Water turn over rate.

[Bluewatertexas]

Hey guys I have been given a 5x2x2ft American cichlid set up from a mate with a sump 3x1.5x1.5ft.
About How many litres per hr should be going through it do you think. It's my only filtration and would like to keep in that way. Not sure what the current pump is moving and either is my mate as the pump was given to him (he thinks he was told about 4000l/h) but it doesnt seem like enough to me as its pretty week flow from the return and there is still a fair bit of build up of stuff in the tank.

I think I need a new pump but funds are low can anyone tell me if I need 1 and if so reccomend 1 without a crazy price tag??
Thanks guys


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[joe jaskot]

A lot of hobbyist shoot for a 5X - 8X turnover rate. For your size tank about 570 liters (about 150 gallons) you would seek a turnover rate of 2,850 to 4,560 liters per hour (750 to 1,200 gallons per hour).

 

[boldtogether]

Professionals, institutions and farming facilities all seem to be shooting for 5-8x turnover per hour. More isnt necessarily better as this just seems to aid in clarity.
The Eheim Compact+ series are adjustable and the 5000 is adjustable from 660-1320gph(2500-5000Lph) This is a great pump, and silent as the grave, for about $170US($165 AUD)

 

[Bluewatertexas]

Thanks guys.
Well going off that the pump I have should be enough.
Do you think I just need 2 add something else in the to have the water moving around more as there is a steady build up of crap pretty quick 2-3 days after I clean the tank and have it spotless?????


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[David R]

The Eheim Compact+ series are adjustable and the 5000 is adjustable from 660-1320gph(2500-5000Lph) This is a great pump, and silent as the grave, for about $170US($165 AUD)

Between a friend an myself we ordered three from a German shop and have found all three to be far noisier than expected. Still not bad, but just not as quiet as Id have expected from Eheim.

I've found Laguna to be good, and it pays to check power consumption when comparing pumps, cheaper ones may not be as efficient and will work out more expensive in the long run, not to mention reliability...

 

[boldtogether]

Between a friend an myself we ordered three from a German shop and have found all three to be far noisier than expected. Still not bad, but just not as quiet as Id have expected from Eheim.

I've found Laguna to be good, and it pays to check power consumption when comparing pumps, cheaper ones may not be as efficient and will work out more expensive in the long run, not to mention reliability...

Is the voltage the same as U.S.? My pump is silent...like, I have to touch it to know its on.

 

[Bluewatertexas]

Laguna is what I have. So I'm thinking my flow rate isn't the issue. Suggestions on how to fix my prob of build up of crap on the bottom? It's mainly from pleco but don't want to get rid of him.
Should I just extend my return so it's lower in the tank or put another pump or small filter in the tank to get things moving up and over the overflow??

Thanks for the help guys


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[David R]

Could use a powerhead to keep the debris from settling, or try redesigning the returns so they circulate the water better. Most tanks will have dead spots tho, regular siphoning should take care of it...

 

[bozatron]

As others have said you need to aim for between 5 and 8 times per hour. So your tank size is approx 400 ltrs so you need a pump moving between 2000l/hr and 3200l/h. However dont forget you need to factor in head height. A pump that is rated at up to 2000lph, means that it will pump 2000lph at 0 meters head height.

Trouble is your sump will be below the tank therefore your pump needs to lift the water up to the height of your tank, this is referred to as head height (Hmax). What you need to do is measure roughly what this height is, so measure from the pump to the outflow pipe vertically. You don't need to be super accurate, but should be close. For example my pump sits 20cm of the ground and my outflow is 1.4m of the ground so my HH is 1.2m (4ft). Next you need to look at the packaging on the pump you wish to buy and find the pump curve graph. This is normally on the box or in the instruction sheet. From the graph you can work out the correct flow rate for the pump at the head height you intend to use it.

This is the pump curve graph for the Eheim compacts

The way you read it is the Hmax is in meters on the left and the flow rate is across the bottom in l/min (liters/minute). This graph also covers 3 pumps (compact 2000, 3000 & 5000). So for the Compact 5000 you are only interested in the darkest red line. Then read across from the left at the head height of your tank and where it meets the dark red line run straight down for the flow rate at that head height.

For example my head height is 1.2m so that would give me a flow rate of 50 l/min. To turn l/min to l/hr just multiply by 60 and we get a flow rate of 3000l/hr.

I hope this helps
B

 

[Squirtle919]

hmmm, many studies show a turn over rate of 3-5 is best, any higher and you dont get bacteria enough contact time or settle time and any slower you wont get enough time to clean the water. I personally aim for 3 and cant find any issues tanks are all spotless with crystal clear water, i do how ever use a power head to remove crap from the base of the tank as I find sumps have a hard time doing this else I have pipes shooting all threw my tank.

Head height is indeed very important too, this is one reason I think many suggest a higher tph as people tend to calculate this and go out buy the pump closest to the level without looking at the head height.

Now for your crap What I have done/been testing in my 6x 4fts is

2 with sponge filters which works great cheap to run - requires a few cleans per a week , not the best look.

2 with Ottos pretty much the same as above but a few less cleans.

2 with nano wave makers, clean look, less power, quite, lower power only down side is its a pita to set one up properly to get all the crap into the overflow box.

I will soon switch to all wave makers as it works the best and looks the best. U can also try eheim quick vac or a normal gravel vac, I dont have so much time so had to go with a lower man power way. I have also seen people mod there return lines to remove all dead spots or run closed loops which works but for a running tank a closed loop will be a bit of a job you can try playing with the return lines but its not a neat job.