Flow advice

[Zeeto]

Hi,

First off just wanted to say thanks for all the invaluable info on this forum, its great

I'm ordering some bits for my new tank I have on order with TGM, I aim to start a journal soon because I have found the ones on here brilliant!

Its a 276 litre tank and I'm trying to figue out what would give me the best flow, I have an eheim 2080 filter for the tank which is rated at 1700 l/h (which will be connected to a lily pipe) but once the filter media is added and the delivery head height is taken into account I expect I will be getting closer to 1000 l/h.

What would you guys recommend for extra circulation, I like the look of the Koralia evo pumps but I'm not sure what sort of flow they produce and whether its best to go for one large powerhead or a couple of smaller ones?

I have also been toying with the idea of having an external powerhead such as the eheim compact 5000 connected to a glass inlet and lily pipe to keep as much clutter out of the tank as possible.

What do you think?

Regards
Matt

 

[Anonymous]

You might be best served going for an extra external filter, two koralia's will cost a fair bit anyway and getting the flow right in such a large tank is tricky. But that is your choice. You will need at least 10x rated flow so in your case about a total of 3000 litres an hour. Thats rated flow not actual flow. A lot of people would suggest more but it really depends on the sort of set up you want, what plants you want to grow, light levels, co2, etc.There is a good guide here, http://www.ukaps.org/higher-tech-tank.htm
And a good discussion here. http://www.ukaps.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=1167

George explains it better here,http://www.ukaps.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=11781

 

[Coiln3107]

As suggested getting the circulation right is tricky, the layout of the tank and the position of wood and stones can play a big part, as well as the size and type of plants. When you feed the fish crush the food and drop it in the tank and monitor where it goes and how far it spreads. This will give you an indication of circulation and flow. If you reckon you need more I have 2off Koralia 4 for sale in the For Sale section. They were in a 260l tank and did a great job, they had evertyhing swaying happily with no dead spots in a very busy tank.

 

[Zeeto]

Re: Flow advice/ discus tank/ spraybar vs lily pipe

Thanks for the advice!

The tank will be a high tech build with pressurised CO2 and I have a 4 x 39w T5 luminaireto use. I have bitten the bullet and ordered another external filter, an eheim 2078 which should give me roughly 10x flow with just the filters alone. This will also allow me to keep as much hardware out of the tank as possible. I am also considering using spray bars now rather than lily pipes as some peope recommend them for better flow and circulation than the lily pipes.

I am also planning to have discus in the tank so extra filtration cannot hurt. I have been keeping fish for a number of years and every time I set up a new tank I say that I will keep discus and setup a discus tank but it never seems to happen. This time I have decided to do it properly from the start!

I'm debating whether to get a mated pair of Discus or go for a group of about 5, I know my tank is on the smaller side for keeping discus so may be better to opt for a pair. I would appreciate any input from discus owners?

Best Regards
Matt

 

[mdhardy01]

I've kept discus for some time
had them in 2ft 3ft and 5ft tanks recently had 4 in a juwel record 96l
as long as you do large regular water changes all should be fine
personaly I would go with 5-6 smaller good quality discus from one breeder
there is nothing nicer than watching a small shoal grow and then
pair off
buying a breeding pair is good but the fish will settle quicker in a group
this is my personal preference anyway
matt