A Brutally Honest Review of The Seachem Tidal Series Hang on Back Filters
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- čas přidán 3. 08. 2024
- Hello Everyone,
In this video we take a look at the entire line of Seachem Tidal hang on back filters. As always, there are things we love and things we would change.
If you are interested in these filters check out the Amazon affiliate links here:
Seachem Tidal 35: amzn.to/454Drju
Seachem Tidal 55: amzn.to/41CxuYd
Seachem Tidal 75: amzn.to/42CLSRo
Seachem Tidal 110: amzn.to/3BtvqqO
If you want to see the long term reviews of these filters check out these videos:
Seachem Tidal 35: • Seachem Tidal 35 Hang ...
Seachem Tidal 55: • Seachem Tidal 55 Hang ...
Seachem Tidal 75: • The Filter Your Fish N...
Seachem Tidal 110: • Seachem Tidal 110 vs A...
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If you are interested in these filters check out the Amazon affiliate links here:
Seachem Tidal 35: amzn.to/454Drju
Seachem Tidal 55: amzn.to/41CxuYd
Seachem Tidal 75: amzn.to/42CLSRo
Seachem Tidal 110: amzn.to/3BtvqqO
If you want to see the long term reviews of these filters check out these videos:
Seachem Tidal 35: czcams.com/video/GtUBt_3ETAU/video.html
Seachem Tidal 55: czcams.com/video/NVdFJHp9zLg/video.html
Seachem Tidal 75: czcams.com/video/iiJFxSiBDmU/video.html
Seachem Tidal 110: czcams.com/video/-XJOwfK_L6E/video.html
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I’ve found an easy solution to the skimmer - I cut a thin piece of black block sponge filter & place it over the intake. Suction of the filter keeps it in place, it traps all the dead leaves and gunk easily, and that means that I can easily grab and rinse it - cutting down on how often I need to clean the basket. I love this filter 110). Plus, if you let your black beard algae grow on the blue dial, it’s not so obnoxious 😂
Great idea!
Jason you nailed it !! Blue dials and skimmer and the 35's lack of intake tube!! Great other wise !!!
I agree 👍🏼 The Seachem Tidal Series HOB Filters are the best overall. Love that the motor is on the inside of the Tank. All the others have eventually started leaking where the motor screws in and starts dripping or has emptied a few gallons of water out of the tank. Seals have gone bad. Only HOB's currently used on my Tanks right now as well.
I have the 110 and the 35. I agree with every point you made good and bad. Especially the skimmer. I much rather the water get pulled from lower in the tank. At least the should design a way to shut it off for those of us that don’t want it. With that being said, the is a great filter. Best HOB ever.
A similar Product is the Tetra Whisper IQ.. lower cost, internal motor and auto restart.. easy to control flow and the media compartment is large and great for diy filter media.. and no blue dials 😅And it has a deep intake that is adjustable
Yes!!! I currently have an IQ 60 on my 55 gal goldfish tank...it's a great, reliable understated filter!
Jason, always appreciate your six months and year end product reviews. More creators should be doing the same.
Thank you!
Agreed. I have them on all my tanks but one ..because I'm waiting for John to get them back in stock. But..only thing I actually like is that surface skimmer. It keeps the surface clear. What I did for fry is buy some screen for windows and weave it in..problem solved. Absolutely love Tidal filters
I’ve had a tidal 35 on my 30 gallon for 3 years now. Never gave me any issue and is still running strong and silent to this day!
Thank you so much for this product review!
Thanks Jason!!
I’ve had 3 of the 110’s for almost a year now now so far no issues! I would agree with everything you said in this video!💯
GREAT REVIEW
I appreciate this video! I never really looked at these but the adjustability of the flow and the dial for it is VERY impressive!!!
Good honest review.
Great video. Seachem if your watching, listen to this man. Lose the blue and the skimmer. This would allow for cost reduction to the customer also. Again great video, thank you.
Thank you for review and also good background music.
I like them too. I changed from canisters for these on my 29 and 46 gallo n based on previous review and I have been happy. Someday I’ll have a tank with everything looking perfect but for now I’m focusing on fish health and easy maintenance.
