I'm about to get started with a planted tank and I was wondering if you guys think this setup will work. I have a 125 gallon tank. I want to get a Fluval FX5 (rated at 925 gph) as well as a Hydor Koralia Magnum 5 Circulation Pump/Powerhead (1650 gph). I also have the spray bar from an Eheim 2215 (164 gph) that will be used to pump CO2 into the tank after being diffused. Will this set up provide enough flow to grow plants? Also, I noticed that the FX5 has a far smaller gph rating than the powerhead? How should the difference between a filter and powerhead be accounted for when doing these types of calculations?
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Will I have enough flow? Fluval FX5 + Powerheads
- Thread starter zgall1
- Start date
Hi,
Simply add the numbers together to determine total flow rate. Placement and orientation of the outlets will determine the effectiveness of your distribution pattern.
Cheers,
Simply add the numbers together to determine total flow rate. Placement and orientation of the outlets will determine the effectiveness of your distribution pattern.
Cheers,
In this post, viewtopic.php?f=37&t=11367#p120729, it is suggested that I would need two FX5 filters in order to reach the proper flow of 10X the volume of the tank. Is this incorrect or am I misunderstanding? I am simply trying to determine the cheapest way of doing this and I would prefer to not have to buy two of these filters.
Hi,
Well, there are more than one ways to skin this cat. The 10X rule will seldom ever let you down, however, depending on your lighting, you can allow yourself to fall short. High light means a requirement for higher flow. A lot also depends on the amount of hardscape you have and the style of aquascape you implement. Open, savannah type scapes, with mostly low growing plants suffer less blockage of flow and so offers a greater margin of error. Your method of CO2 diffusion also has a huge impact on how much flow you need. if your technique is poor then you need more flow to distribute what little concentration levels you produce. If your diffusion technique is awesome then you can get by with less flow.
Because no one has yet developed a magic calculator to add up every persons unique combination of these factors in order to determine the right flow rate the best we can do is to multiply the tank size by 10 and use that as a target flow rating.
A 125 gallon tank therefore "requires" (lets say) 1250 GPH which is a shocking 5000LPH. Do you actually need that in your particular tank? I don't know the answer to that question, but I do know that the FX5 is a strong filter rated at approximately 2300LPH. If you can afford to buy two and if you will have a densely packed, high biomass scape, and if the tank will be lit with anything in the neighborhood of 350 Watts of T5 or Halide, then it would be doing yourself a HUGE favour by opting for this combination.
If you can't afford two FX5's and you will have this level of extreme environment then you would have to try a combination of filter + powerheads that combine to add up to approximately 5000LPH. It's just that the two filters are easier to deal with and would have greater aesthetics than mounted powerheads.
If you can't afford to get 5000LPH of pump ratings then you need to seriously consider having less aggressive lighting, paying more attention to CO2 diffusion, having a more open style scape and so forth. These actions will lower the stress on the plants and make it easier to live with.
Cheers,
Well, there are more than one ways to skin this cat. The 10X rule will seldom ever let you down, however, depending on your lighting, you can allow yourself to fall short. High light means a requirement for higher flow. A lot also depends on the amount of hardscape you have and the style of aquascape you implement. Open, savannah type scapes, with mostly low growing plants suffer less blockage of flow and so offers a greater margin of error. Your method of CO2 diffusion also has a huge impact on how much flow you need. if your technique is poor then you need more flow to distribute what little concentration levels you produce. If your diffusion technique is awesome then you can get by with less flow.
Because no one has yet developed a magic calculator to add up every persons unique combination of these factors in order to determine the right flow rate the best we can do is to multiply the tank size by 10 and use that as a target flow rating.
A 125 gallon tank therefore "requires" (lets say) 1250 GPH which is a shocking 5000LPH. Do you actually need that in your particular tank? I don't know the answer to that question, but I do know that the FX5 is a strong filter rated at approximately 2300LPH. If you can afford to buy two and if you will have a densely packed, high biomass scape, and if the tank will be lit with anything in the neighborhood of 350 Watts of T5 or Halide, then it would be doing yourself a HUGE favour by opting for this combination.
If you can't afford two FX5's and you will have this level of extreme environment then you would have to try a combination of filter + powerheads that combine to add up to approximately 5000LPH. It's just that the two filters are easier to deal with and would have greater aesthetics than mounted powerheads.
If you can't afford to get 5000LPH of pump ratings then you need to seriously consider having less aggressive lighting, paying more attention to CO2 diffusion, having a more open style scape and so forth. These actions will lower the stress on the plants and make it easier to live with.
Cheers,
