Take any HoB and add a prefilter. You just replaced and dramatically improved the sponge filter you had. Then you have this big ol box for stability.... biologically. That's the main jump in positivity here, they are so much more stable.
Have used Penguin bio wheel HOB filters for years and have never had a stitch of trouble out of any of them. I think one of the best things about them, which didn't come to light for me until recently, is the ease of cleaning out the entire thing and servicing it when needed. I've been running a little Petco Imagitarium 3.7gal tank on my desk for about a year now. Planted, with just a couple of small albino cory cats and some amano shrimp. Taking care of cartridge changes when needed on the internal integrated filter. but when I went to service some of the other parts I noticed that there wasn't a way to do so that didn't totally absolutely pollute the water column with molm striied up from the bottom to the point where you almost couldn't see the fish. Granted after getting everything put back together and a healthy water change you can mitigate that to some extent. But still it was one of those "WTF" moments. With a HOB filter in the past i'd just always pulled it off of the tank and cleaned it as needed externally and never had that problem. Granted external canister filters are similarly friendly to serviceability without affecting the water column. But I just hadn't realized how much better they were than these little integrated weir style filters in a bunch of these nano tanks until I needed to do a complete service.
Always fun, Bentley! Yes, recently I've seen folks stacking discounts at their local Petco and getting AC110s for less than $50! I was able to get mine for $60... that makes Amazon's $90-$95 look sick! lol
Sometimes I forget how big tank ppl do things. My mind was blown that a big hob filter holds a half gallon of water! My little nano hob filters hold about a cup! 😂
Hey Bentley really great evolving series here. Its unique, fun, and you really bring the background knowledge to do it proper. I live over in Europe (Germany / Switzerland) and hang on the backs are not too big here. You see more canister and internal filters but you can get all the major brands of HOBs if you want. It has been a few years since I had a HOB AC but it did a decent job. The only big complaint I had was the noise from the rattling lid but I easily fixed that with a rubber band. Keep up the good work and all the best to you and your family!
@@BentleyPascoe Agreed that would be pretty interesting actually. Especially if local experts were brought in to talk about why and maybe how those preferences make sense for the market. I'd love to hear more about markets we often don't hear about in the West like different parts of Africa and Asia.
just cant beat a hang on the back. I like to combine it with a UGF and the two give me crystal clear water. Are you still, or going to experiment with that method? it works great for rooted plants since it pulls all the stuff down through the gravel to break down and let the plants feed.
True! Initially I thougt I would need a canister filter for clarity of water. I'm running Fluval C2 for the last one year and am super happy. I added a bit of purigen for clarity and now it is better than most of the canister running tanks I see in youtube videos. I don't see any point of using that filter even though it may help in clean look in aquascape. HOBs are so easy to maintain as well!
My tanks are all crystal clear and I have not owned a HOB for 15 years. I live in a place with regular power outages. I can run multiple sponge filters off a USB air pump and a small power bank meant for a phone- not possible with multiple HOBs, unless I buy an actual generator. And again, I don't expect my filters to clear large amounts of detritus, that's what a siphon is for!
Bentley, Great video. I use tidal filters on all my aquariums. I use 2 tidal 110s on my 90 gal CA cichlid. I use a tidal 55 and tidal 75 on my 55 gal planted community tank. I use the tidal 35 on my 20 long. All my tanks have one sponge filter also. I like the filters that you can customize media. Not the ones that rely on the cartridge filter that you throw away every month. There goes the bacteria and the costs of the cartridge is insane. HOB that you can customize with you own media is the way to go.
Great video, i don't know if the algorithm is not showing your new video or it's been a while since you've posted one. Either way glad to see you again
Back in the day (70s 80s) undergraval filters were the rage. Every pet store and even department stores sold them. You don't see them much now. Now its HoB filters everywhere. Love my tidal. The only thing that bugs me is the intake is kind of short for taller tanks, and of course the dreadful blue dials lol
What about the advantage you don't have to get your hands wet, when you adjust the filter you have to submerge your whole arm or deal with pressurized tubes or capsules. It's a good compromise between filtering, noise and price. I've only used power filters probably not gonna change unless I get a bunch of mini betta tanks or get a giant tank that benefit from a sump or aquaponics probably both.
Love these videos. For me the best filter is the one that you're actually going to service. I've run cannisters, over head sumps, hobs but I've come back to under gravel driven by a powerhead in my main display tank. Looking to setup something to over winter some rice fish and wcmm, what are everyone's thoughts on fluval stratum as a medium with a UGF? I have some plants that I was going to bring in as well, I thought 2 birds one stone
Not sure if this is a good idea but I got a HOB tidal 75 for $10 and im using it as a polishing filter and it has my purigen. Also got a canister filter running its a 30Gallon. Just using it to house some plants, clean my aquarium using filter floss and purigen so I can easily take it or out.
