# Question about power heads?



## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Power heads are not a necessity at all in a planted tank.

Good water flow can help distribute CO2 through a tank and help eliminate dead spots/debris accumulation which tend to encourage algae. Good flow can be accomplished without any powerheads, however.

I personally don't run CO2 in any of my tanks and don't care for the looks of powerheads, so I rely on my filters to provide enough flow and don't use powerheads at all.


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

I use a combination of power heads and filter to get the flow I want. Sometimes I use a small filter and just want more flow.


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## cowmilkcandy (Feb 6, 2014)

lauraleellbp said:


> Power heads are not a necessity at all in a planted tank.
> 
> Good water flow can help distribute CO2 through a tank and help eliminate dead spots/debris accumulation which tend to encourage algae. Good flow can be accomplished without any powerheads, however.
> 
> I personally don't run CO2 in any of my tanks and don't care for the looks of powerheads, so I rely on my filters to provide enough flow and don't use powerheads at all.


I noticed your lighting for your 90 gallon is similar to mine. Running 2x54w T5HO for 7 hours a day. Do you get any algae? I'm getting brown algae on my glass. It's not that bad but i have to scrub it once a week during water changes. Do you have any tips?


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## kidgrave (Feb 4, 2014)

Diana said:


> I use a combination of power heads and filter to get the flow I want. Sometimes I use a small filter and just want more flow.


What brands of power heads do you use? How strong is the power head on your tank?


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## kidgrave (Feb 4, 2014)

lauraleellbp said:


> Power heads are not a necessity at all in a planted tank.
> 
> Good water flow can help distribute CO2 through a tank and help eliminate dead spots/debris accumulation which tend to encourage algae. Good flow can be accomplished without any powerheads, however.
> 
> I personally don't run CO2 in any of my tanks and don't care for the looks of powerheads, so I rely on my filters to provide enough flow and don't use powerheads at all.


Would you advise a power head in a dirted tank, where co2 is not being supplemented? I have a 10 gallon tank that I dirted, and plan to dirt my 37 gallon. How could I tell if my 37 gallon needs more flow? I think it could use a small power head.


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## kidgrave (Feb 4, 2014)

cowmilkcandy said:


> I noticed your lighting for your 90 gallon is similar to mine. Running 2x54w T5HO for 7 hours a day. Do you get any algae? I'm getting brown algae on my glass. It's not that bad but i have to scrub it once a week during water changes. Do you have any tips?


Just wondering, what brand is your fixture?


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## greaser84 (Feb 2, 2014)

If you wanted a small powerhead for your 37, something opposite of your filter I'd get around 100gph.


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## greaser84 (Feb 2, 2014)

For my 10 gallon I use a 50gph. If you get one that is a little to strong for your liking, attaching a sponge to it, will slow it down. Or better yet you can get an adjustable one. Check evilbay they have a bunch, that's where I got mine. Like the other's said if you have a good filter you probably don't need one but they are nice to have around.


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## kidgrave (Feb 4, 2014)

greaser84 said:


> For my 10 gallon I use a 50gph. If you get one that is a little to strong for your liking, attaching a sponge to it, will slow it down. Or better yet you can get an adjustable one. Check evilbay they have a bunch, that's where I got mine. Like the other's said if you have a good filter you probably don't need one but they are nice to have around.


Do you use your power head as a filter? Which power head brand and model are you using?


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## kidgrave (Feb 4, 2014)

greaser84 said:


> For my 10 gallon I use a 50gph. If you get one that is a little to strong for your liking, attaching a sponge to it, will slow it down. Or better yet you can get an adjustable one. Check evilbay they have a bunch, that's where I got mine. Like the other's said if you have a good filter you probably don't need one but they are nice to have around.


Thanks for your reply. On my 37 gallon tank, I am using a Fluval 206 Canister filter. How can I figure out if my tank is getting enough flow? Which power head brand and model do you use on your 10 gallon?


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## greaser84 (Feb 2, 2014)

I don't know the names of the powerheads or who makes them. I always buy the cheap ones from [Ebay Link Removed] here are some pics, one pic is a wave maker in my 55gallon, the others are powerheads in my 10 gallon and 20 gallon. I use them to help distribute my co2. I always check for dead spots in the corners farthest from the filter by watching for bubbles or plant movement.


