what size power head?

subie41ife

subie41ife

Member
As the title says, how big of a power head should I get?
I have a 46 gallon bow front FOWLR. I have 50lbs of live rock and am useing that for my filtration. From what I understand, I will need a good power head pointing at my rocks so i have good waterflow going though them.
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
I would get 2 to start with.,...like Koralia #2's...so you can position them at both sides of the tank so you have good continuous flow
I have a 54G corner bow, and I have 2 Koralia 2's and 1 maxi jet (BLAH)
 
subie41ife

subie41ife

Member
how many GPH for each one would you say?
I was looking before I posted this thread and I was thinking of getting 2x Koralia nano(240GPH)
...But I wanna get shrimp and other small invertebates and didnt want anything too strong and blow the them away. lol
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
nanos are a little small in my opinion....Koralia 2's are about 600 gph each, but the flow is dispersed....Also in my opinion a K2 is not gonna blow a small invert anywhere...
 
subie41ife

subie41ife

Member
I would guess not at all, as stated in the post above I only have a 46 gallon tank and im going to be getting 2 koralia #2's(600GPH each)
 
king_neptune

king_neptune

Active Member
Originally Posted by subie41ife
http:///forum/post/3253853
how many GPH for each one would you say?
For a FOWLR 10x turnover is plenty.
A single k-2 would work.
but listen to meowzer, a pair of K-2's is what you want to shoot for. Or even K-3's.
Position them so they dont spin the water in the same direction(aka a wirlpool effect)
You want to have them creating turbulence...not in a violent way, but enough to make a random pattern of water in the middle, but the edges of the glass,and certain pockets of rocks will be constant.
This will create back eddy's for the fish to rest in, and they will feel more comfortable.
If your going to do reef. 20x is low. 50x would be the top end ideal.
So a 55g, just multiply it out, and compare it to your GPH rating of the powerheads you choose.
 
king_neptune

king_neptune

Active Member
Originally Posted by madhatter9382
http:///forum/post/3253869
Is a Koralia #4 too strong for a 92g corner tank?
it's 1,200 gph
fowlr tank.
nope. actually a nice powerhead for a tnak that size.
I started with 2 of them for my 125 brik. I recently upgraded by adding a pair of K-6's
 
subie41ife

subie41ife

Member
so if i get two k2's should I place them lower on each side of the tank? shooting them directly at the rocks?
p.s. thanks for thread jacking madhatter9382..
 
nycbob

nycbob

Active Member
if money isnt an issue, get a vortech mp20. u will get random crazy flow all through out the tank.
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
Originally Posted by nycbob
http:///forum/post/3253904
if money isnt an issue, get a vortech mp20. u will get random crazy flow all through out the tank.
MAN I'd love a couple of them.....BUT sad to say....they are a little expensive for me
Subie....you don't need them blasting right at rocks....just enough circulation will (or should) move all water....
 
subie41ife

subie41ife

Member
ok, well I already have a fluval canister which does 340GPH and I also have a small powerhead from my old tank that does another 125GPH
So as king_neptune said, in a FOWLR you only need 10 times the amount of waterflow or is that only with powerheads?
Sorry for all the questions. I just ran into a problem and im very short on money.
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
Subie....I honestly have no clue how many gph are in my tanks....I just position the powerheads so that I have no "dead" flow areas........Just get what you think you need for now, and get another one when you can....Believe me....I could never have bought all this stuff all at once....
 
scottnlisa

scottnlisa

Member
I have 2 Koralia #4 in my 125 gallon. They help but I am either buying 2 more or buying a Koralia #5 to get more circulation.
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
Originally Posted by scottnlisa
http:///forum/post/3253958
I have 2 Koralia #4 in my 125 gallon. They help but I am either buying 2 more or buying a Koralia #5 to get more circulation.
I like the smaller ones cause this way you put more around and you miss less places....That's why I have 5 Koralias in my 225G plus 2 canisters with flow bars for top circulation
 
king_neptune

king_neptune

Active Member
Originally Posted by subie41ife
http:///forum/post/3253882
so if i get two k2's should I place them lower on each side of the tank? shooting them directly at the rocks?
Try just above the rocks, so you get a flow going over their surface. Fish will find little pockets that are comfortable resting places, and you will notice alot more activity from fish swimming in and around the rocks. If you have the blast directly into the rocks, it will create a stronger turbulance in the network of caves ect. THis will make them less comfortable. Plus the energy of the powerheads will be abosrbed and other spots int he tank wil be breeding grounds for algae and detritus buildup.
 
king_neptune

king_neptune

Active Member
Originally Posted by subie41ife
http:///forum/post/3253947
So as king_neptune said, in a FOWLR you only need 10 times the amount of waterflow or is that only with powerheads?
FOWLR 10x is a "Rule of thumb"
Jsut something to aim for is all.
If funds are a problem, use your existing equipment(canister, return lines, powerheads ect), they will do plenty as a temp means. Pick up a single K-2 or K-3. That should offer a significant amount of water flow. LAter on as you see fit, you can always add a second...or more.
The reason reefs need more, is corals need to feed of the tiny particles of food flaoting/swimming in the tank, to acheive this they need more water turnover, hence 20x-50x.
 
subie41ife

subie41ife

Member
ok thank you very much! Im just going to do it the right way to start and get 2x k2's
It just seems like its going to be a lot of flow for a FOWLR and my fish will be getting blown all over my tank :0(
 
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