Current/Waves in a planted tank

[danben]

Hi everyone, so I recently set up a 55g cichlid tank and tbh it looked really bare and lifeless just by itself so I decided I'd try adding some easier beginner plants to it to see how it goes.

Now the thing is I also have a marine land maxi jet pro 1200 coming in over the mail and I was hoping to try out some different things with it like the current setting as well as the wavemaker. I was wondering though, would having the plants in the path of the current cause any issues? I wouldn't be placing the maxi jet right in front of the plants or anything but I just want to make sure it won't cause any issues.

Thanks in advance,
Ben

P.S.: what are the benefits/drawbacks of liquid ferts vs root tabs?

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[Brookster123]

What kind of cichlids? May want to rethink stem or rooted plants... the.maxi jet is supposed to be a pretty big let down as well... can you exchange it for a hydor koralia?

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[danben]

I've got about 11 mbunas in the tank along with a red fin black shark, they're all pretty much just under 2 inches

I actually ordered it online because I saw a deal for 18 bucks and although I did check out the reviews it's apparently a hit or miss for most people so I figured there's not much to lose

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[Brookster123]

Stick to anubias and floating plants if anything.. java fern maybe. I've just read they're horribly loud. Hope it's not the case


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[bribo12]

Being a salty maxi jets are pretty terrible. You're not gonna get much of a wave out of it.


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[dylan p]

I always thought people used Lilly pipes in planted aquariums to slow down the water flow. I'm not positive because I have salt water but I recently looked into starting a planted aquarium and everyone I talked to wanted very little flow in there aquariums


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[Brookster123]

I always thought people used Lilly pipes in planted aquariums to slow down the water flow. I'm not positive because I have salt water but I recently looked into starting a planted aquarium and everyone I talked to wanted very little flow in there aquariums


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Flow is very much needed in planted tanks, dispenses nutrients..

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[dylan p]

Good to know what is a Lilly pipe for then


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[Brookster123]

Good to know what is a Lilly pipe for then


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Aesthetics. .

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[fish wrangler]

I always thought people used Lilly pipes in planted aquariums to slow down the water flow. I'm not positive because I have salt water but I recently looked into starting a planted aquarium and everyone I talked to wanted very little flow in there aquariums


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Brookster correct me of I am wrong on this. You want some flow in a planted tank, but not to much. Say a tank gets fully filtered twice per hour, amd you don't wamt the filter output right on top of plants.

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[Brookster123]

Brookster correct me of I am wrong on this. You want some flow in a planted tank, but not to much. Say a tank gets fully filtered twice per hour, amd you don't wamt the filter output right on top of plants.

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I'm not positive.. I run major filtration on all.my planted tanks, plants sway gently but don't blow around.. think that's what's up... ferts and co2 need to travel..

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[Fresh2o]

I run a pair of AC50 HOB filters in a 20g planted tank. Each one is rated at 150-200 GPH so turnover wise, it is about 15-20x. I added deflectors to direct the flow toward the front pane and to reduce the splash/noise. Yes, I have a lot of flow in the tank but the plants do not appear to be negatively affected by it. When I was running only one filter, I thought about getting PH for additional circulation but went with an filter in case the first one goes out of commission.
Aside from good looks, there are some lily pipes that have a modified return spout that will form a small Venturi at the surface (think whirlpool). This will help remove the surface film.


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[danben]

Just an update in case you guys were wondering how everything turned out.

I ended up finding a used 20 gallon with a hood and t8 light for free, the tank just needed to be re-sealed.

So I moved all the plants I had to that one and I'm setting it up as a shrimp tank with RCS's and right now it's most likely going to function as an emergency grow out tank for when my holding female releases the fry.

As for the maxi jet, I got the highest rated one on amazon for like 20 bucks and it was wayyyyy too strong for the tank haha so I ended up hooking it up to a sponge filter in my 55 with the output directed at the wall so it doesn't completely blow the fish away. (when I say it was strong, I mean my plants 4 feet away from the maxi jet went pretty much horizontal when it was on )

It's not loud at all actually, and I would recommend it to anyone, as long as they get the right size for the tank. If I ever set up a sump I'd consider using it as well.

So yeah, just thought I'd share that in case you guys were curious

 

[Brookster123]

Nice.. I've heard lots of negatives on the Maxi-jet.. they were basically giving them away at petco a few months ago.. hopefully they've been tweaked..

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