DIY Water Flow Controller?

[StevesPrettyCool]

Hey everyone! I got i 55 gallon tank thats running an Odyssea CFS 500 (500gph canister filter) and also have two Odyssea 350 Powerheads that are not currently in the tank because they create an extremely fast water current that my fish just cant handle.

My canister filter has a quick flow as well, so I have a tiny black mesh bag over it which slows it down very nicely and blends in with my black background well so its not an eyesore. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on DIY ways to slow down the output current on these powerheads?? I think the mesh bag works great for the top of the tank, but would probably look strange flapping around near the bottom...

Thanks everyone, any advise is good!

Steve

 

[mr_X]

are these power heads 350 gph? if so, they are not even close to too much flow for your tank. just put the canister output on one side and a single power head on the other if you feel it's too much.

 

[StevesPrettyCool]

well yes, they are rated as 350gph, but it seems like its putting out even more than my 500gph canister. My tiger barbs love it since they are really fast swimmers, but my other fish (two angel fish and seven synodontis petricolas) get tossed around like ragdolls . The petricola catfish look like are going to have a heart attack swimming so hard just to stay in one place. I took out the powerhead cuz i felt like they were struggling and needed a rest.

Ya think i should put it back in? This is my first 55g tank, so I may be over reacting. The petricolas are still fairly small (3/4"-1") so I dont know if the flow is too much for them or no?

Thanks mr_X, always appreciated

 

[mr_X]

ahh..i was thinking this is a salt tank. i just don't have the fresh water experience to be able to make an educated advisement. i don't know the fish.
sorry steve.

 

[StevesPrettyCool]

its ok doug, i guess i should have mentioned that in the first post! yeah its a 55g freshwater thank with Angelfish Tiger Barbs and Syndodontis Petricola catfish. Since the catfish are so small, I decided to wait another week or so before putting the powerhead back in. When I set it back up, i will tie the mesh bag to the output since it lowers the flow substantially. Then after a month or so, after then have time to grow a little more and get used the it, I'll removed the bag and see what happens...

 

[e_murray]

You dont need the powerhead at all. Just the canister. Freshwater does not need that much flow. The angels like a very calm tank.

 

[StevesPrettyCool]

thanks murray appreciate the response. so i guess i'll sell the powerheads, they weren't that great anyway.

 

[StevesPrettyCool]

the main reason i got the powerheads was because even using a battery powered "poo picker-upper" every other day and weekly water changes, my sand is still covered. I wanted to get a couple powerheads to kinda get the poo moving a little bit, but made a rookie error and went way too powerful.

I'm going to start a new post catering toward questions about smaller powerheads used to clean debris if i cant find one on the forum, will post a link here if you or anyone else is interested...

 

[mr_X]

feed less maybe.

 

[Xand3r]

if you have light dimmer you can use it to reduce the flow. Basically a dimmer reduces the amount of current a light uses, so if you have less current the light or in this case the powerhead will be less efficient. (have you seen what happens to a flashlight when it's running out of batteries? same concept applies here). If you have one lying around your house and can hide it, you can give it a try. But if you don't, I would not buy it (they're not cheap, or at least the ones I've seen)

 

[Retired_AF]

if you have light dimmer you can use it to reduce the flow. Basically a dimmer reduces the amount of current a light uses, so if you have less current the light or in this case the powerhead will be less efficient. (have you seen what happens to a flashlight when it's running out of batteries? same concept applies here). If you have one lying around your house and can hide it, you can give it a try. But if you don't, I would not buy it (they're not cheap, or at least the ones I've seen)

Before doing this, make sure the motors can handle the reduced voltage. I'm not sure about power heads, but we some cooling fans installed in the equipment racks at work and one of the guys tried that when they started blowing dust everywhere. The fan motors burned up overnight. I'm not saying not to do it, but just be sure your motors can handle it before you do.

 

[Xand3r]

Before doing this, make sure the motors can handle the reduced voltage. I'm not sure about power heads, but we some cooling fans installed in the equipment racks at work and one of the guys tried that when they started blowing dust everywhere. The fan motors burned up overnight. I'm not saying not to do it, but just be sure your motors can handle it before you do.

Wow!!!

Yeah I would have never done that... (more than 1 fan to a dimmer)

Actually I got the idea from a ceiling fan, and The only reason why I suggested the dimmer is because I have tried it before (it doesn't look good but works) and because those power heads work at 110 V which is the same as a regular light (or at least in the US they both do) so even if you use the maximum brightness/speed the maximum voltage would be 110 V. There is a certain range in which they won't work (not enough current) but it won't damage the motor.

But yeah just make sure that the motor can handle it, you can never be to cautious.