Crummy video of my tank.
- Thread starter trigger40
- Start date
trigger40
Well-Known Member
ive got a 100g for them but i still need a filter and light. then it needs to be cycled...
pegasus
Well-Known Member
It makes a difference. I am a firm believer in high flow. When I bought my used 125, I asked the previous owner if it came with any powerheads. Her reply? "I never had any fish that could handle any flow". REALLY? I still have two of the three fish that came with the tank, because the 8 year old clown decided to die after a few months. The other two, a Yellow Hawaiian Tang and Coral Beauty Angel really enjoy the four 1200GPH (each) Sicce pumps. Her lack of flow was the leading factor in a one day teardown, transport, and setup, turning into a one month cycle process. The sand was so polluted and so stirred up from transport that I started a new sandbed. I ordered 120lbs of SeaFlor Special, washed the existing sand, set up the live rocks, and waited. I say if it's pushing rocks off the stack, and blowing sand and corals all over the tank, it may be a bit excessive. Otherwise, it's just right. Fish love currents, and corals depend on them to bring food and take away waste.
trigger40
Well-Known Member
i was thinking going with a wave box but i hear they break a lot. i am also looking at some hydro pumps. im thinking two 1000 gph pumps(maybe more?) with the filter and i should be fine. my zoa's, toad stool, and kenya trees are loving the new flow but no so much the shrooms. i had to hide them behind some rocks so they would open up. all of the fish like to hang out in the current and you see them more now. the tank now has about 1000 gallons of flow including the filter and other pump.
pegasus
Well-Known Member
I ran FOUR Hydor Koralia Evolution 1150's on a wavemaker in my 125G, until I couldn't put up with the click/clack noise they constantly made on startup. I have 4 Sicce Voyager 3's in the tank now. They're rated 1200GPH each. I have a pair or WP-10's rated at 200-800 GPH and a pair or RW-8's rated at 800-2000GPH in my 40G breeder tank. At 5,600GPH in a 40 gallon tank, I can blow the scales off the fish. .. but I felt sorry for them and slowed the flow rate down a good bit. If my Sicce pumps in the 125 ever need replacing, I'm definitely going to use RW-8's for the additional flow. Heck, I might even move up to the RW-15 (rated @ 400-4000GPH)!!!
pegasus
Well-Known Member
The reason they're noisy on a wavemaker is because the pumps operate on AC current. AC pumps start up in reverse about 50% (+/- 50%) of the time. Hydor ingeniously installed a rubber bumper to catch the blade and "bump" it in the right direction. This is where the noise comes from. For constant, linear flow, these are good pumps. I want turbid, mixed flow as this is better at suspending detritus and eliminating dead spots. I also like to see a grain or two of sand sliding across the bed, as this lets me know nothing is settling there. It's your call on additional powerheads for the 40G, but yeah... you'll need a lot stronger pumps to move water in the 100G. If you get controllable powerheads (such as Jebao RW-8 or even RW-15), you can turn them down to work great in your 40G... and after the 100G is up and running, your powerhead situation is covered.
2014FishKiller
Member
I have Hydor 1500 and SunSun 1600 for my 100 gallon tank, I don't noticed any of those make any noise, I will add another SunSun 1600 later since everyone in here believe more flow is better.
pegasus
Well-Known Member
Hydor description:
High flow is very important to maintaining a thriving healthy aquarium. Aquariums with poor flow can experience a number of easily avoidable health issues. Using high flow powerheads in your aquarium will:
- Significantly decrease the risk of algae outbreaks.
- Keep waste and particles suspended longer so skimmers and filters have a better chance of removing them.
- Prevent toxic pockets from forming in hard to reach areas.
- Keep debris from collecting on corals.
- Keep food suspended longer so you can add less food.
- Increase the chances of long term healthy tank success.
trigger40
Well-Known Member
thanks! im gona go ahead and get the pumps i need for the 100g and throw one on the 40g for now. do you think the two 1000 gph pumps will be good for the 100g? for this tank i am not taking any chances with ich so everything i buy will be dry. i will add the bacteria from a bottle. but without the lr critters i think i will need the extra flow for my filter.
pegasus
Well-Known Member
I tried two 1200 gph Sicce Voyager 3's in my 125, but soon realized it wasn't enough. It's a 6' tank, and there were too many dead spots. I added two more a week later, and though it didn't completely rid it of all the dead spots, it made them much smaller. There are now three "low flow" areas in my tank, the middle-front, and each end of the tank. Having 4 pumps made a big difference. Like I mentioned in another post, if the Sicce pumps should happen to die, I'll be replacing them with RW-8's (200-2,000 gph each)... or I might just go wild and move up to the RW-15 (400-4,000 gph each)!
What are the dimensions of your 100? Knowing this will give a better idea of the flow strength you'll need.
trigger40
Well-Known Member
72 1/2" x 18 1/2" x 19 3/8".
pegasus
Well-Known Member
It'll take strong pumps to get a good flow of water in your 6' tank. I suggest you look at something similar to what I have if you want to keep the water moving throughout the tank. My four Sicce pumps are rated at a total of 4800 gph, but I know they aren't actually moving that much. The flow is too wide on these pumps, so they barely move the water past the middle of the tank. That's why I suggested the RW-8. It's design gives a more concentrated stream, so the flow carries a longer distance. They also come with programmable controllers. If you are only planning on using two powerheads, I suggest getting a pair of RW-15's. You want the water to move like it does in a natural reef, not like a goldfish bowl...