Powerhead question for newbie

finestbeast

finestbeast

Reefing newb
Im new to salt so bare with me...Im setting up a 35 gal hexagon tank and Id like suggestions as to where to place the powerhead. I have one and its a 450. Should I get another and if not where should this one be placed for the best results. Im attaching a pick of the tank below. Im about 4 days into the cycle...thanxsaltwater with cleanup.webp
 
Powerheads arent about just one powerful one in the tank. You need to figure out how much circulation your tank needs an hour and then look at your powerheads to figure out what they can do. In my 60 gallon alone I have 5 and have positioned them around the tank so I dont have any dead spots in the tank. With dead spots come issues like cyano. In your tank it would be pretty easy to position the powerheads in such a way that it bounced off of the glass and gave more movement to more places in the tank. I also cant tell from the rock placement in the tank, but you'll regret having the rocks right up against the glass without any water movement behind them
 
So you suggest rocks placed in such a way so that they arent touching the glass? Good to know before I actually added some fish. Tanks still cycling so Im figuring that I have some wiggle room. Ill do some adjusting in the morning...and odds are purchase atleast one more powerhead before the fish...another question that maybe yall could help with. Ive seen live rock in the store with actual growthes on them. Do I need to wait for the cycle for those also? Theyre a bit more pricey...
 
No, I don't waste money on that stuff. If you want, you can buy some and toss it in, it will help kick start the good bacterial growth.
 
I think those snails will die off soon enough to create your cycle that you are looking for. There is nothing for them to eat with the new substrate and new rocks. From my personal beliefs, that decor needs to go, first off it looks tacky and 2nd it will b e a nightmare when your tank matures. There is plenty of real plants out there if that is what you are going for. What are your goals with this tank?
 
My endgame is to have some live rock with possibye some sponges and anemonies attached. I want some nice looking but not overly difficult to keep fish (with my kids I have to have nemo and dori). I heard plants could be a huge pain. Again, this is new to me. I was a pro with freshwater but have discarded or sold back everything from the inside of that tank. The decor is no where near finished but my concern at this point was to get it cycled.Why will it be a nightmare? Im open to all suggestions.
 
You CANNOT have Dori. Nemo, yes, but regal tangs need AT LEAST 6 feet of swimming room. You might look into liveaquaria.com who has a section on nano-fish. Be careful, though, as most fish need more laterl swimming space than vertical, so you may need to understock.

That said, a pair of clowns will do nicely, and any goby and a lot of blennies should do well in there.
 
I need something that would resembe a dor (kids dont know shes a tang..lol)i. I also heard tangs arent the easiest to keep compared to nemos. Ive seen gobys and wanted to pick one up down the line also. Any suggestions to the design of the tank. I just honestly placed the rock in without knowing how it should really go. Again...I just wanted to get it cycling. I was told today on the forums to move the rocks further from the glass...which I will do in the morning. But any other suggestions would be appreciated. Thanx again.
 
You can really only put 3, maybe 4 fish in if you're careful. If you get clowns, you can always put a yellow-tail blue damsel in, but nothing else. You would also want a lot more rock for territory and hiding spaces because damsels are aggressive. Good news is that clowns are in that same family and will hold their own.
 
Ive been adding a new rock daily...I plan on having double the amount by the end of the week. The damsel seems like a good fit and would easily fool the kids. I dont want alot of fish just a few nice looking ones. Plus atleast one anemone. Are sponges a pain? I was reading about an orange fan sponge which seemed do-able. Im not nearly ready for a show quality tank so Im going for a solid tank that I can play with and learn from without killing the creatures.
 
Really it is about what YOU want, that said your rock could be stacked in a pillar to allow directional flow all around, this will eliminate the problem dead spots that are associated with rock and glass (and some good powerhead placement). Doing the previous will also allow you to clean the glass with little problem or fear of bumping it and causing a rock slide.
 
Good idea. Im not tied to any rock formation at this point but the pillar sounds like a good idea. I have 2 powerheads coming so hopefully the flow will be decent. When setting up the pillar should it be in the middle or rested along the far wall?
 
Cathic said:
Really it is about what YOU want, that said your rock could be stacked in a pillar to allow directional flow all around, this will eliminate the problem dead spots that are associated with rock and glass (and some good powerhead placement). Doing the previous will also allow you to clean the glass with little problem or fear of bumping it and causing a rock slide.
Click to expand...
Welcome back haven't see u in a while.
 
Id personally center it with an arc at the base for fish to swim through or some smaller rock strewn around the base. Either way a powerhead hi and lo facing opposite directions should give you the desired movement you want.
 
finestbeast said:
My endgame is to have some live rock with possibye some sponges and anemonies attached. I want some nice looking but not overly difficult to keep fish (with my kids I have to have nemo and dori). I heard plants could be a huge pain. Again, this is new to me. I was a pro with freshwater but have discarded or sold back everything from the inside of that tank. The decor is no where near finished but my concern at this point was to get it cycled.Why will it be a nightmare? Im open to all suggestions.
Click to expand...
The decor will help promote nitrates in your tank and for some really intense hair algae blooms. Plants are fairly easy to keep in a sump or fuge, in this hobby they are used to remove nitrates and phosphates. Corals, in some aspects would be more of a challenge to keep, but there are some fairly easy corals to keep too. If you want a nem later down the road, they will need good lighting and good water quality. This would fit under a different subject.
 
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