Unfortunately, my betta passed away due to my inaction. I got three of them now. One looks healthy, but two have what I think is fin rot, and one has ich as well. Tonight, I plan on quarantining two of the bettas in a 13 gallon bin. After I change the water, I'll let it heat it up with a leftover heater, and then I'll add probably 1.5 teaspoons of aquarium salt. Then, I'll acclimate both bettas. Also, how long should it take to have the bettas heal? Your help is greatly appreciated.
My Bio Wheel 350's will re-prime themselves after a power outage but that's not the case with the 150's or 200's. I still prefer them to other HOB's. As I have stated before I am not a fan of any of the new Penguin Pro models at all even though they will all (except the 75 model) re-prime themselves after a power loss.
How do you use the HOB for breeding Angel fish? I hacked my acqua 70 for my 37 hob with a intake sponge and I turned it to the lowest setting and the fish were being blown around. Also they can't breed the angels because the eggs get destroyed from the flow. Is there a hack? I did have hob on 9 tanks but the angels didn't like the flow. So now I'm stuck with sponges which don't really have a lot of media , bacteria. Anyone have any ideas ?
I like the job my HOB’s do to keep my tank water clean but hate climbing up on a stepladder to service them, I’m 72 and step ladders are a dangerous item at this age. I would much rather service my canister filter at ground level.
If you keep your tank full. They'll restart just fine after a power outage. By full I mean like a half inch from the top of the tank. If your water level is lower than the resting water level of the hob when it's off. They siphon empty and not restart.
Most hob suck. They usually only have room for the cartridge that comes with them. The tidal sucks. The only good thing about them is the pump in the water. Then there's the aquaclear. Terrific filters. Sponge large enough to actually do something plus room for whatever else. You can even stack two aquaclear sponges on top one another. Fits perfectly. Tidal look large but when you pull out the tray. They're very thin and the sponge that comes with them is a joke. The top fin 110 if I remember the name correctly is pretty good also.
i hate the tidal. i have two and dont care for them. the skimmer things should have the opton to close off. give me a biowheel or aquaclear any day over the tidal
Bentley's last video hang on the backs have too much planned obsolescence and the pain to get parts, Bentley this video hang in the backs are pretty durable I barely had to replace any of their parts, so much cheaper than canister filters with upfront cost and parts. So what is it Bentley?
That's where it comes down to the individual filter. As an example, aqua clears are probably one of the best ones out there because for the most part their pumps run for an eternity. The replacement parts readily available, so if something does go wrong, it's easy to get a replacement without having to buy an entirely new filter. But then there are other filters out there that are designed to use those cartridges and which basically means they are designed for obsolescence. It comes down to picking one of the better designed ones if you really want to use them long-term, but we have to keep in mind that there are negatives and positives to every filter. That's kind of the hard part about a dressing. These in broad categories is there are really good examples in each category and then there are terrible examples in each category
Eu adoro HBF! Consigo manter alguns sem sequer os desligar. São os meus favoritos, confesso. Mas personalizo-os sempre, é um facto. Ainda nunca testei um Tidal, mas quem sabe um dia... Um abraço desde Portugal, amigo Bentley. Renato Sousa ---------------------------------- || --------------------------------- I love HBF! I can keep some without even turning them off. They are my favorites, I confess. But I always personalize them, it’s a fact. I've never tried a Tidal yet, but maybe one day... A hug from Portugal, friend Bentley. Renato Sousa
Take any HoB and add a prefilter. You just replaced and dramatically improved the sponge filter you had. Then you have this big ol box for stability.... biologically.
That's the main jump in positivity here, they are so much more stable.
Yep yep! And keeps dead plant matter, sand, etc out of the filter, extending the life.
Have used Penguin bio wheel HOB filters for years and have never had a stitch of trouble out of any of them. I think one of the best things about them, which didn't come to light for me until recently, is the ease of cleaning out the entire thing and servicing it when needed. I've been running a little Petco Imagitarium 3.7gal tank on my desk for about a year now. Planted, with just a couple of small albino cory cats and some amano shrimp. Taking care of cartridge changes when needed on the internal integrated filter. but when I went to service some of the other parts I noticed that there wasn't a way to do so that didn't totally absolutely pollute the water column with molm striied up from the bottom to the point where you almost couldn't see the fish. Granted after getting everything put back together and a healthy water change you can mitigate that to some extent. But still it was one of those "WTF" moments. With a HOB filter in the past i'd just always pulled it off of the tank and cleaned it as needed externally and never had that problem. Granted external canister filters are similarly friendly to serviceability without affecting the water column. But I just hadn't realized how much better they were than these little integrated weir style filters in a bunch of these nano tanks until I needed to do a complete service.
