Powerheads..........

[mattlee]

i will have running soon a 6.5/2/2 tank. it will house some large cichlids, a few cats, a pleco and a BGK. im still unsure whether to buy the fish small and grow them on or buy already mature species.... the tank will be filtered by an FX5 if the fish are small and 2 FX5 if bigger fish are bought. would i require a powerhead on this tank at all?
the tank wont be heavilly planted due to the species kept so will be mainly sand, bogwood and rocks. maybe a few live plants but most will be artificial if not all. the reason i ask is that ive never had a tank bigger than 4ft and have never needed a powerhead to circulate the water any more than it was. if you guys think i would be better with one then what flow rate would i need?

 

[Verminator89]

From your epic thread on the future stocking of this tank i would suggest filtering it with x2 FX5s if possibly. Simply because fish of this size are messy, and its always important to over filter than under filter, providing you don't create a whirlpool. Two FX5's would be sufficient to filter and create flow around the entire tank if you place an outlet in each side of the tank. The FX5 comes with a standard dual split outlet for aiming two directions instead of one - bonus!

I wouldnt have thought a powerhead be nessecary in this case, IMO (!)


James

 

[bae1994]

if you had intake one end and outlet (with a sprabar) the other you wouldnt really need one for flow imo

however this being said the fish will apreciate a steady flow and its good aswell as big fish = lots of big poo so it would be there for easier for the f5 to pick it up if you had the powerhead going towards the intake from the opisite end

id go for this http/cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330467438941&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT

i got this the other day of the same seller and they arrived and are very good and i have 2 in my 2ft marine so i think it would be ideal for your tank

 

[mattlee]

From your epic thread on the future stocking of this tank i would suggest filtering it with x2 FX5s if possibly. Simply because fish of this size are messy, and its always important to over filter than under filter, providing you don't create a whirlpool. Two FX5's would be sufficient to filter and create flow around the entire tank if you place an outlet in each side of the tank. The FX5 comes with a standard dual split outlet for aiming two directions instead of one - bonus!

I wouldnt have thought a powerhead be nessecary in this case, IMO (!)


James

it does seem to be an epic now doesnt it.... if i got the fish small then i was going to use the FX5 i already have until i could get another when the fish were a bit bigger. if i got larger fish from scratch then i would get another FX5 to run in tandem. i think 1 would be fine with 7 ish 2-4 inch fish for now. my only concern with 2 FX5's facing each other would be creating a whirl pool with water coliding in the tank causing stress on the fish. i was going to maybe make spray bars for these as the nozzles seem a bit much to be honest. the powerhead would just be to move the lower parts of the tank and help clear the poo a bit....

 

[mattlee]

if you had intake one end and outlet (with a sprabar) the other you wouldnt really need one for flow imo

however this being said the fish will apreciate a steady flow and its good aswell as big fish = lots of big poo so it would be there for easier for the f5 to pick it up if you had the powerhead going towards the intake from the opisite end

id go for this http/cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330467438941&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT

i got this the other day of the same seller and they arrived and are very good and i have 2 in my 2ft marine so i think it would be ideal for your tank

this is what i was thinking as said above before reading this! i thought it would be a good idea to help move poo towards the strainer. if i did go for 2 x FX5's and made spraybars would it be best to have a spraybar at each end facing each other or both on the back wall pointing towards the front? i have 2 rena xp3's on my 240L both facing the front of the tank and it seems to create a bit of swirling in the middle anyway where the 2 flows meet.

 

[bae1994]

if you have to f5's id go for both at the back so facing forward but if you had sand then it could pump it all to the back

 

[mattlee]

if you have to f5's id go for both at the back so facing forward but if you had sand then it could pump it all to the back

this is what also happens in my other tank sand isnt 100% needed its just that i have lots of it! if i made the holes in the spraybar bigger would this help?
do you think i woyuld need 2 x FX5's in the first place?

 

[kizno1]

if you have to f5's id go for both at the back so facing forward but if you had sand then it could pump it all to the back

this is what also happens in my other tank sand isnt 100% needed its just that i have lots of it! if i made the holes in the spraybar bigger would this help?
do you think i woyuld need 2 x FX5's in the first place?

You could try mixing the sand with gravel which might help a little. Or put a big piece of bog wood or slate where the flow should hit the sand. I would say you need alteast 2 FX5s. I know chillipepper had problems with flow on here 160G when she had just one FX5 and that was only with a severum, oscar, nic and bichir so i would say you definitely need 2.

 

[bae1994]

hmm id
probably go for a slit spraybar instead of holes

 

[mattlee]

hmm id
probably go for a slit spraybar instead of holes

never heard of these.... but i guess its as it sounds! instead of individual holes a slit the length of the bar?

 

[bae1994]

yep pretty much seen it used a few times in planted tanks to give even flow (done it once before too

however dont make the slit to wide or the flow will just come out ate the start

 

[mattlee]

yep pretty much seen it used a few times in planted tanks to give even flow (done it once before too

however dont make the slit to wide or the flow will just come out ate the start

cheers ill bear it in mind