Mind My Ignorance - _ -

[lil mermaid]

Hey all, B)

I've been doing some reading on setting up a salt water aquarium and have a few questions. I came across a power head which is suppose to circulate the water. They vary in prices of course, does this device connect to the outlet of the external cannister filter? and is there really a big difference between these two power heads besides the price

AQUA ONE

* Suitable for both fresh & saltwater.
* Completely submersible
* Variable flow control
* Quiet & efficient

Output: 3000 lph
Max. head height: 3.5mt
Watts: 80w
Nozzles included: 19mm outlet & 21mm inlet
Power Lead Length: 1.7mt
Dimensions (LxWxH): 17.5 x 10 x 14cm
Warranty: 2 years

Aqua Medic Power Head PH2500

* 2500 lph
* 2.6mt Head
* 37 watt
* 3mt cable
* 18mm inlet & outlet connections
* 155x80x105 (LxWxH) without connections

* Suitable for fresh and saltwater
* Rugged pump housing
* Energy saving motor
* Polished ceramic shaft and bearing
* Submerged and non submerged installation
* Pre-filter with pre-filter basket and hose connections
* 12 month warranty


I hear people talking about having a sump and an over flow box. What exactly are they in a nutshell, put simply? I am thinking about purchasing some accessories to start off my tank, do you think this will eliminate any possible future diseases or pests?

*Protein Skimmer( does it have to be expensive)
*Power Head
*UV Sterilizer
*Aqua One 2200 External Filter (catering for a 250L tank)
*Heater
*Hydrometer (digital version)

Thanx

 

[bobf]

All a powerhead sets out to do is to move water - it's basically a pump with a short inlet pipe and equally short output pipe. Sometimes folks use them with a filter attatchment in the input side, so the water is sucked through some filter media before it gets to the pump and is sent back round the tank.

You do not need to connect it to a filter output, or to use a filter basket on the input side - it can happily run in isolation. Powerheads are used in marine tanks primarily to create water movement, not for filteration. Ideally, you would want around 20x water volume circulated each hour.

Two main differences in the powerheads you quote are the output - measured in litres per hour, and the power consumption measured in watts. Using two or more powerheads is usually preferable to acheive flowrate rather than one 'mega powerhead' as it is easier then to avoid 'dead' spots, i.e. areas where there is little or no water movement.

A sump is a separate (usually smaller) tank often set below the main display tank and usually out of sight. The purpose of a sump is really twofold - first, to increase the volume of water as more water = more stability and secondly as a home for the stuff which would otherwise clutter up your display tank, like heater, protein skimmer etc. Also can be used for filteration in some fashion or other and/or as a home for other 'life' not wanted in, or suitable for the main tank.

Whether you want or need a sump, or how much water movement you might aim for, depends upon how big your display tank is, what you plan to stock etc.

Have a read of the 'stickies' at the top of the marine chit chat section as much of this is better explained there.

 

[lil mermaid]

Thanx for ur input Bob, your help was much appreciated My tank is a 5ft and contains approximately 65Gallon (250L) which is currently housing tropical fish.

P.S: Will a UV Sterilizer eliminate any parasites and or fungus/bacteria as such. I know it controls Algae..this will set me back about $280 AU if I find it necessary to buy. There are cheaper versions and perhaps even more expensive but whether the cheaper versions live up to their performance is another question

 

[bobf]

Thanx for ur input Bob, your help was much appreciated My tank is a 5ft and contains approximately 65Gallon (250L) which is currently housing tropical fish.

P.S: Will a UV Sterilizer eliminate any parasites and or fungus/bacteria as such. I know it controls Algae..this will set me back about $280 AU if I find it necessary to buy. There are cheaper versions and perhaps even more expensive but whether the cheaper versions live up to their performance is another question

I'd put the UV sterilizer fairly low on your intial 'needs' list. There are other ways to control alagae if it becomes a problem and a UV unit could always be added later anyway. Similarly, your tank would benefit from spending the cash you plan to spend on an external filter on live rock instead.

You don't have a reverse osmosis (RO) unit on your list - you should have. Phosphates carried in tap water are very often a contributory cause of algae in a marine tank, using RO water is much, much better and gets you off to a good start.

Before you do anything more, try and have a think about what you want in your tank - fish only, fish only with live rock or a reef setup (fish, live corals and invertibrates) - to some extent this will guide the shooping list for you. Have a read of the stickies and read through some of the threads where folks have included how they established their tanks and then come back with your ideas on what livestock you'd like to keep. Plenty on here will help in 'planning' your system and you will definately save money and anguish (and probably marine life too!) by checking first.

Enjoy your journey