Quote:
Originally Posted by
fosser http:///t/394847/power-heads#post_3514553
I am looking into purchasing new power heads for my 30gal. Now iv heard korillas are the way to go based on what iv heard in this forum. What I don't know is how big of a blower I need. I see they are listed in Gph, but how many is adequate for a 30gal. Also when I do buy them how many should I have in my tank and where should they be placed in the tank. Iv seen many pictures here and it almost looks like preference and the need from the corals. I would like your feed back. I was looking at the Korilla 425.
Hi,
I'm kind of a GPH illiterate. Koralia power heads come in numbers. Nano..#1...#2...#3 and the big one #4, they might go larger, but having a medium sized SW tank (90g) that is the largest I ever went for. In a 30g you need to evaluate your needs. Are you going for corals? Is the tank a long 30g (rectangle) or a cube (perfect square)?
This is the way I personally did things, and my reasons why: (I'm a little crazy, so take it with a grain of salt..LOL)
Rule of thumb is to get 2 power heads, or 3 if you need to point one towards the surface to help with gas exchange. If you place the power head on the back wall...the water will be pushed towards the front glass and ricochet back to the rocks in front. That method always worked for me to keep the rocks clear of detritus. When I kept a reef and needed the corals to have flow...putting the power heads on opposite sides of the tank, facing each other... one pointed a little toward the back wall, and the other toward the front wall, and one set higher than the other...This allows for the current in the tank to kind swirl. That set up allows the corals and filter feeders a chance to get what they need from the water column.
The main thing is to be sure all areas have flow, some areas will have stronger flow than others, but no dead spots. I used to take a stick and attach a thin piece of plastic ribbon to one end...the ribbon will flutter as it follows the flow of the water current. If the ribbon stops and just sits still, then that is a dead spot...you will have to either add another power head, or adjust the ones you have.
By the way, in a 30g cube I would go with three of what is called a nano, one pointed towards the top...it's so small that it's not even a number. If it is a 30g long, then I would go with two #1s...Now that is just my opinion, and what I would do, there are as many methods I think as there are hobbyists.
if I need to buy 2 425's I will.