I don't mind the look and sound of sponge filters. It's just the bubble spashes that get on everything that I can not stand.
I’ve had several AquaClear hang on back for years. Love them!
Always fun, Bentley! Yes, recently I've seen folks stacking discounts at their local Petco and getting AC110s for less than $50! I was able to get mine for $60... that makes Amazon's $90-$95 look sick! lol
Sometimes I forget how big tank ppl do things. My mind was blown that a big hob filter holds a half gallon of water! My little nano hob filters hold about a cup! 😂
Hey Bentley really great evolving series here. Its unique, fun, and you really bring the background knowledge to do it proper. I live over in Europe (Germany / Switzerland) and hang on the backs are not too big here. You see more canister and internal filters but you can get all the major brands of HOBs if you want. It has been a few years since I had a HOB AC but it did a decent job. The only big complaint I had was the noise from the rattling lid but I easily fixed that with a rubber band. Keep up the good work and all the best to you and your family!
That's a really interesting thing to hear. I'm curious what the filter trends are like region to region now. Thanks for sharing your experience!
@@BentleyPascoe Agreed that would be pretty interesting actually. Especially if local experts were brought in to talk about why and maybe how those preferences make sense for the market. I'd love to hear more about markets we often don't hear about in the West like different parts of Africa and Asia.
Great video buddy. I am huge seachem tidal fan Because of the fact that I lose power a lot. Nice meeting you @ keystone Clash. 👊🏻
just cant beat a hang on the back. I like to combine it with a UGF and the two give me crystal clear water.
Are you still, or going to experiment with that method? it works great for rooted plants since it pulls all the stuff down through the gravel to break down and let the plants feed.
Yep, just trying to get my usually chaos back in control so I can get new tanks up and running
True! Initially I thougt I would need a canister filter for clarity of water. I'm running Fluval C2 for the last one year and am super happy. I added a bit of purigen for clarity and now it is better than most of the canister running tanks I see in youtube videos. I don't see any point of using that filter even though it may help in clean look in aquascape. HOBs are so easy to maintain as well!
My tanks are all crystal clear and I have not owned a HOB for 15 years. I live in a place with regular power outages. I can run multiple sponge filters off a USB air pump and a small power bank meant for a phone- not possible with multiple HOBs, unless I buy an actual generator. And again, I don't expect my filters to clear large amounts of detritus, that's what a siphon is for!
Great video as always. I hope you and your loved ones are all well.
As always… on point. Thanks
Bentley,
Great video. I use tidal filters on all my aquariums. I use 2 tidal 110s on my 90 gal CA cichlid. I use a tidal 55 and tidal 75 on my 55 gal planted community tank. I use the tidal 35 on my 20 long. All my tanks have one sponge filter also. I like the filters that you can customize media. Not the ones that rely on the cartridge filter that you throw away every month. There goes the bacteria and the costs of the cartridge is insane. HOB that you can customize with you own media is the way to go.
Great video, i don't know if the algorithm is not showing your new video or it's been a while since you've posted one. Either way glad to see you again
Have had a video up weekly, so there's lots to check out!
@@BentleyPascoe well I've got my homework cut out for me now.
Back in the day (70s 80s) undergraval filters were the rage. Every pet store and even department stores sold them. You don't see them much now. Now its HoB filters everywhere. Love my tidal. The only thing that bugs me is the intake is kind of short for taller tanks, and of course the dreadful blue dials lol
Also, always run sponge filter along with my tidal. Great if you deal with power outages. Run the sponge on battery pump for days if need be.
I like the Tidal HOBs. I have 12 Tidals and 1 Fluval. Threw away the Aquaclear.
What about the advantage you don't have to get your hands wet, when you adjust the filter you have to submerge your whole arm or deal with pressurized tubes or capsules. It's a good compromise between filtering, noise and price. I've only used power filters probably not gonna change unless I get a bunch of mini betta tanks or get a giant tank that benefit from a sump or aquaponics probably both.
Lava rock and aquarium cotton is all I use
Love these videos. For me the best filter is the one that you're actually going to service. I've run cannisters, over head sumps, hobs but I've come back to under gravel driven by a powerhead in my main display tank.
Looking to setup something to over winter some rice fish and wcmm, what are everyone's thoughts on fluval stratum as a medium with a UGF? I have some plants that I was going to bring in as well, I thought 2 birds one stone
I use mine to polish the water. I did try it in my Oscar tank. They took the intake apart. LOL.
Those silly Oscars
Not sure if this is a good idea but I got a HOB tidal 75 for $10 and im using it as a polishing filter and it has my purigen. Also got a canister filter running its a 30Gallon. Just using it to house some plants, clean my aquarium using filter floss and purigen so I can easily take it or out.
