circulation

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Charney

Charney

The Fish Doctor
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Nov 15, 2005
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So I am going to be setting up my 125g soon. Right now I have the filters cycling on another tank. I will be running a fx5 and two aquaclear 110s. I am worried there will not be enough circulation. What do you guys think? If I need more flow can anyone recommend a good power head to use and will I need more then one? thanks
 
I think you'll have plenty of circulation imo, but if you're still concerned my personal fans are the Koralia evos and the aqua clear/hagen powrheads. If I had to pick one it would be the Koralia, but I have 2 aqua clears in service for almost 20 years
 
thanks for the reply. About how many gph am I looking for?
 
With as much filtration as your planning, I'd go with a smaller one or 2 just to keep debris from settling in certain areas. With an fx5 and 2 ac110's your turning your tank around 15x an hour which is what i typically use for pleco setups.

I really don't think circulation will be an issue for your setup lol
 
The Fx5 and 2 110's will be plenty in my opinion unless you are going for a very very large stock. Also will be determined by your decor of the tank and if you have any dead spots that those filters are just not hitting right. At the most you will need one in one of the back corners to stir stuff behind the decor, however if you are doing the cleaning with water changes that really shouldn't be much of an issue with the flow you will have now.
 
thanks guys. In that case I won't add one then. I do at least weekly water changes. Ok so here is my new issues. Right now I am cycling the three tanks on a 50g. There is a lot of noise coming from the tank, which I assumed was he fx5. I just tore the filter apart and put it back to together. Now it is really not making much noise, but still doesn't seem as powerful as I expected. I come to realize that one of my AC is making all the noise. I took that one apart too and put it back together and there is now difference. This tank is going to be in the dinning area so I don't think I want all this noise. Should I replace this AC with a new one ( which is by far the cheapest option) or should I get another canister? I was thinking maybe rena xp3 ( i have always though they were a good product for the money). I won't lie the tank will be heavily stocked. I know the best option is probably a wet dry, but I am not that handy to make one.
 
I love my xp3's and currently run 3 on my 135, but flow is not a strong suit of this filter. They are very quiet, hold lots of media, use very little power and are very easy to clean, but they are lower flow canisters more along the lines of the ehiem classics.

If flow is a major concern repairing or replacing the ac110 will give you more turnover
 
I have a fx5, ac110, and a koralia 1050 on my 125 and its always clear. One time the impeller on the koralia jammed so I unplugged it and forgot it wasn't running for 2 weeks and didn't see much difference. I'd stick to 1 ac110 and the fx5, until it is stocked, this is enough to keep your parameters in check unless you're severely overstocked, then decide what you need.
 
I have a 125 with FX5 only, and not happy with the flow. Tank is packed with driftwood, causing issues I'm sure. I just ordered a Koralia 1050 for it and I'll see how that goes. It is really dead on the other side of the tank, so hopefully that will make some waves over there.
 
Thanks for all the input. This tank will be overstocked eventually, but when I get to that point I will thin out the stock. I currently have the fish that will be moving into the tank. A mixed school of normal/wide/narrow band silver dollars. There are 12 of them ranging form four to six inches. Then I also have about an eight inch African pike and some polypterus. Right now they are all crammed in a 75g (will be in the 125g early march) I do weekly water changes about 40% which keep the nitrates in check. Based on this stock would you replace the ac or get the rena? If you guys think the ac alone with the fx5 gives decent circulation then I won't pick up a power head either way. Thanks
 
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