Water quality problem, is my 900gph water pump not enough for my 150 gallon fish only

af330i

af330i

Member
Hello ... my fish only tank which is up and running for around 6 weeks with plenty of live sand and some fish but I don't have crystal clear water.
I have little things floating around in it and I was thinking it could be the water pump not producing enough current in the tank.
I have a 150 gallon oceanic with 2 built in overflows, an Oceanic sump with the bioballs, ASM protein skimmer, UV sterilizer turbo 18 watt with a Rio 600 (200 gph hour)
My LPS set me up with a Mag 7 water pump which was only 700 gph and I swtiched to a Rio 3100 (900 gph) and it seems a little better but I still can't get rid of the tiny peices of debris (?!!) that is floating around the tank ...
Shgould I go with a bigger water pump,
I should add that I tried hooking up 2 Rio 3100's (one for each overflow) and it was way too much current ...
 
birdy

birdy

Active Member
hmm,
Are you sure it isn't microbubbles? they tend to look like debris. If it truly is debris floating around then you may need more flow within the tank, not actually through the sump. You can also try putting filter socks on the overflow tubes so water has to filter through them, they just need to be changed frequently.
If you have a lot of flow through the sump or not enough baffles, then you can get microbubbles in the tank, so I wouldn't recommend getting a bigger pump.
 
af330i

af330i

Member
That sounds like a great idea, I didn't even know they had filter socks for the overflow's ... thanks !!
 
madison

madison

Member
IMO...the turn over rate and flow is sufficient.
Are you speaking of the "dust" on the top of the water?...if so...just direct the flow towards the bottom of the tank and the current should clean it up greatly!
 
af330i

af330i

Member
It seems like dust from the sand but it is throughout the water ... in other words when you look at the water, you see it ...
 
smallfry

smallfry

Member
Sorry to hijack your post but I have asked this before and not gotten a clear answer.
I have the same problem on my 90g w/overflow. I just today added the protien skimmer hoping this would help. but if you have a protien skimmer and still have this problem I am bummed. :notsure:
My 90 is the only tank with the overflow my other tanks operate /HOB filters and I have never had this problem.
I am going to upgrade to a 150 and combine my two 37g into it and I am not sure I want to go with the built in overflow since this is the only tank that I have that is never clear. My two 37g and my 15g are ALWAYS crystal clear. The 90 Always has particals of something that makes the tank seem dusty. and it is not micro bubles.
Good Luck,
 
madison

madison

Member
Then if that's the case...and since the tank is still kinda new...I am thinking it might just be the die offs from the LR/LS....kinda tiny flakes? brownish colored?
If the skimmer is working properly and you have enough water exchange AND you are 100% sure it's not micro bubbles...time should clear it up...
...or maybe your powerheads are dirty internally? clean off the internal filters or maybe it's jets are hitting the sand bed?
sorry...lot's of maybe's :)
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member
Do you have any other powerheads in the tank? How high does your pump have to pump to get back into the tank? 4 feet or so? At that pressure it is under 700gph which on that size tank just seems pretty light, IMO..if you don't have other powerheads. Flow through the sump is good to be slower to avoid microbubbles..."internal" tank circulation is often higher with additional powerheads, though especially in coral tanks which this is not. Anyway JMO. May not be the problem at all.
How are you determining when it is too much flow?
I agree that if it is a pretty new tank, it may just need some time. How do you have your returns directed?
 
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