• Looking to buy a cephalopod? Check out Tomh's Cephs Forum, and this post in particular shares important info about our policies as it relates to responsible ceph-keeping.

Macro algae help nitrates?

Probably. Just make sure you put the #1's you already have in areas where they will help any dead spots. That's the main thing. You don't want dead spots where the water flow is so low that all the fish poo collects in areas. You want enough flow to keep it suspended so that it can be removed by your filtration.
 
Be careful with the #4's. I bought them for our new tank and swapped them for smaller ones (from my 140). If I had it to do over again, I would have gotten the #3's.
 
I would exchange all the pumps for two # 3's, on timer for occilation they would be fine. Im an octo noob, but what is your water chang routine? The best way to lower them is simply mechanical export via water changes and carbon imo. Refugium style nutrient export is simply not enough to combat the biload of an octo tank, or at least keep nitrates >20.
 
I probably should not post this as I am afraid I am encouraging you to do what I did and they may be too strong for your tank but I bought mine on eBay from this supplier because the price is that same for the 3's at $35 + 10 ($2.00 additional shipping if you buy more than one). Since he is in GA, I unfortunately also had to spend an unexpected additional $9.00 for taxes (I did not notice the location at the time) but it is still excellent pricing. One thing he warns about though is potential burn out if you use a wave cycle like timer. I have not tried cycling the flow this way so I don't know if it is a real problem or not.
 
dwhatley;124367 said:
One thing he warns about though is potential burn out if you use a wave cycle like timer. I have not tried cycling the flow this way so I don't know if it is a real problem or not.

Cycle timers always will cut the life of a pump ime, but less so in the open nozzel designs (like the koralias and nanostreams)...the cut is exaggerated and often rivaled by neglect. I use them as a general rule in all tanks with rockwork, to prevent detritus accumulation in/on/and under objects in the tank.
 
I have been replacing power heads with or adding the Koralia's over the last two years but I keep hoping they will come up with something that will rotate like their FLO deflector. The best way I have found to alter the flow in the lower powered ones is to have it directed toward my incoming water flow that is itself, altered by a SCWD (DRS Foster and Smith has the Koralias on sale by the way). It helps some but still is more constant than I would like.

I also try to place them low in the tank and direct them upwards to push garbage to my overflow. This can be a bit counter productive I think since I am sometimes simultaneously pointing them toward the clean incoming water.
 
There's good reason that Koralia now offers pumps specifically designed for their wavemaker. The parts on the regular Koralia's wear out real fast if they're cut off regularly. The impeller assembly just isn't built to take the jolt of kicking on over and over. Someone on our local MAS posted a DIY idea using some sort of small diameter rubber tubing to cushion the assembly so he could use his on a timer, but he was still having to replace the tubing often.

I want some of those for my system but the price is painfully steep. Probably just supplement the Koralias with maxi-jets on a timer. In the coral tanks that is. Not the ceph tanks. Speaking of which... I might have found a 2x75 gallon stackable unit specifically for the ceph endeavor... for $180. Yay me.
 
yay for you, that's a good find.

is anyone going to be hit by this hurricane "IKE"? i live in West Palm, FL and it is coming straight for us..
i hate having to worry about my tank after finally getting everything perfect ( parameters, fish healthy, new powerheads, etc..)
what do you guys/girls do to keep your tank safe? we have a generator and i have a battery operated air pump..
i know its mother nature so it is what it is, but we all put alot of effort into our tanks and then we get bad storms, it's a bummer..
 
sorry nick and dewhatley i didn't scroll up to see if anyone else posted, my LFS is very pricey but they are the only one that is near me and i trust them, somewhat.. lol

the # 1's were 40$ each and to me that is expensive since im only 17 with no job at the moment. They don't do returns on equipment so i think i might just get another 2 #2's or something, when the time comes ill ask again but right now im broke, lol..
i think a #4 will be to powerful for a 75g only because the only swimming fish in the tank are lionfish and i don't want to make them have to fly around in a strong current, the #1's have a nice kick to them and have made my tank water much more cleaner looking and for now is giving me nice flow..
 

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