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If anyone has experienced this or has expertise on the subject, feedback is greatly appreciated.

I have an AquaClear 110 about a year old that has gotten unbearably loud. I do have sand, and thought it was sand in the impeller. I took apart the impeller a couple of times and brushed it and rinsed it out but it is still very loud. If the water is still flowing normally, is it safe to assume it isn't a bad impeller?

Thanks,

Ben

I suspect the sand...
in a tank with fine sand
wet/dry filters or canister filters or air driven filters work much better...
the sand may have wrecked 1 or all of 3 things...
the impellar
the shaft , may be tapered now so the impellar wobbles
or
the hole in the motor where the impellar goes, may be wide now

want a good deal on an eheim?
I'll ship it down

Thanks Ned. Perhaps when I have the Demasoni shipped a canister would be a good idea. What model would you recommend for a 90G crowded mbuna tank that will be 125-150G in the next 6 months. I don't know much about wet/dry or canisters and I don't have a drilled tank. Will I just have to run an in house and out hose to the filter?

You don't need a drilled tank for this...
if any sand goes into the siphon
it will stay at the bottom of the cannister away from the impellar

Eheim - 2229-37 Wet/dry filter w/media $350

Vendor: Eheim

As an external filter the EHEIM Professionel wet/dry filter is the first filter to offer the perfect technology of a "breathing" alternating contact with the filter medium. The bacteria colonies are rhythmically flushed and aerated. This creates ideal conditions for considerably accelerated decomposition of almost all solved pollutants. Ammonia is decomposed 2/3 faster and nitrite 1/3 faster than conventional canister filters. Only filtered oxygen rich water is returned to the tank. Eheim wet/dry filters come loaded with ehfisubstrat pro and are biological filters only.

* For aquariums to 160gal
* 280gph
* Delivery head 6.7ft
* Power consumption 25w
* Filter volume 1.8gal
* Dimensions 14 x 12 x 17"h
* Tubing 594 (5/8") (16mm)
* Weight 18.4lbs

Thanks Ned, sounds great! Since this solely a biological filter, do I need supplemental mechanical filtration?

I don't think so
you should occasionally rinse the media 'tho...
they also make other models...

You're right, there is a foam pre-filter you are supposed to use at first:

The foam prefitler is only to be used during the first 6-8 weeks. Afterward, the bacteria strains in the filter media take over the biological and mechanical filtration. The foam prefilter should then be removed.


Sounds like what I need, with no drilling and all.

Ben

a crowded african cichlid tank should have regular large water changes
no matter what kinds of filters you use

Is 30%/week enough?

oh yeah
30% a week is fine for most tanks