Am i suppose to put power heads or airstone or something in a monster 220 gallon tank with dual overflows to create water movement within the tank itself. I know that this is important in a saltwater tank and I am not certain in a freshwater tank. the water looks stagnant... I appreciate any thoughts on this.
water circulation inside a monster tank
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in my 125 gal, i use two hydor koralia 4's for heavy water movement and i've also got two topfin 5-inch volcano air stones that create a lot of bubbles, which adds oxygen by breaking water surface tension. they noth help move debris towards my fx5's intake and reduce those dead spots within the tank where stagnant water can sit. basically, i've got airstones and powerheads in all of my tanks. it's important to move water and generate oxygen. i highly reccomend the koralia series of powerheads. i ordered the koralia's off of ebay and got them at a great price, because they're pricey at your lfs. the topfin volcanos are also great. petsmart carries topfin products.
I use the koralias in my 150 reef, I am familiar with them. Will the big fish get injured running into them?
i've yet to have that problem. my fish tend to stay away from my koralias because of the strong current that they generate.
If you want more flow or think you need more flow then add some powerheads. I'm not sure if it's necessary or not. Personally I like more flow. In my 125gal I have an FX5 w/ 2 penguin 660 powerheads & 1 penguin 1140 powerhead. In addition I also use a submersible AA 24w UV sterilizer that has it's own power head. In my 55gal I use a Fluval 405 & a Marineland Magnum 350 w/ inline 9W Turbo-Twist UV. Both aquariums have great water movement. GL
I would think the answer to your question relys mostly on the type of fish you keep. If your fish originated in a habitat with constant currents they might benefit. If they are lake dwellers that aren't used to current they aren't going to like it.
If your overflows effectively skim the surface water and you don't have oxygenation issues then adding current would needlessly run up your power bill.
If your overflows effectively skim the surface water and you don't have oxygenation issues then adding current would needlessly run up your power bill.
My 180g, has 2 XP3s, one Ac110, and one Seio 1500 (1500gph at only 34watts) on the bottom to circulate waste and my 240g has 2 FX5s and 2 Seio 1500 on the bottom of the tank on opposite sides, going to add 2 AC70 (AC110 won't fit because it too close to the wall and can't move it out because it will stick out of the cutout in the wall).
Keep in mind of the type of fish as dawnmarie mentioned, do they need huge amounts of current?
Keep in mind of the type of fish as dawnmarie mentioned, do they need huge amounts of current?