Powerheads

[ulsterboy]

can anyone plz fill me in on powerheads..are they any good,and how you attach them to your tank..

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

I added a "Koralis 1" to my pre-fish setup mid-week. Despite its 1400l/hr rating, the current coming from my Juwel 1000 outpipe is significantly stronger. However, the powerhead has added some more water movement, which was the plan, to give my planned fish a little workout (Opsarius pulchellus; Praecox Rainbox; Celebes Rainbow) without the smaller guys getting blown around the tank!

Fitting was a doddle, as the powerhead base is magnetised as well as another disc, placed outside of the tank. The Koralis' output direction can easily be changed, as the base has a knuckle joint. The output can also be concentrated via an additional supplied funnel, or left in the default mode, which provides a weaker yet broader current.

Apparently, this brand is often used in marine setups, for supplying flow over live corals, but they are equally at home in a freshwater setup. I paid ~£36 for mine at LFS, but they can be had cheaper if you go gooling the interweb.

 

[BackToTheFishes]

A little tip that I learned the hard way,make sure the inlet is TOTALLY fish friendly!One minced guppy taught me that one!

 

[waterdrop]

I use a Koralia Nano in addition to my spraybar.

Positives of additional powerheads are:
1) fewer trace ammonia pockets to trigger algae (main reason for using extra powerheads)
2) additional circulation to keep debris suspended until the filter can pick it up
3) additional circulation to further even out temperature distribution (not typically a problem though)
4) extra exercise for healthier fish in some cases

Negatives I can think of:
1) Some fish don't want to be blown around
2) Some plants could be possibly damaged by being too close to this current
3) Its difficult to use these in smaller tanks (25g maybe about the lower limit??)

Desire for extra current is usually stonger in planted tanks or tanks with large waste produces I believe. There may be more experienced members here who could correct my comments or add others...

~~waterdrop~~

 

[OldMan47]

I use power heads in tanks much smaller than 25 gallons. I have several 10 gallon, 37 litre, tanks that use a power head as the thing providing flow to my sponge filters. The robust steady flow does not seem to bother most fish.

 

[waterdrop]

But then you are talking about ones that are not as "fan-like" if they are drawing from the center of your sponges. What do yours look like OM? WD

 

[OldMan47]

They are a simple cone shape on the inlet side. That fits nicely into the riser on a sponge filter. The outlet is either fan shaped or straight depending on whether or not I attach the eductor for a bit of bubbling effect. I never use the air part of the venturi but sometimes attach the eductor anyway to slow the flow rate on a tiny tank. This is one of mine laying on my desk top.

 

[waterdrop]

Ah yes, I've seen those. So that is what has replace the bubble lift of old, when one is using a sponge filter. Very simple and efficient looking! What is that knurled ring above the intake cone? Does the cone assemply screw off or is if for some sort of adjustment?

WD

 

[OldMan47]

That one has two adjustments. The knurled knob area is where you would turn it to adjust how far the intake is from the tank glass. There is also a lever on the side away from the camera where you can adjust the flow from the power head. That particular one is a model 301 by AC. It is a nominal good size for a 30 gallon tank but is being used on a 20 right now. I can no longer remove it and lay it on my desk top. It is soaking wet and would ruin the desk.