover. When the filter is turned off, the water level in the filter will become equal to the water level in the aquarium. If the water level is below that of the intake tube, the syphon will be lost and the intake tube will drain of water and the filter will not be able to start on its own without refilling the water in the filter. This is typical of many Hang Over the Back (HOB) filters. Sometimes, the impeller will fail to restart. This can be due to residue on the impeller shaft or on the magnet of the impeller. A good cleaning will usually remedy this problem. However, a long stick or skewer can be used to jump start the impeller if it fails to restart (this however only works if you are there to witness the problem). Any HOB filter that has a stuck impeller, and remains plugged in, has the risk of motor burnout. Another issue I see is that people are getting a AquaClear that is rated right at the size of tank they have, for instance a 20 gallon tank gets a AquaClear 20. This filter will filter a 20 gallon aquarium with minimal bioload, however the next size filter should be chosen. This would mean an AquaClear 30 and not the AquaClear 20 for a 20 gallon aquarium. I am personally using a AquaClear 50 on my 20 gallon and I am very happy with it. It is always best to have more filtration than needed rather than having too little or just the bare minimum. I am still very pleased with this filter and have no plans to change to another brand anytime soon. This review was updated on 12-25-2011. I purchased two of the AquaClear 50's on a buy one get one free deal. The price was right for the two filters and it gave me spare parts and extra media. The first filter was noisy from the impeller vibrating. I read various postings online about checking the impeller for damage, and manufacturing flaws. I also used petroleum jelly to lubricated the motor shaft, it was still very noisy from the rattling of the impeller. I removed the lid just to see if that made a difference, it did, but I could still hear the impeller vibrating from 15-20 feet away. It sounded like I was running the filter dry. I hooked up the second filter to see if it was any different. It still had a slight vibration/rattle, but it was not as much as the first one and was acceptable. I have been reading that this slight vibration/noise will go away in a month or so. After a week, the filter impeller started to quiet down and is hardly audible. I exchanged the noisy Aquaclear 50 for another Aquaclear 50. ***Update: 12-4-2011: The filter is now quiet with just a hum of the motor running.*** The small amount of noise coming from the current Aquaclear 50 has even subsided and is almost silent at this point. The lid does rattle from time-to-time, but it is not very loud. The Aquaclear 50 was hooked up on 11-25-2011. Today (12-2-2011) I had to clean the foam as it was matted on the underside with debris that had collected on it. I could tell it needed cleaning as the flow was somewhat slowed. My previous over the back filter was a bio-wheel 100. I have a 20 gal tank and the bio-wheel worked well when I first got it about 5 years ago. Over time I found myself getting annoyed with the bio-wheel stopping all the time. I also have an undergravel filter to help with biological filtration. When I saw the Aquaclear 50 on sale (buy one, get one free), I decided it was time to try something different than the bio-wheel 100. The Aquaclear 50 has double the flow rate (200GPH) than the bio-wheel 100 (100GPH) and is a much improved upgrade from the bio-wheel 100. Higher flow rates are available in the bio-wheel line as well, but I wanted to try another brand of filter. The water in my aquarium has not been this clean for a long time. I have not any problems with the filter not restarting after the power is has been shutoff. I did a few tests to see if it would restart on its own after being stuff off for 15 minutes and it always restarted. This could change over time, and I can see this being a problem if the water level in the tank goes below the equilibrium line of the filter and the tank's water level. I do recommend a pre-filter for the intake tube if you have small fish as the rate of intake can catch fish. I had this happen with one of my guppies and added a Fluval Edge pre-filter to the intake to prevent this from happening again. I like the ability to be able to rinse the foam insert in the filter without having to replace them entirely (although the manufacturer recommends every 2 months) unlike the bio-wheel system's filter cartridges. The foam insert can be cleaned many times, in conditioned water, to get the debris and to keep the nitrifying bacteria. The bio-max can also be rinsed in conditioned or tank water to allow it to be used longer. With the old bio-wheel I had to replace the filters every month due to the activated carbon in them. With the aquaclear I can run the filter without the activated carbon. Other than the noise of the first unit (which was exchanged), and to some extent the second unit (very little noise), I am very happy with it. The Aquaclear 50 comes with a foam insert, carbon filter, and bio-max media. There are two extension tubes that come with the filter. The filter is easy to assemble and attach to the back of the aquarium. There is an adjuster to level the filter with the aquarium that is located on the bottom of the filter. I am currently running it with two of the foam inserts and one pack of bio-max. I am debating on running only one foam insert and two bags of bio-max. Tank Size: 20 gallons. Current Filters: Aquaclear 50 and undergravel filter. Prior Filters: Bio-Wheel 100 and undergravel filter. Fish: 3 platies, 2 guppies, 4.5yr old angelfish, 4 albino corydoras catfish. Other: 3 ghost shrimp and 15-20 ramshorn snails. In my video I mention that the lid was a bit difficult to put on. It is much easier to put the lid on when the filter is actually installed on the back of the aquarium. It is not really an issue at all. Just something I came across while doing the video.

