Prefilter Size for Seachem Tidal 75

[R.Kell628]

I purchased the large aquarium coop prefilter sponge for my Seachem Tidal 75 per their recommendation. However it seems massive compared to the size of the actual intake. What size do you guys use or recommend? I'm thinking I might just cut it down a bit size it seems much taller than needed. 

[Janoš Bećar Pecaroš]

Larger filter means better filtration and slower water flow around it, but you can cut it down to fit your needs.

[TOtrees]

What's your goal here? Are you trying to enhance biological filtration, or prevent small creatures from getting into the filter? One of the biggest known issues with the Tidal filters is how much bypass they allow, ie in most cases most of the water reaching the filter media comes from incompletely sealed areas around the pump itself, and also via the surface skimmer slots. Meaning, even if you put a sponge over the bottom of the tube, there are still many ways and areas that small creatures of particles can get sucked in. So why bother with a prefilter? 

A lot of this is discussed/explored here: https://forum.aquariumcoop.com/topic/23685-testing-time-fixing-the-seachem-tidals-bypass/. I can't say I've read the whole thread, sorry 😞 maybe the author @nabokovfan87 is willing to give an executive summary 🙂 

 

[nabokovfan87]

On 10/1/2022 at 7:30 PM, R.Kell628 said:

I purchased the large aquarium coop prefilter sponge for my Seachem Tidal 75 per their recommendation. However it seems massive compared to the size of the actual intake. What size do you guys use or recommend? I'm thinking I might just cut it down a bit size it seems much taller than needed. 

I appreciate the tag, always happy to help.

There's a few things to note here.

A. The prefilters are sold based on dimensions, and those dimensions make sense for the tank that is generally used.

B. You can modify the prefilter based on the size of the inner hold you specifically need!

C. You might need to keep in mind that the ACO filters are course foam. This isn't to say what is best, but simply put you're restricting flow and need to accommodate that as well. (For the tidal, this means drill some holes in the base of the intake basket.

Alright so, I do have a tidal 75 and the "large" fits just fine. It's slightly loose fit in terms of tolerance, but it will sit on and hold in place. However, I would only use this on a 75G tank or larger. The rim size forces the HoB into a specific position where that fitment makes sense for that tank and intake. Any tank smaller you'll likely need to trim it in some capacity.

On the pumphead I use I ended up taking a nano filter, enlarging the hole, cutting it down to about 1/2 the length. On the Tidal 55 I ended up using a small or medium and doing something very similar. This was because the outside diameter of the sponge was so big that it makes it impossible to get the sponge off without releasing everything. The tidals do have a pretty large diameter intake compared to other intakes of similar size.

Cc @TeeJay

On 10/1/2022 at 7:30 PM, R.Kell628 said:

I'm thinking I might just cut it down a bit size it seems much taller than needed. 

I have both on hand. Let me know what you need and I can measure and take photos for you.