Making waves.. need some help

[Samala]

Alright my friends, I am attempting to replace the crappy aquaclear powerheads I have in my grass tank with something that will give higher turnover (but not really faster flow) and am going to attempting to have multidirectional flow so that I will not continue to have pockets of taller grass where the flow is highest. Makes the aquascape look too uneven.

Does anyone have experience with the Eheim compact pumps? Know how much wattage the biggest one draws? I'm considering it since its about the right size, output and will hopefully work with this Hydor rotating water deflector device. (Links from marinedepot - pump and deflector.

Anywho, I dont want something super expensive or super fancy and this little 20gallon would look ridiculous with say a surge or dump bucket so I thought this would be a nice way to reduce the amount of equipment in the tank, provide better randomized flow, and use up minimal real estate.

Feedback appreciated.. especially if you happen to really really hate Eheim pumps and have a good reason. I like Eheim's other stuff.

>Sarah

 

[The_Nexis_One]

I have/used a Hydor Flo in my system.

It restricted the flow too much on my return pump (Mag 3 I think @ 6' head) so I pulled it off and put it on my MaxJet 1200 - worked fine there. Unfortunatly, it didn't distribute the flow far enough with all the LR I had... it only sprays in a 'cone' shape while it was rotating the flow. If the Powerhead outlet is pointed straight forward, calling that line of exhaust the center line from outlet to opposite side of tank, the Hydor Flo changes this flow to ~35* off mean line and rotates it around. I finally pulled it off my MJ and reworked the PH's when I pulled half the rock out of the display - their flows now cross in center tank and cause random turbulance that works well.

I may install this one back in the Lagoon after I upgrade the return pump (tomorrow hopefully).

I think if you are going to use one of these - I'd get two. This should help randomize the flow a bit more than what I had done.

Additional notes - one of the LFS' here uses these on all their returns in a 500gal system. They are pushing a lot of water through and these things frequently seize up and/or blow off. If you run them too low (too small a pump) they will zap all your flow by mechanical drain, if you use them on too big, the gears wear/jam .... Seems like around 300-400 GPH works good.

As an aside, if you destroy the unit trying to remove it from your incredibly difficult to get to return nozzle .... it can be snapped back togethor and continue to work

John.

 

[piercho]

Sarah,

I've found Eheim to be moderately well built and reliable products. On an Eheim 1250 I used the inlet guard gummed up and needing bi-weekly cleaning to maintain flow rate. I was using the 1250 as an external (can be an internal) and eventually put a hairline crack in the front plate by twisting on it too much when attaching and detaching hoses.

The lowest maintenance power head-type pump I've come across is the MaxiJet 1200. These are pretty bomb-proof little devices, maintain head well and live with carbonate precipitation better/longer than most power heads before they need soaking in acid. Each pump comes with a diversity of mounting/plumbing arrangements. These are also dependable starters on a wave maker power strip like the Aquarium Systems Natural Wave. So that would be my suggestion for an in-tank, power head-type pump.

To get most of the mess out of the tank, and to improve gas exchange, I really like an overflow/sump arrangement. I tried to offer you a free CPR overflow when I responded to your PM earlier this week. A sump return pump routed to a spray-type bar will roll a lot of water in a tank and is not that obtrusive in the tank.

One interesting section in Delbreek and Sprungââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s Reef Aquariums Volume 3 was on nutrient advection by porous substrates. In short there is more advection where current is higher. I've noticed shoal grass growing toward the current, and especially toward the glass/sand interfaces where current is highest, even though thatââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s where the sand gets dug out by water flow and is the shallowest. Manatee grass, on the other hand, grew toward deeper sand in the stiller parts of my tank. Maybe the Manatee is better equiped to take advantage of nutrient recyling in anoxic parts of the sandbed.

If you'd like the CPR overflow, please PM me. My contribution toward your experiments and the wife won't complain if my pile of un-used reef-related equipment grows smaller.

 

[graveyardworm]

I've been using the hydors on rio 600 and maxi jt 1200's with no problems. I would recommend the maxi jet cause I prefer the mounting options. Not too sure about the Ehiem never used them. If it's low power consumption your looking for then a tunze stream would be the way to go, they are however quit pricey, and I'm not sure about flow options, but then flow from the tunze is very different. They can move alot of water without the forceful jet you get from the maxi jet or rio, so the tunze sounds like alot of flow but its gentle.

 

[graveyardworm]

Actually umm forget about the tunze that pump would probably tear your tank up.

 

[Samala]

Lots of good thoughts guys, thank you! I may take up Piercho on that overflow... and now I hafta learn some plumbing skills. Thanks guys!

>Sarah

 

[piercho]

If you elect to use a sump, one wavemaker that I've used is a SCWD. If your return pump is moderately strong, these are a simple option. The good: cheap, comparatively, for a wavermaker. The device can go under the tank so it doesn't intrude into the tank. The bad: itty bitty moving parts being moved by water, one of which will eventually fail. But if it lasts 18 months or so, its still cheap. The other "bad" is that it will rob a lot of output from weaker pumps. For the flow rate you are looking for, the SCWD probably needs a bigger pump than you want to use.

I haven't tried a Hydor. Same principle as a SCWD, takes pump flow power to move the device. Little moving parts in water are prone to failure.

The best solution I know of for you would be a Sea Swirl. This device takes no power (directly) from the pump as its independantly powered. The two 90 degree bends through the sea swirl can restict the pump output a little, but not much at the low flow rates you are considering. The good: flow rate independant of rotation rate, does not use pump power. Better reliability than a device with the motivating parts in water. The bad: expensive.

One simple trick is to branch the return pump output into two outputs with a T fitting. One output will roll the current counterclockwise. The other output will go to the opposite side of the tank and roll the current in the opposite (clockwise) direction. Each branch has a ball valve isolation. One output is off (its valve is shut) while the other output is on (its valve is open). Every so often you reverse which output is on, reversing the flow in the tank. If you do it twice a day or so, its a decent way the simulate tides. If you only do it twice a week or so, you are still changing the advection gradient of the substrate and blowing detritus back the other way. The valves and fittings go on a manifold that is secured under the tank, out of sight. I'll throw a manifold with the valves and barb fittings on it in with the overflow. You'll just need to clamp your hose to the barb fittings on the manifold when you plumb your return. Wohoo! My pile of un-used reef stuff gets smaller every time we talk!

 

[bluenassarius]

sorry to hijack sarah..

howard thats a interesting method.. "branch the return pump output into two outputs with a T fitting/Each branch has a ball valve isolation" i'm going to try that out

btw sarah, if you want a sqwd to play around w/ i have 2 of em. if you need one lmk.