ways to create current in tank??

[rusty-nail-z]

Hi, im cycling my tank and curing some LR and gettin my tank ready and im wondering if anyone has advice on powerhead positioning. Right now i have two Aqua clear 270gph for my 55g tank. Ive got them at opposite ends of the back end, both kinda pointing to the middle of the front.

Also, do i need anymore waterflow devices, or is 540gph (total) enuff for my soon to be reef and fish tank?

 

[JustADude]

before you get to deep into your set up, have you gave much thought into a closed loop system ? other option would be to add a wave maker, and drop in a couple of MJ1200's

 

[mikeandjenn99]

Positioning should be ok, it's always hard to tell in a new tank. You could always sprinkle in a small pinch of food to see how it blows around. Make sure you don't have any dead spots where food (and eventually poop) will accumulate. As far as total flow, that's probably not enough. You should shoot for 10-20x turnover, so you'd want 550-1100gph. You'd probably be good to just add one more like you have now. It'll depend on what you want to house and it's flow requirements. I'm running 3 MJ900, so that gives me about 690gph, and it's a little on the low side.
HTH

 

[BurntOutReefer]

IMO...you'll need MJ1200's....
as you add more LR, your flow will start to dissapate by the LR...
and IMO...more is better the less.....and your positioning is good right now...

 

[Deprecated]

I agree with the statement above about flow, you are probably going to want a little more. That is subjective though to what you want to keep, fish only, softies, LPS, SPS etc..

Positioning wise your configuration is pretty standard, pointing towards the middle of the front glass is pretty common. If and where you have dead spots depends a lot on how much rock is in there and how it is configured. Just get creative and try different configurations, try and eliminate the dead spots as much as possible.

 

[rusty-nail-z]

thanx guys

 

[JustADude]

I agree , more turns is always better, if you dont go with a wave maker , I would still drop in about 4 MJ1200's and maybe a couple of MJ900 lower in the tank to address some of the dead spots, I know at one time I made two short spray bars and ran them downward in the back corners of a tank.

 

[BurntOutReefer]

yupppers....I have a 55g with 1300GPH closed loop...and I still have dead spots.....

 

[rusty-nail-z]

exactly what are dead spots? I get the idea, but how do you know exactly where they are. Also, im hearing alot about MJ this and that (maxijet i assume). Since ive already bout to aqua clear 50's, would it be cool to just add some more of those, or maybe mix them with MJ's. I just dont wanna have to rebuy everything....

 

[BurntOutReefer]

mix and match away....
as far as dead spots, you will see them as your tank matures, and all the detritus ends up there.....
usually in a next to impossible place to reach to blow out...even by NASA standards...LOL...

 

[jenajet]

seio 620 or 820. I plan to get two of the 820's for my 90. The more flow the better I say
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=12074&N=2004+113040