I'm brand new to this forum so go easy lol..Basically I looking for some advice on the best powerhead for a 20 Gallon tall Lightly planted aquarium. I got the tank for a song and a dance and I'm switching my one ten gallon over to the twenty and adding some new fish etc. I decided I'm doing a crypt Wendtii only tank with some driftwood as I will have a clown Pleco in there. In my ten I had a crap no name powerhead and some dead spots. It was first shot at a planted tank and with upkeep it went alright but it definitely wasn't ideal at all. Needless to say the twenty will have fluvial stratum substrate, so much better than the sand I was using lol, I will have 4-5 Crypts in there. For lighting I have a Finnex planted + but I'm using the 20" one from my ten due to finances, Happy wife happy life..I have two Aqueon quiet flow HOB's I'm using one is a 10 and one is a 20 ( Those alone circulate roughly 225 GPH) I'm looking for a powerhead which will have a nice current make the plants sway a little and keep the 20 high pretty much free of dead spots. I was looking at the Hydor Koralia Nano's and was wondering if anyone suggests one over the other or both etc. If not why and what would you recommend instead? Any help would be much appreciated thanks a lot guys !
I have about a dozen powerheads all lined up like chickens hanging from a closet bar! There are Regis, Marineland and several others as I built up to 13 tanks at one point and was always in search of that "perfect" one. The reason for those to hang in the closet are varied but much of it was due to noise which I do not tolerate and ease of maintenance. To get flow, I go powerhead more than filters as they are simple.
But to be simple, they have to work quietly, stay where I put them and not need to be pulled and cleaned very often. Powerheads collect things like leaves and plant bits like a magnet! So noise can come from not only small defects in the impeller movement but also from things being whipped around by the impeller. Look at the cage and imagine where trash will go in and were it will stick. Suction cup mounts are not a good, long lasting mount when applied all alone. Even the Marineland with three suction cups fails way too often. When they fall half off the wall, they wind up blowing a hole in the sub and making the tank a dirt cloud.
In my tanks, I use only the Koralia nano. The smallest versions fits me best.
They have a suction cup/magnet combo which holds long term, even after the suction cup gets hard and stiff. The impeller and cage are a far different design which lets the leaf trash collect but blow away from the impeller so that it stays quite and keeps running. Sm,all size gives me the more gentle water movement that does tear out plants or stir the sub. If it is not strong enough to get to the far end of a size foot tank, I add a second rather than go to a bigger. I can hide two small heads easier than one which tears things up. I often also have things like rock piles that require more small bumps in the flow rather than one single strong flow.
They cost more? BUMMER, but I live with it to get what I want.
Currently using a Zoo Med Power Sweep. Need to get a sponge on there or something. But long term not sure how to keep it held up as I imagine it was designed for an undergravel filter tube.
Used a cheap Koralia like knockoff, the cage was constantly collecting plant parts and the flow would get very low. But in a healthier lush tank maybe there would be less decay. LOL.
I added a Hydor Centerfugal 100 (Pico 400) for better flow in my 20L and it suits me fine. 4 suction cups, silent, and currently set on the lowest possible setting. I wanted something to add a little surface ripple and bounce off the far wall for added flow. I can't complain for $12. Output is parallel to the wall it's mounted on, but fully adjustable up/down to hit whatever part of the water column you want.
Not exactly a "powerhead" but nice unit for little $$.
I'd say any decent powehead will do the job. However, you need to consider what sort of flow you want. Traditional power heads will give you a powerful jet of water, but only modest flow outside that area. Circulation pumps will give you a wider distribution of flow.
It is all very subjective as far as what is best goes. What is best for me could be completely wrong for you. For example, here is a real high end circulation pump, often used on SW reef systems (offsite) - EcoTech Marine VorTech MP10QD Propeller Pump w/ QuietDrive Driver - Marine Depot Now if you look at the specs, you can see that it can do a lot of neat tricks, and is fully adjustable. It would work and solve your flow problems, BUT it's got a $235 price tag. Obviously it's not the best choice for what your trying to do.
I recommend choosing a top quality pump that will last. I would tend to choose a circulation pump like the Hydor Koralia, but other pumps are good too.
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