AquaClear 20 Power Filter, Fish Tank Filter for 5- to 20-Gallon Aquariums

I picked up the AC20 for my 10G tank and my initial impression is that I'm pretty impressed with this filter. It ordered the AC because so many people recommended it to me stating that it was a very versatile HOB filter. I was skeptical, but I must say, they were right. The flow rate seems to be pretty accreted to the manufacturer's description. I ordered the AC20 for my 10G tank because it was rated at 100GPH thus giving me a 10x turnover rate. I was worried it would look odd on the 10G tank due its size, but it fits it quite nicely. Its actually smaller than I expected. I like the filter media setup on this unit. There is a three sided basket-type insert with rings on the top to grab pull it out of the filter. You simply fill the basket with media and drop it into the filter. It uses a sponge for mechanical filtration, ceramic rings for biological and carbon for chemical. I don't use chemical filtration on my tanks unless its needed so i left the carbon out of the filter bag and just used the ceramic rings. The sponge sits on the bottom and the rings are on top of that. This is a very versatile setup that would allow you to put whatever type of media in the filter you'd like as long as it fits. The AC20 is a little smaller than I'd like, but it works. The AC30 would probably be the perfect size for a 10G tank. I've seen people use an AC70 on a 10G tank so I'm sure a 30 would fit. I only have a betta in my 10G tank so the 20 works just fine. If you have a lot of fish pick up the 30. I think this is the best HOB filter on the market. Its quiet-, efficient and versatile. My old filter died a week before i purchased this one and my tank was pretty murky and smelly. This filter cleaned it up in less than two days! Pretty impressive for a little HOB. I can't speak to its longevity-I've heard good things-but I will give an update in a few months on the filter.

Before I begin, it is helpful to know the context of this review. I ordered this filter for a 10 gallon, planted tank that is heavily stocked. I had previously only lightly stocked the tank and used a sponge filter as the only filtration, but purchased some extra fish (5 total) and one shrimp so needed something more to handle the bio-load. My setup also has injected Co2 and high lights (~3.5w/per gallon) meaning a high flow rate is needed to prevent algae. This unit is more expensive than the competitors (Marina or Whisper branded Hang-on-back filters (HOBs)), but offers multi-stage filtration that is not included in one "replaceable" filter media. Instead, the AquaClear series separates the biological, mechanical, and chemical filtration media bags, so that each can be replaced separately (or not used at all). This is important because some parts of the filter (the mechanical portion or the bottom sponge) should rarely or never be placed. Filters that combine all three stages in one replaceable filter media will cause mini-cycles in the tank every time you replace the cartridges. By separating the filtration process, the aquarist can replace each stage at different intervals (not to mention switching the types of filter media -- more of this later on) so as to prevent mini-cycling. Setup is fairly easy. Simply follow the instructions included with the unit. The hardest part of the setup is installing the 'leveling device' into the bottom of the unit. If you are not careful, the leveling arm will pop out of the hole when you are trying to adjust it hanging on your tank. Note -- make sure the box your unit comes in is sealed when you receive it. The first unit that was delivered had clearly been opened and used before (in fact there was a crack in the tank). Amazon quickly remedied the problem and provided me with a brand new unit. First lets cover the power of the motor. The output is rated at 100 gallons/per hour. There is an important formula you should know when picking the right filter for your tank. Roughly, your filter should be able to move the entire volume of water in your tank 8x in one hour. So for example, a 10 gallon tank should use a filter with at least 80gallons per hour of flow in order to reduce water pollutants and algae issues. Depending on how stocked your tank is (ie. how many fish and plants you have) you may need to increase that multiple. Therefore this tank is perfect for a heavily stocked 10 gallon tank because it is able to turn the entire volume of water over 10x in one hour. Go with the Aquaclear 30 for anything bigger than 10 gallons. There is a variable flow rate on this unit, but I have never used it. Honestly, the higher flow rate in your tank, the better. The instructions include a way to dissemble the motor and to clean the impeller. I have only had this unit for roughly 3 weeks, so time will tell what the build quality is like on the motor and whether it was really worth the extra cost. Now for the real star of this filter, the filter media slot. The filter comes with three forms of filtration right out of the box: Mechanical (the sponge), Chemical (activated carbon), and Biological (ceramic pellets). I would not recommend using the activated carbon filter right away. Activated Carbon does very little in the aquarium besides remove heavy metals, medications, and tannins in the water. These issues are rarely a concern that you should want your filter to address. Instead, I would recommend saving the Activated Carbon filter and instead purchasing something like Seachem Purigen to act as the Chemical filtration (having Purigen is a must if you plan on overstocking). Hold on to the carbon filter in case you have to treat your tank with any medications. The filter media bay does get clogged with dietrius so be sure to rinse this area out once a week. The only cons I have against this filter is the overall build quality. This filter is not heavy duty and will break if you accidentally drop it or it falls off your tank. That is to be expected though because of how small this unit is. In order to fit perfectly on a 10 gallon (which it does) the unit needs to be small. Just be careful working around it.

