# Powerhead Placement



## theboothsociety (Jan 3, 2012)

I have 2 Koralia Evo 1400 powerbeads purchased for my 7' 210 gal tank. Im building them into the background and having trouble with deciding placement of them.

The first side is towards the top of the tank. Seen here where the hole is: 









The left side I was going to put it at the same height, but now im thinking otherwise, because I want to be able to use them to push debris and waste off the sand towards the overflows.

Yet I dont want to create a circle/whirlpool affect, If i have one on bottom and one on top, on opposite sides of the tank, will this happen?

Any advice on placement would be great.


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

Can you make a simple diagram with paint or something to get a better idea of what you are talking about?


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## theboothsociety (Jan 3, 2012)

dont have paint and my photoshop isnt working, but maybe I can explain it better.

Powerheads are located on both side walls of the tank. If i position one high (at the height you see the circle in the BG) pointing straight across the length of the tank and then the opposite side of the tank, the powerhead is towards the bottom, pointing across the length of the tank, will this create a circle movement in the water?


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

theboothsociety said:


> dont have paint and my photoshop isnt working, but maybe I can explain it better.
> 
> Powerheads are located on both side walls of the tank. If i position one high (at the height you see the circle in the BG) pointing straight across the length of the tank and then the opposite side of the tank, the powerhead is towards the bottom, pointing across the length of the tank, will this create a circle movement in the water?


The background is going to run the length of the tank and the overflows are in the corners? Just want to make sure.

I think it is really trial and error when talking about placement because there are many factors to consider. Anything we recommend would obviously be just a starting point and you will likely need to make adjustments to suit your needs. I would place them both in the corner rear of each side and point them towards the top of the front glass right in the middle. That won't create a whirlpool effect but even if it did it wouldn't be a bad thing as long as the debris and waste was making its way to the overflows.


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## theboothsociety (Jan 3, 2012)

yes background runs the length of the tank and on the sides. Overflows are not directly in the corners, they are about a foot off the sidewall on the back glass.

well the point is that I need to notch out space in the background to put them and once the BG is installed, im not going to be able to change the location of them.

I want to choose a location that I can not change b/c they will be hidden in the BG, but be able to change the direction of where they are pointed.


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## eTrain (Oct 15, 2012)

Sorry this is a little off topic. Are they going to be imbedded in the foam? I think they need to be in a more open area to take water in from the back. I don't know that it would hurt the motors or not, but I think it would cause a lot of resistance making them work harder or choking the flow back.


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## theboothsociety (Jan 3, 2012)

Yes, imbedded in the background. *** come to the same conclusion, that the water level in the reservoir behind the BG can get low or non existent and motor could run dry. *** decided to put a bunch of holes into that reservoir, so that it can fill fast and will hopefully stay submerged.


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

I would point both towards the top front center of the tank. That way both currents would meet in the middle and swirl back around towards the overflows. Again....all this is trial and error.

Actually what you could do is fill the tank up with water and then place them and observe for a couple days. I would probably go this route if I were making a custom background that would house them permanently.


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## DanniGirl (Jan 25, 2007)

As long as the powerheads have a constant water supply, they'll be fine embedded in the foam. Cut slits towards to bottom of the foam to allow water flow. It doesn't take much but it you inadvertently remove too much Styrofoam, just silicone some window screen over the cutout(s). I would not advise permanency because you will need to do routine maintenance to remove the debris which will collect within the space.

If doable, I would suggest to angle both powerheads outwards and towards the center of tank. Depending on your background, I'd say angle them at a 45° angle with a slight upward tilt. If you do place one towards the bottom, make sure the intake will be clear from sand. The powerhead should be parallel with the bottom of the tank, otherwise it's only going to push the sand into a pile which defeats the purpose of the placement. A more efficient method would be the incorporation of under gravel jets. But if UGJs are not an option, it may be best to incorporate more powerheads for the substrate. I would suggest 2-3 more, each positioned to mirror the powerheads in the upper water column. Smaller powerheads should be more than sufficient.


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