Two Koralia 2's Too Much for a 29g!

[The Saltwater Kid]

Well, let me say that these pumps are impressive with the amount of water they move and how quiet they are but unfortunately after mounting them in my 29g tank and trying multiple positions as well as moving some corals around they are just too strong and my corals (mostly softies) don't like it. I'm afraid if left on they would do damage to my corals. They are also a little big for the tank...at least two of them were. Lengthwise they are about the same as a maxijet 900/1200 w/magnet mount but widthwise they are definitely fatter then the MJ. I have decided that I am going to return them to DF&S in exchange for two of the model 1's instead. The model 1's are only 400gph instead of 600gph (model 2's) and are physically smaller then the model 2's. Hopefully these will work out much better then the 2's and not threaten to blow my corals off the rockwork!

[aninjaatemyshoe]

Aside from the size, you could deal with having too much flow by having them alternate on a timer or wavemaker. For these guys its best to put them on a wavemaker with a large cycle time (at least more than 15 minutes)

[The Saltwater Kid]

yeah but that would involve more cost and I have limited funds plus the fact they are kinda bulky and I have a small tank so it makes them look even bigger. I think the two model 1's will work good...still a big upgrade over the two MJ900's I currently have!

[bayislandsreef]

Per manufacturer you are not suppossed to have Koralias on timers shutting off and starting up. Will damage motor.
I have 2 #3's on my 55 and the flow is impresive. So much so that I had to change my aquascape in order to accomodate some LPS which are not so keen on large flow
Fantastic pumps though!

[aninjaatemyshoe]

That is why you want longer cycle time. Sure, it probably shortens the life of the motor. However, if you are having them turn on and off every half hour, the shortened motor life will be barely noticeable.

Apparently you can also use them with a SEIO controller, which does not entirely shut off the motor.

The 1's should be fine for your tank, but I don't think they look that much smaller than the 2's.

[barjam]

They are a decent amount smaller... I have a one/three in my 75.

You don't want to shut these off at all, they clank (by design) at startup. Every half hour would be annoying I would think.

[mr pink floyd]

dude, i severly doubt they are too much, i have a #4 in my 29

[The Saltwater Kid]

I don't know how you do it mr.pinkfloyd...I would have to totally rework my whole aquascape and corals in order to accomodate the amount of flow from these powerheads and I just don't want to do that...I have everything where I want them now and all my corals are happy and healthy.

[mr pink floyd]

yea, well my tank si aquscaped so most of the flow is pushed to one side(sps side) adn the lower flow is directly below the pump. When i first put it in it blew all my sand to the right side, so the left side has a maybe 1" sand bed, the right has about 2-3.5 inches in some spots.

if your tank is only softies, then the 1's should be perfect, but i bet you will want to upgrade to SPS at some point, and im sure you can find a way to make them work.

whichever route you go, good luck, im sure youll be happy either way

[Cshradr7]

i have two of the koralia 2 pumps going in my 30 gallon now along with my 475 gph return pump. you just need to play around with the positioning a little so that the flow goes off the glass before getting to you corals. i have one that goes off of the front glass and one that goes off of the back false wall and some rocks.

[The Saltwater Kid]

I do have a couple of plate coral frags (Montipora) but most of my corals are softies (frogspawn, hammer, torch, leather, zoo's, mushrooms and ricordeas). A 29g is small too...to me two of the model 2's just seemed too large physically in the tank. I believe I will be happy with the model 1's...both in size and flow. Like I said, even model 1's will be a big upgrade over my MJ900's!!!

[onecrzyboi4u]

sorry to bump.. but can i see pics of ya'lls tank with the powerheads.. i'm about to buy a koralia for my 29

the saltwater kid.. i have the same corals as you do

[Cshradr7]

here is mine:



sorry for the dirty glass. also, after installing the two pumps a few days ago i am having slight heat problems. i don't know how much is directly related to the pumps because of the changing ambient temperature. the same night i installed the pumps last week, it went from being 40F highs to about 75F the past couple of days.

