When using the Seachem Tidal 55, Seachem Tidal 75 or Seachem Tidal 110, you may notice that the water flow rate is slower than what you expected. To see how you can potentially make the flow faster, you can take a look at this troubleshooting guide from Aquarium Blueprints.
1. The first step we recommend taking is to try to adjust the flow regulation dial, which is located near the top of the Seachem Tidal.
By moving the dial, you should be able to notice a change in the water flow coming out of the return flow waterfall.
2. You may also want to adjust the dual intake regulation dial. With this dial, you can change the intake water flow to prioritize more to the surface skimmer or to the telescoping intake tube.
3. Furthermore, you can check to see if there is a maintenance alert at the top of the Tidal hang-on-back filter. You should also check out right side of the return flow wall.
If you see one or both of these warning signs, then it indicates that you need to clean your filter.
4. Even if you see no indications that your Seachem Tidal 55, Seachem Tidal 75 or Seachem Tidal 110 will need to undergo maintenance, we still recommend that you give your filter a thorough cleaning.
When it comes to cleaning, we recommend using water you plan on removing from your tank during a water change. By doing so, you will minimize the loss of beneficial bacteria that are living inside of the filter. It is also important that you don’t let any part of the filter dry out during the cleaning process in order to prevent a major loss of bacteria.
The surface skimmer and telescoping intake tube can get clogged over time. Therefore, you should make sure to keep the openings as clean as possible.
We also recommend rising any debris you see off of your biological, chemical and mechanical filter media.
A clogged impeller will also slow down the water flow. To see how you can properly clean the impeller for the Seachem Tidal 55, you can check out this article.
To find out how you can properly clean the impellers for the Seachem Tidal 75 and Seachem Tidal 110, you can check out this tutorial.
Of course, you should also make sure that the inner walls of the casing for your filter isn’t covered in debris.
Once you are done cleaning, reassemble your Seachem Tidal and then plug it back into the wall to use it again.
5. Overstuffing the filter media baskets of the Tidal 55, Tidal 75 or Tidal 110 could cause water flow issues.
If you believe that this is the case, you can remove a small portion of the filter media.
6. There is a possibility that your foam or polishing pad has become clogged to the point where a thorough rinse won’t have much effect.
In this case, you should replace your foam or polishing pad in order to improve the water flow in your Tidal hang-on-back filter.