power head help me

[Fitter17]

I have a 55 gallon fish and live rock saltwater tank. I have a fluval 305 and a seaclone protein skimmer, Now somebody mentioned to get a power head . Why and what kind is best recommended,,,,,Thanks

[cullyisgully]

I have a 55 gallon fish and live rock saltwater tank. I have a fluval 305 and a seaclone protein skimmer, Now somebody mentioned to get a power head . Why and what kind is best recommended,,,,,Thanks


do u have a sub.??? cause i have a 404 fluval in my 72 bow... wish i new it was for frash water and not salt... it works but u have 2 chang the carbin each month pain in the *** but w?e


here are some pics of my power heads... get the one right next 2 my protin skimer... pm me if u need some help... and post some pics of your tank

[Reefscape]

Flow wise, for a 55 gal tank, your looking at needing around 1375 GPH ( Gallons Per Hour ). This figure can be made up using multiple powerheads, like a couple of hydor koralia powers....maybe a number 3 and number 2, to make up your required flow..

http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsUS/ctl3684/cp43625/cl0/powerheads

[Fitter17]

what's a sub? what is the name brand of your power head?

[Reefscape]

Think he means " Sump "...

[Kiel'thalin]

Here is a little article to sooth your taste buds:
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2007/1/aafeature

FYI, most people do not place there powerheads in there tanks correctly to fully utilize the flow a powerhead can provide. I suggest you only buy one powerhead. Here is a list of some you may find suitable depending on you budget, each have there own advantages/disadvantages:
Koralia 3 or 4
SEIO M820 or M1100
Tunze Nanostream 6045

[cjtabares]

even if he dose not place it perfectly to utilize the optimal flow of each powerhead, I think it would be difficult for him to get the flow in his 55 he needs with only one powerhead.

[Reefscape]

Here is a little article to sooth your taste buds:
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2007/1/aafeature (http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2007/1/aafeature)

FYI, most people do not place there powerheads in there tanks correctly to fully utilize the flow a powerhead can provide. I suggest you only buy one powerhead. Here is a list of some you may find suitable depending on you budget, each have there own advantages/disadvantages:
Koralia 3 or 4
SEIO M820 or M1100
Tunze Nanostream 6045



I dont feel 1 powerhead can provide sufficient current / coverage around a 55 gal tank...its not something i would recomend unless its a empty fish only tank..

[Almondsaz]

I agree wiht Reefscape...one powerhead isn't the way to go. Typically you can't position the powerhead to dowhat it needs and that is while it provides the flow for water movement, you are trying to eliminate and "dead spots" (nominal movement) in your tank. You need to have the flow so that the detritus doesn't settle in one area and also that the flow coverage assists in making it less attractive for algae and cyano to get old in an area. Despite perfect flow it still may happen.

As for brands, I have korallia, tunze and seio and I prefer the Tunze (really pricey in my opinion) and next I have to say that while it is large - I like the Seio with a mag holder: limitless options on direction of flow and seem to be the timex of the powerheads. Koralia are good, I just get a bit frustrated with the limit on the movement...but still a very good pump with good flow. HTH

[tjg2007]

As far as not placing the power heads to optimize flow, where is a good starting point for a standard 55g tank?

[Kiel'thalin]

A majority of reefkeepers will agree with multiple powerheads usually placed on opposite ends of the tank. This is not the way to go on a 55g. On a 55g being only 12.5" in width, a single will do it if it has enough power to reach across the entire tank and most likey will have enough momentum. If you place a powerhead on each end of the tank they will be facing each other because of the width. In that configuration you WILL have dead spots since they are working against each other. On wider tanks you can place one flowing down the back and one flowing on the front, but not aimed at each other. A majority of people load there tanks up with powerheads usually in a quest to get rid of dead spots. If you have enough flow from a single source you can cover the entire tank no matter the size. Here is an example my old setup that utilized this method...
Click for Example (http://home.mchsi.com/~kielthalin/46gallon.JPG)

[Sploke]

You are corect in that this method of laminar flow can be used in some applications. However, I tried it in my 55, and it did not work. I have a 4" sand bed and lots of soft corals and zoas. Regardless of where I pointed the power head in order to get a good gyre flow going, it ended up blasting the heck out of a soft coral, or blowing the sand bed all over the place. With SPS and no sand bed (as your tank pictured is, mostly SPS anyway) this is a little easier to avoid. To get good flow in my tank without disrupting everything, I need multiple sources of lower flow rather than one single high-flow source.

[Amphiprion]

A majority of reefkeepers will agree with multiple powerheads usually placed on opposite ends of the tank. This is not the way to go on a 55g. On a 55g being only 12.5" in width, a single will do it if it has enough power to reach across the entire tank and most likey will have enough momentum. If you place a powerhead on each end of the tank they will be facing each other because of the width. In that configuration you WILL have dead spots since they are working against each other. On wider tanks you can place one flowing down the back and one flowing on the front, but not aimed at each other. A majority of people load there tanks up with powerheads usually in a quest to get rid of dead spots. If you have enough flow from a single source you can cover the entire tank no matter the size. Here is an example my old setup that utilized this method...
Click for Example (http://home.mchsi.com/%7Ekielthalin/46gallon.JPG)

Multiple powerheads only don't work when placed improperly. I can assure you the issues you find with using them on a 55g tank can be circumvented with, as you said, careful placement. It will just take some experimentation.