HOB help

[SoggyBoi]

So, last night I turned off the pumps and filter to feed and when I went back to turn them on, my aquaclear 50 HOB filter wouldn't turn back on. I am planning on going to buy a new one today but my question is, should I upgrade to the 70 or stay with a 50 or do I even need the HOB filter? It is for a 20 gallon long mixed reef with ~25lbs of rock, 20lbs of live sand, and an MP10 power head. I do water changes about every week and a half. Let me know what you all think!

Thanks

 

[AdamNC]

Aquaclears are known once in a while to not turn on after a power out. When that happens to mine I move the inlet tube to the low and stick a wooden dowel in the prop to get it moving again. Try that. If your getting a new one I’d get the AC70. I used one on my 29 gallon for years and it’s the best, imo, for holding the most amount of media. ie carbon, purigen, etc.

 

[Opus]

Personally, I would do a skimmer vs a filter but that is just me. As AdamNC stated, it is probably just stuck. You can get all kinds of build up on pumps in saltwater. It probably could use a good vinegar soaking.

 

[SoggyBoi]

Aquaclears are known once in a while to not turn on after a power out. When that happens to mine I move the inlet tube to the low and stick a wooden dowel in the prop to get it moving again. Try that. If your getting a new one I’d get the AC70. I used one on my 29 gallon for years and it’s the best, imo, for holding the most amount of media. ie carbon, purigen, etc.

So the propeller might just be stuck? I hope that's the case.

 

[SoggyBoi]

Personally, I would do a skimmer vs a filter but that is just me. As AdamNC stated, it is probably just stuck. You can get all kinds of build up on pumps in saltwater. It probably could use a good vinegar soaking.

What kind of skimmer would you recommend for a tank that size. Also, the tank is in my living room, so I want to try to keep the noise to a minimum.

 

[AdamNC]

What kind of skimmer would you recommend for a tank that size. Also, the tank is in my living room, so I want to try to keep the noise to a minimum.

Unfortunately all hob skimmers are noisy. But a 20 gallon tank less the rock and sand puts you closer to about 17-18 gallons really doesn’t “need” a skimmer. Weekly water changes should be more than enough.

 

[BarSnackz]

Tunze makes an awesome in-tank skimmer. have been using mine for a couple years now and it has never let me down

 

[SoggyBoi]

Unfortunately all hob skimmers are noisy. But a 20 gallon tank less the rock and sand puts you closer to about 17-18 gallons really doesn’t “need” a skimmer. Weekly water changes should be more than enough.

That was my reasoning behind not getting a skimmer in the first place. I have an AquaticLife in-tank skimmer I used on a previous tank but I decided not to use it because it was too loud and didn't seem to make much of a difference.

 

[Opus]

What kind of skimmer would you recommend for a tank that size. Also, the tank is in my living room, so I want to try to keep the noise to a minimum.

I'm a fan of the tunze nano skimmers such as the 9001 or 9004 models. They are internal so not sure if they would fit in your tank. As for noise, you probably would hear them. I would just go with AdamNC's advice and see about getting the pump going again. Better yet, take the filter off the tank and remove the pump and clean it.

 

[SoggyBoi]

Tunze makes an awesome in-tank skimmer. have been using mine for a couple years now and it has never let me down

What size is your tank?

 

[coryjac0b]

I used a 9004 DC skimmer on a 29 biocube. Skimmer worked great and was super quiet. If you decide to go the skimmer route, I would look at the 9001 DC DOC skimmer.

 

[BarSnackz]

I used it on a sumpless 40 long for about a year and have since upgraded to a large frag tank with a large sump. Still use the Tunze in-tank skimmer in the sump. Planning on using it until it breaks before I upgrade.
As far as the noise it produces - almost silent, definitely a lot quieter than a HOB filter.

 

[SoggyBoi]

I used it on a sumpless 40 long for about a year and have since upgraded to a large frag tank with a large sump. Still use the Tunze in-tank skimmer in the sump. Planning on using it until it breaks before I upgrade.
As far as the noise it produces - almost silent, definitely a lot quieter than a HOB filter.

Wow! I will look into it but for now will try to fix the filter as I'm on a bit of a financial crunch at the moment so I can't go out and buy a $150 skimmer, although I'd like to. Lol