Powerhead above water line

[wezbow]

Hello Reefers.

Has anyone tried mounting a powerhead on to the canopy / lib blowing down on to the water surface?

Maybe a fan instead of a powerhead but you get the idea.

This would be outside the water so affectively just blowing air on to the water surface.

Thought process is water movement in a downward column rippling the surface and potentially mixing more oxygen with the water.

I have return pump outlets pushing water sideways across the surface and Wavemaker giving good flow mid tank but now thinking of a different angle haha.

Thanks

Wez

 

[Soren]

Hello Reefers.

Has anyone tried mounting a powerhead on to the canopy / lib blowing down on to the water surface?

Maybe a fan instead of a powerhead but you get the idea.

This would be outside the water so affectively just blowing air on to the water surface.

Thought process is water movement in a downward column rippling the surface and potentially mixing more oxygen with the water.

I have return pump outlets pushing water sideways across the surface and Wavemaker giving good flow mid tank but now thinking of a different angle haha.

Thanks

Wez

Interesting question.

My first thought is that it would take a more powerful fan to get enough air movement to move the water surface as much as a water pump can. It might work, but it seems easier to have a water pump for water movement and a fan, if necessary, to ensure that air over the water surface is as fresh as possible.

 

[wezbow]

Interesting question.

My first thought is that it would take a more powerful fan to get enough air movement to move the water surface as much as a water pump can. It might work, but it seems easier to have a water pump for water movement and a fan, if necessary, to ensure that air over the water surface is as fresh as possible.

Yeah I've got lots of 'sideways' movement on the water surface.

For some reason I can't get downward movement out of my head now.

 

[Soren]

Yeah I've got lots of 'sideways' movement on the water surface.

For some reason I can't get downward movement out of my head now.

Can you explain? It will be harder to see downward flow from a power head, since it will just be pushing water into water. Sideways flow or upward flow cause visible waves on the water surface, but downward flow will be distributed throughout the water column and not be very visible on the surface.

Providing sideways or upward flow will still help provide oxygenation, since the water pushed up or sideways will cause flow down into the water column as it falls back down. I think common practice is to include a pump or power head for upward or sideways flow to keep surface turbulence for increased oxygenation interface due to mixing and to increased surface area.

 

[Aquavaj]

Several issues with this

1. powerheads don't move enough air
2. they need water to keep cool and lubricate the moving parts (that's why some pumps can't be run dry)
3. a fan constantly blowing across the surface is going to cause excessive evaporation and this means more top off needed
4. the evaporation will lower water temps and may cause your heater to run more often than necessary

A powerhead right below the surface will avoid this things but likely will now blow sand everywhere if you have a sand bed.

 

[((FORDTECH))]

Yeah I've got lots of 'sideways' movement on the water surface.

For some reason I can't get downward movement out of my head now.

A power head uses the water to lubricant and cool the pump. This will not work