Review on 🌊 Tidal 75 Gallon (300 Liters) SeaChem Fish Tank Filter with Sicce Pump by Amy Wilkins

Bought a Tidal 75 block from Revain about a month ago. I was very excited to try it out in my 55 gallon aquarium which is mostly populated with disc and black neon tetras. There are two adjustable flow regulators. The first mixes or shuts off the flow through the water inlet, leaving only the skimmer running in the off position (more on that later). The other regulates the flow from the pump itself, slowing down the overall flow of water through the device by 80%. Personally, I always leave the inlet wide open and reduce the flow to a trickle while feeding. The suction strainer has large holes that can easily suck in roasts. I can recommend an inlet pre-filter for growers. The pump is powerful and sits below the waterline so refilling is not a problem. The filter never needs a primer! There is a small spool on the lid that will likely pop out when the mechanical filter sponge is full. I have serviced this filter twice and although I clean my filters more often than necessary I have yet to see the coil move. I believe if that coil shows up there won't be time to service the filter. Under the lid there is a spacious material basket that can be easily detached from the body. If you turn the lid over, the basket and lid are reliably connected to each other. This provides a drip-free tray that can be carried to the sink. Great feature. The basket holds 1.5 liters of media. It came with a mechanical filter sponge and a large mesh bag filled with a small amount of Seachem Matrix biostones. I put in a pound of Fluval Matrix-filled ceramic rings and still have room for a decent pack of activated charcoal if needed. I replaced Marineland Penguin 150 with Tidal. And although it was only rated for 30 gallons, Marineland was far more efficient at biological filtration; probably due to the infamous bio wheel. Tidal filters are only suitable for underwater environments, which IMO says is less efficient because bacteria also need oxygen. I was able to install an old bio wheel on this unit and would recommend this mod to anyone who has a tide filter. The skimmer is strong! There is nothing to say about the protein film, it does not exist. He pulled out all the duckweed that I was afraid of. Any leaves or floating bits of anything are removed with a skimmer. Half of the skimmer dam is below my waterline and I often worry that a stray juvenile will fall in. They don't usually come close to him, but when they do, they are strong enough to swim away from him. However, I had my first fight with me right after I got this unit. A fish died on mine and the skimmer pulled the little guy right up to it. There is room on the side of the case to mount a heater, but I don't want my heater to be mounted vertically. Luckily the clip is removable. Pros: Never needs a primer. Very large basket for media. Adjustable flow control. Functional skimmer. Very small fish are in danger. The intake grille has large holes. Also the danger of browning - throws out a lot of garbage after servicing the media basket. The only way to counteract this is to disassemble and flush the entire unit before putting it back into service. Not cool.