do i have a powerhead or not please help?

[shifty]

?do i need to add more powerheads to this water i have a pondmaster 950gph its submersed in my sump but not exactly sure if this is a powerhead or a pump or if it is the same thing i was wondering because i heard of people having more than one. i just started my tank yesterday im adding 100lbs lr in about 2 hours just wanted to make sure i have what i need should i keep skimmer off while cycle goes threw
also does this set up need some kind of air might be dumb ? but not sure iam a rookie at this and it is very expencive i rather ask ? that seem dumb than to mees up anything i bought cost to much i'v spent over 3,200$ and im just putting in my lr today and i don't even have my proper lighting thanks for all the advice and if u have anything else that i did not ask that can help me on my way i thank you again

 

[david t.]

First are u using live sand or crushed coral? and i asume the sump you are talking about is in a wet/dry filter? If you are using sand you probally dont need the wet/dry. The lr should be sufficient to do the filtration the natural way. I would monitor the ammonia & nitrite and see what happens. If the lr does the filtration all you need is a powerhead inside the tank to move the water around so there is no dead spots in the tank(where water does not circulate) And i would not run the skimmer when cycling because you would be removing the waste needed to start the cycle. try that and let me know how it goes

 

[david t.]

also forgot to ask how you were going to start cycle? a lot of people use a cocktail shrimp just throw it in and let it set for a week so it can decompose in the water to start the ammonia. Also people use damsels they are hardy so they can take the cycle but are aggresive little runts if u use damsels you might find yourself wanting to take them out after the cycle. And by the way they can hard to catch if you decide to go that route. It's just a couple of sugestions everybody has different tanks so use what u think is best for u

 

[shifty]

yes i use wet/dry with crushed coral what kind of powerhaed do you think i should use and what do you mean i wont need my wet dry any more after lr are in thanks just

 

[david t.]

The live rock is a natural water filter. If you have enough in the tank then that is all u need it will filter the water. you just need to make sure the water is circulated in the tank so the live rock can do its thing..did your lfs sell you all the stuff...Just remember just because they work there does'nt mean they know everything..As far as a powerhead use personal judgement i would put in 2 one in back and one in front on diferent sides to move the water around. You dont need to create a tornado or nothing like that just make sure the water is circulated in the tank. If you have any questions you can call me @3363826191 I will gladly help you out as much as i can...
P.S. I wish somebody was around when i first started......

 

[shifty]

i have a 150gl tank and i have one powerhead on the top left corner it is a little flat plastic about 3inches wide thats all i have what do you think i should do if i get another one of these it will probaly blow water out the tank how much lr do you think i would need to get rid of the wet/dry also should i keep my heater submersed or put it in th tank not getting correct readings on it

 

[the claw]

There is a term that we use called turnover. Its how many tank volumes that are pumped per hour. If you have a 950 gallon per hour pump, minus head pressure, so about 750 gallons per hour, then if you have a 75 gallon tank, then you have a 10x turnover rate. This is a guide to how much water motion you need in a tank. If you are going to keep corals, I think the going rate is 10-15X, but most of us are around 20 or over. We then add powerheads, or other pumps to increase that volume. Some of us put powerheads in the corners of our tank to cause a turbulent flow to make sure there are no stagnant areas in our tanks. The upper back corners are popular, high and low in the tank. I've got one on the bottom of my tank in the middle as well, to kind of boost things along.

 

[shifty]

if i put a power head to low it would kick the sand around any suggestions on how to stop that from doing so also not sure what exactly you mean by turn around iam new to all these terms what do you think i should go with for my tank its a 150gl with lr and crushed cora sand just adding fish when done nothing fancy yet trying to establish lr fish only for now then upgrade when ready thanks for your advice

 

[scottnj]

and more...
As David was saying a lot of folk on the board use the live rock and sand as the biological filter. I think its still called the Berlin method, where the only filter is living rock and sand, and a protein skimmer. Some people may add a pre-filter going into the sump, and some carbon in the sump, but thats about it.
Also to Claw's comment, power heads in the tank do two things really, one is turn over, water movement in around the live rocks. (It doesnt mean in and out of the tank to the sump.) Your 950 GPH pump gives you decent turn over.
The second thing that power heads do is help prevent any stagnant areas in the tank. Not only unhealthy for the tank, but the unsightly diatoms and such that love to grow where there is no current. Using 2 or 3 smaller power heads in a tank allows you an easy way to acheive this while also getting to a good turnover rate in the tank.
I would suggest one or two power heads in your tank, but then also getting / making a spray bar for the return pump. They can be as simple as a PVC pipe in a T formation to bring the water back along the back of the tank, or as complex as you want it to be. But it will help take your single return and spread it around the tank similar to adding power heads.
Hope that helps a bit??????
_Scott

 

[shifty]

not exactly sure what a spray bar is can i use a small maxijet pump on the upper rihgt corner of the tank what would you suggest for the lower middle without kicking up the sand bed thanks

 

[david t.]

for a spray bar you can go to your local fish store and possibly get one and retro fit it to the maxijet. Where the water comes out of the maxijet just put a piece of hose on the end and hook it to the spray bar. as far as puting just the maxijet in just put it as low as possible without blowing the sand. and for a 150 gal. you would probally need about 175 190lbs. of lr for the berlin method. they say you should use about 1 to 1.5 lbs. per gallon of water.If you wanted to make your own spray bar just get some pvc pipe from any hardware store or lowes, home depot, and put a cap on one end and drill several small holes in it then hook it up to the return line.

 

[shifty]

i'd rather had spent the money on lr then on the wet/dry sump set i wish i could return it that means once i get about 200lbs of lr this sump set is useless that realy sux im going to pick up a spray bar they sell at my lfs for 4$ its about 16inches she said the should do the trick with a 400gph maxi jet what do you think thanks

 

[shifty]

or can i get somthing less than 400gph or more

 

[david t.]

that should do the trick. I hope it goes well for ya!!!

 

[shifty]

thanks for the help guys dave t i might take you up on that offer with your # i appreciate that alot i'm sure i can use your advice again thanks guys

 

[david t.]

not a problem. call any time, I just wish there was internet when i started my first aquarium it proballly would have saved hundreds....