What are the pros of a powerhead?

[Reventon]

Im thinking about buying one at petsmart for 20$ i dont renember how strong it was but how would it affect my aquarium and is it worth it?

 

[erk419]

Depends on the fish you have and your purpose for getting one.

 

[aclockworkorange]

I'd get a koralia evo if you get one. They also have nano pumps that have lower gph ratings.

 

[gabbygirl]

Powerheads can be beneficial to your fish that enjoy swimming in a current and also can prevent some types of algae. Proper circulation in a tank can help to prevent the settling of microorganisms that cause different types of algae. It can even help prevent BBA and you don't have to use it all the time. If you don't want that much of a current...just get a powerhead for a smaller tank.

 

[Carefree_Dude]

powerheads have a variety of uses... aeration, creating water current, controling current so all "fish waste" (leftover foot, poop etc) end up in one corner of the tank.....

I'd recommend staying away from those cheap 20$ petco ones.

 

[Reventon]

Why do they break a lot or something?

 

[surfpalmsncycads]

if you have the cash just buy a rio or other well known brands that have a good track record....

 

[Spiritofthesoul]

I believe you should be asking yourself

What problems do you have in the tank that requires you to get a powerhead?
- Inadequate water movement?
- Lack of surface agitation?
- Debris settling into the substrate instead of entering the overflows?

No point just wasting money to get a powerhead when you don't know the purpose it serve.

 

[bigbadfish711]

Better water circulation
More aeration
illuminate dead spots
Can be used to polish water with filter attachment

 

[nfored]

I bought two 1300GPH power heads to keep the bottom of my tank clean. I was constantly having waste on the bottom of my tank, all of my intakes where at the top of the tank, and the returns where in the top 1/4. So I had good water circulation just not enough on the bottom to keep gunk from settling.

Me personally I don't like to have anything in the tank that I don't have to, I would have rather not had a power head but I had to much gunk. So like the people said decided if you need on to fix a problem.

Also ebay has much better prices then pet(co|smart|land)