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## greaser84 (Feb 2, 2014)

The powerhead for the 10 gallon was about 5 bucks the powerhead for the 20 gallon was about 8 bucks and the wave maker was about 15 bucks. Like I said I get the cheese cheap ones but they work for me.


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## jay6896 (Nov 9, 2013)

I agree I don't think its necessary but I do think you always need a certain amount of water movement. Since the HOB filter isn't nearly enuf alone, I purchased a power head. I have a MaxiJet 600 and initially used it as a filter connecting a small soda bottle with polyester but since my tank is completely cycled its not necessary. I tried removing it but after minimal maintenance my tank wasn't crystal after a whole day. I put the power head back in and the next morning it was crystal again. This thing is rated at 160 gph in power head mode. I wanted the Maxi_Jet 400 but they were out of stock. MY tank is a 20 high and I think the movement is perfect.


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## kidgrave (Feb 4, 2014)

greaser84 said:


> The powerhead for the 10 gallon was about 5 bucks the powerhead for the 20 gallon was about 8 bucks and the wave maker was about 15 bucks. Like I said I get the cheese cheap ones but they work for me.


Wow, that's pretty cheap. Do you always leave your power head on, or do you turn it off during certain times of the day or night?


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## kidgrave (Feb 4, 2014)

jay6896 said:


> I agree I don't think its necessary but I do think you always need a certain amount of water movement. Since the HOB filter isn't nearly enuf alone, I purchased a power head. I have a MaxiJet 600 and initially used it as a filter connecting a small soda bottle with polyester but since my tank is completely cycled its not necessary. I tried removing it but after minimal maintenance my tank wasn't crystal after a whole day. I put the power head back in and the next morning it was crystal again. This thing is rated at 160 gph in power head mode. I wanted the Maxi_Jet 400 but they were out of stock. MY tank is a 20 high and I think the movement is perfect.


How many gallons is your tank? Mine is 37 gallons, and 22 inches deep. Do you th ink a 240 gph would be good enough? I have been looking into a Hydor Koralia 240.


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## cowmilkcandy (Feb 6, 2014)

kidgrave said:


> Just wondering, what brand is your fixture?


sunblaze 48. Same as this guy. http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=578537


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## greaser84 (Feb 2, 2014)

kidgrave said:


> Wow, that's pretty cheap. Do you always leave your power head on, or do you turn it off during certain times of the day or night?


Mine are on 24/7. My co2 is on a timer. If u get powerhead leave it on 24/7


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## jay6896 (Nov 9, 2013)

kidgrave said:


> How many gallons is your tank? Mine is 37 gallons, and 22 inches deep. Do you th ink a 240 gph would be good enough? I have been looking into a Hydor Koralia 240.


 My tank is 20 gallons. I think 240 gph is a lot but you would have to see how it moves your tank. The 160 gph is higher than I would like for my tank, I have it aimed from back to front ALMOST straight forward to reduce some of the current. The 3 Albino Corys do like swimming back and forth in the current though. My friend is building a stand and moving up to a 75 gallon. I am likely to purchase his 36 bowfront when he is done. I would use the same powerhead I have now.


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## re_hashed (May 31, 2007)

Funny this, I bought one at the weekend. I did a tank re-scape a few weeks ago, and the way I have things set out now I noticed that there was quite a significant dead spot - sometimes the fish seemed to like chilling in this place though.

On Saturday I bought a AquaOne Wavemaker 1500 (the smallest I could get) just to get the water moving around that specific area.

Because I didn't want it running 100% of the time, I already had a timer in my 'man draw' so just put it to go on every so often to move the water around a bit.

The fish seem to love it, and go proper bonkers when this thing powers up and moves the flow around something different. I must admit that I was a bit dubious about having something that's about the size of .... an apple ... a small fist stuck on the side of my tank, but in all honestly, I can hardly notice that it's there, and I'll hide it with Jungle Val over time.

FYI my tank is a 40 gallon (185ltr), bowfront, already using an Aqua Manta EFX 200 External Filter.


