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Water flow

Dominic

Dominic

Member
Joined
11 Nov 2013
Messages
319
Location
High Wycombe
What is the best way for me to gain a good water flow in my tank?

It is going to be a 300L cube- shaped tank, and it is going to have the fluval 305 on it. It is also going to have an atomizer on it.

Should i make myself a DIY spraybar? Lily pipes? Do i need extra powerheads?

Any comments are appreciated :)
 
The best way IME would be an additional wave-maker/circulation pump rather than a traditional power head. Something like a Hydor Koralia 3200, or the equivalent model NeWave or Tunze pumps :).

Soooo much more flow than just a spray bar or lily pipe from an external, but it's a wider flow when compared to regular pumps so too much turbulence isn't an issue when positioned right.


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Okay thank you, could you help me to come up with a cheap option? I'd rather not spend a couple of hundred quid on another fluval filter, and the hydor koralia sounds good as it is from pets at home, and i work there so i can get a staff discount which would be pretty handy.

Would this simply be an addition to help flow rates, or would i have to change my methods of injection etc?
 
Simply an addition to help flow rates :thumbup:.

I've also used cheaper Koralia-style pumps from eBay that use suction cups instead of magnets like the "Sunsun" wavemakers, I tend to use these in bigger tanks 200-500L simply to save on cost. The suction cups don't last long but otherwise they are good if your on a budget. Koralias are certainly better quality though, and the magnet fitting is worth it alone.
 
alright thank you! What do you think of the Newave 2.7 pump? It's the biggest one sold at pets at home and it looks pretty neat and the suction cups are apparently good?

Would the circulation pump be dangerous to small shrimp and fish?

Is there much difference in terms of flow between circulation pumps or another fluval 305? or would similar circulation results be achieved?
 
Watch how much media you have in the filter, my Tetratec 1200 came pre filled with LOADS (9 different types over 4 trays!). I've now got 5 layers in there and flow has increased significantly ;)
 
Dominic for the 300l id go for the newave 1600. It packs a fair amount of flow for 1600lph and is adjustable. You could even have 2.
Dont forget the 10x rule is usually based on filters stated flow not actual with media etc. Powerheads also have no restriction unlike filters.
 
Haha i was literally thinking this yesterday as i was working, i was looking at all the filtration stuff we sold was and wondering whether having too much would restrict the flow significantly, guess i was right :p I was thinking- one tray of lava rock or alphagrog and one tray of that seachem purigen stuff. What do you think?

And Alastair it would be no problem if i got the 2700, what is the reason of suggesting the 1600? Because its cheaper? Or are you thinking the 2700 would blow my tank to shreds? lol :p
 
I'd get 2 x 1600's if you can, more adjustable and evenly spread out flow than with just one pump. More cables and in-tank equipment though, so it's a slight trade-off.

The suction cups on the Newaves seem great, I've been using 2 x 1600s and 2x 2700s on a marine tank I maintain for over 2 years now with no sign of degradation.

IMO 1 x 2700 would be better than 1 x 1600, as I have a Koralia 1600lph pump in my 80L and could easily add another, so I don't think 1 x 2700 would be too much in a 300l.

1 x 1600 would probably still be adequate though and 2 x 1600 pumps would certainly be better than 1 x 2700! :)
 
hmmmm decisions decisions.... threefingers and alastair, would you opt for aesthetic or functional? in a 90 x 90 cm tank?
 
Depends on the tank really! If was just one of my personal plant jungle/shrimp/fish tanks I would go for 2 pumps, function over aesthetics.

If it's a relatively open scape with lots of open water space, or if the tanks is on display somewhere others are always looking at it, I'd go for the slightly neater option of just having one pump.


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Alright cool! I'm going for a tidyish jungly sort of look, and its quite a deep tank, so i think i'll get two :) thank you for all your help mate! :)
 
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