I have a 10 gallon aquarium that used to have an old tetra filter. It worked great and we have had it for a while now. But recently it started to slow down and after several cleanings it still wouldn't work at full speed. I though about replacing the prop or the entire motor but read up on different filters and found aquaclear. The main selling point, beside positive reviews, was the efficiency and low cost to maintain. There was a lot of debris floating around in the tank since I haven't had a filter running at full speed in a month or so. After I set this filter up and placed it in the tank with a couple hours or so I checked it out and the water was crystal clear. I had to rinse out the sponge from how much stuff it collected since there was a lot floating around, After placing it back in again and after another hour or so the water is pretty much spotless. So far it's a great filter and super quiet. I can't hear it running at all. The on thing this has an upper hand on compared to tetra is the quietness. Tetra's, when brand new are very quiet but these are silent. Maybe time will be a difference but it seems like a great quality filter. Also, it should be noted that some say tetra's are more expensive to run. This is not true. If you rinse out the filter cartridge and replace the carbon with the bulk carbon tubs you can buy it is cheaper than replacing the entire cartridge. This one may be a tad cheaper since the sponge will almost never need replacing, but tetra's are very cheap also. Aquaclear just beat's it out on quietness and I like the setup from sponge to carbo to bio more.

1st this Aquaclear filter 20 is the cheapest Aquaclear available. I got it for a Fluval Flex 15 that long ago had it's internal filter removed and because the Seachem HOB I had been using was not easily capable of making it shrimp proof without making it impossible to service. I wanted to add shrimp to this tank. Several good and bad things about this Aquaclear 20. It is not one of their current models with the improved parts. It's the old model 20. Aquaclear filters have been revamped and this one is one of the old ones. The lid still rattles and the media isn't locked in place and can flow up. It is not shrimp safe as it comes. It can be made shrimp proof by putting a piece of coarse foam around or over the intake tube inlet. If you do put on a foam prefilter (purchase separately), you'll have to remove the tube to service it and clean out the sponge and tube far more often and the flow will be cut down a bit. This filter has a pretty good flow rate control although cheaply made. You're just pushing the intake tube to completely be over the filter path (high) or partially off the intake path which isn't doesn't like to stay put. It gravitates back to high flow on it's own. When set to high, it can circulate a 15-20 gallon tank easily. When on low, it has a slower nano tank flow and is suitable for small or slow fish that prefer not to have a current. It's a narrow output of water to the tank and therefore the whole filter is small enough that it can fit on most tanks side or back. And the adjustable rear standoff helps to be sure your filter is level with the tank. But be aware that this filter will keep pumping in water to even a clogged filter till it overflows out the top of the filter, onto your table/floor, especially if the current is set higher. When the water in the box gets too high, it lets some water bypass around the intake tube back into the tank but that's not always going to be enough relief if your filter is clogged. Your filter can clog because its overwhelmed with dirty sponges or if you have too much filter media that slows water down as it flows through. So don't let this filter clog up or you'll have a big mess to clean up I wish it had an optional intake tube expansion piece as all the other Aquaclears do. It only goes half-way down the wall of my tanks. It picks up and filters water from the center height of the tank and dumps it out directly above. I'd prefer the inlet to sit closer to the gravel level. But a plus side to this is if you have it pour out onto your floor, it will only do so till the water reaches the intake level. I used these older models before and ended up taping lids closed to stop vibration noises. Also it's easy for the intake tube to fall out with just a little pressure. Easy to clean but a pain to get back into being seated just right and having to restart the siphon. While this filter is meant to be small, it holds very little media. It's also not all that easy to get the tray out of the filter as it locks down on one side and won't easily come free if you packed the media tray area completely. But it does do more than the cartridge type HOBs for less money. You can put what you want for small filter media into it but your quantity you can use is almost insignificant. Due to space limitations, you're probably going to use only a small amount of filter media. Usually most people just don't try to use chemical filter packs with these and just double up on the biological media. You want the foam to be in there as it's the main physical filter that filters out debris before it hits the chemical or biological medium. The sponge is better at retaining beneficial bacteria than the other parts of the filter. Clean it often by removing it when changing water and squeezing it out in a bucket of tank water. Don't rinse the sponge or biological media under the sink or you'll kill your beneficial bacteria living on/in the sponge. This unit is NOT an auto start motor. If electricity goes out, you will likely have to manually get the siphon started again or the filter won't run. If you want an autostart HOB filter, purchase an HOB filter instead that has the motor hanging inside the tank. The Aquaclear 20 may fail to restart when electricity is back on till you fill the box with water again. Another way to solve this is lack of autostart is to install a good battery backup UPS device so the pump never gets shuts off. These UPSs can keep power to all your aquarium for hours or even days (depending on how big of a battery the UPS unit has) during a power outage. They can be somewhat expensive to purchase and maintain their batteries but worth the peace of mind. I use the APC brand. You will have to replace it's batteries about every 2 years. I would have preferred to go on using my Seachem HOB filter. I liked it better in many categories. But because it is very difficult to prefilter the intake (smallest Seachem one I have doesn't use an intake tube). I needed a new filter that I could protect my new shrimp without increasing the current flow. Compared to most cartridge HOB filter designs, this one is superior because it frees you from expensive frequently replaced cartridges. I still prefer my Seachem filter but it's a shrimp killer I can't use for this tank. Hence the purchase of this Aquaclear instead. But I do like this filter as my 2nd choice for low-end HOBs.