I like the blue dial Thanks Seachem 👍
Used to be huge aquaclear fan. Still am but after I saw one of your older videos I bought. A few tidal 110s I absolutely love it thanks for your reviews
Absolutely Love our's. We run the Tidal 110 w Purigen with Poly-Fil in our 125 Discus Tank with an FX6. It makes maintenance a Breeze versus taking the FX6 apart every time we want change chemical media.
I have two 110 a 75 and a 55 for around three years now love them.
I have 4 Seachem Tidal 110s on my tanks. My favorite filter. I love the how much space there is for sponges and filter media. I like the little blue thing that pops up if you filter needs to be cleaned. I the adjustable flow is great too. My guppies don't want the same flow level as my mbuna. I agree with your comments on the skimmer though. A little alga like scum builds up in the skimmer intake. Still I like it better than any other HOB filters I have had.
I've been looking forward to this long time review. The following are the points that I was most interested in & my personal thoughts.
-The blue dials are definitely an eyesore. Maybe they can put a blue logo disc on the outside back of the filter instead.
-The skimmer was the first absolute no for me. I don't want to mess with plants, roots, shrimp and small fish and snails getting sucked into the filter. This was huge in my book. Maybe they can make a removable skimmer intake tube that floats along with the water level & that clips onto & empties into the filter intake tube.
-The internal motor has the negative of heating the water but if room temp is good then probably not a problem.
-I really like the absence of motor noise & the self priming factor which are a huge plus as is the large media basket.
All in all, I may try Tidal one day but for now, the negatives I mentioned are what prevents me from purchasing one.
Thank you for your honest long time review. The key points you mentioned were pretty much mine as well.
--One question is; how long is the power cord?
Thanks, I went with the 55.
I am running 2 110s on my 75. I got rid of the aquaclears i had and switched to these and am so glad i did
Love mine. I have two 55s. I agree with you about the surface skimmer. Mine have been running for about 4 years and I just recently replaced the impellers. They were still working but I replaced them anyway.
Thankyou from Germany for your clear american english!
The Tidals do really well if you're going for a low tech saltwater tank. I ran a 55 on a 40 breeder with a hang on back fuge for a long time. The surface skimmer is great for that scenario.
Another issue I have on my Tidal 55 in a heavily planted tank is that they could eliminate the grille on the bottom of the filter. It lets in way to much plant matter and basically covers up the impeller and surrounds the motor. I have had this one for a bit over 3 years and no longer puts out the flow that it used to. I also use a pre filter on the inlet. I don't like the fact that so much plant matter gets in and around the motor. I also couldn't agree more about the surface skimmer. You would think that by now Seachem would do away with the skimmer with all the negative feedback it gets on it.
I have 2 55's - love them. Not a big deal, but every couple of months I have to take them out to clean the impeller.
A negative for me and by far the biggest problem I have found with the Tidal 55 is there are too many ingress points for water flow. These areas are also large and all this adds up into a clogged pump that needs to be serviced too often. My tank is a heavily planted 29g and all the leaves that naturally shed or because of maintenance find there way into the unit and surround the intake around the impellar. The overflow also gets leaves and roots in it and it is a pain to get them out as there isn't a way to open it up and clean it. The water flow is is also too direct into the unit itself and has a central area in the box thet is clearly a direct stream upwards. The filter could use a serious upgrade.
Put a sponge prefilter over the tube inlet, end of the problem., I have a 29-gallon heavily planted tank and have not had an issue with the sponge in place the sponge also will get saturated with beneficial bacteria
Hi, i have a 55 on my 40 breeder. Heavily planted, floating plants and pretty heavily stocked. I added a sponge intake onto the intake tube to add more surface area. I also ziptied a piece of intake sponge to the surface skimmer to keep my floating plants and food(!!!) from getting sucked into the filter. This seems to work pretty well but removing the sponge to clean it makes a mess as the zipties are cumbersome. Otherwise I love the filter. Easy to clean, the little heater clip keeps my heater close to the intake and helps the overall aesthetic of the tank. I have no experience with aquaclear HOBs but would buy the tidal series again
Sicce is the best! I use the tidal 55 and sicce external and internal filters for my tanks so far! Def recommend for their Quality 💪
Its about time seachem made canister filters too.
