Improving Water Flow

[@ombomb]

I did a bit of a test last night to see just how efficiently the pump from my sump back up to the main tank is working. It would seem the pump is working at about 60% of capacity due to the distance it's pumping the water up to the main tank (within the recommended limit) and that means I'm getting 17x - 18x water turnover in the main tank. I'm going to re do the pipe work at the back of the tank (to add something to break the siphon after a flood last week) which will mean the water is going slightly higher. With this in mind I was planning to either replace the pump (potentially to a rio 1700) or add another small powerhead to the main tank.

What do you think?

 

[G7EG]

I personally have 2 powerheads in my tank now pumpng onto the main rock, it seems good to me and rather powerful.... I can adjust this aswell to make it more/ less powerful.

With regards to your flood / sump question im not sure mate as I don't use one.

 

[Mr Miagi]

Id buy a powerhead. A return pump is probably not giving you the amount of flow youreally need.

 

[Fish Fingers]

Yeah I agree with what is already being said. You should look into getting another 1 or 2 powerheads to circulate the water in your tank.

 

[@ombomb]

I currently have a Powersweep powerhead in the main tank which is 1000lph, just wasn't sure whether to increas the movement just in the main tank or in the system as a whole.

I think it makes sense to add another powerhead though as the majority of my live rock is in the main tank.

Obviously another option is to replace the pump and put the current pump in the main tank...

 

[N1z]

there are some hydor ones i sell at my shop i work in, they are tiny and do large amount of liters per hour

 

[pleder]

The hydor powerhead deflective rotating devices are cool. They move the flow around a bit.

As far as preventing a flood the easiest thing to do IME is to drill syphon holes on the returns, inside the tank, as high as possible. That way if the pump does fail the back syphon will be broken as soon as that hole gets air.

Check valves tend to fail IME. If you are going to use one, make sure there is no metal componet that will quickly rust and then just be limiting your flow and providing no protection. My last check with a metal spring lasted about 2 weeks. The all acrylic ones lasted about 6 months.

 

[Chac]

Addin a Hydro to a powerhead will decrease it overall out put

If you want to update/upgrade you powerheads IMO you'd be best going for either a Seio or a Tunze Stream

IMO for the price I would defo go for the Seio, Tunze are hugly expensive, the smallest (powerwise) Seio is a 2400lph and the largest will move 10000lph IMO they are cracking peice's of equipment

 

[N1z]

no not the turning things. i ment just a pump itself just to move the current around.

 

[@ombomb]

A seio the right size (Seio Super Flow Pump 2400lph) is about £30 so not bad, do you know what size hose would attach to them by any chance?

 

[Chac]

A seio the right size (Seio Super Flow Pump 2400lph) is about £30 so not bad, do you know what size hose would attach to them by any chance?

They dont really have a suitable attachment to join to hard pipe or flexy hose tbh, the inlet & outlet are all all one, the inlet is a series of hose that run around the area of the outlet, so not suitable for attachement to any hose/pipe

 

[@ombomb]

No use as a sump pump then...

What about the Newjet 1700?

Any idea what connection they have?

 

[Aquascaper]

What do you have in your sump?

It may benefit you more to leave the flow through the sump low and just increase the flow in the display tank using powerheads, rather than increasing the flow through the sump with a larger return pump.

 

[@ombomb]

I have a DSB (although I am coming to the conclusive that this is useless), macro algae, heater, thermometer, rowaphos, denitrate, marine resin. There is also some smaller bits of live rock in there but in a small compartment with a good water turnover.

This is sort of what I was getting at with the original question (worded badly perhaps) I know I need to increase the water turnover in the main tank, but am looking for the most sensible water to do this.

As it stands I'll have the current power head which is around 1000lph, the turnover from the sump of around 500lph once the plubing is re done so a total of 1500 lph in a 90 ltr tank. So if I add an additional powerhead I should be looking for something like 500 lph.

 

[Aquascaper]

More powerheads in the display tank then.

The sumps fine as it is IMO