How many powerhead? How strong?

[misterd]

I am setting up a FOWLR and was wondering what power head to use. Its a 85g cube (3' by 2' by 2') How do you know how many GPH you need. Is it possible to have pump too strong that it blows away the fish?

I was planning to have a canister filter too, how many GPH overturn should i get?

Current plan of my tank

85g FOWLR
80lbs LR, 80lbs LS, Canister filter, Sump with ASM g1x skimmer. Do you think that will do it?

-Thanks, sorry for the questions overload

 

[papagimp]

You'll need more live rock than that. LIve sand should suffice. ASM skimmer is a good choice, Not sure bout that model though, If it's rated appropriatly than it's fine. Powerhead options, Look into Maxijets, cheap and good, Koralia's, cheap and better IMO, Possibly Seio's or Nano Tunze's, but alot of what you need for flow is determined by the livestock you choose. Corals in particular. Some fish do have flow preferences so keep that in mind as well. Aim for 20x - 30x overall flowrate. Use multiple powerheads/closed loop/return ect. Ya don't want all the flow coming from only one source. For instance, 25x turnover would be about 2150gph, ya don't want a 2000gph powerhead, would be better to have two 1000gph powerheads, allows for more customized flow and a smidge less laminar flow throughout the tank. I also think you'll probably wind up changing your mind on that canister filter sometime in the future, so maybe you should go ahead and read up on the info found here on reefcentral pertaining to the use of biowheels, wet/dry filters, and canister filtes in a marine system. Or any other method of severly aerobic filtration, tends to lead to higher than optimal nitrate levels.

 

[BurntOutReefer]

"Or any other method of severly aerobic filtration, tends to lead to higher than optimal nitrate levels.".....

IMO...Bad husbandry leads to the cause of higher nitrates....

 

[misterd]

Thanks for the info!

I will probably go with seio 820 and 1500. I found a guy selling them both for 65$. Is that a good price? IS the seio a good pump or should i just put in the extra money for a koralia?

I will probably be going with tangs and angelfish. If i do go with aggressive fish like lionfish and puffer, how does that change what kind of pump i need?

I will also take your advice and go with about 100lbs of LR, is that enough? The Canister filter is only to get the detritus and excess dust from floating around in the water. Do i need something to take care of that?

-thanks!