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
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