power head
- Thread starter player24
- Start date
player24
New Member
The only thing that is in my tank is the salt water and the sand. The aquarium is in the beging stage it has been running since 3/24 with salinity of 30 and sg is 1.022. I wasn't sure if the power head was just a waist on money. Will the water ever be crystal clear? When I added the sand the tank is now a dust bowl.
Thanks for the reply!
Thanks for the reply!
adrock16
Member
Yo player, The powerheads will help keep the current moving and help the debris find the filter. The water will clear up without a powerhead but they sure do help. Have you put any damsels in yet?You will need to put somthing in ther to help cycle the tank. I have heard that you can use 1 or 2 shrimp from the grocery store to cycle. I dont know if this works, but there are many posts on this site about this.
masala4080
Member
Ideally you want a 15 to 20 times flow rate in your tank. So for 15x the flow rate it would be 30x15=450 GPH, and with 20 times the flow rate it would be 30x20=600 GPH. The best thing to do is see how many GPH both the filters put out. If they dont reach these numbers then a powerhead would definitly help. Water movement is crucial to not creating any "dead spots".
As far as the cycling, the water will clear up, but if its fairly new and you recently added the sand, or the sand is stirred up, shut your filters off. The sand if gets caught in there can ruin your filters and pumps. Turn them on once everything has settled. Yes, the cocktail shrimp does work. Just get 1 dead, fresh, uncooked cocktail shrimp from the store and throw it in there. Some people take it out when the ammonia spikes, but others just leave it in through the whole cycle, its up to you. Please don't use fish to cycle. The poor water quality will probably kill them, and definitly burn their gills. And IMO I would raise the SG up a little, to around 1.024 to 1.026. Sorry for the long post
.!
As far as the cycling, the water will clear up, but if its fairly new and you recently added the sand, or the sand is stirred up, shut your filters off. The sand if gets caught in there can ruin your filters and pumps. Turn them on once everything has settled. Yes, the cocktail shrimp does work. Just get 1 dead, fresh, uncooked cocktail shrimp from the store and throw it in there. Some people take it out when the ammonia spikes, but others just leave it in through the whole cycle, its up to you. Please don't use fish to cycle. The poor water quality will probably kill them, and definitly burn their gills. And IMO I would raise the SG up a little, to around 1.024 to 1.026. Sorry for the long post
.!
player24
New Member
Yes, this is a new tank my first salt warter. The tank started 3/24 with the sand added 3/27. ***** told me I would be ready for fish on 3/31........My 7 year old is dying to get some fish in the tank! The two penguin bio wheels are rated to pump out 350gph. I just didn't want to spend anymore money than I had to but if the power head is needed then I guess I will buy one.
Thanks everyone.
Thanks everyone.
player24
New Member
Ok, I guess I won't use any Damsels to cycle the tank. So, your saying to buy some shrimp and just throw 1 in the tank to rot? As for the pumps I turned them off. What happens to the rest of the shrimp once the tank is ready? Do I have the water tested say........a week after the shrimp has been added?
masala4080
Member
Sorry to inform you but it will take around a month to fully cycke your tank. ***** was wrong.:nope: You just want to throw that shrimp in and take it out once there is no ammonia or nitrites. Most people check their water every other day during the cycle and make a chart, just to make sure that your tank is fully cycled. Sorry, but your kids gunna have to wait some more. Either that or a whole bunch of dead fish and wasted money. Sorry.:nope: