Powerheads and Powerhead Setup

[littlea8]

Hey Everyone,

Recently my powerheads both broke and I now have a new aquarium setup. I have a 46 Gallon Bowfront with the rocks all the way at the back placed in the center going up to about half of the aquarium. I was wondering how many and which brand of powerheads I should go with and where they should be placed. It is a reef aquarium. Also, how much flow rate should each powerhead have?

 

[David S]

overal you'll need at least 15x46g turnover for a reef tank,as for preference i use Hydor korallia,the flow rate of the powerhead isn't too important as long as you have enough,2 small powerheads is better then 1 large powerhead,this helps to illiminate dead spots in your tank.

 

[thincat]

Here are some ideas on setting up your pumps and flow positions.

 

[mr_X]

what corals are you planning on keeping? lps and softies need a lot less flow than sps.

 

[littlea8]

I plan on keeping both types of corals

 

[littlea8]

Would it be better to get two of the koralia 425 or two of the koralia 750 for my 46 gallon. This website says the recommended tank size for the koralia 750 is 30-50 gallons but does that just mean for 1 powerhead? or does that mean even if you have 2 this would be the recommended size? of both powerheads have to equal around 750gph?

 

[David S]

you need to take into account the gph of your filter as well that will be a min of 200-300gph,i think 2 425 will be fine.

 

[mr_X]

i think you are going to need more than that. especially if you plan to keep sps.
i would go with the larger ones. that sizing recommendation they give you is nonsense. look into the seio prop pumps as well. i like them better than the koralias. i've used both over the years and the seios are constructed better. the koralias would always shock me after a while.

 

[JeremyRP]

So im new to this hobby..... if i want to get 2 of the Koralia 2 will i need some kind of controller??

 

[mr_X]

na. just the pumps.

 

[JeremyRP]

the website im looking at to buy Koralia 2 it tells me requires a Koralia wave maker.. is that them just trying to sell it?

 

[mr_X]

post a link to the website you are speaking of.
i've used many koralias, including number 2's without any wavemaker. they do make a version that can be used with wavemakers now, but it's not mandatory to do so.

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

The Koralias that say they *need* to be used with a wavemaker, need to be used with Hydor's controller. They won't work otherwise. They don't just plug in to the wall - the plug on them in different and plug into the controller.

If you get the plain Koralias, or the Koralia "Evolution" pumps... these don't need to be used with a controller or wavemaker.

 

[JeremyRP]

ok thank you very much

 

[mr_X]

ahh..very smart of them to put a proprietary plug on them.

 

[SAAVE853]

Yeah I was looking into a Koralias wave maker the other day and saw that the power heads needed had to have a special plug!

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

ahh..very smart of them to put a proprietary plug on them.

Yeah... but not very smart of them to bring out their new Evolution line and call it "controllable". They end up muddying their own water with their other "controllable" line of product.

Just for clarification, there are three "flavors" of Koralia out there...

1. Old version, 120V Koralia - just plug them in the wall and they work. If you plan on turning them on and off often to simulate waves, expect them to break within 6 months. Fortunately, these are going off the market, replaced by the "Evolution" series.

2. New version, 120V Koralia - these are called the "Evolution" series. A little more flow than the old version, but the better thing is that it can be turned on/off over and over and over again... and they won't break. So these are "controllable", as far as being able to use them with a wavemaker, or a aquarium controller system. But you can only turn them on or off... not vary the flow.

3. Older version, but not as old as #1, 12V Korlia - these are the "controllable" ones that require the Hydor control unit. The powerheads have a special plug in that does NOT plug in to the wall, but instead plugs in to the Hydro controller. The benefit of these is that you can control the speed of the powerhead and get more variable control.

 

[JeremyRP]

So i've decided to go with 2 Koralia Evolution Circulation Pump : Koralia 1050 - (1,050 GPH - 5 Watts) and maybe 1 Koralia Evolution Circulation Pump : Koralia 750 - (750 GPH - 4.5 Watts) for a 75 gallon tank. Does that sound pretty good or should I make it 4 total?

Eventually I do want to have a diverse system.(lps,sps, soft hard)

Tank is cycling now.

 

[benanemone]

i have created a small pic on how the flows go in my SW tank. What do you think i should do in regards to my tank. its 160gal

 

[mr_X]

i think you should return the 1000gph pumps and go with something stronger. three 1400gph or so pumps would be better.