[andycook]

Can't these be put on a dimmer switch to control the speed? That way they aren't shutting off and restarting.

[Maeda]

I have two #3's on a 30.... AND a 1100 gph closed loop... AND SAND!

you should be able to get them to work. seriously.


took me about 2 weeks to get it so it wouldnt cause a sandstorm but i got it. o.O

[onecrzyboi4u]

are you happy with the koralia in general

[The Saltwater Kid]

I was happy with the Koralia...it really moved the water well...their performance wasn't an issue, just their size and the strength of their flow. I wanted to put them on the back of my tank where they'd be less obstrusive but couldn't as I have my skimmer and will be having an AquaFuge so there just really isn't a lot of room on the back wall of my tank and I really didn't like the looks of these two bulky powerheads on each side wall. Like I said, I have most of my corals and rockwork situated where i want them and where they're happy and doing well so I don't want to rework a lot. onecrzyboi4u I would honestly recommend you going with the Model 1's purely based on the fact you have the same coral selection as I do. Other's with more LPS, SPS may want/need the higher flow but for those of us with a majority of softies and a smaller tank I believe the model 1's will be a wiser choice both sizewise and flow-wise. Just my .02 from my own experience.

[onecrzyboi4u]

Kool.. i ordered me a model one than haveing a maxijet 900 also to break some flow up..

[HowardW]

For a 29g tank, a #1 along with a Maxijet 600 or 900 should be plenty for an average softie/ LPS tank. I believe the #2s and 3s are too much for a 29g unless you have a lot of rockwork to really break up or deflect the flow.

[USC-fan]

i have a #4 in 30gal and i really like the flow. The only coral I have is zoas in this tank.

[The Saltwater Kid]

I ordered two of the model 1's this morning and am returning the two model 2's.

[onecrzyboi4u]

Gosh mine seemed to be taking forever to come in..

[HBtank]

I have a couple corals that are having a hard time with them (2 4's in an 80) but I love them.

I will probably take the hammer that is bothered back to the LFS. I grew it from 1 to 10 heads, so It will be a good deal

I think they are great pumps, but of course you need to match flow to your coral.

[pitogo]

Originally posted by The Saltwater Kid
Well, let me say that these pumps are impressive with the amount of water they move and how quiet they are but unfortunately after mounting them in my 29g tank and trying multiple positions as well as moving some corals around they are just too strong and my corals (mostly softies) don't like it. I'm afraid if left on they would do damage to my corals. They are also a little big for the tank...at least two of them were. Lengthwise they are about the same as a maxijet 900/1200 w/magnet mount but widthwise they are definitely fatter then the MJ. I have decided that I am going to return them to DF&S in exchange for two of the model 1's instead. The model 1's are only 400gph instead of 600gph (model 2's) and are physically smaller then the model 2's. Hopefully these will work out much better then the 2's and not threaten to blow my corals off the rockwork!

No need to get the Koralia. Just get one or two of the maxijet mods, from here I purchased two MJ900 with medium flow mods. I installed one and it creates wicked flow in my 37G, same base size as your 29 but just taller. I have the mjmod 1/3 down from the top to help prevent major sand storms. All I can say is save your money, you already have great powerheads, all they need are the mods. Get one try it out. I bought two looking to run both but now other one is now just sitting in a box. Two mj900 medium flow mods would be excessive. I'll save it for replacements or spares. The MJ900 with medium flow mod replaced two rio600, I was afraid the rios may boil my fish someday. The rio600 is rated for 9.5w each, the MJ900 is rated for 8.5w, I just reduced the power usage and heat generated 19w vs 8.5w. Power savings is a drop in the bucket but now I get more flow for less.

[The Saltwater Kid]

I don't know what the flow pattern of an mjmod is but the reason i purchased the Koralia is because of their wide, gentle flow. The K2 was just a bit much for my tank and I believe the K1's will be better suited for my tank and livestock.