Powerhead Clutter

[Avi]

I'm trying to come up with a sensible way to decrease the number of powerheads in my 120-gallon reef:

1. Seio 620
2. Seio 820
3. Seio 1500
4. MJ1200

I want to do this so as to reduce the number of powerheads in the tank, and also to increase the quality of the waterflow in the tanks so it's more efficient in keeping detritus and silt from settling on the rock (150 pounds) and behind the rock, on the substrate which is not easy to reach. The substrate in the tank is about 1 1/2-inch of reef sand. I'm certain that the flow behind the rock in the tank is insufficient.

The reef is stocked primarily with LPS and soft coral with a minimal number of SPS. Here's a recent photo so you can have an idea of the way the rock is stacked:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v58/Avrumeleh/DSCN3909.jpg

Is there one Tunze that I could use with the Seio 1500 and accomplish what I would like to? Or, which Tunze(s) would get me where I want to go with this without blasting the tank too much?

[rvitko]

I would get 2 7400/2 and the multicontroller. It will work very well in this tank. You could start with one and keep your seio but I would hold off on the controller as likely you will want a second one and then the 7095 is the way to go.

[Avi]

rvitko...Thanks for the response...Could you tell me why you'd recommend the 7400/2 over the Tunze Turbelle Stream Pump 6060? And could you tell me if the kind of flow that the 7400/2 makes is the same as the kind the 6060 would make...something on the line of the Seios as opposed to the straight, strong line of force that standard powerheads create? Thanks, again.

[rvitko]

All of the powerheads we have ever made have been low pressure, low sheering force powerheads. The Stream is built for specific purposes, high flow inverts which include SPS and leathers primarily. The 7400/2 would be better suited to LPS and softies. The 7400/2 will make a flow pattern of about 12" in diameter and 6-7' long. The 6000 and 6060 cover a 2ft by 4ft area. I really cannot recommend at all the 6060 for this application, you will probably need to turn the pump down if you must have a Stream. The 6060 cannot be controlled or run on a wavemaker. The 7400/2 is going to be ideal because you will have a modest direct current coming form a 1" nozzle (remember basic powerheads have 1/2" nozzles the flow is far more diffuse then the basic powerheads on the market). You will also have a weak bounced current to place animals that don't like much flow in. The 7400/2 is electronic so you can control the speed and make it pulse. These are some pics of the reef we had at my old shop that ran 2 7400/2, it is a 120, and it was set up for about 2-3 years when this pic was taken, it ws having a bit of an algae problem and we had to get the anemone his own tank because he got too big and filled half the tank, here he was unhappy about being relocated to keep him from stinging stuff and had walked up the overflow.

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/787My-Reef-med.jpg

[Avi]

One last question....If I were to go with the two 7400/2's, I would have less total gph's than I have now with the four powerheads that I have now. They don't do the job of moving a good current all over the tank including behind the rock. Roger, do you believe that the two 7400/2's would be better in accomplishing that? I don't want to make a major investment like that if it isn't going to be more effective just to reduce the number of powerheads. I'd like to be confident that spending the money for the Tunze 7400/2's would give the tank the "kick" it needs to keep stuff from settling on the rock, front and back, MORE effectively, so that it can be kept cleaner than it is now and the water column can take detritus and silt down the overflows. Thank you.

[rvitko]

I think so, in my opinion the ultimate would be to use a wavebox and a 7400/2 this would probably eliminate your detritus problem, in this case a single controller would be all you need, I think the total cost would be about the same. Flow ratings from manufacturers are not to useful, I think most are inaccurate, if anything we under rate our pumps. The Seio flow is deceptive because it is hollow in the middle, it is like a cone of flow, not a cylinder. These recommendations are very difficult to give, I cannot make any promises whatsoever and they are just the best I can judge from my personal experience.

[Avi]

I understand that there are no guarantees, but thanks for the benefit of your experience. It does seem that no matter how many Seios I put in the tank, the water doesn't get any real movement. It does have some effect, but there isn't enough to lift even the lightest kind of unwanted material off the rock.

[rvitko]

If you wanted to try a Stream I would get a 6000 and it wouldn't hurt to get the advice of others in an open thread in the main forums. My concern is that the LPS wouldn't fully open. Your LPS are not the euphyllia types which are the ones that fair most poorly with Stream flow. I would worry some about the turbinaria though since that corner is the most appropriate one to place the pump.

[Avi]

I looked at that one and it most likely would have to be throttled down to it's minimum flow or maybe up from that a bit. I do have only one of the kind you referred to which is a Frogspawn. I will post a new thread in the Reef Discussion Forums, but thanks again, Roger, for your help.