powerheads too much?

cfarrow2

cfarrow2

Member
I've got a 55 gal. tank and just added two 1200 MJ pumps. I think it's too much as my fish (see setup below) seem to be stressed out. Swimming like crazy and getting pushed around the tank. I also noticed that my CB has a split in his tail like a flag snapping in the breeze.
I'm wondering if anybody else has that much flow going in a 55 and how they've made it work. I moved the pumps towards the top of the tank, facing each other, but now when I feed the food gets blown around so much that the fish hardly get any before it gets into the overflow. Do I need to back off the 1200's? I've also got a 600 as well as the return pump blowing, but they don't blow nearly as hard as the 12s, and I don't think they're really a prob. Thanks for any advice.
 
What's the flow rate on the pumps? You don't need too strong of a current for Zooanthids anyways. Unless you plan on keeping Acros and other SPS corals.

By the way, Chocolate Chip Stars aren't reef safe.
 
2XMaxijet 1200 should be around 600 gph of flow. 10X tank turnover. Bare minimum, IMO. I run at 32X with zoos, softies, and stonies. The fish will get used to it, as will the corals.

I'd add more.
 
thanks guys. 600 is about right. 295 gph to be exact. each.
bare minimum? are you sh****ng me? You know I have a 55 gal. tank, right?
I guess you know what you're talking about since your tank is more advanced than mine. But when I saw my CB with that split tail I could have sworn it was too much, but needed confirmation. thanks for the advice.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6949968#post6949968 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by cfarrow2
thanks guys. 600 is about right. 295 gph to be exact. each.
bare minimum? are you sh****ng me? You know I have a 55 gal. tank, right?
I guess you know what you're talking about since your tank is more advanced than mine. But when I saw my CB with that split tail I could have sworn it was too much, but needed confirmation. thanks for the advice.
Click to expand...

I use to have a 55 that was pushing close to 1800 gph thru the tank - three PH's totaling about 1200 and my return pump was another 600. And I still wanted "MoFlow" :D

I had the PH's on a seperate switch/power strip. When I fed, I just killed the switch for them. My only problem was I would, on occasion, forget to turn them back on.

HTH

David
 
i agree you are at the min. of flow i am setting up my 75 gal. that will have 800gph through the return and 2000gph on my closed loop. trust me when i say the flow you have in your tank isn't even close to what the ocean flow is.
 
Im in the exact same boat as cfarrow2. 55gl w/ 2 mj1200
I only have the diffuser(the one that come with them which are aparantly crap) for 1.

What has been explained to me, the problem is that its all being squired in a concentrated stream.

My thinking is a relation like this

"total amount of water moved" vs "the PSI its being squirted at"

If you know your electricity, another metaphor is
"too much volts not enough amps" :)

Basically you and me both need a different "sprayer" at the end of our garden hose.
Heres a DIY mod I found.
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=717034&highlight=maxijet+DIY
A bit elaborate for me though
Ive also just read about just cutting the output nozzle off to make a bigger hole.

I may do the myself when I get home. What ive been doing for now, I have mine caddy-corner with the one without the diffuser point at the back glass at 45 degrees and the other one with the diffuser pointing up toward the surface a little.
 
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If I had a 55, I would put in a pair of Seio M820s, one in each back corner at the top aimed diagonally toward the front corners, with the streams intersecting in the middle of the tank. About 1600 gph of flow that way from two pumps, or about 30X tank turnover.

IME, the appropriate amount of flow in a tank is the most flow that your livestock can comfortably handle. For a softie / LPS tank, that's around 30X, for an SPS tank, that's 50X or more. Flow keeps detritus suspended, which helps your skimmer and live rock do a better job of processing it. The fish won't care and only need a couple of days to acclimate.
 
My weak-swimming ocellaris clown and sixline wrasse have no problem in the 5000 gph total running through my system.
 
I like Kau have a similiar setup on my 65g AGA ReefReady. With a Mag 7 on the Return and a Gen-X PCX-40 1190gph on my closed loop. Love the look of only 4 Loc-line nozzles in the tank and nothing else!
 
i'd love to put in a closed loop, but don't have the room under my tank.
thanks for the advice, though. I'll look at those mods and adjust accordingly.
 
Okay, I need to pipe in, too. I have a 55 that I'm fixin' to set up (fixin' is Texas talk for "getting ready to" :D ) and I was wondering if there were ANY inverts at all that *don't* like flow? Like Xenia or Zoas?
 
All sessile inverts need some amount of water motion. Now, each particular species' preference is a different matter. BTW, some Xenia and zoanthids appreciate quite strong water motion.
 
just FYI, I had a frag of zoos close to the flow of one of the MJs and a chunk of it tore off before i noticed. still looking for it to get it out.
 
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