54 Corner Flow Help

[galonso]

I have a 54 corner and I am having trouble with circulation. I have a rio 3100 with a 5ft head so I am guesing I am only getting about 500 gallons per hour which is only 10x. I know I need to increase circulation. I am debating on upgrading my main pump to get more flow or should I just add a K2 powerhead? I have a dead zone in each quarter of the two front corners. I was hoping some of you with corner tanks could help me.

[lostanime]

I no longer have a corner tank (used to keep a 44gal pentagon)... but, would like to offer a bit of advice/insight:

First off - the more you increase your return pump, the more you trust your drains. Getting close to their limits is very dangerous, since over time they drain slower and slower due to build-up inside the pipe... plus snails, etc crawling into overflows and getting stuck in pipes isn't unheard of (and is very messy when the water formerly in your sump is spilling all over your floor from your display!) If you have plenty of flow through your sump for what your accomplishing down there, I would not go to a larger return pump.

Second off - propeller style powerheads (koralias, tunzes, vortechs, etc) produce substantially more flow with much less electrical consumption then impeller style pumps. For example, a mag12 pushing 1200gph uses over 10x more electricity then a koralia4 pushing 1200gph. That's over TEN TIMES the electrical consumption! And with the powerhead, you can always move it around, point it where you need it.

Third off - with a return pump... you cant run your return lines low to direct flow to very specific spots deeper in the tank without drilling anti-siphon holes (which might fail due to algae growth, a snail happening to crawl over it, etc when power goes out...) or check-valves (which also are notorious for failing when you least expect)... which means alot of water on the floor when the power goes out.

If you can't tell, I'm a big advocate for powerheads :)

[galonso]

Thank you very much. I guess I will go with the extra 2 power heads to get rid of my dead zones. That makes perfect sense.

[shellzreef]

my friend has a 54, hes got a koralia 2,3 and an MP10.