Power heads

[Bergy]

no problem in bringin up old threads.. this one really doesnt look finalized anyways.

I agree, the max jet has a more linear flow... the covers on the koralias definately let the water react and flow out in a more natural way...

and yes, i have blown the flesh off a couple corals in my life.. there is such a thing as too mcuh flow...

hehehe

[psykokid]

I have a few things that dont like too much flow like an elegance coral. They normally thrive in silty turbid water but i have found if it recieves too much flow it doesnt extend its polyps nearly as much as it does when its in a lower flow area of my tank. I originally had two koralia 3's angled up and pointing across the tank from opposite corners. That is when i had a fluval can filter on my tank. I have since added a sump and have a return pump from the sump that puts out around 500 gph after head height loss and then going through my sqwd which alternates the return flow from the sump pump between two outlets. with the two return outlets and the K3's i found that it was too much flow overall. I had a couple of koralia nanos that i picked up from a guy that was shutting down his nano tank and use those in place of the k3's now. I have them pointed at the couple of SPS pieces that i do have in my tank to give them a little more flow than everything else. I now use the K3's in a 20 gallon brute trash can when i mix water for water changes.

Long story short, the amount of flow you have present in your tank really depends on what kind of corals you are keeping. If you are keeping SPS then you need more flow in general where as LPS and Softies require less overall flow.

[rbond76]

A good rule to follow is..have enough power heads to turn over the water 10 x the size of the tank in one hour... so a 50 gallon tank should have 500 gallons turned over in 1 hour.  I like a lot of current and my fish LOVE it.  I have a 55 gallon and I use 2 Koralia's #1  one on each side of the tank.  It's about 800 gph turn over.

[Bergy]

rules of thumb are a guideline..

unfortunately this rule for flow is not linear... so somewhere depending on the size of your tank the math wont work...

but, the intent here is that you should have tons of flow...  but like jake said, there are some critters that dont like it as much as others.. but for those critters, you can usually find  a nook or cranny to shelter it from the major flow...

[cruzincaril]

i like them ...i have three  number threes in my 125

[Just_Greg]

*makes warding sign and chants* NO PH's...NO PH's...NO PH's...  ;D

UGLY suckers...i much prefer to set up my flow "up front" in the planning stages using CL or split returns, depending on what the system is housing.  *removes the "i hate clownfish" T-shirt, and puts on "PH's are UGLY" T-shirt.

as we've discussed, there are several ways to do things in this hobby, and no PH's is how i roll...  ::)

maybe one of these days, i'll have a tank built that's strong enuff to handle being a surge tank (almost all of them have the wall opposite the surge pop off over time)...THAT will be a fun project to build, but i think Renee's "non-photo drop-off tank" will be first, and even that won't happen until we move...

[cruzincaril]

greg...im assumin ph is powerhead? you have none? well u have fish only rite? why would u need ph?

[Just_Greg]

to me, PH's are usually (not always) add-ons to correct deficiencies in the initial design/setup of a tank.  at any rate, i feel the same about heaters, skimmers, etc.  they make what would otherwise be a nice-looking tank less nice-looking.

all tanx require proper flow and surface turbulance, and none of my FOWLR's are simply fish with LR tossed in.  to be honest, the difference between my FOWLR's and reefs is usually the lighting.  when i was reefing, i never used PH's either (once i "saw the light") and now when i design a setup, i try to take into account what i'll be keeping and go with those requirements.

i realize that many peeps often set up their first tanx based on less than optimum info, or maybe they really have no idea what they'll be keeping and thus, can't set up their systems accordingly.  i also realize that i have set up more tanx than most folks will do in a lifetime, but i do like to pass on what i've learned, even tho i'm still learning myself.

i imagine the next step for me might be setting up accurate biotope setups.  some of these ideas might include Renee's "drop-off wall" biotope, a garden eel biotope, and a N. Pacific temperate biotope.  this is where the "challenge" of the hobby comes into play for me.

[Bergy]

like greg said, all marine aquariums need flow, (with jelly fish on the low end of that spectrum)...

what greg is referring to, is an alternate way to get flow... actually what he is saying is that power heads are an alternate way to get flow


IF, you do things 'properly' and design the flow into your system, then you wont need power heads... power heads, (PH, not pH) will serve to suppliment either a weak design or for the few hiddne spots that occurs that block the flow


ok, so, now you are thinking, how do you design flow...

by use of built in pumps... with drilled tanks that let the pumps suck water in and shoot it back out somewhere else in the tank..

these tanks have a ton of plumbing as you can imagine, BUT, the problem is, and it is a huge problem...for teh normal hobbyist, is that if the plumbing leaks, or if the bulkhead fails, the tank will drain to the lowest point...

the tanks that have CL, (closed loop circulation), either have holes in the bottom of the tank, or in the back, or both...  if the bulkheads or plubming fails to the outlet/inlet in the bottom then it will drain to the bottom... the end


if the holes are in the back, then it will drain to the hole.. so it will depend on how low that hole is..

for good design you would want those holes about 2 inches off the bottom sand...

so again, that is a ton of water to lose if things fail...


andyes, i know about failure...

I had a tank drain on me.. my 180 gallon.. i estimate that 130 gallons were inside my house.. .and yes, that is a ton or two of water... aboput 2 inches deep...


that wasnt a good day...

and it happend when i was there, actually i was doing maintenance on it, as the plumbing had a small leak, really small, and me being hte perfectionist, tried to take things apart to fix it, but one of the isolation valves i installed originally failed.. 

so, even with me there, there was nothing to be done..


So, although i agree with greg that the display tank should display seal life and not electrical equipment, i think that powerheads serve that purpos and blend into the background/corners well enough to not detract from it


its like glasses... it dont relally matte rhow good they lood or how crappy they look, when you are wearing them, you only look thru them, and when i look into my tank, i dont look at the power heads, i look at the sea life... not the drain, not the over flow, not the power heads...

I dont even look at my stand or my light for that matter... even though the argument could encopmpass them too for not being 'realistic'/natural

[Just_Greg]

[psykokid]

show off.. :P

[Bergy]

which one is the powerhead?

[Learner]

which one is the powerhead?

LOL ;D

[Just_Greg]

which one is the powerhead?

smarta$$... :P

just a visual to go with your nice explanation.

[cruzincaril]

dang..i feel like im in kindergarten