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## thebuddha (Jul 16, 2012)

the koralia 240 would probably be your best bet, it moves a lot of water, but it really isn't a jet stream like the cheap powerheads


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

cowmilkcandy said:


> I noticed your lighting for your 90 gallon is similar to mine. Running 2x54w T5HO for 7 hours a day. Do you get any algae? I'm getting brown algae on my glass. It's not that bad but i have to scrub it once a week during water changes. Do you have any tips?


Yes, I do get algae, especially if I slack on tank maintenance. IME 2x54 of T5HO over a 90gal is right on the cusp of needing CO2 (if the fixture in question has good reflectors). I tend to need a dose or two of Excel every few months to keep BBA and hair algae in check. HOWEVER- if you're having brown algae, you might want to increase your water changes and be sure you have a good algae-eating crew; Otos and Nerite snails are some of the best eaters of brown algae, IME.



kidgrave said:


> Would you advise a power head in a dirted tank, where co2 is not being supplemented? I have a 10 gallon tank that I dirted, and plan to dirt my 37 gallon. How could I tell if my 37 gallon needs more flow? I think it could use a small power head.


Totally personal preference. A powerhead is certainly an option if you want to increase flow. How do I know when I need to increase flow? I watch where food falls when I feed. If food makes it to the ground 1) I know I'm overfeeding (lol) and 2) I usually boost and/or rearrange my filtration to address any spots where I notice debris accumulating. If I were to use powerheads, I'd try to stir up dead spots and direct falling debris into filter intakes. My personal preference is to increase filtration rather than flow alone; I want to make sure that the debris gets pulled into my filters where it's easier to remove every time I do filter maintenance and change out the disposable media.

Many planted tankers don't worry so much about flow and just make sure they do a good debris cleanup during weekly water changes. That's a great option as well.


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## DSP (Apr 8, 2014)

Flow is very very very important in planted tanks imo especially with carpeting plants, If you want to add a powerhead definately get koralias.

-Seafari-


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## perlguy (Mar 26, 2014)

Aren't airstones as effective as a Koralia Nano 240 powerhead? I'm about to return my Koralia Nano 240 because it's too strong. I attached it to give water flow from right to left along my 20 gallon (L 24"xW 12"xH 16"), but the movement was too strong and it kept kicking up stuff at the bottom of the tank and also sucked up debris after a night of running. I'm afraid smaller fish {neon tetras, guppy fry} may get sucked in - I don't have any fish yet.


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## kidgrave (Feb 4, 2014)

perlguy said:


> Aren't airstones as effective as a Koralia Nano 240 powerhead? I'm about to return my Koralia Nano 240 because it's too strong. I attached it to give water flow from right to left along my 20 gallon (L 24"xW 12"xH 16"), but the movement was too strong and it kept kicking up stuff at the bottom of the tank and also sucked up debris after a night of running. I'm afraid smaller fish {neon tetras, guppy fry} may get sucked in - I don't have any fish yet.


I don't know how to answer your question. Recently, I have watched videos of people using an airs tone on dirted tanks, and wondered if those people weren't worried about the airs tone reducing the co2 levels in the tank. Did you try positioning your power head up, or in many different directions?


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## perlguy (Mar 26, 2014)

kidgrave said:


> I don't know how to answer your question. Recently, I have watched videos of people using an airs tone on dirted tanks, and wondered if those people weren't worried about the airs tone reducing the co2 levels in the tank. Did you try positioning your power head up, or in many different directions?


I didn't try positioning the powerhead up; it was aligned horizontally all alone (right to left), and the force caused the debris on the bottom of the tank to get kicked up and float around. A few plants got uprooted too. Maybe this nano powerhead is too strong for my 20 gallon dirted tank.


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## Nestle_ (Jul 4, 2013)

in my 90 gallon I have the filter, at 360gph or so, and two koralia 240 gph wave makers and thats just keeping good movement through the tank, though there are still deadspots all the while not creating a huge stream of low as someone mentioned above.

if you are running co2, then try to not disturb the surface of the tank as you're just throwing out the co2 then. but if you are NOT injecting co2 then I believe surface disturbance should be high as to maximize gas exchange keeping co2 levels higher then with no disturbance, and my plants have loved this (in tanks other then my 90)

airstones won't give you so much flow vs a wavemakers, if you want more flow but don't like the wavemaker/powerheads job then try a small sponge filter as that it concentrates the water movement and actually will create circulation while also filtering the tank. but again don't do this if injection co2


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