Powerheads And Other ?s

[MadCatter]

Ok,

I am setting up a 10 gal salt water which I am going to put 1 or 2 fish in (maybe just one clown fish). It's basically my first saltwater tank and I want to keep it small because I will be moving in about 6 months and don't want to have to deal with moving a bunch of equipment and risk killing the fish. Anyway, I have a powerhead running in the top, back right corner of the tank. It is pointed upwards and makes the surface/upper half of the water move pretty considerably. Is this what I am looking for when I am using the powerhead? I also have another positioned in the top left corner of the tank, but have turned it off. If I have both of these going, will this be an ok thing for my fish? Right now I have a Marble Molly in there (just to cycle the tank). She is getting pushed into the corner of the tank, but I am pretty sure (if she tried) she could swim back out into the middle. too much power, or what should I do? Also, what are your opinions about running filters. I have two on the 10 gal, but could I just run one? (they are both 10 gal filters). Thanks for the advice.

 

[SkiFletch]

to the salty side of life Madcatter. Couple questions for you. What are the gph ratings of the two pumps in question, and is there any Live Rock (LR) in the tank?

 

[MadCatter]

to the salty side of life Madcatter. Couple questions for you. What are the gph ratings of the two pumps in question, and is there any Live Rock (LR) in the tank?

It looks like 68 gph. And no live rock.

 

[SkiFletch]

Ah, ok well the clown is likely freaked out without rocks. Remember, clownfish establish territories on outcroppings of rock or structures on a reef. You've just put it in a cage with no territory to call home, of course its swims like its disoriented, its got no place to make reference from or call home other than a powerhead and filter intakes, not exactly normal habitat . The benefits of LR are numerous, from providing habitat to providing filtration that man-made filtration can't hold a candle to. If you want your clownfish to be comfortable and be able to remove a filter, add some LR. The general rule of thumb is 1lb of LR per gallon.

As for powerheads, generally twenty times turnover per hour is what we aim for in the saltwater world. So for a 10g tank, 200GPH is appropriate, far more than you have in your tank with 68GPH. Remember, reefs are high current and high surge environments. If you've ever been diving on one, you'd know how nearly violent the surge on a reef is, far stronger than what we typically create in our tanks. If I can get caught in a surge and blown 20 feet along a reef by the force while fish just hang out with me, your clown can handle what our little powerheads dish out

 

[MadCatter]

Ok, if I get the live rock will I need more light? And What if I only use 120 gph? Where should I position the powerheads?

Thanks.

Also, I am going to be putting just normal rocks/aquascape, etc. in there. Will that worK?

 

[SkiFletch]

For territory purposes and comfort of the clown yeah, but for filtration purposes you need at least some LR. You won't need more light for just fish with LR. As for the powerheads, it'll be OK. I'd place one pointing across the tank length and the other pointing across its width for good stirring of the whole tank. Try and avoid deadspaces.

I'd highly suggest that you read the stickies atop the nano section and the marine and reef chit-chat section. I could spend all day re-hashing the benefits of LR, but its allready written there

 

[MadCatter]

It's just the money aspect. I'll just start like this and buy little pieces here and there. Should the powerheads be positioned at the top or bottom? And can I just have one 10 gal filter running on my tank?

 

[SkiFletch]

Once you get a decent amount of LR in there you can remove one of the filters. To answer your question about powerhead location, its almoast impossible to say. Put them in a place that keeps deadspots low but doesnt disturb your sand. Having a pump too low will blow sand aorund, but having them too high will leave the bottom with low flow. I'd reccomend one up high and the other half way down