[lauraleellbp]

Power heads are not a necessity at all in a planted tank.

Good water flow can help distribute CO2 through a tank and help eliminate dead spots/debris accumulation which tend to encourage algae. Good flow can be accomplished without any powerheads, however.

I personally don't run CO2 in any of my tanks and don't care for the looks of powerheads, so I rely on my filters to provide enough flow and don't use powerheads at all.

 

[Diana]

I use a combination of power heads and filter to get the flow I want. Sometimes I use a small filter and just want more flow.

 

[cowmilkcandy]

Power heads are not a necessity at all in a planted tank.

Good water flow can help distribute CO2 through a tank and help eliminate dead spots/debris accumulation which tend to encourage algae. Good flow can be accomplished without any powerheads, however.

I personally don't run CO2 in any of my tanks and don't care for the looks of powerheads, so I rely on my filters to provide enough flow and don't use powerheads at all.

I noticed your lighting for your 90 gallon is similar to mine. Running 2x54w T5HO for 7 hours a day. Do you get any algae? I'm getting brown algae on my glass. It's not that bad but i have to scrub it once a week during water changes. Do you have any tips?

 

[kidgrave]

I use a combination of power heads and filter to get the flow I want. Sometimes I use a small filter and just want more flow.

What brands of power heads do you use? How strong is the power head on your tank?

 

[kidgrave]

Power heads are not a necessity at all in a planted tank.

Good water flow can help distribute CO2 through a tank and help eliminate dead spots/debris accumulation which tend to encourage algae. Good flow can be accomplished without any powerheads, however.

I personally don't run CO2 in any of my tanks and don't care for the looks of powerheads, so I rely on my filters to provide enough flow and don't use powerheads at all.

Would you advise a power head in a dirted tank, where co2 is not being supplemented? I have a 10 gallon tank that I dirted, and plan to dirt my 37 gallon. How could I tell if my 37 gallon needs more flow? I think it could use a small power head.

 

[kidgrave]

I noticed your lighting for your 90 gallon is similar to mine. Running 2x54w T5HO for 7 hours a day. Do you get any algae? I'm getting brown algae on my glass. It's not that bad but i have to scrub it once a week during water changes. Do you have any tips?

Just wondering, what brand is your fixture?

 

[greaser84]

If you wanted a small powerhead for your 37, something opposite of your filter I'd get around 100gph.

 

[greaser84]

For my 10 gallon I use a 50gph. If you get one that is a little to strong for your liking, attaching a sponge to it, will slow it down. Or better yet you can get an adjustable one. Check evilbay they have a bunch, that's where I got mine. Like the other's said if you have a good filter you probably don't need one but they are nice to have around.

 

[kidgrave]

For my 10 gallon I use a 50gph. If you get one that is a little to strong for your liking, attaching a sponge to it, will slow it down. Or better yet you can get an adjustable one. Check evilbay they have a bunch, that's where I got mine. Like the other's said if you have a good filter you probably don't need one but they are nice to have around.

Do you use your power head as a filter? Which power head brand and model are you using?

 

[kidgrave]

For my 10 gallon I use a 50gph. If you get one that is a little to strong for your liking, attaching a sponge to it, will slow it down. Or better yet you can get an adjustable one. Check evilbay they have a bunch, that's where I got mine. Like the other's said if you have a good filter you probably don't need one but they are nice to have around.

Thanks for your reply. On my 37 gallon tank, I am using a Fluval 206 Canister filter. How can I figure out if my tank is getting enough flow? Which power head brand and model do you use on your 10 gallon?

 

[greaser84]

I don't know the names of the powerheads or who makes them. I always buy the cheap ones from [Ebay Link Removed] here are some pics, one pic is a wave maker in my 55gallon, the others are powerheads in my 10 gallon and 20 gallon. I use them to help distribute my co2. I always check for dead spots in the corners farthest from the filter by watching for bubbles or plant movement.

 

[greaser84]

The powerhead for the 10 gallon was about 5 bucks the powerhead for the 20 gallon was about 8 bucks and the wave maker was about 15 bucks. Like I said I get the cheese cheap ones but they work for me.

 

[jay6896]

I agree I don't think its necessary but I do think you always need a certain amount of water movement. Since the HOB filter isn't nearly enuf alone, I purchased a power head. I have a MaxiJet 600 and initially used it as a filter connecting a small soda bottle with polyester but since my tank is completely cycled its not necessary. I tried removing it but after minimal maintenance my tank wasn't crystal after a whole day. I put the power head back in and the next morning it was crystal again. This thing is rated at 160 gph in power head mode. I wanted the Maxi_Jet 400 but they were out of stock. MY tank is a 20 high and I think the movement is perfect.

 

[kidgrave]

The powerhead for the 10 gallon was about 5 bucks the powerhead for the 20 gallon was about 8 bucks and the wave maker was about 15 bucks. Like I said I get the cheese cheap ones but they work for me.

Wow, that's pretty cheap. Do you always leave your power head on, or do you turn it off during certain times of the day or night?

 

[kidgrave]

I agree I don't think its necessary but I do think you always need a certain amount of water movement. Since the HOB filter isn't nearly enuf alone, I purchased a power head. I have a MaxiJet 600 and initially used it as a filter connecting a small soda bottle with polyester but since my tank is completely cycled its not necessary. I tried removing it but after minimal maintenance my tank wasn't crystal after a whole day. I put the power head back in and the next morning it was crystal again. This thing is rated at 160 gph in power head mode. I wanted the Maxi_Jet 400 but they were out of stock. MY tank is a 20 high and I think the movement is perfect.

How many gallons is your tank? Mine is 37 gallons, and 22 inches deep. Do you th ink a 240 gph would be good enough? I have been looking into a Hydor Koralia 240.

 

[cowmilkcandy]

Just wondering, what brand is your fixture?

sunblaze 48. Same as this guy. http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=578537

 

[greaser84]

Wow, that's pretty cheap. Do you always leave your power head on, or do you turn it off during certain times of the day or night?

Mine are on 24/7. My co2 is on a timer. If u get powerhead leave it on 24/7

 

[jay6896]

How many gallons is your tank? Mine is 37 gallons, and 22 inches deep. Do you th ink a 240 gph would be good enough? I have been looking into a Hydor Koralia 240.

My tank is 20 gallons. I think 240 gph is a lot but you would have to see how it moves your tank. The 160 gph is higher than I would like for my tank, I have it aimed from back to front ALMOST straight forward to reduce some of the current. The 3 Albino Corys do like swimming back and forth in the current though. My friend is building a stand and moving up to a 75 gallon. I am likely to purchase his 36 bowfront when he is done. I would use the same powerhead I have now.

 

[re_hashed]

Funny this, I bought one at the weekend. I did a tank re-scape a few weeks ago, and the way I have things set out now I noticed that there was quite a significant dead spot - sometimes the fish seemed to like chilling in this place though.

On Saturday I bought a AquaOne Wavemaker 1500 (the smallest I could get) just to get the water moving around that specific area.

Because I didn't want it running 100% of the time, I already had a timer in my 'man draw' so just put it to go on every so often to move the water around a bit.

The fish seem to love it, and go proper bonkers when this thing powers up and moves the flow around something different. I must admit that I was a bit dubious about having something that's about the size of .... an apple ... a small fist stuck on the side of my tank, but in all honestly, I can hardly notice that it's there, and I'll hide it with Jungle Val over time.

FYI my tank is a 40 gallon (185ltr), bowfront, already using an Aqua Manta EFX 200 External Filter.