powerhead question

C

Chitownreefs

Member
Hello i will be setting up a 125g FOWLR tank soon and was wondering how many powerheads i would need? the GPH amount? brands to consider... etc. I was looking into tunze let me know what you guys think.

thanks
 
wld1783

wld1783

New member
Tunze Rocks

I have three Exotech MP40s on my 330 for primary flow and they Rock as well.

Depending on your setup a closed loop with eductors and a quality external pump may be the most reliable cost effective option.

FOWLR does not benefit as much from a varied flow the EcoTech and Tunze Provide.

You need a large soft flow to keep food and dutritus suspended. Not to mention the other benefits a large gentile flow provides to LR Life

Bill
 
wld1783

wld1783

New member
The Mag12 will not last long...Been There...Done That...

Go with a Blue Line or Iwaki

You only need a couple of gallons per hour flowing through the sump.

On my 330 SPS I have less than 200 gph based on head flow calculations then I have this dialed back.

The bottom line is my Mag Drive lasted a little over a year and my Iwaki and Blue Line external are well over 10 years and still running.

Bill
 
Sawdonkey

Sawdonkey

Premium member
Buy the wp40 someone was selling for $65 a few days ago. It may not be a vortech, but it's cheap and effective. I love mine.
 
wld1783

wld1783

New member
Chitownreefs said:
Why didnt you return mag drive under warranty...
Click to expand...
It had a year warranty at the time, dont know what it is now...

Given the size of my tank I really dont like to spend hundreds of dollars replacing pumps every couple of years.

It also leaked electricity just before it failed.

I'm not a fan of that type of design as even some of the higher priced ones failed on my Deltech Reactor after two years.

I've learned the hard way that if you go cheap you spend more in the long run.

I've been very happy with Iwaki, Blue Line, Tunze, Vortech and Eheim pumps

Bill
 
Last edited:
gmguy496

gmguy496

New member
FOWLR doesnt really need flow like a reef i would get a couple of hydors and be done with it no need to spend the money on ph and as far as flow to the sump try and make sure its close to the skimmers flow rate but u dont really need a skimmer on a fowlr but it helps have to do less wc so i would def get 1
 
Triggerdood

Triggerdood

Active member
Flow is important in a fowlr. Even more so, depending on what fish you plan to keep. I have a skimmer on my fowlr, couldnt imagine running without it. Pulls a ton of crap.
 
wld1783

wld1783

New member
Fish poo a lot...

One study showed 80% of nutrients are expelled by an organism.

Then some other organism consumes this and now its down to 64%

This in a perfect ecosystem would have enough critters consuming other organisms waste all the way down to bacteria where the carbon molecules have already been absorbed and only nitrogen gas is released.

Our systems are not perfect so you need to keep the nutrients suspended and since they are often hydrophobic huge skimming is a plus.

A huge skimmer and good flow also provides good O2 transfer.

Bill
 
C

Chitownreefs

Member
What is a hydo, and i also plan on having tangs so some people were saying they like flow so a power head would be good because it also helps control waste from sitting
 
Arthur

Arthur

Member
125 mixed reef. Mag 12 going strong for 6 years. Little cleaning every 6 months.
wld1783 said:
The Mag12 will not last long...Been There...Done That...

Go with a Blue Line or Iwaki

You only need a couple of gallons per hour flowing through the sump.

On my 330 SPS I have less than 200 gph based on head flow calculations then I have this dialed back.

The bottom line is my Mag Drive lasted a little over a year and my Iwaki and Blue Line external are well over 10 years and still running.

Bill
Click to expand...
 
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