Stronger return pump or power head?

[SoCalSauce]

Thank you in advance for the assistance on this one. I have the Lifegard 14.7 AIO tank. Approx 24 inches long. Am I better off using the stock return pump with 100 GPH and adding a power head?
Or do I use an upgraded return pump with 150 GPH?

The tank is on the newer side I am slowly adding coral and was wondering if I should change the flow prior to adding any LPS?

 

[Koh23]

Lps dont require much flow.....

Imho, wavemaker + pump is better than just strong pump....

 

[SoCalSauce]

Any recommendations on a powerhead for a tank this size? 10x volume/ hour is the best route correct?

 

[Koh23]

Not sure, i guess it all depends on scape and corals, but yes, 10-20x is ok....

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

the very minimum flow you want is 10x, so if its a 15 gallon, 150 gph would be the super minimum, but I always suggest more is better. I like 20x-30x turnover, so for 15 gallon I would aim for 300-400 gph.

 

[nothing_fancy]

Have you looked into the VCA random flow nozzles? I picked a couple up recently and I think they're great. That and maybe a small jebao slw would probably create a nice mellow gyre in a tank that size. ** I do agree with the other folks on more turnover though.

 

[SoCalSauce]

So I did have a powerhead in the tank with the flow up to 400 GPH(return pump + power head) the tank didn’t look very happy. Felt like I dropped the fish in the middle of a hurricane lol

 

[Fish_Fry]

I much prefer the powerhead vs stronger return pump. You can't change the intensity of the return flow. Whereas some powerheads have controllers which allow you to vary the flow. This gives you more flexibility.

You also don't need 10-40x flow going through your filter (or sump for those without an AIO). One additional upside of having both is in the event one fails, you still have the other helping with gas exchange.

As far as recommendations. I've used Sicce Nano Streams on FW tanks and have been very happy with them. Tunze has some adjustable Nanostreams that people speak highly of, but I've never used them. Jebao has a reputation for being a good value. I use one as my return pump and I'm happy with it. Maxi-jet is more budget oriented, which might be fine for your needs.

Hope this helps

 

[mtraylor]

I'm setting up a 10 gallon AIO and I went with the mighty jet return pump. I liked the idea of it being DC and having a pulse option. If I don't get enough random flow I can always add the nozzles. This is the way I went. So bigger return pump with no pump in tank to keep it simple. Not sure how it's going to work out though. Lol