Equipment/Power Heads Killing Fish   2/26/06
I got up this morning and found my beautiful large purple tang sucked into a powerhead. <Yuk.> Two weeks ago, I lost a clown in the same way. <Yuk again.> I've placed the caps <What do you mean by caps, the plastic screen?> on but it seems like it's not working.  What should I do?  I have 5 powerheads and at this point, I want to throw them all out!  What do you guys recommend as internal pumps? <These power heads must have some awful suction power.  I'd get some Hagen Aqua Clear Quick Filters to hook on to your power heads.  They come with a filter insert but wouldn't have to use it.  I've used these when I had anemones to prevent getting sucked in should they decide to move.  Drs. Foster & Smith sell three packs for about $19.00.  James (Salty Dog)>
Please help.
Nilesh

Bad Pump?    6/4/06
I've got a Maxi-jet power head, and can't seem to get the water flow started.  Is there a trick to this?
<'Tis a plug and play product...if it's new return it, sounds defective.>
Pete.
<Adam J.>

Rio Aqua Pumps... in need of customer service
I am hoping you can help me. I set up my first marine tank in April this year. On professional advice I purchased 2 Rio 400 power heads and one system 2000 controller with the thought of buying 2 more power heads at a later date, but after just 3weeks both power heads started to make a terrible noise while still working. I have tried to contact the suppliers which were Aquatics Unlimited but have received no reply. I feel they have taken my money and now don't want to know. Could you please give me any advice on this matter. I still have my original receipt .I have offered to return them in replacement for new ones as I feel they must be faulty but I get no replies to my emails Thank you Mick Blake.
<Cheers, Mick... my advice would be to e-mail the manufacturer and cc the vendor in your message. One last request for service, so to speak. The Rio folks would/should be interested to hear and help. Best regards, Anthony>

Re: Nitrogen Cycle and Powerhead Weirdness, II
>Hi there,
>>Hi.
>I hope you had a real good weekend. Thanks very much for your reply.
>>You're welcome.
>I have checked as you said, there is no whirlpool effect anywhere near the powerhead.  I had  also previously blocked the air inlet tubing and submerged the whole thing below the water so there is no chance of any air getting in from there.  One thing I forgot to mention is that if I turn the powerhead off there are streams of bubbles that get released from the gravel, there are so much of them that it looks like some one turned on an air pump , this lasts for a up to about half a minute and then it stops.  
>>Wow.. now THAT is weird.  I've never seen that in a system that hasn't got anoxic regions.  And if *that* were your problem something tells me you WOULD smell it.
>If I turn on the powerhead immediately then the whole cycle is repeated i.e. the gas spitting intervals, till I get a continuous flow.  Yesterday there was so much of gas trapped in the pipes that when I turned the powerhead on it would not pump because of that, there was not enough water in the pump passing through the impeller (even though it is completely submerged) for it to start pumping.  No water can get in from the outlet as I have sealed it via a pipe that discharges into a canister outside and above the tank water level that discharges the water by waterfall over a plastic sheet back into to tank to release the bubbles.  I had to finally use another pump in the canister to get it going.
>>How frustrating!
>I have been keeping fish for over 25 years and I have never seen anything like this, if there is any light you can throw on this it will help.  Incidentally when I first bought this tank about 7 years ago I had exactly the same pump installed in the same position, I had no problems, later on when that pump got busted I replaced it with pump that was slightly less powerful, and now I have switched back to the more powerful version.  Kind Regards, Jorell
>>I'm at a loss myself, Jorell.  I can see NO way that this is being caused by the powerhead from your description, it makes no sense that a more powerful powerhead would or could get air or whatever it is trapped under the gravel.  Yet that is the only change to the system, yes?  My only last suggest would be to use a reverse flow, but personally I've never really liked them (O2 saturation issues).  I would HATE to have you significantly disturb the substrate in such a well-established system, but I would be very curious to see what in the world is going on down there.  I'm sorry I'm not of greater help, maybe another reader or crewmember will see this and may have some ideas.  Marina

