Powerhead

[mangelo]

Do I need powerheads in my FO? If I do how much water movement is necessary?

 

[namxas]

Kinda depends on your setup. Help us out here...tank size, system design, filtration, etc.

 

[mangelo]

75g, live rock/sand, dual biowheel, skimmer. i currently have 2 Coralis #3 in the tank now.

 

[namxas]

I'd say you're all set then. Normally, I try to avoid PH's (I prefer closed-loops), but with HOB filtration on larger tanks, they help.

 

[mangelo]

What do you mean by "closed loops"?

 

[DoubleM 10]

What do you mean by "closed loops"?

correct me if im wrong but closed loops to my understanding is where the return pump from the sump has the power to create all the water movement vs having power heads create the movement.

 

[D5HP]

correct me if im wrong but closed loops to my understanding is where the return pump from the sump has the power to create all the water movement vs having power heads create the movement.

That's actually not a closed loop but using the return to help with water movement is a really common thing...although not always ideal. High flow rates in the DT are great for helping with algae but you don't want to be running a ton of water through your sump because your contact time will be so low. 4-6x turnover is what I normally read being ideal.

A closed loop is where a pump draws water from the aquarium and then returns it without ever going into a reservior (sump) or anything else. There can be multiple inlets and outlets but all the plumbing is sealed and thus always full of water. Meaning there are no air bubbles if it's sealed correctly.

So let's say you drill a hole into the left side of the tank...that goes straight into a pump behind the tank and then you return it to the left side. That's as simple as a closed loop gets.

You don't even have to drill for a closed loop. I employ a CL on my nano-reef for a phosban reactor where it just pulls water over the lip of the tank and returns it the same way.

They help minimize powerheads but some people don't like them due to maintenance issues, which are IMO normally based on oversights in the initial design.

I too love a good closed loop.

 

[namxas]

Here's an example of a FOWLR setup that runs a CL:

By running a sump + CL, you can have a system that has very little in the way of unsightly equipment in the DT:

 

[Recty]

Ah, the infamous closed loop "retruns" picture

 

[namxas]

Ah, the infamous closed loop "retruns" picture

Yeah...in my defense, I didn't label the photo...