another newbie question

[melsmom]

Hello everyone,
First off let me say a big thank you for all the help you have been so far! I have so much un learning to do, and I'm still new at this so I'm totally confused. Here's my question. My tank is a 55 gallon and I have (tho not the best okay..) a sea clone skimmer, a back filter, and 2 1100 power heads. The last lfs said I needed 2 more, but my husband says that that is too much current for what he's read online. Any input?

Thanks!

 

[Sherman]

2200gph in a 55g makes 40x flow rate. Those are good numbers. A configuration that's always worked very well for me is to put one on each back corner of the tank, and point them both at the front center where the flows will collide and make their ways all over the tank.

Are you running them with the round end nozzle exposed so you can see the impeller, or with the entire casing on them, shooting out the square diffuser? If you're running the latter, consider pulling off the casing around the outflow and angling that powerhead up 90 degrees back to a level configuration. You'll get a lot more, wide, flow.

 

[melsmom]

Thanks Sherman,
well my power heads are like...well they look like pond pumps. they have little attachmenets that angle. Does that make sense? but I just showed your reply to my husband and he thinks he's got it figured out on how to make that work, which we both said made perfect sense. I am trying tho to keep the ripple at the top for the oxygen levels. right now I have them on either end, one towards the top,, and the other scooting flow across the bottom. well close to the bottom. so do you think then I should change it? I hate the idea of giving him permission to stick his hands in the tank. I'm quite sure really if you cracked open my husbands head... you'd find fish!
thank you so much!

 

[Velamondry]

Most people aim for 20-30x turnover in a reef tank, I personally go for as much flow as I can get in the tank without tossing around all my sand and stressing out my corals.. with that said I have about 9500gph in a 125. It really depends on what you want/need sps typically need more flow while lps can be lower some fish need more flow and others dont really care for it, so it can really depend on what your needs are.

 

[Sherman]

Here you go, a product image showing both configurations. The "opened" up way is the way lots of people run theirs. It is less restrictive, so it creates more flow. In addition, it's coming out a 1.5" nozzle, rather than a couple small squares, so the flow becomes very wide and soft. It will initially feel like less flow, because there's less velocity, but notice how it does a little better job of getting all around the tank.

Also, do you have a sump? I wouldn't stress about using the powerheads for oxygenation specifically. Between the overflow into the sump, and even more so the skimmer, you shouldn't have a problem with oxygen levels. I'd put that flow into the tank, where it belongs .

 

[melsmom]

oh okay. well no we dont have a sump. I'm still trying to figure out what all this stuff is and it's purpose. My water quality has always been good according to the lfs, and he uses a broad spectrum testing kit. the only thing he's ever said is that my oxygen was way low. which duh...it was tested a day and 1/2 later.
my power heads are rio + 1100's. so there is no way of opening them up as you show. so the only other option is to just take off the, what I call duck heads that direct flow, and letting it just run that way.
may try that. I have to get behind it and clean the back glass today. I'll snap some pix of my tank then if I can figure it out I'll post them.

Thank You!

 

[Sherman]

Oh wow... Rio 1100s. I just assumed Seio. OK, then, your LFS guy is right. Not anywhere near enough flow. In your tank, I'd shoot for 1500-2000 gph of movement, minimum. The SEIO 1100s are great for that. Another good option would be a pair of the Hydor Koralia 4 pumps. They're extremely energy efficient, and aren't terribly expensive to begin with.

 

[dj tryrd]

you know i had the same problem with not enough oxygyne, so i ran some airline tubing from one of my windows into the protien skimmer. this worked well. durring the summer the inside of the house is more suseptable to bad air. (or is it in the winter) as for flow, you can add submersible filters instead of power heads to increase filtration.

i know that this post is not the best, but its late.

"time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana".