29g FLOW, For a BB DOWLR

[Louie3]

Ok well I need help with some flow issues.

I'm in the process of setting up my 29.

I'm not sure but are two mj1200 enough to keep detrius up lifted and caught by the over flow?

How should I position the Mj1200 or other reccomended pumps.
I want to have a nice aggitated flow looking deal

[Louie3]

Oh and nothing thats too expensive

[sunfish11]

What does DOWLR stand for?

[Louie3]

Damsel Only With Live Rock

[pledosophy]

LOL at damsel only.

I think in a 29g that two MJ1200 would be fine. That will turn your tank over about 20x, not including filter or skimmer or anything. I guess with just a few damsels in a 29g with liverock you might not really need a filter at all though if you pointed one of the powerheads towards the surface. You don't need HO lights and worse case if alae did arise you could turn off the lights for a few days since there will be nothing in the tank that is photosynthetic.

I would look at getting the hydor attachments for the MJ's to move the flow around a bit and help to eliminate any dead spots.

JMO

[Louie3]

Pretty Niffty name, I havent seen anyone use ,DOWLR, for a thread.

Well I filled the tank with regular Tap water and added some dead base rock I had to check it out. With the Sump hooked up. I poured a cup full of sugar fine sand into the tank. I noticed that the worst spots were the corners.

Would 4 mj's over do it

[pledosophy]

I don't think 4 would be overdoing it personally, but it is a lot to look at in a 29g. For that cost I think it would be better to look into a Seio 620 or something like that. Maybe even a stronger one.

If your using tap water amke sure to dechlorinate it. Under most conditions tap water leads to algae problems and some can contain other unwanted toxins like metals.

If your only going to be using dead rock, make sure to get at least a pound or so of liverock to help seed the cycle. Many people use damsels to cycle there tanks because they are so hardy but it is not really that nice for the fish so I would still cycle the tank appropriately through the nitrogen cycle before adding fish, but since there are no plans ofr corals or fish besides the damsels I wouldn't wait the three months before adding any fish like I normally do.

JMO

[Louie3]

I already Have 2 mj1200's that work and 1 that needs a new impeller. So I'll spend like $23 for another mj1200 with another impeller.

Between having 2mj1200 with 2 seio 620's and Four Mj1200's the gph difference is 650gph so I can save around 60. I never knew about the brand and If I ever set up another tank in the future I will buy some.

Sorry dude but I only used the tap to check for any leaks and to test for dead spots. I will be using RO/DI water the same stuff I get for my 55

[Louie3]

Hmmmn could I hook up 2 mj1200's to a PVC pipe with holes facing foward under the rocks???

[Der_Iron_Chef]

Sure. I'd paint it black, or just get black PVC. White looks kinda ghetto in my opinion.

[pledosophy]

I use spraybars connected to pump. I like to paint mine a purple color with the PVC primer so it blends in witht he coraline. It's just a cheap paint. I would have the holes facing all different directions. I have been using spraybars under my rocks for years, they are great.

I would recommend looking into a hydor attachment for the MJ's to help move the current around a bit. They are really helpful IME.

I wasn't trying to give you guff ove rthe tap water, jsut tryong to look out for ya mate. Algae problems suck and make the hobby not very fun for many people. Just didn't want to see you go through that. Wasn't trying to talk down to you homie.

[reverendmaynard]

An aquaclear 110 filter gives good flow in a 29 gal. Their relatively quiet, only have the suction tube actually in the tank, provide a nice diffuse flow and good surface agitation, and can be modded into a refugium. You'll get roughly the same flow as 2 MJs, without taking up all that space in the tank. Combined with the flow from the return pump, it should be more than sufficient flow. About the only downside is that if you don't keep the water level just right, they can cause some pretty serious micro bubbles. Since you have a sump, and presumably an overflow, your water level should not fluctuate at all so that shouldn't be a problem provided it's at a good height initially.

[Subliminal]

If you think a HOT filter gives you the same flow as 2 maxijets, you've probably never directly compared the 2. I'd say the 2 maxijet 1200s will give you about 10x the flow of an aquaclear 110.

I run 2 maxis on my 29g, with a rio600 running to my Aquafuge HOT fuge area. Plenty of movement throughout the tank.

[reverendmaynard]

So you're going to accuse me of not having compared the 2, and then say you have a different HOT fuge (powered by rio no less) that may or may not be comparable to the AC110? Nice.

You're welcome to your opinion, but going strictly by gph rating, they are very similar. Obviously the AC isn't going to give you a powerful jet of water like a MJ would, but that's not really what you're looking for anyway, especially in a tank that size. The AC110 will give a good, gentle flow plus surface agitation over almost half of the tank's surface. Combined with the added utility that the spacious media box gives you and the lack of clutter in the tank, I think it's a good choice for this application.

Let's not forget that this isn't an SPS tank we're talking about here, rather a FOWLR so the flow requirements are not the same. My personal preference would be to keep the pumps out of the tank because a tank that size can get cluttered with equipment very easily. JMO.

[Subliminal]

I'm not corparing the fuges to anything....just saying that 2 maxijets are going to give you a helluvalot more flow than a hot filter. I have about 3 emporer 400s that i've used for various things, which have the same rating as those aquaclears, and there is a WORLD of difference between how much water they move in comparison to a good powerhead.

Don't mean to insult you, just saying...

[reverendmaynard]

Again, comparing apples to oranges. I don't know where you're getting your info, but the Emperor 400 is rated at 400 gph, while the AC110 is at 500gph. That puts the emperor at closer to 1 MJ12000 and the AC110 closer to 2. I also don't like the emperor because of the split media box. It doesn't have nearly as much flexibility as the AC.

[Louie3]

Originally posted by Der_Iron_Chef
Sure. I'd paint it black, or just get black PVC. White looks kinda ghetto in my opinion.

What would I use to paint it black? I dont think regular Spraypaint will work. I'll have to check to see if HD has black PVC

[reverendmaynard]

Krylon Fusion paint is made for plastics. You should be able to find it at HD.

[Louie3]

Originally posted by pledosophy
I use spraybars connected to pump. I like to paint mine a purple color with the PVC primer so it blends in witht he coraline. It's just a cheap paint. I would have the holes facing all different directions. I have been using spraybars under my rocks for years, they are great.

I would recommend looking into a hydor attachment for the MJ's to help move the current around a bit. They are really helpful IME.

I wasn't trying to give you guff ove rthe tap water, jsut tryong to look out for ya mate. Algae problems suck and make the hobby not very fun for many people. Just didn't want to see you go through that. Wasn't trying to talk down to you homie.

Now that you bring it up I think I should just drill holes throught the PVC. I'm getting a SCWD for my return and I'll probably get them HYDOR's. I remember yeeeaaars ago when I used to use dechlorinated Tap lol.

[Louie3]

Good I've got some in the shed

[Louie3]

Originally posted by reverendmaynard
An aquaclear 110 filter gives good flow in a 29 gal. Their relatively quiet, only have the suction tube actually in the tank, provide a nice diffuse flow and good surface agitation, and can be modded into a refugium. You'll get roughly the same flow as 2 MJs, without taking up all that space in the tank. Combined with the flow from the return pump, it should be more than sufficient flow. About the only downside is that if you don't keep the water level just right, they can cause some pretty serious micro bubbles. Since you have a sump, and presumably an overflow, your water level should not fluctuate at all so that shouldn't be a problem provided it's at a good height initially.

Hmmmn.. The AC110 sounds pretty good for the application for it but with a $60 price tag I do have a whisper 60 and a pegiun 350 laying around but with only 350goh each. I might have to skip trying this. Yes I do have a eshopps 100-125g HOB U-tube over flow

[Louie3]

Originally posted by reverendmaynard
Let's not forget that this isn't an SPS tank we're talking about here, rather a FOWLR so the flow requirements are not the same. My personal preference would be to keep the pumps out of the tank because a tank that size can get cluttered with equipment very easily. JMO.

Yes but my concern is that I dont currently have enough flow for this 29 BB tank to keep detrius stirred up and captured by the overflow

[reverendmaynard]

Originally posted by Louie3
Hmmmn.. The AC110 sounds pretty good for the application for it but with a $60 price tag I do have a whisper 60 and a pegiun 350 laying around but with only 350goh each. I might have to skip trying this. Yes I do have a eshopps 100-125g HOB U-tube over flow

MJ1200s run about $20-25 each, no? Plus another $10 each for the Hydors (which I've used and been very disappointed with the durability, BTW)? I've already listed what I feel would be the advantages of using the AC110 over either PHs or other HOTs, so I won't go into that again.

[reverendmaynard]

Originally posted by Louie3
Yes but my concern is that I dont currently have enough flow for this 29 BB tank to keep detrius stirred up and captured by the overflow

Oh, I certainly agree that you wouldn't want to just go with the return you have planned for flow. You need more. How much more, and what kind is the question.

[reverendmaynard]

FWIW, here's a pic of my 29 gal SH tank. It's running an AC110, modded into a fuge with the flow turned all the way down, and an AquaC Remora skimmer with pre-filter box, no sump.