Powerheads, Powerheads, Powerheads

[ssm05rsx]

Hey gang,

Question for you experienced people - need opinions on powerheads for mine and Dan's 55gal tank - soon to be FOWLR then soon to be reef (one step at a time haha!)
The tank is 48"Lx12"Wx20"H with no sump. Old tank from our oscar days.
We are picking up 50-80 pounds of Live Rock tomorrow night and then will have an extra 20 pounds to add to the tank from my existing 35 gal hex tank FOWLR (35 gal will be our QT tank.) The tank is running on a Penguin 350 gph HOB filter and a Red Sea Prizm Deluxe Protein Skimmer (also have a Maxi Jet 600 but that will be moved to exclusive excess saltwater mixing duty once new powerheads are purchased.) Not sure how much flow the Prizm gives but its rated for 100gallons.
I read on other fish forums (fishlore) that for a reef 20X flow is preferred but more is always better. So that means I need at least 1100 gph in my tank with 350 being supplied by the filter (wont count the skimmer since its unknown).
Is this 20X flow number a good baseline for the powerhead decision?

I did some searching on Dr.F&S and found 3 choices for powerheads - 2 Koralia 1's (400gph each) and 1 Maxi Jet 1200 (295 gph each) equaling a total of 1095 gph between the 3 of them. Is this sufficient for my 55? If not, what other PH's do you suggest?

Also, placement questions? Where's the best places to put these? I was leaning towards the K1's on the sides of the tank towards the back pointed towards the middle of the front pane of glass and the MJ1200 in the middle of the back pane pointed up at the surface of the tank.
Are those good placement locations or should I have them directly pointed at the LR that I'm getting?

Thanks for all comments, advice and suggestions in advice!

-Ralph

 

[Phyl]

K1s are worthless, regardless of what the spec says. I would do a pair of 2s at the very least. You want the water moving as much as possible, even if to do that you create a directional flow. Typically recommened is flow that crashes into itself to create chaotic water movement. Unfortunately this does not create the most possible flow.

 

[Edwardw771]

go with Hydor 4s cause if your like the rest of us a 55 will last about 10 mins and you will be ready to upgrade.

 

[qwik]

I would go with one Vortec , I have one on my 65 gallon and love the wave mode, the other modes are also great. Its nice to be able to change flow rates/directions with just a push of a button. It will also be great when you upgrade and want to keep corals . I know there expensive but they will work with any setupm in the future and they transmit no heat inside the tank . One of my best investments .

 

[Hawkeye]

An alternative would be a pair of tunze 6025s...

"At a diameter of only 2.75" it enables a water flow of 660gph at an energy consumption of only 7W"

 

[MikeNapoli]

I would go with one Vortec , I have one on my 65 gallon and love the wave mode, the other modes are also great. Its nice to be able to change flow rates/directions with just a push of a button. It will also be great when you upgrade and want to keep corals . I know there expensive but they will work with any setupm in the future and they transmit no heat inside the tank . One of my best investments .

Agree 100%. I have two tanks and 3 vortechs and I have a bucket of other pumps now. I used to have 7 various Koralias in my 120 and now 2 Vortechs(that take up way way less space) pushes more flow at random speeds and flow rates.

The best things I ever got for my tank.

 

[ssm05rsx]

Thanks for the replies all. Appreciate the comments .

Looked into the Vortech's. Looks like an amazing pump but whoa, that price stings. Just cant afford that sort of equipment right now - maybe later down the line when we upgrade to a bigger tank.

As far as the Tunze 6025, that could be an option. More expensive than the Koralia's but if its worth it for the Tunze over the Koralia then that extra cost is worth it. Dont want a pump that is going to be a problem in the future.

As far as upgrading our tank to something bigger, we would LOVE to. Hate that we are limited to smaller livestock cause its a 55. But we are in our parents house right now and the 55 is about as good as its going to get. If they finish the basement we might be able to swing a 75 or a 90 but for now, its a 55 and thats it.

Ok - So is it worth the extra 30 bucks a piece for the Tunze 6025's over the K2's? Both have similar flow rates but how reliable are the K2's?

