powerheads .l. l. l
- Thread starter hopkins6
- Start date
T
thomas712
Guest
Your answer starts with a good return pump, calculate its flow, then figure out the powerheads. This assumes that you will have a sump or something. Either or, Maxi Jet power heads are the way to go. I suggest the MJ 900's, they use less power than the MJ 1200's and still give good flow.
So how will you be setting this tank up, with or without a return pump?
Thomas
So how will you be setting this tank up, with or without a return pump?
Thomas
I will have a sump with a return pump, i'm getting it sunday so i'm not sure how big or what kind. I will be keeping soft corals. Thanks
airforceb2
Active Member
Keep in mind that with corals you want about a 20x to 25x turnover rate in your tank. For a 75 it would be 1500 to 1900GPH total flow.
airforceb2
Active Member
I would also suggest a Power Sweep to creat some sort of revolving current.
wwfstyle
Member
I too have a 75 and I will be useing 6 MJ 1200 and my return pump is simular to your RIO 1700. I know that item you are talking about that rotates on the PH and it works for awhile but then loosens and pops off the PH alot. Last Friday I bought a power strip that turn off and on every 20 sec to 3 minutes. Instead of paying the $12 for that little device that works for a short time spend about $50 and get the strip and hook a few PH to it. I found a web site where the MJ 1200 are $18 and shipping is very resonable.
evilbob22
Member
Originally Posted by hopkins6
my return pump is a Rio 1700. Is that 1700 gph?
Nope... It depends on your "head height". Basically, your head height is how far up the pump has to push the water. So if your pump is 4 feet below the top of your main tank, you have 4 feet of head height. There is another catch... every elbow in the return pipe makes it a little more difficult to push through, so that 4 feet is problably going to act more like 4 1/2 or 5 feet.
Flow rates for the Rio 1700:
Head height - GPH
0' - 642 gph
1' - 620 gph
2' - 486 gph
3' - 418 gph
4' - 352 gph
5' - 180 gph
6' - shutoff
If you still have the box it might be on the side of the box too.
my return pump is a Rio 1700. Is that 1700 gph?
Nope... It depends on your "head height". Basically, your head height is how far up the pump has to push the water. So if your pump is 4 feet below the top of your main tank, you have 4 feet of head height. There is another catch... every elbow in the return pipe makes it a little more difficult to push through, so that 4 feet is problably going to act more like 4 1/2 or 5 feet.
Flow rates for the Rio 1700:
Head height - GPH
0' - 642 gph
1' - 620 gph
2' - 486 gph
3' - 418 gph
4' - 352 gph
5' - 180 gph
6' - shutoff
If you still have the box it might be on the side of the box too.
maeistero
Active Member
HA!!!
finally i've someone who agrees with me on the powersweep.
research it on the search function and it will look like a bad powerhead, but i've had tremendous success with them. i watch the classifieds for used ones all the time and have yet for one to quit. they're not very powerful, but do create wave-like motion. with a timer set powersource you have a light wavemaker cheap.
if nothing else you have some wave action before you can afford an actual wavemaker.
finally i've someone who agrees with me on the powersweep.
research it on the search function and it will look like a bad powerhead, but i've had tremendous success with them. i watch the classifieds for used ones all the time and have yet for one to quit. they're not very powerful, but do create wave-like motion. with a timer set powersource you have a light wavemaker cheap.
if nothing else you have some wave action before you can afford an actual wavemaker.
wwfstyle
Member
You could get 2 maxi jet PH 1200 place one on each side faceing each other and place them about 1/4 to 1/3 way down the tank side. With the current comeing from both sides and hitting each other in the middle of the tank it will reflect and go into more of the dead spots that you have. I have never done it but I have read alot of articals about.
T
thomas712
Guest
I wouldn't use the MJ 1200, least not anymore, and here is why. The 1200 uses a very pigish 20 watts!!! while the 900 only uses 8.5 watts.
Maxi jet powerheads are one of the best that you can get IMO. Go for the 900's as the offer a much better energy savings over the 1200 as you can see by the chart blow.
.Maxi Jets Wattage:
600 = 7.5 watts per hour
900 = 8.5 watts per hour
1200 = 20 watts per hour!!!
Model V/Hz Consumption
(in watts)
Maximum
Flow
Maximum
Pumping Ht.
Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price*
l/h g/h meters inches
MP400 120/60 5 400 106 .73 29 $27.90
MP600 120/60 7.5 600 160 1.35 53 $32.85
MP900 120/60 8.5 870 230 1.17 46 $38.40
MP1200 120/60 20 1110 295 1.74 69 $42.85
Sure there is a difference of 65 gph between the 1200 and 900 but its still a good flow and you save on the electricity in the long run. I always like to suggest one extra for emergancy's or for mixing new saltwater.
Thomas
Maxi jet powerheads are one of the best that you can get IMO. Go for the 900's as the offer a much better energy savings over the 1200 as you can see by the chart blow.
.Maxi Jets Wattage:
600 = 7.5 watts per hour
900 = 8.5 watts per hour
1200 = 20 watts per hour!!!
Model V/Hz Consumption
(in watts)
Maximum
Flow
Maximum
Pumping Ht.
Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price*
l/h g/h meters inches
MP400 120/60 5 400 106 .73 29 $27.90
MP600 120/60 7.5 600 160 1.35 53 $32.85
MP900 120/60 8.5 870 230 1.17 46 $38.40
MP1200 120/60 20 1110 295 1.74 69 $42.85
Sure there is a difference of 65 gph between the 1200 and 900 but its still a good flow and you save on the electricity in the long run. I always like to suggest one extra for emergancy's or for mixing new saltwater.
Thomas
wwfstyle
Member
I never really thought about the wattages. Thanks for that info Thomas. On my set up I'm going for the 1200 ( Placed the order last week) and they should arrive today. I am planning on useing PVC pipe on 2 of them with 1 elbo so I might need as much gph as I can get, but it looks like instead of ordering 4 MJ1200 I should have gotten 2 of the 900's and 2 of the 1200's. OH WELL some day I learn from my mistakes. I dont really have a heat problem yet since I have a lg fan on sump and 2 fans in my hood. Sumps in my garage and it's much cooler in there any ways.