Water Circulation - POST YOUR THEORIES PLEASE
- Thread starter GoldFinger
- Start date
Hello; My take so far being two basic approaches have been posted. One using additional power generating pumps to generate more flow. The other using a basic relatively low flow HOB but with internal tank mods to direct current. I guess a third could be active fish stirring things about.
I grew up in the hobby making do both with low power equipment available 50+ years ago and a few decades of limited extra money for an extraneous hobby. Not sure if much in the way of powerheads and such was around, at least I did not know of such. Ran things for years with only air operated equipment. Very low flow.
I guess the point may be in the form of a question. To the OP. At this point are you inclined to go the extra power pumps route? I cannot add much from experience about that approach.
Good luck
I grew up in the hobby making do both with low power equipment available 50+ years ago and a few decades of limited extra money for an extraneous hobby. Not sure if much in the way of powerheads and such was around, at least I did not know of such. Ran things for years with only air operated equipment. Very low flow.
I guess the point may be in the form of a question. To the OP. At this point are you inclined to go the extra power pumps route? I cannot add much from experience about that approach.
Good luck
First off, I agree with lepisosteus, flow is ultimately governed by the kind of fish you keep.
There are certain species that need lots of flow, and if they don't get it they become very aggressive and kill other species, and each other.
And without the heavily oxygenated flow they become unhealthy to the point of being prone o infection.
Many other fish live in placid pools or oxbows, so the same heavy flow you need for rheophyllic species does not apply.
As to keeping detritus in suspension to it is pick up by filters can be counter productive unless you frequently clean out the filters. So whether you want to vacuum frequently or clean out mechanical media becomes the choice.
Leaving detritus in filters may make the water clear, but all may just allow it to break down to high nitrate levels and requiring more frequent water changes.
I have kept many rheophillic species, and an example of flow in my tanks is like the one below.
Many Central American species like those of the genus Tomocichla, Rheoheros, Chuco and many other do well in this kind of situation.
Paretroplus nourisatdi from Madagascar, and many riverine Africans would also do well in that flow.
Chuco micropthalmus
Rheoheros lentiginossus
Tomocichla asfraci
Paretroplus nourissatti
There are too many different free water environments to lump together to answer with more species info.
Even with different Betta species there are differences , where spendens might come from placid rice paddies, albimarginatta can be found in faster flowing clear water streams, below albimarginatta
There are certain species that need lots of flow, and if they don't get it they become very aggressive and kill other species, and each other.
And without the heavily oxygenated flow they become unhealthy to the point of being prone o infection.
Many other fish live in placid pools or oxbows, so the same heavy flow you need for rheophyllic species does not apply.
As to keeping detritus in suspension to it is pick up by filters can be counter productive unless you frequently clean out the filters. So whether you want to vacuum frequently or clean out mechanical media becomes the choice.
Leaving detritus in filters may make the water clear, but all may just allow it to break down to high nitrate levels and requiring more frequent water changes.
I have kept many rheophillic species, and an example of flow in my tanks is like the one below.
Many Central American species like those of the genus Tomocichla, Rheoheros, Chuco and many other do well in this kind of situation.
Paretroplus nourisatdi from Madagascar, and many riverine Africans would also do well in that flow.
Chuco micropthalmus
Rheoheros lentiginossus
Tomocichla asfraci
Paretroplus nourissatti
There are too many different free water environments to lump together to answer with more species info.
Even with different Betta species there are differences , where spendens might come from placid rice paddies, albimarginatta can be found in faster flowing clear water streams, below albimarginatta
I am trying to keep everything as silent as possible and air pumps give off a good hum. I already have a wave pump and will likely get another one depending on how things look once the first one is set up. Thank you for your great input.
Great info here. Currently I have one African Odoe Pike and one Jack Dempsey Cichlid. I will likely be adding other cichlids from that region and hopefully something that is good at cleaning up the bottom of the tank.First off, I agree with lepisosteus, flow is ultimately governed by the kind of fish you keep.
There are certain species that need lots of flow, and if they don't get it they become very aggressive and kill other species, and each other.
And without the heavily oxygenated flow they become unhealthy to the point of being prone o infection.
Many other fish live in placid pools or oxbows, so the same heavy flow you need for rheophyllic species does not apply.
As to keeping detritus in suspension to it is pick up by filters can be counter productive unless you frequently clean out the filters. So whether you want to vacuum frequently or clean out mechanical media becomes the choice.
Leaving detritus in filters may make the water clear, but all may just allow it to break down to high nitrate levels and requiring more frequent water changes.
I have kept many rheophillic species, and an example of flow in my tanks is like the one below.
Many Central American species like those of the genus Tomocichla, Rheoheros, Chuco and many other do well in this kind of situation.
Paretroplus nourisatdi from Madagascar, and many riverine Africans would also do well in that flow.
Chuco micropthalmus
Rheoheros lentiginossus
Tomocichla asfraci
Paretroplus nourissatti
There are too many different free water environments to lump together to answer with more species info.
Even with different Betta species there are differences , where spendens might come from placid rice paddies, albimarginatta can be found in faster flowing clear water streams, below albimarginatta
Hello; Did not mean to indicate using air pumps to create flow. Now that decent impeller operated pumps are common and the HOB and other filter types are reliable these are what I use for main circulation and filtration. I do still run air bubblers of some sort in nearly all tanks.
Back when the power filters were evolving and did tend to fail every few days I had the air equipment save tanks many times. It was so common for the early filters to lose siphon and not restart. I consider air as a safety backup for one thing.
Air pumps can be set up to run pretty quiet.
I’ll have to do more research on air pumps then. I hooked up my 2100GPH wave pump today and aimed it towards the bottom back portion of the tank (no substrate yet), and it’s really pushing a lot of sediment up and floating everywhere. It’s not the greatest to look at floating particles but I guess it’s doing it’s job. My pike is getting pushed around a fair bit too. I will have to watch him further to see if it seems like he is really struggling.
Hello; Give the sediment a day, maybe just several hours, and the filter will likely clear it up. Of course if more is being generated when the fish eat this will be and ongoing thing. For that matter so will fish poo.
Air pumps can sometimes be suspended and are quiet that way. I have tried rubber bands which work well until they break. Sometimes with the small air pumps I suspend them by the power chord.
Sitting an air pump on foam or such can help. Got to be careful and not block off too much air.
The best way to have a quiet air pump at my current house is to have the air pump in the basement and a long air line up thru a hole in the floor. Do not hear it at all.
I keep some of the sponge bases off of sponge filters in the back of my power filters. When I need a quick tank set up I grab the sponge and hook up an air line to the rest of the filter. Get a QT or can set up a tank for other reasons.
I sat my pumps on that blue/white filter pad, I can no longer hear them over the other tank sounds.
I must be doing something wrong. The power head/wave maker is causing the fish to have to constantly swim hard to stay in place. My Cichlid seems to be breathing heavy as well. Will it take them time to adjust or am I doing something wrong? Wave pump is current USA 2100GPH model. If I buy a separate controller I can probably dial down the GPH which I think would make sense. Or return it and buy 1-2 pumps with lower GPH ratings.