My Eheim is making a racket and I love my 55. Thinking of 2 110’s. Can’t wait to hear what you have to say.
I might do two tidal 55s
Thanks!
Thank you Marty!
I agree with all your points. I covered the skimmer on my 55s. The 35 is great on my 20L, but an intake tube would allow for a pre-filter sponge rather than jamming foam up inside the intake grid on a breeding tank. Somewhat irritating to maintain. Availability of parts would be nice, as they are for AquaClear, i.e. intake tubes. I flushed one of mine down the loo, with a bucket of dirty tank water, only to find out parts are not available. I called Seachem, and thanks to an exceptional customer service person, they actually shipped me the tube to me here in Canada. That certainly says a lot for the company. I used AquaClears for many years, and at every maintenance about 50% wouldn't restart without sticking something down to the impeller to get it started. Not going down that road again.
Appreciate the feedback
They are very polarizing filters over here in South Africa. People love or hate them. I have a 55 on my 75 gallon along with 2 other filters. You summed the pros and cons up well but one big gripe people have over here is that as soon as the sponge clogs up even a little bit some of the water bypasses the basket intake at the bottom and flows over the back of the basket. I think I get what they tried with the design, making the flow not slow down even when the filter starts to clog up but it irritates the hell out of some people. To prevent that bypass, I have to clean the sponge at least once a week. Add some fine media (I only have the sponge and a mesh bag of matrix) and it clogs up within a day. The saving grace is that it is so easy to clean and I love the fact that it starts up after power cuts (which we have on a daily basis) and how quiet it is. What I would have really, really loved is an Aquaclear with the Tidal's motor sitting inside the tank.
Totally agree about the 35. I have 1 and I put it on a 10 gallon because the intake being so high up.. I'll probably move it to the 20 long once I redo it for shrimp..
That’s a good fit for that filter.
I really tried to like these filters. I had 35’s, 55’s, and 75’s and I ended up tossing all of them with the exception of one 35.
For the positives that you mentioned there are some real negatives that were pretty common across the line.
First they tend to clog up pretty easily. It seemed like I had just cleaned it and the bypass indicator was already up. I was having to clean the sponges and change they floss every 3-4 days. I even tried drilling additional holes in the bottom of the basket to alleviate this problem to no avail.
The pump tends to clog up and stop running after about a month and a half. You have to pull the full unit out to service it.
The skimmer is more of a hinderance than a help as it reduces the suction at the bottom of the tank.
I ended up replacing all of them with Fluval 4 series canister filters. Yes they are somewhat of a pain to service but I only have to do this once every two months or so versus twice a week and they do a far better job of filtering my tanks.
Isnt there a dial to control the flow for intake tube vs skimmer
Sounds like you STUFFED the Media Basket and simply created the Bypass you are finding so 'Objectionable'.
Tidals are DESIGNED to Bypass when normally dirty, to maintain Circulation and Oxygenation of the Water.
I've solved the accumulation of floaters on my 75 by cutting a small piece of fish bag and placing it over the skimmer leaving a little slit well below the waterline. If you cover the whole thing it will gurgle like crazy. The suction from the skimmer holds the bag in place pretty well and just needs to be put back into place after restarting. Kind of dumb you have to eliminate a feature to make the product work well, but not the end of the world since it's a quick and free fix.
My 35 and 75 have run flawlessly for years and have only stopped or not restarted due to my laziness. Turns out sometimes you need to clean things out more than you think.
I have 2 seachem tidal 110s on my 55g denison barb tank. There's so much room for bio media and filter floss. The self priming is nice as well. I don't really think the surface skimmer is needed though, and the heater clip won't hold my heater....overall best hob to date
NOT AS GOOD AS ITS MADE OUT TO BE:
Based on your review, I ordered a Seachem 75 to replace my aging Aquaclear-70. This is what I think. The AC-70 has kept my tank crystal clear, so its not that the Tidal would be doing any extra work when I turned it on.
