Number of Powerheads

[Panduh]

I am setting up a 72g bowfront tank and was curious on others' input on how many powerheads I should have running. I currently have a hydor koralia evolution pump - 1500 that I will be setting up on the opposite site of the return. I also have a jebao in my biocube that could be put in the 72. How many powerheads should I have, and should i get a wave maker or random flow heads on the return? Thoughts and opinions are welcome!

Happy Reefing

TIA

 

[Billldg]

It mainly depends on what you want to keep in your tank. i like to oversize my powerheads, so I don;t have to run them at 100 percent and put a ton of stress on them. I like DC pumps personally, but their are also many great AC pumps. I just like the ability to control the speed, thus having a variable flow set up in my tank. If you plan on keeping softies and LPS then a 20x turnover it what yo want to look for. If its a SPS then 40x plus it what you want.

I like Ecotech MP pumps, and plan on going with 4 MP40's on my tank upgrade.

 

[Panduh]

It mainly depends on what you want to keep in your tank. i like to oversize my powerheads, so I don;t have to run them at 100 percent and put a ton of stress on them. I like DC pumps personally, but their are also many great AC pumps. I just like the ability to control the speed, thus having a variable flow set up in my tank. If you plan on keeping softies and LPS then a 20x turnover it what yo want to look for. If its a SPS then 40x plus it what you want.

I like Ecotech MP pumps, and plan on going with 4 MP40's on my tank upgrade.

See, when we originally started looking at piecing together our 72, we were looking at getting 2 MP40s. Then I ended up finding a good deal on the Hydor, so i went for it to save some money. I still plan on getting at least 1 MP40 after I get done building the 72 and get it running, so eventually I will have a minimum of 2 powerheads, just so I can try to keep a nice mixed reef.

My biocube mostly consists of softies right now, because i kept killing sps frags. The only thing surviving with my current setup (sps wise) is a birds nest and a monti cap frag.

My best friend has a 125g tank with 2 powerheads (i think) and she has basically a zone for each type of coral, due to how she has the flow set up. I'm wanting to try to do something like that to try and increase my chances of having more variety in types of coral instead of just colors of the same corals.

 

[Billldg]

LOL, I just realized you are in Jax, my company keeps asking me to go down to Jax to help.

As much as I love my MP pumps, the best bang for your buck has to be the Gyre. They move the whole tank gently, if that makes sense. The only reason I am going to all Mp pumps is that i don't want any wires in my tank and my new tank will have Eurobracing making any wires stand out. A Gyre 330 would move your whole tank. I have a mixed reef, but more focus on SPs, and I have a Gyre 350 on the left side and a Mp40 and Mp10 on the right side. My next tank will be a 225 gal tank, and I plan on having 2 Mp40's on either side.

 

[Bryan68]

I have 4 MP40s in my 150 gallon.
I'm in Fernandina Beach.

 

[Panduh]

I just realized I made a mistake. It was the MP10s we were looking at, not the 40s. But in any case, I am extremely interested in getting a gyre pump. I love the way they look and operate.

For now, I have to be satisfied with secondhand equipment, as my hubby has given me that "look" when I show him the equipment I want. LOL Any suggestions on threads to purchase gear from, I would love to know!

@Bryan68 It's awesome that you are in Fernandina Beach! Maybe I can swing by sometime and get some inspiration?

@Billldg It's a strange world we live in these days.