How Do I Know if I Need a Powerhead?

[FloridaGal762]

Newbie here- tank has been up and doing well for about four months. I currently have a few fish (clowns, goby, blenny, wrasse, cardinalfish). I have a 40 gallon AIO and an AI Prime 32 light. The tank has two overflows to the back filtration and two outlets that push the water back into the tank.

I also have 4 frags going now- 2 zoa's, 1 GSP and a fire torch. They are about 2 weeks old into my tank. The fire torch and GSP are doing well- very bright and colorful every day. The 2 zoa's open up, sometimes partially and their color is ok but not bright like the GSP or FT. I would like to start adding a few more frags of zoa to try and get a garden started but I need to know two things:

1. How do I help the zoa's to thrive? I have tried them on the bottom of the tank and closer to the top and no real difference with the light change.

2. How do I know if my tank has the right flow for my corals? The fire torch is at the bottom and I can see it swaying and moving. Does this mean my tank has enough flow? I am trying to determine how to know if I need a powerhead or not.

Thanks for your advice! (photos attached)

 

[F i s h y]

I have found that with most AIO that a small powerhead is still typically needed. I notice in your pics a couple of things.
1. The red on your sand is most likely cyano and def can be caused by low flow (and your water parameters being off some) i suggest testing your water and increasing flow.
2. Your torch is actually a frog spawn coral. Same family as the torch but different tentacles on the polyps.

Good luck with the tank! You have a great start. Happy reefing!

 

[Ippyroy]

The tank is looking good. More flow is always good. Look at your sand bed and you can see where you have low flow. There will be detritus build up and/or algae bacteria growth. I prefer to create the flow needed with powerheads over return pumps because I don't want my water going through filtration to fast.
I started off with my zoas on the sand bed for a week or 2 and slowly moved them up to the rock where I wanted them. As they became accustomed to the lights I slowly ramped it up. They are very happy and growing and look great. Don't bother feeding them as this will only lead to high nutrients and algae issues quickly, plus they don't need it. Good luck and get that build thread going!

 

[Pistondog]

Newbie here- tank has been up and doing well for about four months. I currently have a few fish (clowns, goby, blenny, wrasse, cardinalfish). I have a 40 gallon AIO and an AI Prime 32 light. The tank has two overflows to the back filtration and two outlets that push the water back into the tank.

I also have 4 frags going now- 2 zoa's, 1 GSP and a fire torch. They are about 2 weeks old into my tank. The fire torch and GSP are doing well- very bright and colorful every day. The 2 zoa's open up, sometimes partially and their color is ok but not bright like the GSP or FT. I would like to start adding a few more frags of zoa to try and get a garden started but I need to know two things:

1. How do I help the zoa's to thrive? I have tried them on the bottom of the tank and closer to the top and no real difference with the light change.

2. How do I know if my tank has the right flow for my corals? The fire torch is at the bottom and I can see it swaying and moving. Does this mean my tank has enough flow? I am trying to determine how to know if I need a powerhead or not.

Thanks for your advice! (photos attached)

Nice tank and setup.
I like the ai lights for the adjustments.
Different corals like different conditions.
Flow is another tool to help have success. With a powerhead you can have high, med and low flow areas. Without one its all pretty low.
I like the small aqamai for its many flow patterns and low profile.
Constant flow and random flow also have their purposes.
To move food and detritus around flow is needed.

 

[Dom]

Flow needs to be chaotic. People sometimes place multiple power heads in their tank, all pointing in the same direction creating a flow pattern that is uniform. When you add a powerhead, I would point it toward the return so there is a collision of flow and you get that chaotic current corals like.

Also (and as has already been mentioned), post water parameters. I'd like to know you Calcium and Alkalinity.

Lastly, the tank is young, which makes the coral frags young. Give them time. Be patient!

 

[mike550]

Flow is always good to help corals and to keep your tank clean. For corals it helps keep them “clean” and also moves food across the corals. The additional flow also keeps things moving and into your filter system.

I’m a huge fan of the Vortech power heads because they don’t have any cords in the tank. But they’re pricey. But I’d definitely look for one where you can vary the flow.

 

[najer]

As an idea of flow, this is an Evo 13.5 G with an upgraded return and that is a 500 gph powerhead flat out, as above controllable is better.

 

[DaneGer21]

Can you post a video of your tank so we can see your flow? Made show all 3 sides for 30secs each?

Maybe toss in some flake food as a visual?

 

[DaneGer21]

Newbie here- tank has been up and doing well for about four months. I currently have a few fish (clowns, goby, blenny, wrasse, cardinalfish). I have a 40 gallon AIO and an AI Prime 32 light. The tank has two overflows to the back filtration and two outlets that push the water back into the tank.

I also have 4 frags going now- 2 zoa's, 1 GSP and a fire torch. They are about 2 weeks old into my tank. The fire torch and GSP are doing well- very bright and colorful every day. The 2 zoa's open up, sometimes partially and their color is ok but not bright like the GSP or FT. I would like to start adding a few more frags of zoa to try and get a garden started but I need to know two things:

1. How do I help the zoa's to thrive? I have tried them on the bottom of the tank and closer to the top and no real difference with the light change.

2. How do I know if my tank has the right flow for my corals? The fire torch is at the bottom and I can see it swaying and moving. Does this mean my tank has enough flow? I am trying to determine how to know if I need a powerhead or not.

