Dedicated flow for haddoni carpet anemone?

Dave-T · Feb 16, 2023

I have a haddoni in my frag tank, I'm getting ready to move him to my display. In the spot where I plan on putting him (in the back next to my overflow), the flow is very minimal. I'm thinking I should add a small powerhead to give the nem some flow. It will be mounted about 2 feet from the haddoni. Any suggestions for the powerhead? Other than providing adequate flow, I want something that's silent. And it should probably have adjustable flow so I can dial it in. A powerhead that can produce a pulsing wave might be nice too.

Midrats · Feb 16, 2023

I was just going to ask the same question. My concern is which powerheads are least likely to act as a Vitamix if the anemone decides to go on walkabout? I have Tunze Streams currently and highly recommend them.

Crustaceon · Feb 16, 2023

I have my haddoni next to a AI nero 3 encased in a foam block and set to the slowest setting.

Dave-T · Feb 16, 2023

Crustaceon said:
I have my haddoni next to a AI nero 3 encased in a foam block and set to the slowest setting.

How long have you had the nero? I checked it out and it does look good for my purposes. But there are a lot of negative reviews on BRS. People say that it seizes up and stops working after a while.

argiBK · Feb 16, 2023

I’ve had the Nero 3 since it launched, also two Nero 5s since their launch. All of the pumps are very reliable, but do require maintenance/cleaning (I do a thorough clean every three months).

Note, that the rear of the pump and the grille/guard holes on both models are pretty large. So if you have small snails in your tank, they will get sucked in and seize the pumps. This is the only reason I’ve experienced for the powerheads stopping, and if/when they do, it’s either a restart or clean and restart.

Also, if you have fish who are weak swimmers and who like to tempt fate around the powerhead, they risk getting sucked in at the higher power levels. At worst, it would be recommended to use the anemone guards that I believe ship with the units these days.

Crustaceon · Feb 16, 2023

Dave-T said:
How long have you had the nero? I checked it out and it does look good for my purposes. But there are a lot of negative reviews on BRS. People say that it seizes up and stops working after a while.

I’ve had mine for six months with no problems. My only gripe is the lack of wave modes. I’ve owned jebao slw-10’s and think they’re probably a better deal because of the wave modes. Other than that, the nero 3 is silent and gets the job done. I’ve also had jebao’s only last a year too. You just never know with pumps submerged in salt water.

Crustaceon · Feb 16, 2023

argiBK said:
I’ve had the Nero 3 since it launched, also two Nero 5s since their launch. All of the pumps are very reliable, but do require maintenance/cleaning (I do a thorough clean every three months).

Note, that the rear of the pump and the grille/guard holes on both models are pretty large. So if you have small snails in your tank, they will get sucked in and seize the pumps. This is the only reason I’ve experienced for the powerheads stopping, and if/when they do, it’s either a restart or clean and restart.

Also, if you have fish who are weak swimmers and who like to tempt fate around the powerhead, they risk getting sucked in at the higher power levels. At worst, it would be recommended to use the anemone guards that I believe ship with the units these days.

I used the included “fish” guard and can confirm through first hand experience its ineffectiveness on nems, which is why I went the traditional foam route with mine. That BTA somehow survived after passing completely through the tiny slats and getting smacked for hours by the impeller.

argiBK · Feb 16, 2023

One of the benefits of the Nero pumps is that they offer a relatively wide and diffuse cone of flow compared to other pumps. This really allows you to position the pump and angle it appropriately. Though the range of angling is limited, the cone is wide enough that even a small adjustment is enough to significantly change the flow pattern. So, you could position the Nero 3 higher up in the tank to minimize danger to the anemone if it wanders.

With any carpet nem, the ultimate goal is to ensure the flow passes directly above the mouth. These large anemones suffer from not being able to effectively expel waste, which is why they need high flow. I know gigantea’s thrive in direct flow, but I don’t believe Haddoni’s explicitly require it and can do fine with indirect flow.

Crustaceon · Feb 16, 2023

argiBK said:
One of the benefits of the Nero pumps is that they offer a relatively wide and diffuse cone of flow compared to other pumps. This really allows you to position the pump and angle it appropriately. Though the range of angling is limited, the cone is wide enough that even a small adjustment is enough to significantly change the flow pattern. So, you could position the Nero 3 higher up in the tank to minimize danger to the anemone if it wanders.

With any carpet nem, the ultimate goal is to ensure the flow passes directly above the mouth. These large anemones suffer from not being able to effectively expel waste, which is why they need high flow. I know gigantea’s thrive in direct flow, but I don’t believe Haddoni’s explicitly require it and can do fine with indirect flow.

That’s exactly how I run mine. The Jebao SLW has a similar flow pattern too. There’s mine in the top left corner with the “foam square”.

MartinM · Feb 17, 2023

Minimal flow is just fine, just enough to sometimes move the skirt. Most of mine don’t even get that. They don’t need or like high flow. Like was mentioned above, just enough to make sure waste doesn’t sit on them.