SeachemLarge Aquarium Fish Tank Filter, Tidal 55 Gallon (200 Liters) by Sicce

SEACHEM TIDAL 55 : The design of this filter is fantastic. Unlike all the HOB filters I’ve used in the past, the pump and impeller on the Seachem remains submerged in the tank allowing it to self prime. Just plug it in and it immediately begins to push water into the filter housing. This setup allows the pump to run at full speed continuously with flow adjustments that allow the user to control the rate water is released back into the tank from a trickle to full blast. Also, there is an adjust that allows you to use the filter as a full time skimmer or full time, down piped intake filter or any combination of both. That feature is very cool because normal skimmers included with other filters attach to the intake pipe and rarely pull enough water to work properly. Another feature is the pull out basket that holds the filter media. Just release a sturdy plastic lock and the entire basket pulls out. Allowing you to walk it to a sink or trash can to dispose of the dirty media and reload. No dripping water all over the house and no mess. They even include a universal heater clip and wire guides to attach your heater to the filter for a clutter free, compact tank setup. This filter is affordable, well built, runs silently and is completely serviceable including the pump and impeller. The Seachem design is a big step forward for HOB filters.Highly recommend.

HOB filters can range from excellent to cheap dimestore garbage. The Seachem Tidal series are among the best.Very similar design to those from Fluval and AquaClear, and also made by the same manufacturer as far as I'm aware. The main difference is this one has a fully submersed pump so there is no need for priming. It self primes and starts perfectly every single time. That was the main feature that sold this to me over others I had used in the past. Great water flow with decent adjustment both on the inlet and the output side of the filter.It otherwise follows a similar layout to AquaClear AC series filters with a removable media basket. Sponge on the bottom, chemical filtration in the middle, bio filtration on top. In this case they don't include any chemical filtration. Just a sponge and a bag of Seachem Matrix. This is fine for 99% of uses. There is room in there for a pre-packed bag of Seachem Purigen as well which is what I generally use.This was really easy to set up and only took a few minutes to assemble. I washed it with hot water and rinsed it with cycled tank water before installing. It is really well made and everything fits together nicely. All chunky plastic parts with no apparent weak spots to break when servicing. I really like the included heater clip which fits my Eheim Jager heater nicely. More reliable over time than suction cups.Instead of a pre-filter sponge I bought a 3D printed intake cover for it which reduced the size of the holes to 2mm. This keeps most of the plant debris and baby snails out of my filter. Also, because I am using it in combination with a sponge to overfilter a 29 gallon planted tank, I bought a 3D printed output baffle to make the flow smoother and more gentle. Both of these items works great and make it more suitable for my needs. I can run it at max output with great filtration and very gentle flow.There's not much else to say. This is about as good as HOB filters get.

I purchased this filter for my 20 gallon long aquarium and it was super easy to set up. It is very well-made, and self-primes too, which is important if you are in an area where the power goes out often (like myself). It works well, holds a lot of filter media, and is quiet. Even when the water level gets low, I do not notice any noises. So glad I found this filter!

Why did you pick this product vs others?:Works great! Not a quiet as they claim but also not the loudest one I have ever used. Used this for my coral tank for about a year before I changed the tank completely.

The media could not be loaded. Pictures attached are 1 day after install.Tank: TopFin 20 gallon Hexagon(8.5 inch slot on back for filter was perfect for this one).Replaced: TopFin 20New Filter: Tidal 55Tank age: 1.5 yrs.Stocking: (max/ overstocked) shrimp,10 rasboras, 1 guppy, 3 khuli loaches, 4 Ottos, 88 bladder snails & ramshorn snails.Substrate: 2-3 inches aquasoil and corse sand.A Quiet Win for My Tank and My Wife! Seachem Tidal 55 was an easy replacement for the stock TopFin 20.I upgraded my barely over 1 yr old noisy Top Fin 20 HOB filter to the Seachem Tidal 55 for my 20-gallon hexagon tank, and it’s great! My wife loves the silence—no more rattling to ruin our TV dramas. I can’t even hear it from the couch! It cleared my tank up overnight, leaving the water crystal clear and my fish, shrimp, and snails visibly happier. The flow is adjustable (had to dial it down for my dumbo guppy), and there’s about 30% more media space—I fit all my old media plus the bio-rocks it came with. It’s the same width as the Top Fin 20, so it swapped in easily. Cleaning is a breeze and with the in-tank pump it self primes (less mess and power outage leave of mind). .A solid 5 stars so far for this efficient, quiet filter—my tank’s looking great so far. And I’ll update this if it gives me any trouble. 05.06.2025