Maxi jet 1200 questions

[gordons]

Received a Maxi Jet 1200 as a gift. Would It be beneficial in my 50 gallon planted tank. I run a fluval 304, low tech with no co2. I have basically Java fern, 5 different anubias, African fern. If so how should I set it up to run the best.


Thanks

 

[fishorama]

I use a powerhead in my plant tank to help with circulation. You'll need to play around with placement to help blow the waste toward the filter intake & get rid of any dead spots. I have some plants that detritus tends to get trapped in otherwise. Some fish like to swim in the current too.

 

[gordons]

pump

Thanks thats what I thought, will give you an update about

take care

 

[loaches r cool]

Yes, those plants you mention will do very well with current actually. Insufficient circulation is often a problem in planted tanks, every seems to think for the sake of co2 you need stagnant water (exaggeration of course). If you have pressurized co2 then co2 is cheap and the benefits of circulation far outweigh the slight cost of increased co2 usage. DIY you probably dont want to overdo the circulation. On my 75g I at one point ran two XP3's as well as a MJ1200, Koralia4 (1200gph) and Zoomed Powersweep 228 powerhead. All of that ran all the time except the MJ was on the night timer to increase surface agitation at night. Dont be afraid of a little current. The only negative aspect is most powerheads concentrate the flow into to tight of a 'jet'. A more dispersed flow like the Koralia's I think is far better. They even make a kit for a conversion of the Maxi Jet into something similar to the Koralia (search for Sure Flow) but it pushes 1600gph with the MJ12 and probably is a bit over the top for the 55.