# freshwater tank water circulation



## chadngeorgia (May 22, 2009)

im trying to set up circulation in my tank to keep the waste from just sitting at the bottom..i have a koralia 3 and 4 ,plus a powerhead..if you stand in front of my tank..i have the overflow box in the right hand corner,the returns are facing to the left, the powerhead is also pushing to the left..i have both koralias pushing to the right from the back left of the tank..is this water circulation the correct setup and is it powerful enough for a 265gal


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## BioG (Oct 12, 2008)

That all depends on what type of fish you're keeping. Fresh is not like salt in that you need tons of different currents and turnover. All my powerheads, sump returns etc. are aimed upward to create surface agitation (cichlids appreciate high oxygen content) and I aim them at each other from far away so a "riverine" type current is cancelled out. Basically, for cichlids I'm trying to create as still of a moving environment as I can if that makes sense. I usually try to keep the surface still around my overflows too so's they can skim the **** off the top before power heads blow it down again. Trumpet snails are great for getting rid of waste on the bottom as they burrow into the sand and turn it over+ they only emerge at night so the fact that you have 1000's of snails goes unnoticed if the lights are on. I thought I was going to lose it when I first found snails in one of my tanks but, 3 mos. later, I was transferring Malaysian trumpet snails into all my tanks. I do try and keep them from my sumps though which is easy. I change water every 2 (because I over filter) weeks and I don't have to scrub for algae but once a month because of my trumpets!


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## chadngeorgia (May 22, 2009)

with the koralia 2 and 4,plus a quiet one 2000.. is this strong enough to create a circulation or not.. and how do i set it up..the way you have yours set up sounds good..but your bottom is not circulating.your snails are cleaning


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## BioG (Oct 12, 2008)

The bottom moves, It just doesn't move the fish! If they have to swim to stay in one spot, that is too much for rift lake cichlids IMO. snails work slowly. You have plenty of movement going on I think.


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## Toby_H (Apr 15, 2005)

What is the gph rating for your Quiet One pump at the given head pressure that you have it installed on? I looked up Quiet One pumps and could not find a "2000" model... but the 2200 is rated for 581 gph at zero head pressure...

For healthy mechanical a common suggestion is "10 times turnover", which means moving the full tanks volume through the filter(s) 10 times per hour. It is often said that sumps or canisters need a much lower flow rate, but to be more specific, bio filtration needs a much lower flow rate. The key to mechanical filtration is having enough current to move the waste/debris into the filter, and then having thorough enough filtration not to spit the waste/debris back into the tank.

The Koralia powerheads you are using a wonderful little powerheads for making current to move waste/debris off the floor of the tank and toward the filter intakes. I've used several sizes of them personally. You can logically factor their gph rating when considering mechanical filtration, as their current does contribute to moving waste/debris into filter intakes. But you should not consider their gph rating on bio filtration as they do not help move water past bio media.

Having explained that, I feel you do not have enough flow in your tank for healthy mechanical filtration... If the QO 2000 pump you are using moves 500~600 gph at zero head pressure, then I also feel you do not have sufficient flow through your filter for healthy bio filtration (if it is a 2,000 gph pump then you are probably good for bio, but still lacking for mechanical).

As for direction of flow/filters... the decor of the tank has a major impact on this. If you want solid suggestions on flow patterns I highly suggest you include a photo of your tank...


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## chadngeorgia (May 22, 2009)

i am using the qo 2000 and 2 koralia in the tank as cicrculation..i am using a mag 12 and 9 to filter tank


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## Toby_H (Apr 15, 2005)

chadngeorgia said:


> i am using the qo 2000 and 2 koralia in the tank as cicrculation..i am using a mag 12 and 9 to filter tank


Giving more detail will allow much better advice... Mag 12 & Mag 7 are pumps, not filters... If I were the assuming type I would assume they are used in conjunction with a sump, but making this assumption would only lead me to asking more questions about the sump...

You're going to have to help us help you...


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## chadngeorgia (May 22, 2009)

ok i have a 300gal sump, and a mag drive 12 and 9 as may pumps.. i am filtering approx. 1800 gph from 5 feet. i am using a koralia 3 and 4, and a quiet one 2000 pump inside my 265gal freshwater tank for water movement ( circulation ). i just want to know if my koralias and the qo 2000 is enough for water and waste movement. if so or not so.. how do i position them inside tank to create a good water movement..i hope this is better info for advice


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## Toby_H (Apr 15, 2005)

The picture is becoming clearer 

So you have a sump with an estimated actual flow rate of of 1800 gph and an approx 550 gph pump, a Koralia 3 & a Koralia 4 acting as powerheads... all on a 265 gallon tank...

That to me sounds like enough water movement to keep the tank healthy/clean...

There are a lot of factors that would have to be considered before making any blanket suggestions of how to direct the flow.

Big fish make big waste... what kind/size fish are you keeping?

Decor deflects currents? How much decor are you using? What kind of decor? Where/how is it placed? A picture is worth a thousand words for this one...

Is this a tank you have set up or a tank you are planning? If it is a tank you actually have set up, then telling us what is going on now and what you would like to improve upon might help us make some suggestions...

Another question/point... What type of overflow/intake do you have for your sump? Most of them I've seen are poorly designed for mechanical filtration as they only pull water off the surface and therefore waste needs to be pushed all the way to the top in order for the sump to remove it.

I've seen some DIY sump overflows/intakes that work much better... But typically people suggest using a canister filter or HOB for mechanical filtration (although I would suggest building a more functional overflow/intake for the sump)


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## chadngeorgia (May 22, 2009)

i have a double outlet overflow hang on box


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