I seen a MFK'ers tank w/powerheads on a timer... pretty cool! I think they go on for a minute or so a couple times a day.
I've been thinking about this set up and having them turn on/off b4 I get home (so the cloudyness starts to fade) and at night to help the following on/off cycle.
Thank you for the ideas... I'm starting to give up on the idea of having extra holes drilled for removing water lower in the aquarium. I guess powerheads at the top pointing down should stir the bottom as much as powerheads at the bottom pointing up. At this point I figure powerheads should be in the setup for this purpose.
I plan for the back of the tank (and the sand) to be black so that should help to hide any intakes.
I use powerheads pointed down and it makes the craps float up long enough for the overflow to catch it. I have the overflow on the left side of my tank and I have an FX5 intake on the bottom right side of my tank. I have 2 powerheads that are always on and the FX5 output nozzles pointed down to the bottom. For me, that makes enough circulation that either the overflow or the FX5 will catch the waste. If hiding the intake is really important to you, you could try having a black background and it'll make the FX5 intake/output less noticeable.
I seen a MFK'ers tank w/powerheads on a timer... pretty cool! I think they go on for a minute or so a couple times a day.
I've been thinking about this set up and having them turn on/off b4 I get home (so the cloudyness starts to fade) and at night to help the following on/off cycle.
Massivore and Cichlid Gold. Pellets cloud my water a tad and it upsets me to see it dirty Lol.
One can go with a actual wave system for $200.00+ or buy a Home Depot timer and connect a small power outlet with a couple/few powerheads to it. Not sure the electricity usage vs. the Wave System but up front its cheaper to add the timer/outlet.
If set up correctly they are not bad at all. You need to align the wet side and dry side carefully and also adjust the spacer according to your glass thickness. Granted they are a little louder than a Koralia but for the amount of water they can move in comparison it is worth it. Also the undercurrent they created can stir up a lot of detritus and keep it suspended until it hits the overflow. For maximum effectiveness get two of them and have them set up on opposite ends of the tank and put them in one of their multiple sync modes.
The one thing I read about using a timer with regular powerheads is that there is quite a loud click when the powerheads turn on... and that it can get annoying if it happens every few minutes. It's just something I've read but not experienced.
I've been madly researching in forums, websites, and YouTube all aspects of setting up a large aquarium in preparation for my build. My brain may well explode soon.
Massivore and Cichlid Gold. Pellets cloud my water a tad and it upsets me to see it dirty Lol.
One can go with a actual wave system for $200.00+ or buy a Home Depot timer and connect a small power outlet with a couple/few powerheads to it. Not sure the electricity usage vs. the Wave System but up front its cheaper to add the timer/outlet.
Thank you for all of the info... a couple of questions. How far from the bottom would you install them, and are they on the sides or back wall of the aquarium? I'm really hoping not to have anything on the side walls of the aquarium for aesthetics reasons. I was thinking of getting two Koralias and install them low on the back wall, near the bottom, and either have them pointing up or straight across.
If set up correctly they are not bad at all. You need to align the wet side and dry side carefully and also adjust the spacer according to your glass thickness. Granted they are a little louder than a Koralia but for the amount of water they can move in comparison it is worth it. Also the undercurrent they created can stir up a lot of detritus and keep it suspended until it hits the overflow. For maximum effectiveness get two of them and have them set up on opposite ends of the tank and put them in one of their multiple sync modes.
Ideally they are placed on the sides, since this is usually the longer sides of the aquarium and the best place to get the flow. Placement is best at about 8" from the top I think is what EcoTech recommends. I had a Koralia on my Apex and it was programmed to turn on/off every few hours and it is an very audible click for sure. Startled my fish and was annoying for me since my tank is in my living room. I trashed that idea and eventually got an MP40.