I purchased an AquaClear 50 Power filter for my 29 gallon freshwater tank. This filter replaced an Aqua Tech 30-60 model which would not keep my water clear unless I replaced the cartridges every week (as you can imagine, that was getting ridiculously expensive). My fish kept looking sick and I eventually decided it was the filter not working right (I had an Aqua Tech 20-40 before and that one didn't work either; thought bigger filter is better but apparently not with that brand). Anyway, I installed this filter in the evening and at the time my fish were REALLY sick looking and I was of course checking on it often hoping it would work. The next morning the water was still cloudy and my fish weren't behaving much different, so I did a 10% water change (changing too much water + new filter = trouble). Ten percent really isn't much, so the water was still cloudy. I did notice that 24 hours after installing the filter, my fish began to look slightly better and a bit more active. Within 36 hours this filter made my tank water crystal clear! (See my product images for before & after shots.) I just purchased a 2nd Aqua Clear 50 because I do have a few messy fish in my tank and this filter only moves 200 gallons per hour - for a 29 gallon tank it should be moving about 230 gallons minimum. I didn't buy a larger model because I have only about 2.5" between the back of my tank and the wall. If you have that issue, here are the approximate measurements of the unit and how much space you need between tank and wall: AquaClear 20: 5"L X 4"W X 6"H with 2 1/2" of the width behind the tank AquaClear 50: 7"L X 4"W X 6 1/2"H with 2 1/2" of its width behind the tank AquaClear 70: 8 1/2"L X 6"W X 8"H with 3 3/4" of its width behind the tank AquaClear 110: 13 1/2"L X 6 3/4"W X 9"H with 4" of its width behind the tank Will try to update about longevity once I've had it a while. So far, minimal noise, easy to install, no problems! Fish are very active, they like it! Update (6/12): The first filter I got leaked by the cord. It did cause some water damage to my stand (wood). Thankfully my 29-gallon background was folded at the bottom and it caught most of the water in the fold. I contacted Amazon and they sent a replacement with 1-day shipping. My 2nd 50 filter worked while the first was being replaced so I was glad I had 2 to start out. Despite the leak, I still purchased more of these filters for another tank I set up and am not changing my 5-star rating. I really feel these are the best out there! One suggestion, though, be sure to place something behind your tank, under the filter in case it leaks, and check it regularly. I'm going to use a Rubbermaid container (with the lid off). I have not had problems with any of the other filters leaking, hopefully it was just that unit and not a common thing.

NOTE: This is an assessment after about 3 months of using the filter. So, I can't speak for the longevity, but I will review it's other (awesome) features. It has adequate water movement for my 30 gallon planted tank, and does a great job of keeping the water clear. I had been using a cheapy Top Fin before this and it could never keep up and I was constantly going through filters. With the sponge and ceramic pill things, cleaning is a breeze and cheap. Just wash them gently in the water from your water change and put them back. Eventually you probably will have to replace the sponges, but even then they are much cheaper and last longer than traditional carbon filters. To answer some concerns other reviewers had: Noise: It isn't dead quiet at first, I will admit. However, it is still quieter than the Top Fin I had before. And, with a little patience, the slime coat will build up inside and it will be quiet as a mouse. I had to check it a few times to make sure it was still running because it was so quiet. Filtration: as I said before, it is pretty darn good. Filtering from the bottom up is a genius concept. I typically do water changes every week (overstocked tank) but never has the filter media been so full it wouldn't filter properly. Not to mention never/rarely having to buy stupid pre-made filter bags! Reliability: It is a work horse. One time during a water change, I accidentally plugged it in before I inserted the tube and it didn't start. I noticed the motor was warm, so I took it off, ran some water through the insides to flush out any gunk, and put it back on. Worked like a charm. Sometimes gunk can settle in there when it's off, so to avoid this I leave enough water in it and just keep it running as I do a water change. After that incident, I've never had a problem. Clogging tubes: Ok I will admit this is annoying, but what do you expect? In a planted tank, larger shed leaves won't flow all the way into the filter and can clog the intake. Eventually they will slip through, but I always hate having that pressure on the motor. It's going to happen -- it's better than it clogging the sponge. To prevent this if I have a plant with issues, I just put a piece of aquarium filter from an old Top Fin filter over the intake. The leaves get caught on that and I just scoop them out. They're usually never a problem. All in all, I'd buy this again, recommend it to my best friend, worst enemy, everyone; they're awesome!

