# Flow in the aquarium



## bristlenose72 (May 12, 2019)

Hi.

I'm setting up a fluval 240l aquarium. The aquarium is 120 cm by 40cm by 55cm. I plan to use a fluval 406 filter which has a flow rate of 6 times the aquarium volume an hour. I also plan to have an eheim pickup 200 in the opposite corner which states that it has a flow rate of 210 to 550 litres an hour.

The two cichlids i plan to have in the tank are keyhole and Bolivian rams.

I keep reading articles that say you must have a flow turnover in the tank of 10 times the volume of the tank. This is to help with among other things any dead spots and algae.

My flow rate is under 10 times the volume. Should I add another powerhead? It seems a bit excessive to me.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks, Dom


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I have seen that advice for African Rift Lake cichlids, but it could be different for the keyhole and rams. Some fish live in environments with a high flow and some do not.

I found this using Google from Tropical Fish Hobbyist Magazine. SA keepers may chime in as well.



> Strong water movement will not be appreciated because wild ram cichlids live in slow-flowing waters.


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## Cosi (Apr 1, 2020)

I'm by no means an expert but have kept rams in the past. I would say you probably have more than enough flow. More importantly I would suggest that the flow is diffuse and not concentrated.


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## SoccerMbunaAndShak (Apr 7, 2020)

Rams do not do too well with massive amounts of flow. I think you are good with the filter alone. No need for the powerhead.


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