For what is is worth. I have about 25 Aquaclears running on my tanks and another 3 or 4 on the shelf. The longest continuously running AC is a 200 (now called a 50) going for over 12 years. My very first power filter was and Emperor 400 which basically was unusable and not fixable after a similar amount of time. When I bought a replacement is was, imo, not worth using since they redesigned it.
I own a pair of Eheim Canisters running for well over a decade and a couple of used XP3 intended for a 150 gal. I have always refused to buy Fluval canisters. I owned a used one for about a week because it came with a used tank, It was sold and one of those Eheims put in its place.
The appeal of AquaClears is their versatility and minimal components. When Hagen redesigned the ACs a number of years back as far as I could tell they were trying to squeeze more profit out of it not and not change the basic design and functionality. They made it less sturdy by making the plastic thinner and they decided to start including their "special bio-media." I have always loaded my ACs with sponges and a layer of filter floss. They work great like this. When Hagen raised their prices, made the filters less sturdy and added the bio media, they found their way to higher profits. For me the bio-media was something I had no need of or desire to use and no faith in it as a media. I have either thrown away this media or saved it to give to a friend who likes the stuff. But this is just my opinion here, many folks like this media.
Despite all the changes I have mentioned, AquaClears are still one of the most versatile reliable power filters out there. They do their job well, they do not break often and they allow one easily to customize the media load. I do have a bag with alder cones and/or peat in a few and can easily add a bag of carbon to pull meds or hold crushed coeral to raise KH etc.. Because I use the sponges, it is very easy to steal media for a new filter to jump start the cycle on a new tank.
On the other hand, looking at the new Fluval power filter, I would probably not want one even if it was free. It appears over designed and over priced to me. It does not look to have anywhere near the flexibility of an AC. One of the biggest differences between the two filters is an AC will accept any media you can make fit, the Fluval appears to need only their media to fit into their containers. I see no need for a 5 stage filter. I do not believe the Fluval can or will do anything that I can not also do with an AC and do much easier and much cheaper. But it sure looks fancy.
I few years back when Hagen had once again raised AC proces and discounting was not yet happening all the time, I decided to try a new filter, an Eheim Liberty. I have the 200 gph model. One I change how the media was loaded. I cut the carbon pleats out of the inserts and then cut rtloss pads to fit. The carbon frame hold the floss in place angain the big Blue sponge and that is the media. There are ywo identicaksetups in the filter and I change the floss weekly. This filter has no flow around and removes mech waste far better than any AC which when clogged does have flow around. But the Liberty doesn't allow for the same media customization. So I have never bought more. I like it but it simply is not as useful as the ACs,
When choosing a filter here are a variety of considerations for me.
1. Does it do the job?
2. Is it reliable?
3. Is it versatile?
4. How much does it cost to run? (Both power consumption and cost of media.)
5. How easy is it to use and to clean?
6. What are the weak points?
7. What is its reputation in the hobby?
I must conclude by saying that I have not used one of the Fluvals. So I can not comment on on how well it works. I don;t know if the filter with this design has been around long enough to say what its reputation might be. What I can say is from looking at the information and pictures, I see no reason to own/use this filter even if it were priced comprably to a similarly powered AC. Hagen doesn't lose my business, they just make a lot less money on me than they would if I had to use their Fulval H.O.B.
One of the biggest appeals of the ACs is you do not have to be buying replacement carts and specially designed media that fits. This is where most filter makers really get their money by having a design that requires you to buy and to use their overpriced and often inferior media. I replace a sponge every 5-7 years if that and I rinse them weekly, If I need to put chemical media on a tank I use my own bag and my own quality bulk media. Its cheaper and more versatile than buying pre-bagged carbon or impregnated media.
Finally, comparing filters is not so easy. The bio-filtration part is not a way to do so since a tank is either cyled or it isn't. Besides, often ones bacteria lives outside of the filter(s) to a decent extent. So most of what one can do is consider the mechanical filtration capability. We can see how clear our water may be with different filters. We can also consider the versatility, ease of use etc.
As far as I can discern the AquaClear design etc. is a winner. These filters have been around basically unchanged since I got into the hobby in early 2001. If you check out its reputation on a series of forums, you will be hard pressed not to find positive reviews. If you can buy them when they are on sale, the price is pretty inviting compared to the alternatives.
Hopefully, readers will get that I am a bit biased here. But the only AC that has ever quit on me was a used 150 (30) which had been dropped and cracked and then repaired with glue. It ran for about 9 more years for me befor the crack started to leak again. I chose to replace it and consign the good parts to my AC spare parts bin.
I would be remiss if I failed to mention the one downside to the ACs. If you do not occasionally clean the impeller and the well, it will build up gunk, If there is a power outage or power blink, if you turn it off and back on, it may not restart. The impeller seizes up because it is clogged. Despite this if you find it siezed up in a day or two and take it off and clean it, it is always fine, The bad part is when this happens the motor heats the filter water and may damage the bacteria which are not happy over about 105F for any time. I have never measured the temp.but I know it is pretty warm. But I also have never seen signs of cycling issues after this happens. If one only has one or a couple of these filters, it is an easy thing to clean them inside every few months and avoid this issue entirely. In my case, with 25 going, I tend to wait until I see them clog before I do so. This usually brings on a wave of cleanings though.
