powerhead advice

Dert42

Dert42

Premium Member
so i got my tank on my stand last night and filled with water.
yay!

got the 2 powerheads going that came with it.
seem kinda wimpy.

i go and check on the new r/o filter i installed and fixed a leak.
i came back and noticed a couple of flecks of junk on the tank so i went to put my hand in and it shocked the hell out of my arm!

i narrowed down which powerhead it was. required shocking myself again...
obviously that one is junk so i need to replace that one and get 1-2 more.

anything wrong with this?
http://www.aquariumpros.com/p-ZMDPS40,WVwd.html
the Oscillating seems like a good idea?
 
I have heard that they stop sweeping after awhile. I know there are other things out there. They do seem cheap though. I guess you might get what you pay for in this case.
 
I thought the PowerSweeps were a good idea too, until I had to clean them with vinegar every two weeks just to keep them sweeping. If this for your 165g tank I'd recommend Tunze's if you can afford them or a couple large SIEO's if you can't.
 
Those have to be cleaned every so often to keep the sweeping action up. You'll need a good number of them in a 165. Go with a Seio or Tunze.
 
. I had them once myself and they do need cleaning alot and a tank that size will need lots of movement more than you will get from four of those . Tunze is your best choice if you can afford them
 
Remember that all power heads (except probly Tunze) are not as strong as they say they are.

I would find what you think you need but then add 1/3 - 1/2 of GPH to it - to account for the innacurate flow numbers they give you.

EX. You think you need the M820, I would get the M1500.

They also get slower over time, even if you clean them regularly.
 
On a 165 gallon tank I'd go with 2 seio 2600's. If you find it's not enough still you could always add another one.


Mark only has up to 1500 on his web page but you could pm him or use the contact us on the web site to ask.
Here is the 1500:

http://www.thereefstop.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=57_105&products_id=119

I have 2 of these on my 70 gallon which is only 3 ft. long and mixed. If you can afford it go for 2 of these or go tunze:


http://www.thereefstop.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=61_162&products_id=392
 
On the wide flow pattern powerheads I find 50X turnover about right for a mixed tank, 25X on just softies, and around 75-100X on a sps only. Thats wide flow pattern only!!! Like seio's, tunze's, and vortech. If you do small flow pattern like maxijets and most others then the number is a lot lower.
 
I run 2 tunze 6100 on a controler and waiting to get my 6060 back. Love them! If you want to see them Pm me and we can set something up I live off of Brian Rd.
 
DARKSILENTTYPE: sweet, yes i'm still planning on coming by, and i would love to see it!

DrBDC: that explination makes a lot more sense to me.
i wasn't grasping why i needed to be blasting 5000 gph through the tank. how would the fish swim against it?! but since it's over a broader range instead of a focused stream, it makes sense.
 
A maxijet 1200 can blast the skin off of an sps if it's aimed right at it. But if that is in a 450 gallon tank, it would be grossly inadequate. So it's a matter of placement and how wide of stream. Think of when you're washing the car and you put your thumb over part of the hose to make it squirt harder. You may even have less water coming out but it's a hard blast.
 
ok payday is tommarow.
i'll order 1 seio 2600 for now.

that'll get water moving over my sand and rock.
then i need to take a financial break for little bit...
that will also allow my bacteria to grow.

thanks for all the advice! i appreciate it!
 
Seio's if you can't aford Tunzes. I had a powersweep for my fresh water. I put it in the salt water, it stoped all the time, it shocked me, I threw the pos on the ground as hard as I could in a fit of rage.

I have both, a Tunze and a Seio. The tunze doen't stop for anything the Seio needed to be cleaned from time to time. Seio is good for the money. The tunze is built for life.
 
hehe, you have my kind of temper lost marbles..

i went ahead and bought one of those Seios off ebay.
the tunze system darksilent runs is pretty sweet... but i'm a little on the poor side.
 
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