BYPASS: The Tidal (at least with the T-75) bypass is horrendous. Water flows out, around the basket from the two huge areas at the front of the basket, and over the outlet ramp. Also, even with just the blue sponge in, it doesnt take long for bypass to begin from the back of the basket also. The "full" indicator pops up very soon after the filter is turned on. As soon as I put in the bag of Seachem Matrix that I had already been using in the AC-70, bypass seems to increase even more so.
FILTRATION AREA: For the T-75, given the design of the basket, the filter area is about the same, or perhaps a bit less than the AC-70, even if the basket is wider.
VIBRATION: The motor in the tank seems to increase vibrations to the level that placing my palm against the front does feel the vibrations. In comparison the AC-70 feels a lot less vibration. Given this is not a scientific measurement, but the difference is clearly there. Now, the motor itself is fine, its the contruction of the filter body that just vibrates.
NOISE: There is a low frequency, rather loud hum that happens because of the filter body vibrating. I tried two units, and the second one was louder than the first. I even used some silicone grease to try and lessen it. The problem is that there is a small but noticeable movement between the impeller and the shaft. Just that tiny bit of wobble, even for the new ones (I tried two units). When the AC-70 is new, that wobble is not there, but yes, as it gets older, I have had to change the shaft and impeller on it. There is a hum from the AC-70 also, but its not that annoying low frequency and is neither as loud as the T-75
SELF-STARTING: Yes, it self starts, and its motor is sitting lower in the water than the Aqueon or other filters, which is a good thing.
POWER-OUT: The AC-70 would suffer in this case, if you keep the water level low in your tank. For me, I keep it on the high side so its not an issue.
MODS: I would be able to modify the filter so it could be a good one. Redo the motor mount so there is reduced vibration, change the filter basket area, so you have almost 22 square inches of filtration area. However, I didnt try these and returned it.
SURFACE SKIMMER: Cannot be turned off, and even with a sponge that I taped to its front, a couple of snails needed help to get off it. The pull is rather strong. However, this is easily solved using a piece of plastic that blocks off the flow from it. Same with the intake at the bottom of the motor housing, which seems to be less strong than the surface skimmer.
So Ill just order a new shaft and impeller and stick to my AC-70 for now.
I actually have had several problems with a Tidal 35 stopping, despite having a clean impeller. There seems to be a flaw in the design. I agree with you on the blue dials.
Love your videos and reviews thank you so much. Excited to finally get one delivered to me today. Love the features, however so far am quite disappointed at how noisy it is. (compared to the basic Aquaone 600 which came with my tank). Do you have any hints as to why it would be like this? (yes can be heard clearly over TV and other noises throughout entire house).
The big thing is water level. The water level in the tank needs to be high enough to make sure the surface skimmer isn’t sucking in air.
I have two of these. A 35 and 55. I totally agree that the 35 needs that telescoping intake tube! I would like to see better indication on the dial if I am turning the surface skimmer higher or lower flow.. dummies like me need more help..lol
I have also not had the motor restart after turning filter off for quick media maintenance. I then realized I needed to take the motor apart and clean the impeller 😮. Overall, I am satisfied with these HOB filters.
Jason great points you make. Me personally I hate the surface skimmer feature. I just silicones the slots up so it pulls from the siphon tube. I will never own a 35 just because of no tube. But I still love the title HOB they are #1 go to for me
Do you just use normal aquarium silicone for that? I have two Tidal 55s on a 55 gallon planted tank, and if I don't run a powerhead, detritus collects on the bottom. The suction through the intake tubes is not great. It's not even overstocked. At the time, I just had 10 diamond tetras and 5 corys.
@@angelal5485 yes I took the filter apart so I could access the inside of the skimmer placed a small piece of plexiglass on the inside the just use GE 100% Silicone on the front side and pushed it through to the plexiglass then let it cure for 24 to 48 hours the put it back in service.
