<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9463970#post9463970 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by N1ceDrgn
I understand both points of view you bring up. I wasn't sure if you were aware of the magnet option for powerheads or not. As I mentioned earlier, it's something that recently showed up here. I'll admit that I'm not sure if this is a new option either.
Once I relocate, I'm also going to move away from power heads and utilize a PVC plumbing deisgn I have. Instead of solely relying on the 'manifolds' on my overflows, I have been working on an idea I saw in use on a tank in CO. Instead of using any loc-line and powerheads, the plumbing for water movement was neatly hidden behind rock work and eventually covered by transplanted coraline. He routed PVC from his sump up and into his tank evenly spaced across the back of his tank. Then, combining his rock scaping and plumbing, it's all neatly hidden. He used plastic water sprinkler heads for rotating heads and has these heads spaced in specific locations to create a small wave effect, offset by surge pumps for a greater effect. It was all quite impressive, the setup he designed and built, all the way through how it functioned.
Using a return pump, making use of 1" PVC and 1" unions, it was a really interesting design. I'll admit for the first few months, it was not very impressive to look at. Once his tank stabilized and the coraline algae he planted on the PVC grew, you couldn't see any of it.
