New top fin pro series filter

[Tihshho]

On 9/14/2021 at 8:40 PM, Streetwise said:

I have tried many different skimmers, and I always have the same question for each unit: how does it deal with changing water levels?

IMO Eheim did it best with the floating portion of the intake. when you position it correctly you have the ability to drop the water level around 3"

Edited September 15, 2021 by Tihshho

[Reggie444]

Jeff…The pre-filter is course.

It is sponge.

After the pre-filter on the TopFin Pro, there is a second sponge which is fine. Then the water enters activated charcoal, then ceramic rings before it exits back to the tank.

The tanks are so clear, you wouldn’t know that there’s water in the tanks. The fish look like they’re swimming in empty space. Both tanks. 20gal and 75gal.

[Streetwise]

@Reggie444, you might want to create a tank journal!

[Reggie444]

Yeah right! Might be a good idea! I have a great deal to learn from my mistakes!

[ejd774]

I bought the pro 110 and so far it's great and has lots of room for other filter media like polishing pads and nitrate pads or what ever your tank needs. I put it on my new 75 gallon aquarium with african cichlids in it and I'm running it with an under gravel filter so far I'm not having any issues but I haven't tried to over stock it yet. By the way the price was amazing compared to similar products only 59 bucks and I ordered it online so I was able to save about 25 bucks on that price threw petsmart.

[Spewing_nonsense_]

On 11/3/2021 at 12:39 PM, ejd774 said:

I bought the pro 110 and so far it's great and has lots of room for other filter media like polishing pads and nitrate pads or what ever your tank needs. I put it on my new 75 gallon aquarium with african cichlids in it and I'm running it with an under gravel filter so far I'm not having any issues but I haven't tried to over stock it yet. By the way the price was amazing compared to similar products only 59 bucks and I ordered it online so I was able to save about 25 bucks on that price threw petsmart.

Hmmm interesting I’ll have to pick one up then, even tho I started this post I haven’t actually gotten one but it’s interesting to see what everyone thought about it, also you can still get that discount in store at petsmart, you just gotta look up the price and show them at the register

[anewbie]

Two common complaints I've seen in the 110 are that condensation occurs around the lid causing water to drip on the floor and the rim is too thick to put the filter on the tank and still fit the glass canopy. Just passing this on as things you might want to check...

[Zeithelden]

Hey guys! Just wanted to toss in my two cents. I have two of these 110s on my 75, and I think they’re probably the best HOB filters I’ve ever used. Regarding the “protein skimmer” it’s definitely just a surface skimmer, I completely agree. It is helpful in catching duckweed and some excess food if I go a little crazy. Regarding the tops leaking, I personally don’t use the tops at all and have terrestrial plants in there to help with nutrient export. And man, it’s fantastic for that. I clean the sponge and use the front compartment for  filter pads. I buy the large pads from the coop and just cut them to size - they work great. I have a photo of my whole tank, but I’d be happy to share more in-depth photos of the filter itself if y’all want some! 
Be well! 

[Streetwise]

@Zeithelden, I would love to see a tank journal from you!

[Zeithelden]

@Streetwise I’d be happy to give you some more info. What all would you like to see?

[Streetwise]

@Zeithelden, aquarium journals are popular and fun here. Make a thread to document your tank, share photos and updates.

[Zeithelden]

@Streetwiseoh, I gotcha! I don’t take many pictures of my tanks, unfortunately. I’ll see what I can do when I have a little more free time. 

[anewbie]

On 12/5/2021 at 2:28 PM, Zeithelden said:

@Streetwiseoh, I gotcha! I don’t take many pictures of my tanks, unfortunately. I’ll see what I can do when I have a little more free time. 

[Psst what he is saying is you have an extremely nice aquarium so he would like to see a bit more of its journey as time passes; so keeping a journal shows how the tank evolves]

[Zeithelden]

@anewbie oh, I see. Okay! It’s pretty new. About five months old or so - designed for discus. I have two that have been in there for about two weeks, so I ordered up four more. Very excited to see what happens. I’ll put one up this week. 

[Minanora]

On 12/5/2021 at 2:48 PM, Zeithelden said:

@anewbie oh, I see. Okay! It’s pretty new. About five months old or so - designed for discus. I have two that have been in there for about two weeks, so I ordered up four more. Very excited to see what happens. I’ll put one up this week. 

I see that other tank there too... Would love to see a journal for both of them! They're beautiful!

 

Regarding this fancy top fin filter. Can we just take a moment to appreciate the holographic box? I mean, it's pretty slick and I dig it because... SHINY THINGS!!!!

I like the way it's set up. I fight with a Penguin 150 on my sons 20G High. I have hot rodded it out, but it's not easy with how small the back portion is. I will consider trying the top fin when this one poops out on me, which, it will soon. I'll either do the top fin or an aquaclear... maybe a tidal... We'll see.

[Tiffers27]

Hey all! New here. I’m running the pro series 110 in my 55g planted tank. Just set it up last weekend and so far I’m loving it! The only thing that I can’t figure out is why I can run it with the max filter flow. As soon as I turn the dial more than halfway the red ‘change media’ indicator shows and the water level in the filter rises to the very top! Anyone know what could be going on?!

Edited December 24, 2021 by Tiffers27

[Zeithelden]

@Tiffers27 my guess is that you’ve overfilled the media rack and the water has nowhere else to go. Or it is full of waste. 

[Tiffers27]

@Zeithelden hmm the only media I have in there is what came with it and then in the area where the outflow is I have some thin bits of polyfil that I moved over from the old filter. So maybe the polyfil is what’s causing the issue? 

[Zeithelden]

@Tiffers27 that’s my guess. Do you have anything blocking the outlet? You could also pull out the outlet covers that shape the water and see if it pours out faster with a larger hole. What I do is put some sponge cut to fit over top of the outlets and change them when the water level gets high. 

[Tiffers27]

@Zeitheldenso here’s how it’s currently set up. And this is not even halfway open and you can see how high the water line is. 

[Zeithelden]

@Tiffers27
Are you using the holes output piece or the other one? The holes output thing really didn’t put out enough water. Try swapping those. The sponge looks clean enough to let water through easily.

[Tiffers27]

@Zeithelden I am using the one with the holes and even then need to baffle the flow. I have a tank full of “low flow” peeps. I worry about them getting pushed around too much. I suppose I could put my suction cup soap dishes back in but was hoping to not have to use those anymore. 

[Zeithelden]

@Tiffers27 I would switch the two. They don’t make a ton of flow, your low flow fish should be fine. There will still be plenty of space in the tank with low water movement. But you can try it briefly and switch back if they appear stressed. 

[813aquatics]

No idea about the protein skimmer. Looks like they’re embracing the media basket style and structurally it seems pretty identical to the AC50/70. I agree the prefilter sponge by default is a thoughtful addition.

I love my AC70 but have a few minor gripes (lid rattle, susceptible to overflow, doesn’t self-prime well) so for me to switch over I’d have to see how it compares.

[Tiffers27]

@813aquatics I’ve never tried the Aquaclear so can’t really compare this to that. But I must say so far I have no lid rattle, no overflow and it self primes instantly without issue. I have read that some people do have those same issues with the topfin pro though.