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Flow with no current

Myrtle

Myrtle

Member
Joined
21 Aug 2008
Messages
830
Location
Basingstoke
Ok, bit of a stupid question, but one that's been bothering me;!
All the fish I'm drawn to inhabit waters with low or zero current, which is fine as I prefer low tech and flow isn't as much of an issue for me. However, one thing I'm struggling with, particularly as it's winter, is spreading the heat throughout the tank. Whenever I do maintenance on a couple of my tanks, I can feel areas which are cooler than others. I've really struggled to find any filter beyond a simple sponge that doesn't result in the fish being blown around. How do other folk get around this? Or am I worrying about the fish unnecessarily?
 
Thanks, heating the house to 25C is a bit much! I did think that water isn't always a steady, consistent temperature in nature, but I began to question myself. Particularly as one of my Betta has started flashing on things which made me consider raising the temp, which then led to thinking that raising the temp won't help if the whole tank isn't getting to that temp... That's assuming it is ich at all.
 
Assuming your tank isn’t too big. Have you considered putting a couple of cheap thermometers close to and at the furthest point from your heater to see what the temps are? Most fish have a bit of a temp range so that would let you check to see what they are dealing with and if you need to change anything.
 
They're very much nanos (hence the tiny fish!) The longest is 60cm , which is the one I noticed it in first, and the one I have in mind for the sundadanio is 45cm. That's why it's so hard to get something to move the water - everything is like a fire hose in nano tanks!
 
Myrtle said:
They're very much nanos (hence the tiny fish!) The longest is 60cm , which is the one I noticed it in first, and the one I have in mind for the sundadanio is 45cm. That's why it's so hard to get something to move the water - everything is like a fire hose in nano tanks!
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Hi @Myrtle , The Aqual PatMini might work for you. Cheap, reliable, reasonably small, 100% shrimp safe, flow direction and strength can be adjusted. I have two in each of my 150L tanks in addition to HOBs to create additional flow without blowing the fish (nanos) and shrimps around.

Cheers,
Michael
 
There are some tiny submersible pumps out there.
There’s a company on IG called P Tank, they make self build pico tanks, they have have 3D printed nozzles to attach to the tiny pumps they recommend (sold separately on Amazon)

My experience with most fish though is that they can take a little bit of flow.
 
I’m with @MichaelJ on the pat mini - I run these in my tanks, including as small as a 20l cube.
I’ve also noticed a cooler corner in my 60 cm tank through tinkering with thermometer placement (for me low flow her corresponds with the algae I suspect). Fish (CPDs, embers) seem unbothered.
 
Myrtle said:
All the fish I'm drawn to inhabit waters with low or zero current, which is fine as I prefer low tech and flow isn't as much of an issue for me. However, one thing I'm struggling with, particularly as it's winter, is spreading the heat throughout the tank.
Click to expand...
Fish are quite adapted to thermal differences In temperatures, if its to cold in a certain spot they will migrate to warmer water. 😉
 
John q said:
Fish are quite adapted to thermal differences In temperatures, if its to cold in a certain spot they will migrate to warmer water. 😉
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Sure they are. However, it's easy in nature - a bit different in our tiny glass boxes... Back in the day I had a failing heater (a really old Jager) in one of my big cichlid tanks - it sort worked but the heater would not come on until the temp dropped below 20 C or so even though it was set a lot higher... all my extremely combative and territorial Cichlasomas would cozy up in the corner where the heater was placed just waiting for it to come on... nothing whips up a sense of coterie more than a bit of cold waters I guess... of course, when I fixed the situation everything went back to the good old bickering :)

Cheers,
Michael
 
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Thanks for all the responses; I'm going to preface my reply with the disclaimer that I'm suffering terrible brain fog at the moment.

Basically, it boils down to the fact that I'm really stupid! I actually have a PAT Mini and never realised you could adjust the flow :facepalm: I've just put it in the tank I was having most trouble with at the lowest setting it's perfect! I have a slightly disabled Betta in there who can't swim well and the gentle flow is not causing him any trouble whilst spreading the heat much better. It was only when I followed the link that @MichaelJ posted to check I'd bought the right model that I spotted how to adjust the flow.

Yes, I'm an idiot :oops:
 
I use a spraybar in my blackwater tank, for the same purpose: distribute the temperature, but keep the flow low.

If you really want ideal conditions, purchase the spraybar extension of the pat mini....or purchase 2 sets...connect them together, and have the spraybar positioned across the full length of your tank (in the back). Place the heater close to the intake of the pat mini.
 
rdk1402 said:
I use a spraybar in my blackwater tank, for the same purpose: distribute the temperature, but keep the flow low.

If you really want ideal conditions, purchase the spraybar extension of the pat mini....or purchase 2 sets...connect them together, and have the spraybar positioned across the full length of your tank (in the back). Place the heater close to the intake of the pat mini.
Click to expand...
Thanks, I'll look into that!
 
Myrtle said:
They're very much nanos (hence the tiny fish!) The longest is 60cm , which is the one I noticed it in first, and the one I have in mind for the sundadanio is 45cm. That's why it's so hard to get something to move the water - everything is like a fire hose in nano tanks!
Click to expand...
Since when is a 60 a nano😂. To me a Nano is sub 5 US Gallon lol.

Have you considered a small canister? There are so many outlet choices when you go with a canister it makes it a lot easier to tame flow velocity imo. Here is a video another member linked for me that I found quite helpful...

I would suggest going with a small canister with a descent turnover rate(I Iike 10 times+ personally) and then taming its velocity with an Aquario Neo Flow outlet with their Neo Reliever head with both wings installed. It is a special spin pipe that slows flow velocity even further without hampering turnover like other options...
Then you can use a ball valve to control flow further if needed.

A full length spray bar is another option and a baffle can be added to it if further reduction is required.

Small power heads like the Aquael one suggested are descent options too. I have their Fan 1 Plus and it is a descent filter. Not ideal for shrimp though so go with the bare foam one suggested if you go this route.

Edit: I see you seem to have this issue figured out but, I hope this is still helpful to you👍.
 
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