Great HOB Filter, easy to set up though they did give me a very long netted bag for the bio max but i just wrapped it around a couple times. I had custom cut the plastic part of my class hood to fit this unit in perfectly, it would seem that putting it on the right side of the tank allows for better filtration because on the left side the waterfall current pushes it away from the intake so I moved it to the right side and it did the trick, allowing for the debris to make its way around the tank and into the intake. to get this unit started you just poor some water into the left side where the motor is located and this part is noisy probable due to the air and water mixing in the motor but once all the air has made its way out this unit becomes very quiet unless you leave space for the water to drip/fall down then you get the water fall noise but that is easily taken care of by just adding more water to your tank closer to the spout of the filter. But leaving the water lower does allow for the water to be aerate more. also after reading some of the reviews it is clear to just clean the sponge and possibly replace the carbon leaving the bio max untouched to not disturb the beneficial bacteria that grow on it cause tap water will kill it. I'll also try to find some time to take a picture of my set up once my tank has finished cycling due to me completely removing all my other filters and doing to much water change I'm stuck with my tank cycling :(. in all I have nothing bad to say about this product and even for being the lowest of the AquaClear line it is very powerful and you will notice that when you put the setting on max. I just turn it down when I'm feeding them or it's night time so i don't disturb the fish with the strong current though i don't think they mind to much cause they just move to the other side of the tank or play in the current. I am hoping that with this filter and a canister filter on the side to allow for top,mid & bottom filtration i will be able to successfully overstock my 10g tank. you don't even want to know how many fish i have in there haha. but it's been about 3 weeks and they are all still alive and doing well, only another 3-5 weeks to go until my cycle is over. SO for this product I definitely give it 5 stars. i hope this review has helped in your decision and if you have any questions just comment this review or how ever this works. i just never left reviews for the things i've bought before and now over the 100+ products i've bought i'm trying to go through each one and leave a review :)

