Question On Setting Up Correct Tank Circulation

[Cro-Baller]

I have a Rio 240 with Fluval 104 & 304 external filters (which are soon to be replaced with 2 X Eheim 2071's) and would like some advice on setting them up correctly to get the best/correct circulation.

At present I have the intakes in the back corners about an inch off the substrate, with the outlets just inside these at the top. The 304 outlet points across the back of the tank (right side in picture) and the 104 points to the front but angled in towards the middle of the tank slightly. The heater is to the right of the 304 intake opposite to the direction the outlet is pointing.

The tank is very much in it's infancy so far as plants are concerned, the tank and filters themselves are well established but the previous owner didn't have any plants in it at all. I am planning on having a reasonably well planted tank but still maintaining plenty of viewing area for the fish.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[waterdrop]

I'm certainly not that knowledgeable on this topic but since no one else has commented I'll say that it seems to me that it doesn't usually matter a whole lot how you set up your circle of water movement (obviously you'd not want the two filters working against each other) but more that you work towards having enough movement so that trace amounts of ammonia don't have a chance to sit in still pockets. This is ammonia at too low a level to be detected by our kits but enough to trigger algae. Some in the planted section use separate powerheads to accomplish what filters may not have enough power to accomplish.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[Cro-Baller]

I'm certainly not that knowledgeable on this topic but since no one else has commented I'll say that it seems to me that it doesn't usually matter a whole lot how you set up your circle of water movement (obviously you'd not want the two filters working against each other) but more that you work towards having enough movement so that trace amounts of ammonia don't have a chance to sit in still pockets. This is ammonia at too low a level to be detected by our kits but enough to trigger algae. Some in the planted section use separate powerheads to accomplish what filters may not have enough power to accomplish.

~~waterdrop~~

Thanks for the info.

I have been feeding the fish tablets (as part of a mixed diet) and watching the small particles that get swished up by the fishes fins to see how the flow goes. It seems to be circulating fairly well, I'll look out for any still pockets tonight.

 

[waterdrop]

Not that it affects what you're doing there but of course part of why deciding what to do is complicated is because the reality of nature is so complicated. In the tropical environments where all these fish and plants come from there is a great variety of different kinds of water movement and species of fish and plants that have adapted within various micro-environments within. It stands to reason that some fish are quite used to being out in the fast flow all the time whereas others are used to very still spots. Many of the plants actually fare much worse than the lush growth we see in well-maintained tanks (same analogy as natural parks vs. manicured gardens.)

So sometimes we might have in our heads the image of a lush underwater "lake" scene with beautiful clear still water, when in fact the tropical fish we are introducing to the tank usually lived in a rushing muddy stream with dead sticks!
(oh well, guess I'm getting pretty far off from the typical wall of aquariums in a shop! )

~~waterdrop~~