Bubbly Bubbles and the Bubbly Powerhead, Pt. III
>Hi Marina,
>>Hello Jorell.
>Thanks again for your reply. The flow of bubbles continue but it does not affect the tank as 98% of them get defused in and while flying out of the canister.  
>>Alright.
>The reason I suspected it is Nitrogen is because it odorless and I have a substrate of 10 inches (I just measured it) and as my powerhead had failed I was not using one for about 3 months.  
>>Wow!  Now THAT's a deep bed!  
>(The Bioload in my tank is significant with 3 small clowns about 2 inches each two Damsels about the same size a Dottyback and a maroon clown about 3 inches.) I believe that there must have been a lot of waste something that my external filter cannot handle, I then had an outbreak of hair algae.  
>>Indeed, nutrient export issues abound here.
>Also the way the spurts of bubbles started I figured it was because the population of bacteria slowly started to grow as O2 reached the lower levels of the substrate.
>>Could be, and now I understand why you think nitrogen, yet, with the circulation happening so deeply (as I recollect), it doesn't make sense that you would still reap the benefits of anoxic regions.  Clearly, though, you must be.  Now understanding that this is a salt system, and being a bit more clear on the setup, it does indeed make sense that it would be nitrogen.
>I have just one coral in my tank that is doing fine, I am not upgrading the system as I will soon be purchasing a new 400 gal tank so that's a major investment there.
>>Absolutely, and I do hope you continue with the deep sand bed, but leave out the undergravel filtration bit.  I'll instead encourage you to research (if you haven't already) refugia methodologies.  Thanks for writing back.  Marina

Re: Nitrogen Cycle IV and the Funky Little Powerhead
>Dear Marina,
Thanks again for your reply.
>>Very welcome, Jorell.
>Your words are like song to my ears (er... flowers to my eyes:). Sorry I should have explained in more detail the first time.
I am quite fond of the under gravel filtration process but you obviously know what you are talking about, so I will take your advice.  
>>If it works, it works, right?  In other words, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.  But since you're considering an upgrade, do look into use of refugiums.
>Can you tell me what are the reasons that an under gravel filter is undesirable, I have read a few articles saying why not but never been fully convinced.  
>>I can't, because I'm not convinced either.  I actually find them to be a pretty decent, simple technology for achieving biological filtration.  This is also why I like refugia.  However, I've never used a 10" (!) gravel bed on EITHER.  :D
>Where can I read up on "refugia methodologies" must admit I have never come across this term before.  Appreciate if you could point me in the correct direction.
>>Indeed.  The EASIEST methods are to go to our "marine aquarium articles" section, and I believe it's under "set-up".  There we have information and FAQ's on refugia and plenums (a more complicated, but proven as well, method of natural nitrate reduction).
>The reason I have a deep sand bed is because I am in the habit of siphoning the very top layer of sand (about one grain high) about once a week when I make a water change and I add fresh sand into the tank about every month, I put in slightly more than I take off. So the layer has gradually built up.  (There are a hell of a little critters in my sand bed but I am sure casualties are none or minimal).
>>It seems to be working quite well for you, especially if you're getting what I read to be excellent "pod" growth.
>The only reason I do this is so that the top of the bed looks white and clean.
>>Yet you've accomplished SO much more!  Good on ya.
>Kind Regards, Jorell

Bubbles or no bubbles? (8-4-03)
Dear WetWeb Media <Howdy, Cody here today.>
   I hate to ask such a basic question but can you tell me whether I should have venturi attached to my powerhead to add more air  to my reef tank. I thought I should but there are so many articles talking about the problems that bubbles can cause I don't know what to do.<I would leave the bubbles out and just make sure you have plenty of surface agitation.>
Many thanks, Mark

