Powerhead Too Powerful?/Water Flow 11/1/10
Hello Crew,
<Hi Dave>
Since I found your website you have basically walked me through my whole aquarium process so I thank you for that.
<You're welcome.>
I am happy to report that my cycle completed and after getting my parameters where I wanted I finally got my first fish. My girlfriend and I picked out a pair of Ocellaris Clownfish (one black and white, one orange) from Premium Aquatics.
<A reputable store/etailer. Is where I do business.>
The fish made the decision easy for us as they came to the front of the tank to greet us while the others hid in the back.
<Ah, the hungry ones.>
The worry I have is that they are both under an inch long and I think my Koralia #4 may be too much for them. They look like they are working pretty hard except for when they hide in the corners of the tank. I assume they found a bit of a calm zone there. I made the mistake of shutting off the powerhead and it almost cost the fish their lives. I found them pail
<pale>
and sluggish in the corner, but revived them by turning on the head and giving them a little push. Color and activity promptly returned, but I am afraid I am going to kill them by exhaustion. I also have a 4 inch sugar fine sand bed to consider that the 4s blew all over the place. I was thinking about going down to a pair of #2s, or one #3. Which would you recommend? Or would you go another way entirely?
<Pretty tough for me to visualize/answer without knowing your tank size both in gallons and dimensions, but if you are kicking up sand, the flow is likely greater than necessary. You may want to try pointing the powerhead toward the surface and see if that calms things down a bit. If not, I would suggest using lower flow rate powerheads. A total of 10x the tank volume in flow rate is what I would shoot for. I prefer the use of wavemakers which change flow direction on a timed basis. Talk to Jeremy at Premium Aquatics, he is very knowledgeable in this regard and can recommend a suitable wavemaking system for your tank if you should decide to go this route.>
Can't thank you enough for the site and all the help you give me.
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Dave
Re Powerhead Too Powerful?/Water Flow 11/1/10
Hello again James,
<Hi Dave>
Sorry about the omission. It's a standard 75 gallon. 48 x 18 x 21. It has a Remora Pro w/Mag 350 and a Marineland HOT Magnum (both your recommendations). I am only using one of the powerheads, but no matter what direction I point it, it's too much. The sand isn't a problem but the fish look like they are in a constant fight.
<In my opinion, two Koralia 4s are a bit much for this tank.>
I will get in touch with Jeremy. I was thinking that two #2s (750 gph each) pointed at each other would get a good random flow.
<Is much better than standard powerheads.>
Thanks for the advice, and thanks for the recommendation on PA. Oh, one last question, would you recommend the pre skimmer box for the Remora?
<Yes. Not only does the skimmer box hide the pump, it skims water off the top of the tank which is often coated with organics. This can improve skimming efficiency by as much as 20%. James (Salty Dog)>
-Dave

Powerheads/Selection 9/27/09
<Hi Joe>
Wondering about the new Hydor Magnums. Considering buying one for my 120 gal tank possibly the 5. They are fairly new and not many reviews on them, how are they?
<I have no experience with the Hydor Magnums, but I have sent out an email to a contact of mine at Premium Aquatics regarding this. As soon as I receive his input on the Hydor Magnums, I will forward his response to you. James (Salty Dog)>

Re Powerheads/Selection Query posted on 9/28/09
Bob,
Received a reply from Jeremy at Premium Aquatics re above query. Please post for the gent as I mistakenly deleted the query.
Hey James,
<Will do James. Thanks, BobF>
They are very nice pumps, and have had a great track record. The downside to them however is that they are fairly large, and take up some space.
They still need to be ran on either Hydor's controller, or the GHL Profilux controller.
Thanks,
Jeremy
Premium Aquatics, Inc.
www.premiumaquatics.com
317-895-9005
317-895-9395 fax

Koralia Pump and Anemone Problem
Intake Covers   9/23/09
Hello,
<Hello.>
I recently bought a RBTA and he has been busy moving about the tank, which brings me to my issue. I have a Koralia 4 powerhead, which hasn't been running since I bought the RBTA because I didn't want it to get sucked in.
<A definite possibility.>
Is there anything that I can do to safeguard the pump and turn it back on.
<Several manufacturers sell very thin spongy foam material that stretches around this style of powerhead. However it will significantly decrease the flow created by it.>
I was thinking of putting something like pantyhose around the pump and turn it back on. Is this reasonable or is there a better option?
<As above, although the pantyhose idea is interesting, if they really are still made of nylon they shouldn't be any danger.>
Any input will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
Nick
<You're welcome,
Josh Solomon.>

Re: Intake Covers, Koralia Pump and Anemone Problem - 10/01/2009
Thanks for the quick response Josh.
<I'm sorry I took so long this time, I just got back from a conference.>
I was thinking about it some more last night and came up with an idea. What about using zip ties to break up the size of the slits? I could make the gaps as big or small as I want and this may not reduce the flow as much. Also, I was thinking the right size rubber band might work as well. Any thoughts.
<I'm afraid either of these ideas will likely cut down on flow, and the anemone can get sucked into to very very small intakes, so it likely won't solve that problem either.
Good luck,
Josh Solomon.>
Thanks again,
Nick

Hydor Koralia High Flow Propeller Type Pumps 2/2/09 FYI.  These pumps will not work with some Wavemakers.  A minimum off time of 15 minutes is needed.  Wavemakers such as the Aquarium Systems model, only have a range of 30 seconds to 3 minutes of off time.  Per conversation with Jeremy Bower of Premium Aquatics.  James (Salty Dog)

Re: Pump Selection 12/28/08 Question, if I do get powerheads (Hydor Koralia) and a submersible pump. What size pump (gph) and what size Hydor 3 or 4. Again with (2) 1 inch drains into a sump. A 4 foot tank by two foot. Which I will house marine and soft corals. Difficult to calculate the right amount of flow. <Mmm, not difficult at all, just strive for 10 to 12x flow rate for the size of tank you have. In your case, 1200 to 1400 would work well. Do read here and other related articles/FAQ's. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_3/cav3i1/Powerhead_test/powerhead_comp.htm James (Salty Dog)> 

New Hydor Koralia 3 pump  - 03/02/07 Can anyone shed some light on this new pump? http://www.marinedepot.com/md_searchitem.asp.  I currently have 2 Seio 820's in the tank.  I'm not happy with the way they mount, I have an acrylic tank and have to use the suction cups.  Magnets for the Seio's would cost an additional $25 each totaling $70 each.  The Koralia is $40 with the magnet and uses less electricity.  Does anyone have any experience with these regarding durability, noise, water movement etc? Thanks, Frank <Mmm, that link doesn't seem to be working... see below. Don't have any personal experience with this product, but am familiar with the company... and they have many nice, innovative products... http://www.hydor.it/ As usual, I would use the larger sphere of BB's boards here... AquariumFrontiers. com is a fave... knowledgeable, friendly folks... for actual users input. Cheers, Bob Fenner>