Do I need other things for my tank?

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A

arkmann

Piranha
MFK Member
Apr 24, 2007
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Here's the deal. I am currently cycling my 60 gallon tank (first tank ever/newbie at this hobby). Its on its second day of fishless cycling. I currently have a 200W heater with the thermostat at 76 F, Tetratec AP100 air pump (26G/hr), and a Penguin 350 filter (rated for 75 gallons).

I was wondering if I need a powerhead for increased water movement? What should be the ideal output for the powerhead for my tank if i need one or two?

I know that my Penguin 350 is sufficient filteration but I will most likely get another just to have a crystal clear tank.

Thank you.
 
1st ? what will you be keeping in your new tank?
 
I don't know yet. Maybe some datnoids or a jardini
 
Common rule of thumb w/ avg. fish load is 3x's the gph amount of filtration relative to the tank size i.e. 60 gal. should have ideally at least 180 gph of filtration so yes your 350 should be ok. When you start increasing your bioload/fish then it's best to also increase both bio & mech filtration & surface movement. Personally, if the fish can hang then I find a way to shoot for 5-7 times or more the gph filtered. Since I don't own a 350 & don't have a manual for it I don't know if the 350 gph is w/ or w/out media placed in it, sometimes manf. just show the best it will do for marketing, but when you read the specific's it can say something dif. when media is added. Redundancy = bckup safety, which is always a good thing.
I have used Hagen AquaClear pwrhd's for 20+ yr's. keep them maintained never a prob, unless run dry. For your 60 gal. I would use 2 AQ 50's adj. all the way open, w/ the air hose's attached to both, no real need to put the diffuser adaptor's on them just make the most of the surface movement. If you need to diffuse them a bit then you could point them toward the end's to so as not to blow the fish out of the tank, but the flow rate's are adj. on most all brand's these day's. I'm old school w/ an UGF on my 75 gal. & I run 4 uptube's w/ 2 AQ 70's on the end's pointed toward the end glass & 2 AQ 50's in the middle turned dwn a bit blowing straight out. Inexpensive prefilter's can be placed on the AQ pwrhd's if you're not running a UGF, which I think would have to reduce the flow even a bit more. If you choose to go this route, this of course would alleviate the need for you air pump or not that's your choice, I haven't owed an air pump since I started using pwrhd's. Don't remember the manf. but I recently saw a pwrhd on Drs.FosterSmith that said it could be run dry, which I would look into if I needed another, but I don't remember seeing a prefilter avail. for it. Hope this help's & wasn't tooooo confusing.
 
Thanks for the replies. D. Joe and bigchich's are very informative. Marineland's website only states the 350 as having 350 gph as its output and that it is recommended up to a 75 gallon tank.

Based on my current set-up, is a powerhead a necessity or something that can be left out?

For some reason, I'm itching to get another penguin 350. If my analyzation serves me right, a second similar filter will serve two purposes; one, it will increase the filtration and second, it will create more water movement which is the same purpose of a powerhead.

By the way, tank will be a bare-bottom. The tank will most likely not have anything in the bottom for the sole purpose of keeping the tank "cleaner" and to make water changes easier (don't have to use vacuum siphon).

Based on the research that I found online, the powerheads are placed near the water surface to create water turbulence and to oxygenate the water. Applying the same logic to the filters; the filters also create water turbulence because of the cascading water brought by they wheels. Although the water movement caused by a powerhead may not be comparable to the gentle cascading of water brought by the wheel, it still creates the same effect but not equally effective.

Is my reasoning right? Should I go ahead and make do without a powerhead but with two 350 filters? Or is a powerhead a necessity for water movement and oxygenation?

Man... I sound like I'm writing a proposal or something...
 
I would add an additional filter. Besides the immediate benefits, when you get another tank later you just move one of the filters and instant cycle.
 
I always run 2 filters. It gives you a little extra margin for error ,and if one stops working for any reason you have a backup.
 
A sponge with small powerhead is a good supplement to a Penguin.
 
Two filters will do you fine. The powerheads are to get rid of dead spots but with a bare bottom tank and larger fish it's not a necessity. Pack one of the filters with more bio-media than the other and lets get this show on the road.


HunterX's idea works well if your going to have a powerhead...why not make it a filter too.

I can hear the water running already...:D

Dr Joe

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