Thanks again all. NJRC rocks! ;D
Learn far more here than in all my research on the net while at work haha

-Ralph

 

[MikeNapoli]

K2's are really reliable. But they take up more space than the Tunze's. I've had both and the only thing i didn't like on the tunze was the way it attached to the magnet.

The Korallias were cool but they are too big and take up so much space in the tank. To some people this might not matter but the smaller the tank the more valuble the space.

 

[ssm05rsx]

Ok. Gotcha.
Looked into the sizes and ya, the K2 is a good bit bigger - both have similar diameters but the K2 is longer. Since space is limited in the 55, I think the 6025's are the better option. Plus they flow alittle bit more. We'll get two of them for the tank.

One more question and I'll leave you guys alone. Should I pick up a Maxi Jet 1200 to go with the 6025 combo so i can point the 1200 at the surface to increase surface agitation? Read that this is a good thing to have in a tank cause it breaks up gunk from forming on the surface of the water? Or something to that effect.

Thanks again. I appreciate all the advice!
So glad i posted this thread cause two days ago i was ready to buy two K1's. Boy that would have been a mistake!

-Ralph

 

[MikeNapoli]

You can point one of the Tunze's at the surface... you need this, not only to break up gunk on the surface, but to have proper oxygen exchange. That ripple in the surface is what creates oxygen in the water for your fish to breathe.

 

[ssm05rsx]

Ok - gotcha. Hmm didnt know that about the ripples on the surface - learn something new everyday.

Think I might still get the 1200 just for alittle extra flow and leave the Tunze's to do the under-surface work. For an extra 20 bucks for the 1200, i might as well get it. Can always put it in my QT tank if its too much flow in the 55.

Thanks for the help Mike! Thanks to everyone else who helped as well!

 

[depitch039]

Good flow is needed to keep detritus off rock and decrease nuisance algae.

You can get 2 Maxijet900's with 2 EcoMods to increase flow to 1000GPH each.
I would position them into the rock work at opposite ends, you can then use Korilia 2's close to surface.

Cost: Maxijet 900's 30.00 x 2 = 60.00
EcoMod's 30.00 x 2 = 60.00
Korilia 2's 40.00 x 2 = 80.00
Total 200.00
Less than half the cost of one Vortech, which is my best powerhead.
But if the budget does not allow for 410.00, the cost of a Vortech, this is an alternative.
Total flow of 2200 GPH (40 X Tank Volume).

HTH

Doug

 

[JRWOHLER]

The Maxijets are the only cheap powerheads that you can run on a wave device right? I have a single K2 on my nano and I love it, with the stock pump in the filter section I get about 35X turnover. K2 is pointed at the surface FYI.

 

[MikeNapoli]

Be carefull with the "low" price of maxijets... they consume alot more energy than the more expensive pumps and will cost you alot more in the long run.

Maxijet 1200 use 29w
Korallias use about 12-16 depending on which
Tunze's run about 9w
and Vorteches run between 6-12w depending.

 

[Hawkeye]

also in my experience, maxis add heat to a tank - the smaller the tank, the more noticeable the degree change. Of course it's a moot point if you're cranking the AC.

 

[ssm05rsx]

We just ordered two Tunze 6025's and a Koralia 2 for the 55, as well as a Maxi Jet 1200 for a 35gal QT.

Thanks for all the recommendations.

-Dan&Ralph.

 

[Hawkeye]

not saying that you'll have problems - but one of the things I love about tunze is their service. If you have any problems - talk to rodney or roger and they will take care of you. I can pm you how to contact them if you ever need it!

 

[ssm05rsx]

thats good to know.
well if we ever have any problems, we'll be sure to PM you. thanks

they come in wednesday along with the k2 and the other stuff we ordered. cant wait to get them in the tank!

-Ralph

 

[ssm05rsx]

Powerheads are in the tank (only 2 are running though - didnt think to buy another powerstrip for the 3rd powerhead. DOH!)
Both are nice powerheads and pretty quiet. Can barely hear the two of them over the protein skimmer and power filter. K2 is a little louder than the 6025 but not by much. My only complaint about the K2 is the size of it. Its pretty big in our tank but for the price and flow it puts out, we'll deal with it.

Thanks again to all for the advice.

-Ralph