Any use for powerheads?

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teamgs

Aquarium Advice Regular
Joined
Jun 17, 2005
Messages
72
Location
Elk Grove, CA
Greetings,
I am in the process of setting up my 90 gal tall after years of non-use. I have two HOB AC70/300's for filtration, but also have two powerheads left over from the days when I thought that undergravel filtration was the way to go. :D
Since the tank is relatively tall (30" tall x 36" wide x 18" deep), would there be any benefit to using the powerhead(s) for circulation? I will be planting the tank with low light plants.

Regards,

Gary
 
I'm realitivly new to this hobby but I recently added two powerheads to my UGF on my 10 gallon tank. I know it is no where near the size of your tank but they blew way too many bubbles into the tank and made the surface quite choppy. I later completely removed my UGF and am now running just my HOB filter. If you use the powerheads you can cut down the tubes to place them lower in the tank. Just make sure the cut is straight or they won't seal properly.

Probably already knew all this but I thought I would chime in with my experience. Others will follow I'm sure. Good luck!
 
Thanks for the info. :D The heads I have don't make any bubbles, unless you attach a small aeration hose that extends above the waterline. They also have deflectors that can effectively reduce the currently to nothing, if desired. I wouldn't be using any tubes attached to the bottom of the heads, since I don't have the undergravel filter any longer. I would simply stick them onto the wall of the tank and run them for current/flow, if this is beneficial.

Regards,

Gary
 
i do not know if you need two, but i use 1 power head in my 75 gal planted tank, helps it circulated the water, to evenly spread nutrients, also i us it to diffuse co2.
 
Hi, I'm just getting back into this hobby too, although I am using a powerhead for the first time (way back when I used an air pump and stones in an 18 gallon). I only have one powerhead in my new 29 gallon and that with the water flow from the filter (HOB) seems to keep the water moving pretty quickly.

Good luck with your giant tank! :)
 
Thanks everyone, it looks like at least one powerhead to increase circulation would be beneficial. I am just curious if there are some specific fish and/or plants that may not like the increased flow.

Regards,

Gary
 
teamgs said:
Thanks everyone, it looks like at least one powerhead to increase circulation would be beneficial. I am just curious if there are some specific fish and/or plants that may not like the increased flow.

Regards,

Gary
i think most fish like some current, i do not know what type of power head you have, but mine allows me to adjust the flow, and i have mine set at the minimum, the fish can still find some "dead spots" where they can rest and the current dose not blow them away, but the water stays mixed.
 
I have one in my 46 gallon and turn it on twice a week for about 3 hours. I was told that it polishes the water and I am in awe how crystal clear my water looks afterward. My Cory cats love the extra bubbles.
 
depends on what type of fish you plan to keep, for example, my discus do not appriciate high water flow and therefore only have the circulation from the filter, If you do want to keep such fish then you may still want to put one near the top of the tank to aggitate the water surface (If your filter cannot do this) to increase oxygen exchange and keep your fish healthy and a stable PH. HTH
 
As OceanMist said...depends on the fish. Most of the flat ones (angels, discus etc.) don't do well without current. If you think of their shape... you can imagine why! :) Otherwise, most of the bullet shaped fish seem to like some current and corys (one of my favorites) love it to play in. I don't actually know if there are plants that would object. You might want to post on the planted forum.
 
One thing that I have noticed recently about powerheads is that if you have any smaller fish they can end up sucked face first into the "air intake" that the hose usually attaches to...

you might want to throw something on that hole to protect the fish...

-Steve
 
OT, but the AC70 might be a tad small to fit securely into the 90's trim. if you bought them new, might want to return them and get a single AC110. along with the powerheads, that should be adequate filtration. if you still want to use them, the trim has to be filed down a little to fit the intake tube snugly. (of course, the trim might be narrower for the 90g tall, but i was going by a 75g i had tried to fit a AC300 with).
if you are not planning to house flat-shaped fishes (as mentioned before), i think the best idea is to place the two powerheads at the two ends of the tank, towards the bottom. from what i've seen with AC's so far, they do a great job of agitating the surface.
 
Thanks everyone! :D
My powerheads have a small screen on the intake, just like that on the AC HOB's. They are 15 year old Perfecto's and are on the smaller side, flow-wize. Not the greatest, but they function. As for my AC70 and AC 300, I have used the 300 for quite a few years on this tank with good success, but I decided that I wanted a little more filtration this time around. By getting a second filter, the AC 70, I get more filtration, as well as redundancy. If one fails while I am away on vacation, the other will still maintain the tank.

I plan on starting out with mostly hardy fish, though I haven't decided what yet.

Regards,

Gary
 
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