Power Head flow

Gpsdrew · 01/21/2012, 08:14 AM

Hi. So, I have a 50 gallon tank that has a drilled overflow box that goes to a 20 gallon sump. The pump pumps the water back at about 300 gph. The dimensions of my tank are 36" width, 18" back and 17" tall.

First of all do I need any power heads since I have the 300 gph pump?
If i do, how many and what gph?
Where should the go in the tank?

Thanks in advance

Gpsdrew · 01/21/2012, 08:28 AM

One more question. What does a UV sterilization thing do?

Gpsdrew · 01/21/2012, 12:18 PM

I'll take any help I can get.

jerpa · 01/21/2012, 01:37 PM

First you need to see how much flow you will get from your return pump with head height added in. It is possible to supply all your flow with your return but it often isn't ideal. You will hear recommendations from 15x-50x your tank volume but I would worry about eliminating dead spots first. You want enough flow that there aren't any areas that collect debris. Once this is accomplished you can always add more flow. Random flow is also better and helps eliminate dead spots more effectively. I have roughly 4100gph in my 120. 500 from the return and 3600 from powerheads. I have fairly open rockwork would need more if I didn't. I still have lower flow areas as well as high flow areas to satisfy different corals.

Playa-1 · 01/21/2012, 03:07 PM

You need to take into consideration what the head loss will be for the return pump you are using. I believe there is a headloss calculator on the home page of RC. You will most likely want additional circulation from powerheads in your tank. The total amount of circulation and/or flow will be determined by such things as aquascaping and the type of livestock that you plan to keep. This is an area where one size doesn't fit all, and there is a large range. Roughly 15x to 40x your DT size. So for your tank that would be roughly 750gph to 2000gph from all sources combined. I wouldn't bother with the UV unit at this point.

01/21/2012, 08:14 AM	#1
Gpsdrew Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: San Antonio, TX Posts: 33	Power Head flow Hi. So, I have a 50 gallon tank that has a drilled overflow box that goes to a 20 gallon sump. The pump pumps the water back at about 300 gph. The dimensions of my tank are 36" width, 18" back and 17" tall. First of all do I need any power heads since I have the 300 gph pump? If i do, how many and what gph? Where should the go in the tank? Thanks in advance

01/21/2012, 08:28 AM	#2
Gpsdrew Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: San Antonio, TX Posts: 33	One more question. What does a UV sterilization thing do?

01/21/2012, 12:18 PM	#3
Gpsdrew Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: San Antonio, TX Posts: 33	I'll take any help I can get.

01/21/2012, 01:37 PM	#4
jerpa Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Pittsburgh Posts: 2,174	First you need to see how much flow you will get from your return pump with head height added in. It is possible to supply all your flow with your return but it often isn't ideal. You will hear recommendations from 15x-50x your tank volume but I would worry about eliminating dead spots first. You want enough flow that there aren't any areas that collect debris. Once this is accomplished you can always add more flow. Random flow is also better and helps eliminate dead spots more effectively. I have roughly 4100gph in my 120. 500 from the return and 3600 from powerheads. I have fairly open rockwork would need more if I didn't. I still have lower flow areas as well as high flow areas to satisfy different corals.

01/21/2012, 03:07 PM	#5
Playa-1 Moved On Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Laguna Niguel, CA Posts: 7,497	You need to take into consideration what the head loss will be for the return pump you are using. I believe there is a headloss calculator on the home page of RC. You will most likely want additional circulation from powerheads in your tank. The total amount of circulation and/or flow will be determined by such things as aquascaping and the type of livestock that you plan to keep. This is an area where one size doesn't fit all, and there is a large range. Roughly 15x to 40x your DT size. So for your tank that would be roughly 750gph to 2000gph from all sources combined. I wouldn't bother with the UV unit at this point.