power head advice

[bemyself]

hi all,
Just curious. I have 2 power head which one was on the right side of the tank that shoots the water to the left and the other one vice versa. my question is that do i need to switch off, er..
maybe one in the night so that the fish can rest peacefully without much turbulence in the tank or just let the 2 power head on 24/7? i believe in the nature, the ocean will create less turbulence in the night than in the day. correct me if i'm wrong. thanks in advance

[kreblak]

You are correct, the ocean is calmer at night. However, turning off one powerhead at night may open you up to cyanobacteria growth (slime algae). I leave mine on, personally.

[OrionGirl]

Unless you have huge powerheads in a small tank, it's unlikely that you're causing the fish a problem, especially if you have live rock/decorations, where the fish can hide at night. Most fish have caves and crannies that they sleep in, and these are selected on the basis of current in addition to protection. If anything, keeping enough current is more important at night, since you don't want the fish to deplete the water of oxygen--a bit of motion provides 'fresh' water, instead of letting it stagnate.

[bemyself]

hi,
thanks for the advice. i'll leave it on.