Great filter, gets the job done! Note: it's the same pump for larger AquaClear Power Filter models with a different size impeller! I received a used AquaClear 50 Power Filter from a friend when she was done with her aquarium so I decided to use it on one of my 38 gallon aquariums. It was more than enough filtration and water flow to keep the water clear. However, because it was about 2 years old, something in the pump was causing it to create a loud buzz/hum sound as the pump ran. I tried cleaning/lubricating the impeller and shaft multiple times, tried to flush out any sand/dirt, but nothing worked. Every time I plugged it in for use, it would still make that loud noise. After inspecting the magnet inside the pump, there were some scratches that may have caused some rubbing against the shaft. I looked into replacing it, but it ended up costing ~$15 where as a brand new AquaClear 20 costs $20. I took my chances that it was something with the pump. Knowing that the pump is the same for all the AquaClear filters (but the impeller sizes are different!!!) my plan was to buy this smaller one, and then switch out the shaft + impeller to see if the noise went away. And it did! Now I have a great, SILENT AquaClear 50 Power Filter, and can take the one I bought to use in a place where it being noisy doesn't bother me. I'll be happy to answer any questions with the procedure and include pictures if anyone asks me to. Overall, the new pump did the trick and solved my issue. And for the price, it is pretty hard to beat considering the good quality filtration that comes with it. I'm happy and would use these again.

I have a 12 gallon long Mr. Aqua tank and did not know which filter would be good for that. Several websites recommended the Aqua Clear. I really like the idea of being able to have 3 stages of filtration as I have noticed in my 5 gallon Fluval Spec that the fishes like it. (laying eggs everywhere, some eggs hatching, crystal clear water, moss balls not dying, adjustable bio/chem/mech filters) As I placed the Aqua Clear on my new tank I was afraid it would not fit on the rimless glass but there is a black leveling device on the bottom that you can adjust against the glass so it won't slip or lean backwards. The good thing is also that you can adjust the water flow on the top which is great during feeding time and I noticed most of my little fishes (golden cloud minnows) prefer a medium flow. In addition this filter does not make any noise! Hallelujah! As I live in a very small space so I really did not want a noisy filter that I would have to listen to all day/night long. All I hear is a little trickle from the waterfall flow on top which I actually like. I am keeping a back up Aqueon filter as I have read the one star rating horror stories on here and I just pray to the Lord that something like that will not happen to me. I must say I am not exactly looking forward to the cleaning of the motor every 3 months. But if that will keep this great filter running as it does now then I will definitely do it. Have a great day anyone reading this! Update: I can barely hear the filter but I do recommend to place a pre-sponge filter over the intake as my fishes are quite small and the bottom of the intake has large slots and I do not want my fishes to get sucked into that. The Fluval edge pre-sponge filter fits perfectly over my intake. Update: I decided to swap this filter for the Aquaclear 10-30 US gallon as I like crystal clear water and I am overstocked. The filter media basket became unbelievably dirty in a short amount of time. So with the 10-30 Aquaclear I took the carbon out and added a layer of Water polishing pads + another bag of Biomax to keep as much good bacteria in as possible + an extra sponge. Sincerely my tank is now crystal clear. The higher filter flow (waterfall) does not bother my fishes and I can lower it if I need to.

Well I actually had to go through quite some trouble to get this filter delivered to me but it finally came. The setup was quite simple and I followed the instructions. Everything was assembled fairly quickly and easy but for some reason my package didn't come with a level. So far I'm pleased with the power of the filtration and the overall look. For the first few hours this filter was very quite and I couldn't even tell it was running. I went to the grocery store to buy some stuff and when I came back I noticed it was making more noise then before. I searched on YouTube to see if anybody else is having the same issue and it seems people are. A lot of people say it's the propeller in the motor that causes a rattling noise. I'm not one to complain about the noise because I've had louder filters before but I expected this one to be as nice and quite as when I first installed it. I'm not going to lie though after a while or at least at night when I'm trying to go the bed seeing as my tank is in the same room I sleep in the noise gets a bit annoying. I'm seeing on YouTube that the only fix is to take off the motor and lubricate the propeller. I'm going to have to remove the motor eventually to clean it out but I just find it a bit tedious to have to grease the impeller every now and then so it doesn't make that damn noise. I've read some people say that after a while the filter will settle down and break in and stop making so much noise I really hope that's the case. If not then I might have to keep this filter for as long as I can and then look to replace it with something else. It sucks that I had to go through so much trouble to get this filter hoping that it would be the perfect product but sadly it felt short. I will make an update if things get better but if not then this will be my final word. The product looks good and is assembled with ease and runs at a decent price but it has a noise issue well at least for me. I wouldn't say steer away from this filter but just know that you might encounter the same problem. I really had high hopes for this filter so maybe its my fault for expecting it to be flawless but for now I just have to deal with it until I find a solution. **Update** I used the Vaseline trick and it seemed to make a major difference the rattling noise isn't as loud anymore. It's not to say that the noise is completely gone because it's not but I can say it's been minimized to a nice hum. I don't know how long this fix will last I'm pretty sure it's only temporary and I will probably need to lubricate the impeller shaft eventually. For those of you who are having the same issue just type "Aquaclear 20 noise" in the YouTube search bar and you will find a few videos showing you how to do it. So good luck to all of you who decide to purchase this filter and for those who have the rattling noise note that there is a fix for it so don't give up.