The "Surface Skimmer" is the Primary Intake on each of the 4 different Tidals.
nice
Sounds like a great filter.
Gina Hetlage
The Tidal would be ideal for where I live due to power outages, but it these units were cost prohibitive. The Aqua Clear line did not work well for the fact that they did not work w/o manually reprising after an outage, plus the ones I had were noisy. I went another route with an internal filter and so far so good. No issues with restarting after power outages, compact size, and quieter.
I just switched over all my tanks with H.O.Bs to the these filters. Thanks of course to kgtropicals. Bought all but 2 from them
LOVE the Tidal 55s! I have 3. I’d like to see an intake pre filter so it doesn’t suck up the sand and fry. I’m currently using filters but I feel they are TOO FINE to get most of the dirt…
I love my Tidals. They've been rock solid and quiet. Which is good because my aquariums are in living areas. When I've tried Aquaclears, I've always got that rattle.
But yeah negatives for me is the skimmer. I mean I don't mind if they included the option, but it should be an option. There should be an option to cover it. I know there's a way to reduce it, but I'd like to be able to easily close it off.
As for the 35, I'd consider it non-usable for it's size. I tried it on my 20 when I had small Petricolas and they would love to jump into the filter to hide. Just bad design. I moved it to my larger tank with larger fish and only use it now to grow pothos out of it.
I have the the tidal 75 in my tank and ended up bypassing the surface skimmer with silicone , i also blocked off the mid level pump housing intake. The filter is now only drawing water from the infake tube. I dremmeled out the factory block in the pump housing enlarging it to the full diameter of the intake tube. I then cut out all the ribs in the bottom of the basket leaving only the center one for support. And lastly ( the whole reason i set out to do all of it in the first place) i blocked off the 2 water bypasses that are in the basket , allowing more media to be used, raising the water level in the filter and forcing all the water into the media vs mostly coming thru the bypass, diverting back into the tank.
agree with you 100%. Also i would have to add is i don't believe the intake works well. more water seems to flow in through the skimmer. i can clearly see particles flow right by the intake. Thats another reason why the skimmer is not necessary. Maybe they should offer it as an option to turn it on or off
I have 2Tidal 110’s. I agree with all the pros you stated…BUT that darn skimmer. I had a Cory cat get stuck on the skimmer. Another words use caution if you have smaller fish in your tank. This is just an example of the suction power can be a negative. I like everything else about it(except that thorn in the flesh blue gadget forever getting on my nerve…LOL) Thanks for the review on the Tidal h.o.b’s. 👍🐟
I hear you!
I have the 55 and I agree, I hate the blue dial!
The blue parts are not negative for lots of people.
Hi Jason. I agree with you that skimmer needs to go. I put a peice of filter floss on mine with a rubber band.
Interestingly, I first was interested in Tidal series because of the integrated surface skimmer. Prior to getting my Tidal filter, I ran a separate surface skimmer. I had to clean it at least once a week. My Tidal filter goes weeks between cleanings, usually 5-6 weeks. I can see for those that breed fish or shrimp, the this filter may not be the best choice. It pull in water from more than just the surface skimmer slits and down tube. And there's no easy way to add a prefilter that will cover every place water is drawn in. With respect to the lack of the down tube for the Tidal 35, I get it. But, since a I run a Tidal 110 on larger aquarium with a canister, I don't use the down tube at all. I simply don't have it installed, and closed the flow control for it completely. So, my Tidal acts a larger surface skimmer, and redundant filter, where my canister draws water from the bottom of the tank and my Tidal draws from the top.
