Hello, I am kind of new to the whole fish scene. I bought a 55 gallon tank and have had a little success with it, but i have a problem. I have an undergravel filter in it, and its supported by two power heads. It works great, except that the current seems to blow the fish around. The power heads are a maxijet 600 and a maxijet 400. I think that the problem may just be the 600. anyone have some ideas on what to do? i dont know if this is safe for the fish.
How much current is to much?
- Thread starter Brizzle429
- Start date
If the fish are fighting the current it's generally not a good sign. Too much current, especially for fish not adapted to it in their general build, causes a lot of stress to fish constantly having to fight it. I'd suggest either downsizing the 600, or taking that powerhead out altogher. There probably isn't need for two in a 55 gallon. What fish do you have in there?
If it's a 4' 55gal I would say keep 2 PH's. Just down size the MJ600 if need be. That said though the flow shouldn't be too much for that tank with those fish. First maybe try pointing the PH's at the front glass to break up the current. Or, try pointing them across the tank maybe (less likely to work).
That's the other thing, Normally it's a good idea to have both PH's the same flow. That way it evens out the suction through the gravel. I've even heard of extreme cases where the gravel was not maintained and clogged so the stronger pump was simply pulling water backwards through the weaker one.
Could I talk you into scrapping the UGF entirely? (some people are adament about them so I don't try lol
)
Chris
That's the other thing, Normally it's a good idea to have both PH's the same flow. That way it evens out the suction through the gravel. I've even heard of extreme cases where the gravel was not maintained and clogged so the stronger pump was simply pulling water backwards through the weaker one.
Could I talk you into scrapping the UGF entirely? (some people are adament about them so I don't try lol
)Chris
well, im not solely using a UGF, i also have an aquatech power filter. i just have always completely outfitted all my aquariums with as many filters as possible. I dont think i could ever rely on a UGF as my primary filter, but i like to have on. I would just get rid of the PH's and go with an air compressor pump, but i want to grow plants in there and my LFS said thatd itd be a lot harder to grow with that in there.
I had UGF's back when i first had aquariums in the early 80's..i thought they were great at the time but now i know that all they really did IMO was suck the crap down and let it decay under the gravel so not really filtering anything since the stuff is still in the tank.
Not sure how effective a HOB is when combined with a UGF. I have to second Chris and say scrap them..if you want plants the UGF's may cause problems there as well with the roots becoming entangled.
Not sure how effective a HOB is when combined with a UGF. I have to second Chris and say scrap them..if you want plants the UGF's may cause problems there as well with the roots becoming entangled.
For a tank as large as a 55 I would reccomend getting a canister filter, either in addition to your HOB or by itself. (its always good to have a backup) Do you know the GPH on your current hob filter? The UGF with an HOB usually works out nicely...but Brian is right, if you're looking to do plants they are usually bad news with the ugf plates. I'm not a big fan of UGF's either, I love my canister filters
If you are thinking of keeping the power heads, put one close to your HOB and point it in the same direction the water is flowing out of the HOB. Put the other on the far side of the tank and point it towards the HOB. Add some taller decor and that should create some nice slow spots in the flow for your fish to take a break.