Powerheads
Hi,
<Hello! Ryan with you today!>
I have a 50G marine tank and use 2 opposing power heads to create adequate circulation in addition to my filter and skimmer inflows.  I decided to experiment with 2 different brands, an Aquaclear 3000 and Eheim 1000 compact. Over the course of about 6 months since I "plugged" the power heads in I keep getting inverts and fish sucked up through each one. In total I have lost about 5 Turbos, 3 Nassarius Snail and finally my 1 inch Honeycomb Puffer last night. They are all sucked up alive, trapped then die. I have managed to pull a few away that I have noticed but I was really surprised about the puffer.
Is this a common occurrence with power heads? do you have any tips to prevent this occurring?
<Yes, it is a common occurrence if you don't cover the intake somehow.  My favorite method is to use a bio-ball to cover the opening for the intake.  Sponge covers are also available.  Best of luck! Ryan>
Thanks in advance for helping
John

Powerhead issues - Superfine Bubbleation
>Hi Bob,
>>Marina today.  Bob's trading smooches with Ahnold this weekend.
>Hope this email catches you well and in a good mood!  I have a 50 gal reef tank with about 6 - 8 inch coral sand bed,  I use an under-gravel filter with a powerhead that sucks water through a network of pipes under the gravel and discharges it into the tank. I also have an external filter and a skimmer.  A couple of months ago my powerhead got busted so I did not replace it as I kept using the external filter. Just a week ago I bought a powerhead that is more powerful that the one I had and installed it.
>>A'ight.
>After a couple of days, it started spurting gas in short bursts say every 4 - 5 hours intervals, then the intervals shortened till they were every few minutes then seconds and now it is a continuous flow of gas.  My guess is that it is nitrogen, am I right?
>>Actually, it sounds more like cavitation to me, just like with boat propellers.  I've never encountered this with a powerhead that wasn't very close to the surface (always the kind with that venturi opening above the outlet).  Check the water level against the powerhead and it could very well be creating a bit of a whirlpool effect just above this opening.  When it does this it spits air.  The water level dropping would explain the increasing frequency.  Good way to stop this is to stuff a bit of airline with a knot tied in it into the opening (just use the tubing it came with).
>If I am,  it is really quite amazing to watch it in action. (there are no leaks from where outside air can get into the powerhead)  
>>If this is truly the case, then again, it seems like plain old cavitation to me.
>Secondly because the bubbles are so fine (they can compete with the best of skimmers) and so many (the water was almost cloudy with bubbles), it was upsetting the coral and fish so much the fish all started swimming only to and in one corner of the tank where there was no champagne....the coral shut and refused to open.
>>Not surprising.  If you can't sort out fixing this, I'd suggest trying a different powerhead.
>Any way, I have now connected a pipe to the outlet and run it into a canister and drip that back into the tank, the life in there seems to be happy, however all those connections are making the tank look unsightly, wondering when it will stop and if, will it ever. (do the words how long is a piece of string come to mind?).
>>I can't really say, as I've never experienced this problem.  You could also try feeding the output over a waterfall of some sort, allowing the bubbles to diffuse into the atmosphere.
>Kind Regards, Jorell

Shocking Tank (a tale of leaking potential from an appliance)
Hi All,
No question, just want to relate an experience that may help someone.
<Please go ahead>
I have a canister that trickles water into my main tank.  I have the habit of feeding my fish with a toothpick or fingers and I wash the feed residue in the canister flow or the main tank.  About a couple of months ago I noted that if I had a small cut on my finger tips or cuticles it burned like crazy when I washed my fingers in it.  Attributing this to salt water burning the cuts I ignored it.  Yesterday the skin over my cuticle peeled off.  When I fed the fish I washed only the print side of my finger tips but the cuticle burned like crazy.  I got suspicious and thought there may be an electrical leak in the water. So I took a tester and ran the tip into the water, and guess what it lit up!!  The tank was, well...alive.   The first thing I did switch off a powerhead one at a time to try and eliminate the faulty one this did give me any result as the tester lit up anyway.  Then checked the chiller, still no result. The last thing that I suspected was the lighting but sure enough that was it,  the plug point which connects the lights was faulty.  I am surrounded by wood except where the canister is so when ever I put my hand into the water I was not grounded.  
I am no expert on electricity, but I would just like people to know that if they experience anything like what it did please check for leaks.  Run a test it may save your life. Faulty Power heads are not exactly rare in the hobby.
Kind Regards, Jorell
<Thank you for relating your experience. Bob Fenner>