Es un increíble filtro, súper silencioso. Regulas la potencia, en poco tiempo deja el agua clara y cristalina. Vale la pena invertir para tu acuario

Good little HOB filter in my opinion. Using it on a 20L nano tank (18L of water) and the flow is perfectly adjustable to my needs. It's even suitable for a Betta fish (flow turned halfway down). Two minor things I did notice and worth to mention: - the lid ever so lightly "rattles", but at this point it's nothing so loud that it's annoying. Without the lid the HOB is absolutely silent though. This seems to be a reoccurring problem with most Aquaclear HOB's. EDIT: applied a little blob of silicone grease on the shaft of the propeller and the problem is solved. No more rattling. - I needed to put a little piece of thin plywood between the spacer and the glass to get the HOB perfectly leveled out and KEEP it at that perfect level. I tried to use the largest extension of the spacer, but then the HOB was tilting way too much forward + the spacer wasn't very stable in that position. When I used the one-size-smaller one, it then tilted too much backwards. Using the "in between" still had it tilting backwards too much to my liking to prevent overflow on the back in case the filter gets clogged. So keep in mind, that when using it on a tank with no rim and only 4mm thick glass you'll need a piece of cardboard or something to level it out perfectly. Oh and of course, as known with all HOB's with the motor outside and thus not in the tank: when there's a power outage the HOB won't start up by itself. You'll need to prime it again to get it running again. Keep that one in mind, people. But overall a good little HOB for it's price, one that does what it is supposed to do: filter your tank without driving you up the walls. EDIT: just did a test. Unplugged the HOB for an hour and plugged it back in. Started to prime immediately without a problem. Which means that when the water level in the tank is high enough the HOB and intake will never drain completely, making it possible for it to prime itself. Awesome!

Ottima pompa e filtro esterno compatto, è il modello utilizzato sui Fluval Edge della Askoll anche se sul coperchietto trasparente c'è la scritta Aquaclear a differenza di quella inclusa nell'acquario che ha la scritta Edge. L'ho preso per utilizzarlo sul 24 litri e va perfettamente. La pompa è silenziosa e efficiente. Sono inclusi il filtro meccanico in spugna, una bustina con il carbone e una con i cannolicchi ad alta efficienza per il filtro biologico. Consigliata per chi deve sostituirla sul Fluval Edge e per qualsiasi altra applicazione dove si cerca un filtro esterno a cascata compatto, facile da gestire e esteticamente gradevole.

Great piece of kit, , easy to set up, easy to clean, pack comes with 3 types of media, and I even added an additional sponge filter, the only sound is the gentle splash of the waterfall, which is soothing ....it even looks great hanging on the back of my 88 ltr tank...will look at purchasing another as a back up for future proofing...well impressed

I’ve been using this aquarium filtering system for a few weeks now, and I’m genuinely impressed. It runs extremely quietly—so much so that I had to check it twice to make sure it was on the first day I installed it! If you’re sensitive to noise or keeping your aquarium in a quiet space like a bedroom or office, this is a great choice. Performance-wise, it’s been flawless so far. The water stays crystal clear, and my fish seem happy and healthy. Installation was simple, and maintenance looks easy enough as well. It’s compact but powerful, and fits perfectly into my tank setup without being an eyesore. Overall, I highly recommend this filter if you're looking for something efficient, whisper-quiet, and reliable. It’s exceeded my expectations!