Powerheads

[ponokareefer]

I was contemplating an idea, and was wondering if anyone has tried this before or if I am not seeing any major issues this might cause. I was thinking of replacing my current water pump in my sump for a much more powerful one. I would then put either Y-joints on my returns, or better yet, a spray bar, like this one at J&L Aquatics. Link: http://www.jlaquatics.com/phpstore/store_pages/details/plumbing.php?product_ID=pl-mp012zc. This would create a lot of extra flow, and spread out the flow really well as well, eliminating the need for powerheads. Personally, I really hate the look of powerheads and the extra cords in the tanks. Also, I have anemones, so the issue with getting sucked in comes up. I have put on guards/sponges to prevent this, but then you pretty much have to clean the sponges daily, or they get really built up, and the amount of flow coming out of them gets reduced drastically.
I know the additional cost of a really powerful pump would be a big draw back. But the decreased cleaning and overall appearance would be much better.

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

Many reefers use powerful return pumps as a semi-closed loop to get the extra flow. The drawbacks are: too much flow means not enough time for the skimmer to pull out all the crap in the water before its shot back up.
High flow returns often mean high electricity consumption = higher hydro bill. Stream pumps, like Hydor Koralias & Tunzes are very low power consumption pumps. Also, will the bigger return also mean more heat generated, which could lead to problems in the summer. I find the Hydor Koralias to be the best bang for the buck in terms of flow versus cost versus power consumption. A HK4 is rated for 1200gph I believe and selling in the LFS around here for about $55.

A more expensive flow alternative is to go with a wavebox. Tunze or Wave2k waveboxes produce a lot of flow & really are supposed to cause your corals to get unreal polyp extension.

Anthony

[Matt]

High flow through the sump can also lead to micro-bubble issues, and be a little hard on the 'fuge if you've got one inline. All this is "or so I'm told" info, and YMMV.

[ponokareefer]

Thanks for the information. Regarding the Hydor Koralias, is there anyway to make them "anemone safe" though?

[fencer]

Like the idea
1. add up all the power you are using to circ now and compare what you single pump is outputting...see if it is worth it.
2. Remember lots of piping equals lots of pressure drops. A powerhead get high flows because it has not height to push against and no pipes. So you may get less flowrate than what your pump is rated at.
3. It is not just all about flowrate. It is how it is pulsed through the system. I have seen many systems where alternating flows are used and the corals respond very well to them. Tunze wave maker is nice if you got cash to burn.

[Joe Reefer]

I tried your idea, and I ended up with 5 or 6 baffles in the sump and still had a micro bubble problem. I ended up having to swap the return pump out for something a little smaller.

[mark]

It is done as you describe and to get a more constant flow through each outlet a manifold is sometimes used (often called Calfo manifold (http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/sept2003/short.htm)). Loc-line nozzles can be used to aim the flow.

[Pescador]

I'm a fan of a spray bar on the return, I'm using irrigation pipe sort of like this thread (http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=236792&highlight=irrigation+pipe+spray+bar)on RC but without the nozzles. It gives great flow down the back and out to the front under the live rock.
But.... it's not enough flow on it's own.
If you don't like the look of powerheads there is the Tunze streamrock (http://www.tunze.com/fileadmin/images/product_database/6200.250.jpg)option as well.
I have 5 anenomes that have never wandered near the Tunzes.

[ponokareefer]

Is there anyone else out there that has had the same success with the Tunze powerheads and anemones? If that is all it would take, I think I would just do that.

BTW: Thanks for all the input everyone.