I have a 55g fish only tank with a rio 1700 pump which has a flow rate of 642. Being new to setting up a tank, I was not thinking that the length of the return hose going from the sump back to the tank would effect the water turnover rate. If I need a min of 6' of return hose, should I have a stronger pump? At 6' Rio says the flow rate is only 180gph.
how important is GPH.....
- Thread starter kgalliher
- Start date
No, that's not nearly enough turn over . You want at least 8 to 10 times per hour s.w. doesn't carry 02 as well as fresh, and as far as your fish go the most enclosed bays have a fairly large tidal surge. I've never had a Rio myself but, I've seen quite a few post where one of them had blow oil all over someones tank when it failed. I don't know if that's true any more though. I haven't seen a post about it in quite a while so the issue may be resolved. The units may not have been properly maintained either . I just thought that was worth mentioning because that would be a really bad experience.
hth and sorry for the off topic
hth and sorry for the off topic
don't worry about having too much water flow I have seen reef tanks with turnovers of 20+ times per hour. 10 is a pretty good number to shoot for for your fo or fowlr. O2 isn't the only problem with a low flow either it also affects the health of a fish since they are from a very turbulent area (the ocean) their bodies have adapted to it and they are use to constantly fighting currents which uses energy with is why they are always on the hunt for food. In your aquarium naturally they will be hunting for food but if you don't have a decent flow of water they will get fat and unhealthy since they won't be burning it off which will lead to premature death. Water flow is an often overlooked aspect that is crucial to saltwater tanks success (as it also helps with waste removal).
P.S. sorry about the lack of punctuation I am just in a hurry
P.S. sorry about the lack of punctuation I am just in a hurry
Thanks for the info. I had heard about the Rio and their oil problems but only after I put my set up together.
Could I just add an extra powerhead or 2 to create more water flow even though it is not increasing the water turnover through the wet/dry? I am going to shorten the return hose (from the sump) as much as I can to help with the turnover some until I can get a stronger pump.
Could I just add an extra powerhead or 2 to create more water flow even though it is not increasing the water turnover through the wet/dry? I am going to shorten the return hose (from the sump) as much as I can to help with the turnover some until I can get a stronger pump.