Are power heads necessary?

[Pankakes]

I have a 180 gallon currently cycling with a wet/dry filtration system with a pump that is pushing about 1000 gallons an hour (i had to put a check valve on the pump to control the water level so the pump is turned down slighty as my pump is rated for 1200 gph). Question 1) is about 1000 gph enough filtration and #2) Are powerheads something you would recommend and what benefits will it provide my tank? Please let me know and please recommend a powerhead for me. Thanks

 

[Toby_H]

1) is about 1000 gph enough filtration

If the pump is rated for 1,200 gph… and is then under a few feet of head pressure… and slightly restricted with a ball valve… it is unlikely that it is actually performing at 1,000 gph. If it is rated for 1,200 gph at your given head pressure, then 1,000 gph very well may be accurate…

I’ve often read that moving your tanks full volume through your sump at a rate of 5 times per hour will give you adequate bio-filtration. This comes out to 900 gph…

For adequate mechanical filtration moving your water through filters at a rate of 10 times per hour is typically suggested. The extra current helps move waste/debris to the intakes. Provided you do adequate weekly maintenance on the tank then having ‘weaker’ mechanical filtration is not a concern for the fish, only for your viewing pleasure..

2) Are powerheads something you would recommend and what benefits will it provide my tank? Please let me know and please recommend a powerhead for me. Thanks

Powerheads are definitely not a requirement for any tank, but avoiding dead spots is our responsibility in every tank and powerheads are one way we can do that. Powerheads can also be used to move waste/debris either to a filter intake or out from under/behind décor so that we can clean it out during our water changes.

There are many quality powerheads on the market. Maxijet and Aqua Clear are both good brands. Hydor’s Koralia powerheads have a unique design which causes water to “fan out” from the powerhead as opposed to coming out in a “stream line”. I have found this fanning out flow to work wonderfully at giving general water movement & moving waste / debris without disturbing the fish or the substrate (sand).

 

[sostoudt]

I have a 180 gallon currently cycling with a wet/dry filtration system with a pump that is pushing about 1000 gallons an hour (i had to put a check valve on the pump to control the water level so the pump is turned down slighty as my pump is rated for 1200 gph). Question 1) is about 1000 gph enough filtration and #2) Are powerheads something you would recommend and what benefits will it provide my tank? Please let me know and please recommend a powerhead for me. Thanks

am i too assume this is fresh water?
power heads are more important in saltwater because the live rock filters the water, so its important to have good flow around the rock.

in freshwater they can have benefits too. they suspend waste in the water column until it can go through your filter. they improve gas exchange. with some fish they will increase the growth rate and size. they probably improve fish health too, by giving the fish exercise. i personally think the fish look better swimming in the water instead of sitting sedientary in the water column.
in my freshwater use a seio powerhead that used to be on a reef tank.

 

[JakeH]

If you already have enough filtration/pump volume, but want more movement, get the Koralia. If you are trying to improve filtration by pushing floaties over to your intakes, get a MaxiJet or AquaClear for the concentrated stream. Also, some fish dont like all the current from a powerhead, but may be able to handle the Koralia.