I’m using tidal filters, 6 of them, I wouldn’t use any other 😊
I honestly feel for it to get the closest to a near perfect HOB filter would be to take the best parts of what make the Tidal great and put in in the shape of an aquaclear. I wanted to make sure I can go a while before having to service my filter when I got mine. The mods I had to do to my tidal 110 was to silicone the skimmer and small slits around the pump closed so that water is forced to go into the intake tube. I also drilled more hole into the basket to improve flow into it and blocked the upper opening to lessen bypass. Even with all of that modification, there is slight bypass if I turn the flow above a trickle. I know it’s not a canister so I guess bypass will happen but I’d still like a hob where all the detritus stays where it’s supposed to be at the bottom in my sponges and floss and not get into my media. Unless someone can 3d print a fitted tidal basket that forces water into the bottom of the basket with no bypass that would be amazing and I’d buy it in a heartbeat.😊
The dial being blue is not just you, im with you
Other than the fact that if you fill up the media basket all the way it will start to bypass way to easily (I had to take out the biological media it came with just to run both the corse sponge and a fine sponge that I added. I couldn't run all 3 together. ) It's overall a great filter minus that one flaw. I hope they eventually fix that so you can use the media basket to its full potential.
I have resorted to cutting a piece of polishing cloth into a small rectangle and sliding each end into the first and last slits on the skimmer. Keeps floating plants and fry out.
Nice!
I have 2 tidal 75 on my 75 gallon. Time to time after water changes when I turn the power strip back on pumps do not work. I have to clean the impeller. The tank has sand. My other 2 tanks with a 55 and 35 tidal, no issues. Running over a year
Noisy filter especially if water drops a little but is good
That’s my biggest complaint! It’s so annoying it’s like your forced to do a water change when it’s unnecessary just to get that annoying sound to stop when the water level drops
Much like the sponge filter, the blue dials are going to bother me, too. I can already predict that, and it's not even out of the box yet. I hate seeing any equipment in the tank. It is inevitable that it's in there. It can't be helped unless you're going the no filter, no heater route, but as you say, that stuff should be camouflaged enough that your eye isn't immediately drawn to it.
I hear you!
The last point that Jason made, was that the Tidal series filters never quit on him. I just had a Tidal 55 stop working after only 2 years. I was hesitant to buy another, but many of the others won't fit between the wall and my aquarium, they're too wide. I have to send back an Aquaclear that I just bought because it's too wide. So, I'm waiting for the Seachem 75 to arrive from Amazon. Hopefully, I have better luck with this one. I can't help thinking that somehow I'm responsible for the 55 quitting. I had just taken it out of my aquarium a few days earlier while cleaning my tank, and scrubbed the housing to get slim and algae off of it. Maybe somehow I did something? Thanks for the great videos. I'm from LaCrosse, is that a WI accent that I detect? 🙂
I really hope it works out better too!
Seachem's website shows a 3 year warranty for these filters. Did you try contacting them?
I've been sitting on a brand new 110 for close to a year now, waiting on me to build me a stand for my 90 gallon. I am seriously looking forward to seeing what kind of filtration this thing can do. I 3ven kind of want to see what this surface skimmer hubbub is about, because yeah, I've heard a LOT of reviews moaning about how much noise it makes. If that's the case, you might might inherit another one 😂
Just gotta keep the tank filled!
@@PrimeTimeAquatics That's the plan. Doing weekly water changes means it's pretty easy to keep up with. The only issue might be our two week stay in Florida every November. Figures crossed that evaporation isn't overly aggressive 🤣
I have a seachem tidal on my 29 because of your previous review. I really do like it. The only problem I have is that I think the flow is too much -- even turned all the way down. But the fish are happy and healthy so I could probably stop worrying about it! LOL. I even tried using a water bottle cut up and attached to the outflow area to slow it down. I guess I think I need a trickle? heehee. It's fine.
I also love the fact that it is self-priming. I work away from home a lot and since I'm in California, the power decides to go out in the summer from time to time. It's nice to know that the filter will start up again once the power is back. Big win, in my estimation! My fish sitter doesn't have to worry about it, he just lets me know what's going on. YAY!
Thank you for everything you do for the community!
Which SIZE Tidal do you have on "Your 29"???
55 is the Largest that should be on a 29 or 37.
I also hear they are not so good for tanks with fry, like Livebearers. The fear of those fry getting sucked up by the skimmer is real. It is difficult to cover the intakes on the skimmers too. Otherwise, you covered the line well. They used to be my favorite and still are for HOB's, but I no longer use them. I prefer sponge filters and canister filters. 🙂
I haven't had any issues with guppy fry. I did put prefilter sponges on the intake. I am sure fry could get sucked up in the skimmer. If it has happened I haven't noticed.
