power heads, or pumps

[sdexcalibur]

What do most people use to creat water movement, I was looking at a rotating power hear. I figured two going oppisite directions would get some good water movement, but them I saw the Underwater pump catagory, Which is better, I' not running an undergravel filter and I don't need either for a skimmer, can either of these be hooked up to a wave machine.

 

[Max]

i dont know about wave macheins but i use a powerhead, and a sidefilter

what is a mave machein?

 

[Navarre]

Rotating powerhead?
Do you mean the sweepes that move from side to side as they release the water?
If so then i dont recomend them for marine use. After about 3 months they will stop sweeping due to salt build up and other fine particles. You can clean them of course but it makes little difference. After a period of time they fail to sweep altogether.
I do beleive they can be hooked up to a wavemaker though.


TO answer the other question.. A wave maker is a device that you plug you powerheads into. This device will switch the heads on and off in either a random event or programmed events. this will crete natural surges and give the tank a feling of gentle waves passing over the corals. Inverts and corals seem to like this back and forth moevement as do the fish

 

[spanair]

I must get a wavemaker this weekend

 

[impur]

Just use a few powerheads and any HOB filter for surface agitation.

 

[spanair]

I personally like the water movement the wavemaker makes, it also seems the corals and fishes like it, better than the constant pushing of the powerheads on the same direction all the time.

That's just me

 

[leanne]

Ooo must get one too!! A lot of the things deemed necessary you can do without but this just sounds so nice.

 

[Navarre]

If you want a wave maker then try to find one that has a "Soft Start" mechanism. It means that the powerheads are started up slowly and this will prolong the life of your powerheads. Sudden starts and stops can wear out powerheads very quickly.

 

[spanair]

Yep my LFS has both of them, the ones that do progressively start slowly and increase in speed and then back down it slows down again. Pretty pretty cool, must get 8)