It's a Noisy Ocean (12/10/03)
Hmmmm, interesting. I wish I could remember where I read about the noise bothering the inhabs. I thought it was at your site, I guess not. I guess I should unpack all my powerheads now because my tank could use the movement. Thanks for your input, Pam
<If you think about it, the ocean (at least near the coasts) is a pretty noisy place. I'd be more concerned about the effects of stray electric currents than the noise. Even this is unclear, though many have reported untoward effect on fish. Worth considering a titanium grounding probe. See here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/elecmarfaqs.htm
Steve Allen>

Air Bubbles
Hello all! <Howdy!  Sorry for the delayed reply.>I feel bad asking such a simple question but you guys are my reference. Here goes, do small air bubbles everywhere in the display pose that much of a threat?  I use powerheads to power my UGF and use the venturi on the powerheads to add extra air but they add tiny bubbles everywhere no matter what position I place the nozzle and I hear that this can cause problems due to the bubbles attaching to the gills and lowering surface area. Should I really be concerned about this?<You should be fine if you just have fish.  If you have corals the bubbles can agitate them though.>
thanks so much for any and all time spent on this question, your response will go a long way in manifesting my worries about the well-being of my fish.<Thank you for writing! Cody>
thanks  Tristan

SCWD Leaking
<hello>
I'm running a quiet one 4400 (about 700 gph) to a SCWD.  Actually, I have 2 pumps and 2 SCWD.  My problem is they (both) keep leaking on the inlet side.  I have tried wrapping some Teflon tape around the "wannabe" barb fitting and using a hose clamp...but no matter how tight I make the clamp, I keep getting a little leaking.....any ideas, suggestions!
<Sounds like the tubing you used is a little to big. There are 2 models 1/2 & 3/4". Make sure that the tubing you used says either 1/2 or 3/4 ID NOT OD. The tubing should be hard to get on, if it slips right on it's to big (heat a cup of water and place the tubing in for a minute or two .It will soften the tubing and go on easier. I am using one of these and have had no leaking problems. MikeH>
Dave

Quick coralline Q
Greetings Crew!
A thought occurred to me when I was doing my weekly water change and pondering temperature maintenance in these warm summer months.  I have no idea what the answer is so I decided to ask the oracle of all aquarium knowledge (aka WWM crew).  
In a marine aquarium that has coralline algae growing like wildfire over everything (like mine), does it affect the in-tank pumps and powerheads if they get coated with coralline algae?  I am thinking more along the lines of overheating rather than impeller performance (I clean mine monthly).
Once again, I thank thee for thy divine wisdom regarding the upkeep of Neptune's creatures.
-Ray
<As you seem to surmise, not much trouble if the coralline is only coating the outside of these devices. Water is the standard for specific heat, conduction... Bob Fenner>

Ray poisoning from fried powerhead? - 9/8/04
Please help, I have a 150 gallon saltwater tank. I recently had a powerhead (pump) burn up very bad (submerged) and now my ray is very sick. <Crap! Sounds like copper poisoning. Have you checked copper levels? If you have a quarantine tank move the ray. Massive water changes need to be in effect here. I would change more water ASAP!!! Likely there is some copper used in the sealed portion of the powerhead. So if it cracked, there could have been some exposure.> I have tested all I can on water quality and can find no problems. I am changing my water 10 gallons at a time as we speak. <Excellent> I am in Florida, in the middle of a hurricane, so I can not contact my local aquarium shop. Please advise or let me know if you need more info. <Not sure what else it could be> Any suggestions to save my baby would be a great help. <Be sure to supplement your rays diet with vitamins as well. You could try vita-zu from Mazuri. (www.mazuri.com) Sorry for the delay, Wes. I hope your water changes have helped. ~Paul>
                Thanks, Wes