I have a 36g. I'm trying to decide between the tidal 55 and the penguin pro 275.
My biggest issue with this filter is that you can not put a sponge on the skimmer intake for protection and you will such in small fish, shrimps and plant material....
I sometimes want to throw my tidal 55 out the window. It never stops rattling unless the water is above the surface skimmer.
I put the Tidal 35 on my 20 long. It's a really quiet filter, love it. I use some of the extra room in it for a little polyfil to polish the water, works great. I do agree with the idea of a redesign withou the skimmer. My flagfish love to pull up the smaller stem plants, which then float. Not a big deal in most aquariums. The Tidal skimmer manages to suck them in and chew them up, making a lot of noise in the process and, well, destroy the plants. Still, love this filter and thinking about putting one on my 10 gallon in place of the Aquaclear, simply because of how quiet it is, and how the media basket gives me options.
Where do you have the 35 located in the tank and do you have any other devices for water flow? I'm getting a long tank as well and worried the water flow from the 35 won't be sufficient to go from one end of the tank to the other if I hang it on the back unless I hang it in the middle of the tank, which I don't really want to do.
I thought about hanging it on the side, so the water flows long ways across the tank but it will definitely be more unsightly.
I just got the 35 for my 29gal. I love most of the features... except the cable management. It's just plain awful trying to find the best way to route the power cable. Would it be so hard to design some clips or something? I mean, seriously...
Iam old school tried and true aqua clear all day
i think i may switch back from the tidals to the aqueon filters. i'm tired of having to clean them and the annoying sound of the intake filter when it gets clogged or the water gets too low.
I’m curious about the thermometer clip. I didn’t put it on right away. Is it a nice feature? Maybe I could add it next time I clean the filter.
I didn’t use it - I couldn’t get it to work with the heaters I had.
I love how everyone says it's the bestest filter ever, but you gotta modify it and add more media. 😂
I think that is true of every filter?
@PrimeTimeAquatics I think it's all the modifications more than the media. I don't do anything to my filters themselves. But the tidal mods are seemingly endless. I've seen at least a dozen different ways people are having to make changes to suit various needs. I just ditch the charcoal for fine filter floss in my aqua clears and that's it. And they always prime up after losing power. Even if it's low on water. It's got good draw. I have some Marineland hobs and they sometimes don't prime up. Smh.
@PrimeTimeAquatics and man, they only supply you with that little blue course sponge? Zzzz. Should give you the white fine one and some bio media as well at that price point. Just my opinion, I'm not trying to be all Gung ho about so sorry lol
Hey random question, would a yo-yo loach get along with a red tailed shark?
Also thank you so much for your videos, you guys have helped me a lot in this hobby. My red tail shark is now over a Yr old
There’s a chance the RTS would bully it.
@@PrimeTimeAquatics I appreciate it I recently got a 55 gallon tank to give my red tail shark and Tiger barbs more room and there’s a lot less aggression it seems due to the added space. Yo-yo loach was a loach I was interested in because I know they do not grow as large as a clown loach although I know clown loaches are slow growers I know eventually I’d need at least over 150 gallons for them.
@@PrimeTimeAquaticsjust to update you I did end up getting the yo-yo loaches. All my fish get along great, most definitely not regretting the choice.
@@J3_official Are the fish still getting along?
Should I go with the Tidal 55 or 75 for my planted 55 gallon tank ? I would like this HOB to be my only filter for this tank
Either one works well. The 75 will be nice if you ever get a larger tank.
I’ve not tried this filter yet, my only concern is the quietness of it… it’s quiet for us, but with the motor underwater, I wonder if the fish like it? Thoughts???
