Powerhead in a 20H Freshwater Tank

[Jweiner]

I have a 20H freshwater tank with a sand substrate and all artificial plants. I have an Eheim 250 canister filter with the Eheim prefilter attached to the intake. This prefilter seems to slow down the flow through the canister such that the return flow is quite gentle (which I don't mind). However, I have noticed some accumulation of debris in certain areas on the surface of the sand. I am wondering if it would be a reasonable idea to place a small powerhead near the bottom of the tank to help circulate some of the debris so that it can be collected by the filter? The caveat is that I have several Pygmy Corys and a few Kuhli Loaches in my tank and I'm not sure if they would appreciate such a current near the bottom of the tank. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Mackemlad]

Hi I know what you mean I have the same issue, but I read on another site that the filter is mainly for helping keep the water clean and the best way to deal with the poop on sand is to syphon when you do water changes, it kinda makes sense really.

I love the sand in the tanks but poop aggravates me lol.

 

[aseradyn]

When I had a sand bottom and bronze corys, I also had a lot of flow along the bottom in some areas of the tank. The corys didn't seem to mind at all, but the sand had a tendency to drift downstream - just a tiny bit every time the corys disturbed it. Over the course of about a month, I ended up with a pile of sand at the downstream end of the tank and a growing patch of bare glass at the upstream end. I ended up playing with my filter outputs to reduce the water flow across the bottom so that I didn't have to keep pushing the sand back into place.

 

[BigMoCotton]

I would grab a King-125. You can pick one up at PetCo for around $15. Reliable budget powerhead in my experience. I think you could achieve the effect you're looking for without having it so close to the bottom that it would obliterate the fish and substrate. There's always room to play with the elevation.

 

[moenaise]

I have a 29 gallon planted tank and just bought a hydor koralina 425 pump and it is moving the debris from the bottom of the tank perfectly. I have it almost at the top of the tank and there is great movement even on the bottom. I'm not sure what it may do with the sand but I guess maybe try a couple different placements till you find the right spot. ps. the fish love swimming in the current!