This filter is awesome. I have a 55 Gallon aquarium and even though this filter is meant for a 50 Gallon aquariums it has no problems taking care of my tank. This filter is very simple and easy to take apart for cleaning and is also very quiet. I have my aquarium beside my bed and the only sound I hear from the filter is the water reentering the aquarium after being filtered. The filter components are also fairly cheep and last a long time, the carbon and ammonia pellets can be bought in bulk and put in the filter using your own choice of netting. The only real problem I have ever had with it is that at one point the filter system stopped working because the motor was not running and was very hot. I had to let my tank go without the filter over night so the filter motor could cool. The next morning it worked perfectly fine but I still do not know what caused the problem or if it will happen again. Pros: 1) Efficiently handles a 55 Gallon aquarium 2) Easy and simple to clean 3) Vary quiet 4) Fairly cheep and easy to buy filter components Cons: 1) The power cord is fairly short 2) The motor stopped working once but started again the next morning 3) The leveling plastic on the bottom of the filter does not always stay in place

I am rather disappointed in the glowing reviews of this product. It is the reason why I made the final decision to buy this particular model. So many people said this filter was very quiet. I highly beg to differ and I'm very irritated by it all. I have had two of them in the past month. I just installed the replacement this afternoon and it is making the very same rattling noise (which can clearly be heard across the room) that the first one was making, which took a few weeks to build up over time to make. I am including a video of the filter in operation. Keep in mind that a smartphone's sound recording capability isn't going to be all that great as they are typically designed to drown out ambient noise. A constant rattling noise would fall under this category, I'm guessing. At any rate, the rattling is much worse in person than it is in this recording and can be heard throughout the entire room. It's really annoying when you want a library quiet atmosphere for reading, studying or meditating. EDIT: I also wanted to add that the sound became even louder when I reduced the flow rate to the lowest setting. But I didn't record that on this video. As far as the filtration capacity of the filter itself, it was just mediocre. The tank only looked crystal clear about a day and a half after I did a weekly 75% water change. I purchased the 50 capacity gallon filter to help keep a 20 gallon tank very clean but I wasn't impressed at all. Now I'm scrambling trying to find a replacement and I don't know whose reviews to trust. It's two weeks before Christmas and I have other things I should be focusing on to prepare for the holidays. Not constantly redoing and fixing ongoing problems related to inferior products that need to be replaced. EDIT #2: I just wanted to add that I think I may have found a different brand filter that is serving my needs. I went to Petco and asked for recommendations and the associate suggested this model: https://www.amazon.com/Aqueon-Quietflow-Internal-Filter-Gallon/dp/B0092QJTD2/ref=sr_1_5_m?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1513825317&sr=1-5&keywords=aqueon%2BQuietflow&th=1 It's only been about six days but my tank is much cleaner looking and it is finally quiet in my living room again! I was apprehensive about purchasing an internal filter but so far I am very pleased with my new filter. I will never touch an AquaClear filter again.

I have a dirt and sand bottom tank that is prone to silting out. Every now and then I take a beef baster to gently clean the silt from my plants and wood, but unless I do a water change, it just hangs in the water column. You can see it in my first photo, very cloudy. My 'build' with this fluval 50 for my 10 gallon tank was 100% polyester batting (Doll stuffing, aka aquarium floss) and cutting open the bio media and dumping it into the left pump space. (That's not what the instructions say to do, but you can, it doesnt overflow, however you will lose the ability to adjust the flow so set that beforehand.) This filter comes with activated charcoal, high quality bio media, and a very large sponge. They are pre packaged in media bags. I found the prefilter black sponge to not affect the intake flow's power, but opted not to use it because I wanted maximum dirt collection and dont have risky fish. The removable media tray is convenient. This filter is SO QUIET (as long as your water level is high) that I had to check several times to reassure myself it was still on. In my bedroom. The outflow is fairly strong and unless you dampen it with a barrier (I'm using pothos roots, drift wood, and extra polyfill) it will NOT be suitable for a smaller tank, especially planted near the outflow. My only complaint is that the outflow acts like a powerpushes matter away from the filter. It doesn't always get a chance to collect debris. But it's ability to filter mass amounts (200gph) of water and not stutter overstuffed with filter media means my fish are 'swimming in air.' Also comes with a leveler piece, if your aquarium is not quite sitting flat. For people that complained it is defective, remember that there are multiple sellers of this item. I used a high rated seller, got a two year warranty, and had NO issues. Second to last photo was a few more hours, last photo was two days. Truly swimming in air effect!!!