I have never noticed a difference
I don't know about this filter it didn't come with media but to me it seems a bit noisy compared to my aqua clear I've always owned aqua clear and I've had them for 20 years and they have never had any kind of issues even when the power has gone out if they are taken care of regularly like everything should be there should not be a problem
I'm planning on getting the Tidal 55, mainly because of the comments and your review. My question is if you seal/cover the skimmer holes, will that effect the way the filter works? Does water have to go threw the skimmer?
I haven’t tried to cover it completely so I’m not sure if it would make noise or if it’s completely sealed if it would just suck the water in from the bottom intake?
Thanks for the fast response, i had a problem with my planted tank pump, i cant wait for the new pump arrivalj and i will let you know if covering works or not. Thanks a bunch.
please update when you do, i hate the skimmer & it’s the only reason im held back from buying it. it will destroy my floating plants. i’m wondering if i can silicone it shut. let us know how it goes!
Whats the difference between a honest review and brutally honest review ?! There arent degrees of honesty :))
According to the Honesty Society of America (HSA). An honest review rates at a 8/10 on the honesty scale while a brutally honest review is rated at a 10/10.
Jason, May I tap your expertise? A Platy, day after day, for the past 3 months, just lays on the gravel, occasionally will skip to another section of the tank, actually appears healthy! She has no illness that I can see, eats food that passes by her. Body waste is normal. Did you ever experience this? I am an experienced aquarist, never seen anything like this. Her pectoral fins move fine. Could she be paralized in the lower half? Want to say again, she appears healthy. Water perameters are excellent. Tank mates all doing fine.
I have a Brevis like that and it’s been years. I think it is a deformed swim bladder but he’s done fine his whole life.
@@PrimeTimeAquatics You learn something new every day. Thank for replying.
When I bought the Seachem, the blue dial didn't bother until I realized that for some strange reason, my eyes went towards it everytime. Now it's annoying
I know! 😀
For the Tidal series in general, do you wrap the filter sponge around the filter floss, standing up, or lay the filter media flat in the basket?
The sponge stays in the bottom and I place the filter floss vertically in the basket.
@@PrimeTimeAquatics Thank you very much. I heard you say you stood your filter media up, but I was trying to find the video specifically containing your Tidal series setup.
The biggest advantage is what ruins it for me, i don’t have my water that high to reach the motor 😭
Had a question been looking into getting a marineland emperor pro 450 as back up for my 125 with a fx6 that will be housing my new cross river puffer but saw some reviews on some sites that they catch fire from exposed wires where the motor connects is that any true? Or should I get the Tidal instead
I think both are good filters. My Marineland Pros have run well.
@@PrimeTimeAquatics I love my penguin pro just seeing that review on it kinda scared me specially putting it in a tank with a fish with a lot of value. So you haven’t heard anything about that happening with the emperor pro
When I unplug my Tidals to remove the basket and clean the media, they often don't re-start when I plug them back in. Then it's a huge pain to remove the whole filter from the tank, pull the impeller housing off (that's NOT easy), and clean the impeller. Maybe I'm missing something... but the impellers stick something terrible. Not a huge complaint, but would like others' feedback.
I have to jump start my filter sometimes after cleaning. Just tap on the side of the filter housing with a small hammer or some other tool and they'll restart.
@@Curtis.StMartin Ooo... that's a good tip. I'll try that next time. Thanks!
@@michaelhaines3451 Actually what I do now on both of my Tidals after cleaning is to plug them in for a few seconds to make sure their running them I don't have to use the hammer thing.
Not cool! That’s crazy - for me it’s the only filter that has never done that.
I used to love the Tidals, now I wouldn't buy one ever again. The skimmer is a nightmare if you have a planted aquarium a single blade of Vallisneria will trigger a horrible loud sucking sound, this happens even if the tank is fully topped off. If they would remove the surface skimmer, this would be the ideal hang on back. I guess if you had a dedicated fish room the noise would not be an issue.
Anyone know how high the 75 is when it's hanging on back of tank
What would you run for media in tank with an Oscar, and few cichlids
Lots of fine sponge and floss
If they just changed the blue dials to green, it would be a 100% improvement because it would look like plants...
Yes.. the blue does annoy me as well and echoes “but why?” Oh well