Seachem Tidal HOB

[StPatrick89]

Anybody have any experience with the Tidal HOB? Any reviews about the surface skimmer?

 

[TheDragonsReef]

I use one and it's the best hob media filter I've ever used. Splashback is significantly less than competitors keeping salt creep down, its quiet, and with the basket you can use whatever you want in there. You're not limited to cartridges, hell ive even seen people make a small refugium out of them. As for the surface skimming it does an ok job, i definitely prefer to have it vs not. My reef octopus hob does a much better job at surface skimming though and is my primary source for clearing up the water surface.

 

[StPatrick89]

I use one and it's the best hob media filter I've ever used. Splashback is significantly less than competitors keeping salt creep down, its quiet, and with the basket you can use whatever you want in there. You're not limited to cartridges, hell ive even seen people make a small refugium out of them. As for the surface skimming it does an ok job, i definitely prefer to have it vs not. My reef octopus hob does a much better job at surface skimming though and is my primary source for clearing up the water surface.

How’s the noise level in comparison to the protein skimmer? I’d be getting a hob protein skimmer

 

[Soho]

How’s the noise level in comparison to the protein skimmer? I’d be getting a hob protein skimmer

I had one before I got a sump. It worked great and was silent

 

[N.Sreefer]

Very quiet and less upkeep than the aquaclear HOB def a good unit.

 

[StPatrick89]

I had one before I got a sump. It worked great and was silent

How was the skimming?

 

[TheDragonsReef]

How’s the noise level in comparison to the protein skimmer? I’d be getting a hob protein skimmer

The tidal is super quiet, while any protein skimmer will be a little noisy but the reef octopus is probably the quietest hob skimmer I've come across

 

[NoahLikesFish]

if you just want a surface skimmer you can put a cup near the surface

 

[StPatrick89]

if you just want a surface skimmer you can put a cup near the surface

explanation please

 

[ExoS]

My Tidal is very quiet except occasionally it starts vibrating against the glass and makes noise. I reposition it and the noise goes away. I agree that there is very little splash. The surface skimming works in that I don't have anything floating on the surface that I can see. The hopper for media is a good size, comes out easily. The filter also has a little pop-up for when the filter sponge gets clogged to let you know its time to clean. The warrantee is 3 years or five if you register I believe. That's pretty unbelievable. Its also pretty easy to take apart. The directions are not good though

 

[JCM]

I liked the one I had on my last tank. I bought it for the surface skimming and it did a good job. Definitely worth it for sumpless tanks in my opinion.

 

[OneSockERock]

I have a Tidal 75 on my 29g quarantine tank, only been running for a little over 2 months but so far I like it better than the aquaclear 70's I'm running on my 20L and 40B. More flow with a wider adjustment range, automatic priming, adjustable telescope intake tube, the surface skimming seems to works well and is adjustable, plus there's a huge media basket on the Tidal. It's still just as quiet as the aquaclears as long as you keep the water level high enough. If the water level drops, the surface skimming slots make a lot of air sucking noises once they're partially exposed. Not an issue if you keep the tank topped off to the filter output, but just an observation.

Only complaint is they're not as easy as the aquaclear to dump the filter out while you're cleaning without spilling water on the floor. At least when trying to dump the thing into a 5gal bucket some water always spills out the intake slots on the bottom of the housing and the intake tube. Both tend to not be over the bucket since it's a larger filter in comparison to the aquaclear 70. Again, not an issue if you're dumping into a wider container or sink.

Regardless, I plan on swapping out the aquaclear on my 40B for the Tidal once I'm done with stocking/quarantining. Definitely recommend trying one out.

 

[Triple.T]

+1 I've had mine for 2 days and love it on my 29g. I run purigen, chrnipure blue and 2 bubble traps in the basket. Love the top water agitation for the oxygen / gas exchange!

Don't mind the aiptasia, been an on going battle lol.

 

[StPatrick89]

+1 I've had mine for 2 days and love it on my 29g. I run purigen, chrnipure blue and 2 bubble traps in the basket. Love the top water agitation for the oxygen / gas exchange!

Don't mind the aiptasia, been an on going battle lol.

Does it actually skim?

 

[Beau_B]

Does it actually skim?

It’s not a skimmer. It had a surface weir so the scum on the water has a chance to be filtered unlike other HOB filters that only draw from lower in the water. It is not a replacement for a skimmer that takes particulates out through aeration. Depending on the tank, WC schedule, and bio load it’s not necessary to have a skimmer though.

I have the 35 on a 10g QT tank and 55 on a 20L frag. Highly recommend, been flawless for over a year.

 

[StPatrick89]

+1 I've had mine for 2 days and love it on my 29g. I run purigen, chrnipure blue and 2 bubble traps in the basket. Love the top water agitation for the oxygen / gas exchange!

Don't mind the aiptasia, been an on going battle lol.

Does it actually skim him

It’s not a skimmer. It had a surface weir so the scum on the water has a chance to be filtered unlike other HOB filters that only draw from lower in the water. It is not a replacement for a skimmer that takes particulates out through aeration. Depending on the tank, WC schedule, and bio load it’s not necessary to have a skimmer though.

I have the 35 on a 10g QT tank and 55 on a 20L frag. Highly recommend, been flawless for over a year.

thank you

 

[Zach B]

Sounds like you got the info you needed. I run 3 of these on my qts, they are great! I run a sponge and matrix and they sure do a good job for a small hob

 

[Triple.T]

It says it has surface skimming capabilities, if it does idk? I took out my Tunze skimmer which produced thick dark slime in the cup. I run a bubble trap, purigen and chemipure then another bubble trap over that where the water flows out the top. This has been great, tanks never looked better and I didn't see the need for skimmer anymore , this filter picks up EVERYTHING and really polishes the water if used correctly imho.

 

[StPatrick89]

It says it has surface skimming capabilities, if it does idk? I took out my Tunze skimmer which produced thick dark slime in the cup. I run a bubble trap, purigen and chemipure then another bubble trap over that where the water flows out the top. This has been great, tanks never looked better and I didn't see the need for skimmer anymore , this filter picks up EVERYTHING and really polishes the water if used correctly imho.

Bubble trap??? What’s that do?

 

[Triple.T]

The blue sponge that it comes with is a bubble trap, so I just added another to the top to catch any particles and bubbles before filtering back into the tank. Just helps keep the water crystal clear and bubble free. Seachem makes them.