Power head recommendations???

[bamaboy333]

I read about the Koralia powerhead and the Maxijet 1200..... dont they both do the same thing?? Which would you prefer for a AP 24, and what size? I am just not sure which is the best route, both are comparable in price, so it comes down to performance. I have two weeks to get together what i need before the tank arrives. Also what size heater would be sufficient with this setup, keeping in mind i am getting the 150W HQI Sunpod, which i read keeps the water fairly warmby itself during the day. I read a number of people having to get chillers, which i would like to avoid if possible. The tank will eventually have as much coral as i can physically fit into it of course, and as far was fish and inverts i am thinking..
Percula clown (maybe a pair)
Firefish
Yellowhead Jawfish
10 - 12 Blue legged hermits
Sally light-foot crab
Scarlet Skunk Cleaner shrimp
10 Nassarius Vibex Snails
Purple Phonape Maxima Clam
Turquoise ORA Ultra Maxima Clam

I saw the exact same set-up on Nano-reef.com and i would love ot mimic it as far as content a lot. it is awesome. http://www.nano-reef.com/featured/?tank=8
Any adive on the questions, or livestock would help a lot before the tank arrives. One last thing, any suggestion on amount of live sand, i know i will need about 4 inches or so for the jawfish, but not sure how that works out in pounds. Thanks for all the help, its like the two weeks before christmas :eudance

 

[reefman23]

Go with either the koralia 1 or 2. They both do essentially the same thing, however the koralia pumps are designed to move large amounts of water more gently using a more dispersed flow. The koralia pumps are going to feel weaker than the MJ1200 because the MJs have a very small outlet and the flow is less dispersed. Also consider the heat that the pumps create. The MJ1200 is 20 watts for like 290 gph. The koralia 1 is 3.5 watts for 400 gph. The koralia will be 5x cooler. Then you gotta check out the sweet suction/magnet mount. All in all I love my koralia nano.

Junkitus tank is amazing and an inspiration to many of us nano reefers. With the list you gave, it sounds pretty good. I would do like 2-3 blue leg hermits and 2-3 nassarius snails though. That is my opinion. I personally dont like the idea of any clean up crew other than what comes along as hitchhikers (ie stomatella snails, bristle worms, mini stars, etc) and maybe a couple astreas or something for the pesky film that develops on the glass. Also just my opinion but I really dont think hermit crabs belong in our tanks. They tend to become sort of annoying and sometimes try to steal food from corals when you are spot feeding.

According to rc.com's sand bed calculator and assuming the inside footprint of the 24g AP is about 20"x13", a 5 inch sand bed would be about 68lbs. Also make sure the sand is made up of various grades and even include some broken pieces of shell for them to use for their borrow.


HTH,

Jesse

 

[bamaboy333]

Great info man, that helps me a lot. I have been going through the net pricing this stuff, and this will definately help my search. I will got with the 2 or 3 snails and hermits. I agree about the hermits, i live in Myrtle Beach SC, and they sell hermits in every tourist place here for like 25cents, so they seem so fake to me, but thats a local thing i guess. that seems like so much sand, but i guess that iw what i have ot go with, because i do love the jawfish, they are my favorite to watch. The koralia seems to be the popular choice on here so i will surely go with that, prbabaly the #2. Thanks again for all the help. Any thought on heater wattage?

 

[Ritsuko N]

Is the power head going to be hooked up to a wave maker or is it going to just be plugged into the outlet and ran straight 24/7 and used to provide additional water movement to supplement the water flow from the filtration system. This will make a significant factor in which one you should choose. I have played around with both extensively and they each have some advantages and disadvantages.

* Note...if you use Korallias and want to run them on a wave maker you will need to use a wave maker such as the Sieo contoller wich runs about $180.00 or a simular controller that doesnt completely shut the powerhead down but just drops the voltage lower running the pump and a reduced speed as opposed to colete shut down and repeated dead starts which are hard onm this powerhead. The Maxi-Jet on the other hand can be opperated on the AS Wavemaker that sells for $45.00 and take the repeated complete shut downs and dead starts without voiding its warranty. Yes the Korallias will operate on the AS Wavemaker but there is a lot of wear and tear on them and I have lost a couple of these prior to heeding the Manufactures recommendation to reframe form such despite setting them on the longest pause setting to reduce the numer of start ups and dead stops.
Your tank and your money...your choice. I would suggest doing some research and consider such a practice long and hard.

If your going to choose a Korallia for additional water movement in a tank that size I would suggest the #1. JME...

Yes to provide the proper habitat for that Jawfish research into its husbandry skills will indicate a DSB for these critters to keep them happy and long term. Its part of the total package. They are cool fish though that can provide hours of veiwing pleasure.

What size heater do you need? The answer is just a couple of clicks away, if you look. Check this link out... http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/artic ... 9&aid=1298

:smartg

 

[bamaboy333]

Thanks for the info, i dod not realize that about the wavemaker. There are a coupld of options i guess i need to consider. The Koralia seems like such a nice pump, and great on the heat issue which kind of concerns me. Like I said, I live in a very warm humid place, and the room which will house the tank will be very warm in the summer, so i guess i need to consider this as well. What are the pro's and con's of running the Koralia 24/7? Is it better to run these on a wavemaker? I am just not sure which is better off for the tank. I just read about how it is one of the first upgrades people insist on doing, so i figured i need to follow suit, at least in the early going. I will do some more research on both thats for sure. Going by your link, i would need at least a 75- - 100 watt heater. I guess i would have to go with the 100. thanks again for all the tips. That is why i love this site, great and fast advice for people like me who dont know squat. Thanks for not getting aggrevated with all my questions.

 

[SaltWaterNewb]

I think the majority of people run power heads 24/7 and do so without problems. The most important thing is to make sure you have the proper flow of water in the tank and to prevent as many dead spots as possibly.

Oh, and thanks for the info Ritsuko, I did not realize that either and was actually thinking about the cheaper wave maker that cuts power completely for my 29 gallon tank and I was going to use those power heads. That is if I did not go with the closed loop system which is the way I would prefer.

 

[Ritsuko N]

The reason for running a wave maker is to provide irradic flow and turbulents in the tank to simulate what really happens in the ocean as there are not straight line only constant flows in the ocean.

If you want straight line flow there is no issue running the Korallia 24/7 and if two are used correctly they can produce some turbulents, but nothing that compares to a wave maker with powerheads installed.

BTW the larger you go in Korallia pump size after the Korallia 1 the more wattage thats used and the more heat thats generated although its still less than a Maxi-Jet. The Korallia Nano and 1 use 3.5 watts each. With some research you can easily find the wattage for the other larger more paowerful models. There are also mod kits for Maxi-Jets that convert them to wide flow patterns like the Korallia and also magnet that hold the Maxi-Jets in place istead of the ugly stoppers and brakets they come with.

Im out....

 

[bamaboy333]

Now I think I understand it a little better. I have done some more esding and are that the wave maker is very important to corals. I think I might go with something that includes a wavemaker in order to improve coral life. You seem to be very impressed with the maxijet and a wavemaker and you have not lead me wrong to date so I think I will go with that setup for now and are how it goes.

 

[bamaboy333]

Any thoughts on a maxijet with a hydor flo?

 

[SaltWaterNewb]

The hydro flo is a mechanical wave maker that attaches to the output of the power head and the flow causes the hydro to rotate so that the flow is not just a straight line but rather it constantly changes direction. They work pretty well as long as you keep them clean as they can get gunked up with coralline.