power heads

[Frag Collector]

Hey can anyone tell me what kind of power heads I would put on a 6 foot 150 bow front to get the right amount of flow for lps and fish such as tangs and clowns? I dont want them swirling around the tank.

[tkeracer619]

Depending on your budget there are several types of controllable pumps. Vortechs or Tunzes are a great choice as you can adjust them to suit your needs. I personally use Vortechs and they are incredible. Another nice thing about them is no wires in the tank.

[amstar]

vortechs are nice. before I got them I used modded maxi jets with no problem on my 150 gallon 6 foot long tank

[Frag Collector]

Modded maxi jets?? how do you mod them, Bigger impeller?

[billsreef]

[moved]

[amstar]

there are kits you can buy. they have bigger impellers and a different "shroud" if thats the term. can get a maxi jet and a mod for about 30 -40 bucks.

[Frag Collector]

Where would I find the mod kit?

[E.intheC]

go to the larger sites like marine depot, drs foster smith, etc. (check the RC sponsor list as well)

Look for the Sureflow mod kit.. it's the best one. It really puts out a TON more flow.. not as laminar as the 'normal' maxi jets.. I like them a whole lot.

[Aquarist007]

a good range of flow for the 150 gal would be between 3000-6000 gph. With predominately lps corals you could be at the lower end.
3 koralia 4's would give you 3600 gph of turbulant flow. The three power heads give you alot more flexibility for placement esp with the bow front tank.

If you mod the maxijets you are not only looking at the mod kit but also the magnet replacement for the suction cup holders. There is just too much flow to risk using the stock suction cups.
This adds another 25 dollars to the mod--making it 55 bucks plus the cost of the power head. This would work out to more then you would pay for a koralia 4

[sanababit]

a couple of vortechs, you wont be sorry....

sana

[Anemonebuff]

Vortechs and Tunzes are the best IMO. You get what you pay for. The maximods are ok but they often have issues.

[E.intheC]

I feel like although the Vortechs are amazing (and I absolutely would buy one if I had the cash).. they're <i>a lot</i> more expensive. It's at a price point where it's really not comparing apples to oranges. If you have the money, great, go for a vortech or two. If not, I think the Koralias or Modded Maxi Jets are fine.

[mcoomer]

E.intheC is right there. Vortechs are an amazing pump, as are Tunze's, but they are quite a bit more expensive. If you can afford them they're great and I think very much worth the money. If you are on a budget, or if you're wife looks at you sideways when you tell her how much you want to spend on them, then go with the modded Maxi-Jets. I ran three 1200's on my 125 for years with good results. I simply prefer the control that I get with the Vortechs, as well as the cleaner look.