How many powerheads??
- Thread starter lennon
- Start date
fedukeford
Active Member
i have a 55 and everyone says 2 or if you want a lot of flow 3........i have 2 301 AQUACLEAR powerheads and they are SUPER quiet
lennon
Member
Originally Posted by edwar050
seio and maxi jet are the the cheapest IMAO. I would look into a closed loop with a mag 5 as well.
I am not familiar with what a closed loop is. Can you tell me if it is not too much trouble.
thanks
Oh, and I am doing a 75 gallon 4 ft wide tank now .... :cheer: :cheer:
seio and maxi jet are the the cheapest IMAO. I would look into a closed loop with a mag 5 as well.
thanks
Oh, and I am doing a 75 gallon 4 ft wide tank now .... :cheer: :cheer:
1968oldsma
Member
i have 5 powerheads i'm going to consolodate in my 55 i have 3 aquaclear 50's like 147gph and 2 cheaper no name ones i'm not to happy with there like 127gph i'm looking to upgrade to 2 AC 70 or 90's and use the other 50's for the back of the tank i have mine setup with 1 on each side and 3 in the center real nice a good amount of flow.
edwar050
Member
Ok here is the closed loop. Easiest way to do it is to take a mag 5, 7, or 9.5. Mags have threaded intakes and outputs so you plumb the mag to suck in water and run return tubes. You can custom the sucktion tube by drilling holes in it and capping the end with a pvc cap. This gets rid of powerheads in your tank and you can put the mag on a small piece of plywood abover your tank if you have a canopy and will never see it that way you dont have any head loss. Head loss in a pump is the ammount hight vs. pump strenght, ex. the higher a pump has to push the less water is pushed. A mag 5 plumbed like this will get close to 450 GPH IMAO with little head loss on a closed loop. There is a very famous guy called meleev at meleeves reef google it and find it on his site. There is a ton of valuable info on there for anyone.
lennon
Member
edwar050 said:Ok here is the closed loop. Easiest way to do it is to take a mag 5, 7, or 9.5. Mags have threaded intakes and outputs so you plumb the mag to suck in water and run return tubes. You can custom the sucktion tube by drilling holes in it and capping the end with a pvc cap. This gets rid of powerheads in your tank and you can put the mag on a small piece of plywood abover your tank if you have a canopy and will never see it that way you dont have any head loss. Head loss in a pump is the ammount hight vs. pump strenght, ex. the higher a pump has to push the less water is pushed. A mag 5 plumbed like this will get close to 450 GPH IMAO with little head loss on a closed loop. There is a very famous guy called meleev at meleeves reef google it and find it on his site. There is a ton of valuable info on there for anyone.[/QUOTE
thanks so much for the help. Unfortunately I am not too familiar with all of this..and hubby is way to busy for this...but, does his site offer pictures? or do you have pictures of this. A picture is worth a thousand words and I can probably connect what you wrote much better that way.
Thanks again. It sounds like a great thing..especially if it avoids the cost of powerheads..
ezee
Member
Hi y'all,
A closed loop system takes water from your tank and just feeds it right back. Because a whole bunch of powerhead are not always desirable, a lot of people opt for a closed loop. Usually you can have a pretty inconspicuous intake (pvc pipe) leading to a pump and then from the pump to another pipe and back into the tank with nozzles/spraybars/etc. It is a great way to add flow to your tank without adding a lot of visible equipment. Best of all the whole set up is usually outside of your tank (you will want to get an external motor, probably). It is not necessarily cheaper than powerheads, perhaps more costly.
E
A closed loop system takes water from your tank and just feeds it right back. Because a whole bunch of powerhead are not always desirable, a lot of people opt for a closed loop. Usually you can have a pretty inconspicuous intake (pvc pipe) leading to a pump and then from the pump to another pipe and back into the tank with nozzles/spraybars/etc. It is a great way to add flow to your tank without adding a lot of visible equipment. Best of all the whole set up is usually outside of your tank (you will want to get an external motor, probably). It is not necessarily cheaper than powerheads, perhaps more costly.
E
edwar050
Member
True Ezee, it is perhaps more costly. But you get more tank space and water volume from having a sump wich often leads to more stable water parameters. The sump is also good for hiding equipment like heaters, skimmers, and different types of media. It also gives you an added benefit for a temporary quarantine tank with the same water paramaters. And of course can remove many of the powerhead clutter from your tank-
ezee
Member
Edward,
Actually I was referring to a closed loop, as opposed to a sump. As for the cost, I was speaking to Lennon's comment about powerhead cost (that although a closed loop system is a more desirable option, it is usually not less expensive then a few powerheads). Apologies if I did not make myself clear. Thanks for clarifying though!
E
Actually I was referring to a closed loop, as opposed to a sump. As for the cost, I was speaking to Lennon's comment about powerhead cost (that although a closed loop system is a more desirable option, it is usually not less expensive then a few powerheads). Apologies if I did not make myself clear. Thanks for clarifying though!
E
edwar050
Member
Not exactly sure of your question. Meleevs mag 5 "powerhead/pump" uses a scwid wavemaker that I deem not neccissary and a modified durso standpipe that probably limits the sound of water going to the mag 5. It is the 90 degree elbow in the pictures intake. The only big problem I see with this design is if it were to leak but that could be modified if you were to have it directly above your tank. I am planning on doing the same thing but with 2 mag 5's on my 120 for my closed loop and little to no head loss. That and I will have two return pumps, ev 90 aqua c skimmer, refugium, and DIY skimmer.
rubberduck
Active Member
how much would a closed loop cost for a 50 gallon
edwar050
Member
At closed loop system on a 50 gallon tank depends on the sump and the distance of height the water has to be pushed up to reach the tank. You could get a mag 7 or 9 used for around 50-70 bucks. There are a ton of pumps out there and its the pump that will generally cost you the most money unless you want specialized plumbing. Bulkheads can also run a bit for the larger ones if you have alot of holes.
I would think a decent return for a 50 gallon at 1 inch bulkhead at 500 gallons per hour including head loss would be less than 100 bucks. I would get a return pump and a seperate closed loop pump unless getting a major pump like a sequence dart or dolphin. That way if one fails you are still getting circulation in your tank. I would think 2 seios would be nice if not doing a closed loop.
I would think a decent return for a 50 gallon at 1 inch bulkhead at 500 gallons per hour including head loss would be less than 100 bucks. I would get a return pump and a seperate closed loop pump unless getting a major pump like a sequence dart or dolphin. That way if one fails you are still getting circulation in your tank. I would think 2 seios would be nice if not doing a closed loop.