We got a free gold fish from a school event, which is a stupid idea. We had to buy a fish tank late at night. We bought one of those all in one starter kits. That filter was stinking loud even with saying it was whisper quiet. I did some looking online and this was rated highly. It is far better than the one the tank came with and it has cleared up most of the murky water. We also bought some live plants, but this unit is great and it is quiet. It is a great deal and easy to set up. Don't go cheap on your filter, not that this is outrageous in its price for what it does.

I’ve bought just about every brand of HOB filter. Some lasted a few months, one came with a tank and was so noisy I tossed it and then there are the aquaclear filters - as far as I’m concerned, they are the only HOB filter I’ll buy for a 5 gallon and above tank and here’s why: 1. They are easy to get started 2. Super easy to find accessories if you want a baffle to control the flow speed or a filter end cover to protect tiny fish or shrimp from being sucked up 3. Quiet - yea you heard me - these are quiet! 4. You can use whatever media you want. You don’t have to buy their cartridges. This is huge in the longer run 5. They keep running Ok so that’s my perspective as someone who has purchased other name brands and had to toss some almost immediately, others a few months in. These just keep running. One note: buy up a size - if it says 10-30 gallons, and the next size says 30 - 50 gallons and you have a 30 gallon tank. Get the bigger one. You will have less water issues with better filtration. Now I am an over-filterer… I usually run a HOB and a sponge filter. For sponges I like a few brands - but this review is about the aquaclear. I don’t need to use a sponge filter but I like to over filter. On big tanks (I’m a weenie in aquarium terms- when I say big for me that’s 75 gallons) I will use a HOB and a sponge and a canister. (Yes - I am an admitted over filterer) - and yes I change my water by 10-25% every week on smaller tanks (30 gallons and under. And every other week on my big tanks - up to 75 gallons). Unless my water tests (using the actual API water test - not strips) show I need to take action. I tend to heavily plant my tanks and I don’t overstock with fish or shrimp. I figure I’ll do what I can to keep fish alive since they have no control. Anywho - buy one of these if you are looking for a steady Eddie HOB that will keep working and not cost you and arm or leg to replace media over time. (Not that I change media that often since that’s where most the beneficial bacteria live anyway) Note: My water tends to be a bit brown as I use a bunch of leaves and other botanicals to keep my fish and shrimp healthy and happy. It works!

ich liebe diese filter und nutze sie schon ewig, der aqua clear 50 ist der 2.nachkauf. die tatsache, dass die aqua clear filter schon so lange quasi unverändert auf dem markt sind, spricht für sich. ich habe ein 160 liter becken und hatte bis letzter woche die kleinere version aqua clear 30 laufen. er hielt das wasser sauber, obwohl er eigentlich für kleinere becken gedacht ist. das granulat für die bakterien hatte ich mal ausgetauscht, als grobfilter ein stück von einem haushaltsschwamm....man muss nicht unbedingt die filtereinheiten der marke nachkaufen, hatte auch schon eine andere aktivkohle im einsatz, aufgrund der bauweise ist das sehr flexibel, was ich super finde. nun habe ich den aqua clear 50 gekauft, da die pumpe meines aqua clear 30 nach ca. 15 jahren!!! den geist aufgab, sie lief in dieser zeit nonstop! das nenne ich mal langlebigkeit!! der filter ist insgesamt größer, die pumpe leistungsfähiger, ansonsten ist alles identisch. der filter läuft sehr leise, man hört eigentlich nur das einlaufende wasser, was sehr beruhigend ist. das reinigen ist sehr einfach und schnell. ich nutze ihn mit tetra filer active und habe stets kristallklares wasser. das preis/leistungsverhältnis ist auch top, in dem preissegegment gibt es nicht besseres. die aqua clear filter finde ich großartig, deshalb habe ich auch diese rezension geschrieben.

Très bonne qualité

Excellent filter easy maintainance well stood the test of time does a fantastic job keeping aquarium clean and clear highly recommened can be used with media and sponges of ur choice

Excellent product only 1 problem the power plug 🔌 on the cable isnt for Australian application it has a European power plug on the cable 😳 but thats easily fixed by using an adapter besides that its a great product and good value for its price 😀

The filter itself is pretty good, it does what it must do.... but the noise it makes is unbearable. So many people are saying that it's amazing how quiet this is so at first i thought i installed the filter wrong. I've tried everything but the noise is still as bad as in the beginning. I wanna return the filter but i'm afraid my cycle will crash if i take it out right now so i don't know what to do