powerhead

Hey Ryan. Your powerhead is a good start. You will need to get another though IMO. A small Koralia nano as previously suggested. Your are going to aim for 800GPH total flow from all sources in your tank.

Start saving up for test kits. In addition to the pH, NH4, NO2 and NO3 that I presume you have, you are going to need Ca, Mg, ALK and PO4. You can modify your bicarbonate with baking soda. Not baking powder.......but baking soda. You can get calcium and magnesium suppliments rather cheaply from DFS.

Now, let's address your stocking. You're overstocked again. You can have about seven inches of fish in a 20g. Especially a 20g tall where the surface area of water needed for gas exchange is diminished compared to, say, a 20g long. So decide which seven inches of fish you want and take the rest back for credit. Remember, the fish will grow.

K+ for the upgrade. You chose wisely IMO. John.

 

thanks john. you said i can have about 7 in of fish and i have about that. 1 in for the clown, one inch for one of the damsels, another inch for the other, and the other 2 black and white ones together take up about an inch. then the neon dottyback takes up about 2 inches at most. put in those terms, is it still overstocked? and considering i have a 30 gal. filter?

ps
does the 30 gal. filter/ can it count as waterflow? like effect the overall GPH? its pretty powerful i think it would. its a penguin Bio-Wheel 150.

 

Right now, you are not overstocked. But they will grow up. Then you will be. You are fine for now. Just be aware that you will have to modify your population sometime in the future. The myth where fish only grow to the size of the tank is just that.....a myth. Sooner or later, they will get to full size if fed correctly.

 

To answer your question on flow, you need in excess of 800GPH IMO. Here is the breakdown of your flow at present:

Penguin BioWheel-150: 150GPH
Penguin 550 Powerhead: 145GPH
Total flow right now: 295GPH (~15x turnover rate [295/20=14.75])

I would add a few powerheads to the mix. Your list of flow sources would read:

Penguin BioWheel-150: 150GPH
Penguin 550 Powerhead: 145GPH
Koralia-Nano: 240GPH
Koralia-1: 400GPH

Total amended flow: 935GPH (~47x turnover rate [935/20=46.75])

It sounds like a lot, but it isn't. The corals and fish will be very happy. And it will make for a healthier tank. Below is a seller that combines shipping and gives the best prices on Koralias that I have seen to date.

NEW! Hydor Koralia Nano Pump Powerhead 240gph = WAVES ! - eBay (item 200256007564 end time Nov-18-08 12:33:26 PST)

NEW! Hydor Koralia # 1 Pump Powerhead 400gph = WAVES ! - eBay (item 190259401480 end time Nov-13-08 06:37:33 PST)

Let me know if you have any questions.

 

+1 on john's point. Also, you need to realize that its not all about filtration. Oxygen is also a main factor. SW holds a lot less oxygen than FW, thats why you can have a lot heavier stock with fresh. You can have perfect water params with a heavy stock, and still be too stocked and have stuff die, simply because there is not enough available oxygen.

 

should i make the bubbles of oxygen come out on my powerhead? and how much? cause i can control that.

 

ok im going to buy those with my bro's ebay account. and by the way thanks so much for all the help. now where should i place all of this? what angle, what side of the tank, how low.... thanks a lot.

 

and will the fish appreciate the oxygen? i have it squirting out on a low level but it is. and its everywhere. its on about the lowest it gets but it is everywhere as i said. will the corals show their appreciation by looking better? whats the deal?

 

here is my tank. i was planning to just buy another same powerhead and put on the same angle and everything just on the other side where the arrow is on the left. the filter is in the middle, and the other powerhead is on the right circled.

 

you know to equal out the water flow in all directions