Questions about flow

[fkshiu]

Originally Posted by Rene

Besides noise, are there any downsides to a closed loop?

It's kinda hard to move the holes once they're drilled and because of this you have to arrange your rockwork around them. You can snake some locline around to rearrange some flow, but then it gets tricky keeping everything hidden (which is the whole point of a closed-loop over powerheads in any event).

Holes cost money to drill and it may make the tank harder to sell in the future as the majority of people looking for a used aquarium just want a glass box.

A big closed-loop pump will use more power than a few well placed powerheads like Tunzes.

Lastly, many people underestimate both the cost and amount of work involved in hooking up a closed-loop especially if you get an oceansmotions-type device. PVC parts can get expensive very quickly especially if you're incorporating various shut-off valves for ease of maintenance.