For that price why not? That's a steal!
i love my Fluval 207
Unfortunately, my betta passed away due to my inaction. I got three of them now. One looks healthy, but two have what I think is fin rot, and one has ich as well. Tonight, I plan on quarantining two of the bettas in a 13 gallon bin. After I change the water, I'll let it heat it up with a leftover heater, and then I'll add probably 1.5 teaspoons of aquarium salt. Then, I'll acclimate both bettas. Also, how long should it take to have the bettas heal? Your help is greatly appreciated.
What about planted tanks? Not recommended any surface agitation. Do you loose a lot of co2 with these filters?
Not a significant amount. I did a video discussing CO2 and surface agitation
I was hoping you would do a content of corner box filters😢😢😢
Patience.
My Bio Wheel 350's will re-prime themselves after a power outage but that's not the case with the 150's or 200's. I still prefer them to other HOB's. As I have stated before I am not a fan of any of the new Penguin Pro models at all even though they will all (except the 75 model) re-prime themselves after a power loss.
How did you modify the skimmer and block it off like that? It looks great and I keep getting duckweed all up in mine 😅
This was done by Nabokovfan, he has a massive post about it on the aquarium co-op forum
@@BentleyPascoe thanks ill try to find it ❤️
@BentleyPascoe I can't find it in the co op blog how to make my tidal skimmer blocked like the one you held up
@@BentleyPascoe unfortunately can't find how that was done can you send link?
those sea chem filters are good
Bentley you need to do a review for the marineland penguin pro
How do you use the HOB for breeding Angel fish? I hacked my acqua 70 for my 37 hob with a intake sponge and I turned it to the lowest setting and the fish were being blown around. Also they can't breed the angels because the eggs get destroyed from the flow. Is there a hack? I did have hob on 9 tanks but the angels didn't like the flow. So now I'm stuck with sponges which don't really have a lot of media , bacteria. Anyone have any ideas ?
I like the job my HOB’s do to keep my tank water clean but hate climbing up on a stepladder to service them, I’m 72 and step ladders are a dangerous item at this age. I would much rather service my canister filter at ground level.
Who mee lol did I show that sale on the Aquaclear
If you keep your tank full. They'll restart just fine after a power outage. By full I mean like a half inch from the top of the tank. If your water level is lower than the resting water level of the hob when it's off. They siphon empty and not restart.
I aqree i like the sponge but i need my h.o.b to pick up all the nasties. To bad a sponge cant do that
👍🏻👍🏻
it was an easy choice. ac110 was $100 or fx6 was $400. tank itself was only $150. i went with the ac110 :D
Most hob suck. They usually only have room for the cartridge that comes with them. The tidal sucks. The only good thing about them is the pump in the water. Then there's the aquaclear. Terrific filters. Sponge large enough to actually do something plus room for whatever else. You can even stack two aquaclear sponges on top one another. Fits perfectly. Tidal look large but when you pull out the tray. They're very thin and the sponge that comes with them is a joke. The top fin 110 if I remember the name correctly is pretty good also.
the only joke I hear is your comet 😂
@davidolsen3209 well if that's what you think. Then you're either stupid or ignorant or worse both.
i hate the tidal. i have two and dont care for them. the skimmer things should have the opton to close off. give me a biowheel or aquaclear any day over the tidal
Bentley's last video hang on the backs have too much planned obsolescence and the pain to get parts, Bentley this video hang in the backs are pretty durable I barely had to replace any of their parts, so much cheaper than canister filters with upfront cost and parts. So what is it Bentley?
That's where it comes down to the individual filter. As an example, aqua clears are probably one of the best ones out there because for the most part their pumps run for an eternity. The replacement parts readily available, so if something does go wrong, it's easy to get a replacement without having to buy an entirely new filter. But then there are other filters out there that are designed to use those cartridges and which basically means they are designed for obsolescence. It comes down to picking one of the better designed ones if you really want to use them long-term, but we have to keep in mind that there are negatives and positives to every filter. That's kind of the hard part about a dressing. These in broad categories is there are really good examples in each category and then there are terrible examples in each category
@@BentleyPascoe okay
Eu adoro HBF! Consigo manter alguns sem sequer os desligar. São os meus favoritos, confesso. Mas personalizo-os sempre, é um facto. Ainda nunca testei um Tidal, mas quem sabe um dia...
Um abraço desde Portugal, amigo Bentley.
Renato Sousa
---------------------------------- || ---------------------------------
I love HBF! I can keep some without even turning them off. They are my favorites, I confess. But I always personalize them, it’s a fact. I've never tried a Tidal yet, but maybe one day...
A hug from Portugal, friend Bentley.
Renato Sousa
I think you should check your math.