Is this enough surface agitation?

lefty

Active Member
Hello everyone,
I just replaced my Eclipse 3 filter with a Tunze 3165 Internal Nano Filter. The Eclipse 3 filter provided a good amount of surface agitation and I was never concerned about the gas exchange until now.
The Tunze is set up so the water flows out of it (at 211 GPH) at the bottom of the filter, which naturally is also near the bottom of my tank. I have two powerheads, an AquaClear 30 (174 GPH) and a MaxiJet 600 (160 GPH). The AquaClear has a Hydor rotating water deflector on it (which I must say is pretty entertaining to watch as it spins around :joy: ). This powerhead is the one I have near the surface of the water to provide the surface agitation. However, the deflector has greatly reduced the flow rate so the water coming out doesn't have much force. Since it is constantly rotating, the surface is only getting a fairly decent amount of agitation about a fourth of the time.
My question is this: When people say the surface should have ripples, how big should they be? The surface of my tank always has very small ripples on it no matter which direction the deflector is pointing and then gets a bit more agitation when it points upwards for a few seconds at a time.
I am a little concerned that this might not be enough agitation. I know some people have one designated powerhead pointing upwards at all times and that's not quite the same as my setup right now. I don't have an oxygen test kit and the tank inhabitants (one clownfish and one shrimp in a 20g long) aren't breathing heavily or acting out of the ordinary.
Thank you for your input! :happyfish
-lefty
 

saltn00b

Active Member
you are probably fine. do you have a skimmer and / or a sump? these things help out tremendously with gas exchange. i like to try to have enough surface agitation where no little particles build up on the underside of the surface tension. if you have enough rippling the underside of the surface will look crisp and clear. if not, it tends to get filmy, which could pollute water quality i suppose.
 

lefty

Active Member
I don't have a skimmer or a sump. The Tunze has a built in surface skimmer on it, but it does not draw the water forcefully enough to cause anything more than almost undetectable ripples.
I'll watch out for the surface film and look for particles on the underside of the surface. Thanks!

-lefty
 
Y

yeffre kix

Guest
I would recomend having one of your powerheads at the top of the water shooting just under the surface. You don't want to create bubbles but strong ripples are good. An alternating flow is best. I am not familiar with the water diverter you are talking about but the ones I've tried quit working within a month or two as they got dirty and algae grew on them.
A protien skimmer is the best investment you can make for the overall health of your tank. Get a quality HOB skimmer and your water quality and oxygenation will be much improved.
 

lefty

Active Member
A skimmer isn't very compatible with my hood or my tank. I have very little room to work with, not to mention I cannot afford to spend $100-$200 on one. I'm sure if I really wanted to I could try and modify my hood so that I could have one, but I also live in an extremely small dorm room and the noise and extra space it would take up would be a problem. In the future I will most definitely get one. :happyfish
-lefty
 
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