- Tunze Skimmers -
Hello Anthony!
<Anthony is actually in Tonga, no doubt having his skinny self wrestled to the ground by a large Tongan woman.>
I bought a Tunze Comline automatic 3130/2 and I have difficulties to make it work correctly and SILENTLY so I have been reading the Tunze skimmer FAQs on the WWM. I don't have any experience, this is my first skimmer. Before reading the FAQs I already tried by myself to unscrew the white air regulating screw completely (screw felt out and was removed) noticing that this made it quite silent. Of course it then produces much more foam. The day after I decided to screw it on again because of the excessive amount of very clear yellowish skimmate. I then went on the WWM FAQs and seen that you did advice to open the screw completely but maybe to place the skimmer higher. I also wrote to Roger from Tunze USA and here is what he answers me so I don't know what to think and what to do now:
"The screw should only be open 2.5-3 turns.  Opening it more will be just as bad as not opening it enough.  The bubbles will get bigger and not skim."
<With hardware like this, there is no exact science - only trial and error. I'd experiment with something in between Anthony's and Roger's advice and see how that works for you.>
Thanks in advance for your always helpful assistance!
Dominique
<Cheers, J -- >

Tunze Stream microbubbles and water circulation around Euphyllids. 7/22/05
Hi Anthony (or else...:),
<Hi Dominique, Ali here (please don't kill me)>
I bought two 6000 Streams and a 7095 controller for my system.
<Great pumps, great choice, great investment>
I have a 90 gal reef tank (48"x24"18") with sugar fine DSB. I have only Euphyllids (torch and hammer corals) and pulsing xenia. Will add some Montipora digitata at some point. I reduced the power to 30% on the streams. On the multicontroller I use the interval no 1 mode with around 30 seconds of interval and the flow is also pulsing from 30% to 100% on each of the two streams each 6 seconds. This means going from 167 gal (2X per hour) to 555 gal per hour (6X per hour) on each pump alternatively. The two streams are symmetrically positioned to have their flow hitting the middle of the back panel. I placed them quite near to the surface. Also there is a 3X per hour from the return pump from the fuge.
-Now there is some particles in suspension: dust or air bubbles I do not know (?). There is good agitation at the surface so could be air bubbles.
<Microbubbles are generally caused from your return pump or possibly your refugium output, turn them off and just run your stream pumps. If the microbubbles continue, then you'll know 100% that they are coming directly from the streams. Additionally, if you have the streams too close to the water surface, they will create a 'vortex' causing water and air to be sucked down, thus producing an occasional jet of bubbles. Here is a direct quote from Roger 'Tunze' Vitko himself regarding the microbubble issue: "Just my experience here- if your pump is making bubbles and it is not from vortexing you really should double check the hole in the magnet rotor for obstructions, your KH and your light intensity/duration. If the bubbles get worse as the day light hours progress it is definitely a gas saturation issue and removing excess algae, cutting back on lighting and lowering KH are the remedies. If the pump has any obstructions to the cooling system, the internal vacuum increases and more degassing occurs.">
-Could this be too much current for the Euphyllids? Is it ok when the polyps are bending from time to time (not just curling but really bending at a 90 degrees angle...). The polyps are still well extended tough.
<Don't sweat it. They're happy. Unless you see total tissue retraction and/or tissue literally being blown-off of the skeletons this is not something you should worry about>
I am only a beginner and I worry about those corals now...
< :D 90 degree bends, you don't have to worry about, it's those dreaded 45 degree angles that you should keep an eye out for,...only kidding of course.>
-Same for my new anemone (green Heteractis crispa with purple tips): some tentacles are sometimes completely twisted because of the current (giving the tentacle an hour-glass shape...). Can this cause problems?
<No>
-Do you have any advice for the settings of the multicontroller and placement/direction of the streams that would be good for my set up?
<For further advice on how to get the most out of your pumps/controller set-up feel free to browse Roger's Tunze forum, here's the link: http://reefcentral.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=92 >  
Thanks a lot!
Dominique
<No problem friend, enjoy your reef.>