Powerhead Questions

[idlefingers]

I'm continuing my quest to plan out what I need to buy to get my 200ltr (50 us gallon) tank going and have a few questions about powerheads. In the end the tank's going to be a reef setup but due to lighting restraints, to start with I'm going to do FOWLR. I've read on here that 20-30x turnover is good.

Is it better to have a bunch of small powerheads or one or two big ones? What brands/models would you recommend? I've been looking at the Hydor Koralia pumps which look quite good to me, but I have no idea if they are?

 

[shibby]

best to have a few just incase one breaks or sumin! and hydor koralias have been getting alot of good reviews lately

 

[rictheredneck]

i love the koralias, imo just 2 of them would suffice. the hydor koralia 2's turn over 600 ghp so 2 of them would give you 24 times turnover rate, thus in the event of one breaking down you would still have 12 times plus whatever you have from a skimmer/filter/sump etc, which would suffice for long enough to get a replacement. obviously 2 would look better than 3 or 4. plus the flow is better than the cheaper stream type ones, which you would need more of to get the right turn over amount. im not implying you would be getting the cheaper type or anything just a note!

just a lil edit depending on how long your keeping it fowlr 20 to 30 times turnover isnt strictly needed not sure what the recommended turnover rate is for fowlr, but it can always be upped when you decide to go for a reef and you can spend your cash on essentials to get it going.

 

[kkyyllee]

its better to have more so you can avoid dead spots

 

[rictheredneck]

its better to have more so you can avoid dead spots

i wouldn't really say its better, if the power heads you have got are positioned correctly and you don't have dead spots its not really better to have more doing the same job. all you have to do is make sure you don't have dead spots. the more power heads you have the less space there is to put corals etc that prefer less flow. imo.

 

[andywg]

If you can eliminate dead spots with two, the two is good.

Using propellor style pumps like the Tunze (Nano) Stream or the Hydor Koralia will help eliminate dead spots by producing a wider current of bulk water movement, rather than a pin point jet of water.

I would avoid Seio as: they look big and ugly, they don't come with magnets for easy placing (like the nano streams and hydor) and they are made by Rio whose most recent powerheads appear to have a nasty habit of stopping, allowing electrical current into the tank and then nuking the tank.

You could really splash out and get a bulk water movement device like the Tunze Wavebox, but it is a bit overkill on a 55 gallon (I have one on a 100 imp gallon and have it almost comlpetely turned down). I know a smaller one exists in the US (Wave2k?) that appeasr quite good.

 

[idlefingers]

Thanks for the advice, guys.

Is there a way to try to ensure no dead spots, or i assume it all depends on the placement of live rock, etc? With my freshwater background, 20-30x turnover seems huge and I imaging a whirlpool when it's all going.. This is probably a bit of a stupid question but, what's the best way to arrange powerheads?.. Is there a best way?

 

[sacramonel]

If you are willing to spend the money I would get a Tunze Wavemaker. Definitely no dead spots with that.

 

[rictheredneck]

Thanks for the advice, guys.

Is there a way to try to ensure no dead spots, or i assume it all depends on the placement of live rock, etc? With my freshwater background, 20-30x turnover seems huge and I imaging a whirlpool when it's all going.. This is probably a bit of a stupid question but, what's the best way to arrange powerheads?.. Is there a best way?

not really a specific way maybe one lower one higher just try and make sure there are no dead spots, if you have say 2 of the propeller types you should be fine. but say if you had a big clump of lr in a corner it might be beneficial to have a cheap ass power head placed behind it as long as you easy access to it for if it breaks down or maintenance etc. if you have a small frag or macro algae id try placing that in suspect dead spots if it moves with the flow its looking good alternately dropping in a few pieces of slow sinking flake food or a turkey baster with marine snow in it should give you a fair indication. good luck!

 

[SkiFletch]

Eliminating deadspots entirely is almoast impossible as it really more depends on your aquascaping than anything. Here's some tips:

Have one powerhead pointed/angled to break surface tension in the water
Try to create caves and spaces under rocks when aquascaping
Avoid densely packing rocks
Do your best to keep rocks away from the sidewalls