Thanks for your advice! (photos attached)

Can you post a video of your tank? Maybe show all 3 sides for 30secs each?

Add some flake food for a visual.

 

[mijan]

I believe flow is every bit as important as par for corals.
First figure out the turnover rate needed for your tank. Turnover rate is the number of times your entire water volume is moved per hour.
LPS and soft corals do best with a turnover rate between 20-40.
SPS prefer turnover rates of 40+.
To find your turnover rate take the gallons per hour of a powerhead and divide it by your tanks water volume. So a 600 GpH powerhead in a 50 gallon tank will produce a turnover rate of 12 GpH. 600/50=12

In your 40 gallon you'll want at a minimum 800 GpH. 800/40=20. You can go as high as 1600 GpH. i would do this with 2 or more separate powerheads because as previously mentioned you don't want the flow all going in one direction.

 

[FloridaGal762]

I believe flow is every bit as important as par for corals.
First figure out the turnover rate needed for your tank. Turnover rate is the number of times your entire water volume is moved per hour.
LPS and soft corals do best with a turnover rate between 20-40.
SPS prefer turnover rates of 40+.
To find your turnover rate take the gallons per hour of a powerhead and divide it by your tanks water volume. So a 600 GpH powerhead in a 50 gallon tank will produce a turnover rate of 12 GpH. 600/50=12

In your 40 gallon you'll want at a minimum 800 GpH. 800/40=20. You can go as high as 1600 GpH. i would do this with 2 or more separate powerheads because as previously mentioned you don't want the flow all going in one direction.

This is what came with the tank. See attached. I have no idea what it is set at TBH. I just turned it on. I looked it up and it is set at 1.9 which, according to the manual, is 538 GPH. It's a 40 gallon tank.

 

[FloridaGal762]

Can you post a video of your tank? Maybe show all 3 sides for 30secs each?

Add some flake food for a visual.

Thanks for the idea- yes, when I feed them in the morning I will do that!

 

[FloridaGal762]

I have found that with most AIO that a small powerhead is still typically needed. I notice in your pics a couple of things.
1. The red on your sand is most likely cyano and def can be caused by low flow (and your water parameters being off some) i suggest testing your water and increasing flow.
2. Your torch is actually a frog spawn coral. Same family as the torch but different tentacles on the polyps.

Good luck with the tank! You have a great start. Happy reefing!

Thanks for correcting me on my coral.

 

[FloridaGal762]

Flow is always good to help corals and to keep your tank clean. For corals it helps keep them “clean” and also moves food across the corals. The additional flow also keeps things moving and into your filter system.

I’m a huge fan of the Vortech power heads because they don’t have any cords in the tank. But they’re pricey. But I’d definitely look for one where you can vary the flow.

Looked at the options and love that Vortech has no cords in the tank. If you hadn't told me to look for that brand and why, I would have missed it. Thanks for the advice! Just ordered one!

 

[bob salzlein]

Flow is always good to help corals and to keep your tank clean. For corals it helps keep them “clean” and also moves food across the corals. The additional flow also keeps things moving and into your filter system.

I’m a huge fan of the Vortech power heads because they don’t have any cords in the tank. But they’re pricey. But I’d definitely look for one where you can vary the flow.

The cord on the Aqamai KPs and KPm are small and easy to hide, as is the pumps themselves. The drawback on the vortech's are it only points straight, you can not aim off to the side, expense and you end up replacing one of the sides eventually.

 

[FloridaGal762]

The cord on the Aqamai KPs and KPm are small and easy to hide, as is the pumps themselves. The drawback on the vortech's are it only points straight, you can not aim off to the side, expense and you end up replacing one of the sides eventually.

Thanks for the advice. I am so new that I really am clueless but trying to learn!

 

[mike550]

The cord on the Aqamai KPs and KPm are small and easy to hide, as is the pumps themselves. The drawback on the vortech's are it only points straight, you can not aim off to the side, expense and you end up replacing one of the sides eventually.

That’s a very fair point about the Vortechs. Not sure if it matters but @FloridaGal762 if you plan to get an anemone make sure that whatever power head you get you can add an anemone guard. Too many stories of minced up nems that got to close to the power head.

 

[FloridaGal762]

Nice tank and setup.
I like the ai lights for the adjustments.
Different corals like different conditions.
Flow is another tool to help have success. With a powerhead you can have high, med and low flow areas. Without one its all pretty low.
I like the small aqamai for its many flow patterns and low profile.
Constant flow and random flow also have their purposes.
To move food and detritus around flow is needed.

So I tried both the flowheads recommended on this discussion- the Vortech and the Aqamai KPs.
I honestly like the smaller Aqamai and the fact that I could adjust the head at an angle. However, it fell off once and made a huge mess with blowing sand (the magnet isn't as strong). The other issue is the cord coming out meant my tank screen cover couldn't lay flat and looked odd. The Vortech is a little bigger but looks cleaner without the cord issue.

So I decided to put the Vortech back in and return the Aqamai. However, I am still figuring out if it's in the right place. I guess I will see if I notice a difference in the tank in a few days.

(I did kill a brand new fish because I didn't realize the foam on the outside was required and not "nice to have" because I came home with a fish sucked into it on the side. Poor guy only live with me for about 3 hours. Glad he was only a $20 fish! I didn't have that issue when I had the Aqamai in there since the cage was built-in :-( )