Power heads

[jl1199]

I was thinking about haveing my powerheads shut off at night. Is this a good idea; why or why not. My thinking is that it will allow the tank to be calm at night.

[captexas]

That's one of those issues that people will argue for both sides. Overall, I don't think it makes a big difference, unless you have a hurricane going on in your tank during the day. Afterall, the ocean doesn't stop moving just because the sun went down. I would also think that if you have a reef tank, you would want to keep the water well circulated as many corals feed at night.

[MissT]

Even though powerheads aren't really expensive, switching them on and off can shorten the life of them dramatically. If you feel that $30+ every other month is worth having your powerheads shut off at night, then go for it, but I've seen Maxijets die after a few weeks of being hooked up to a timer.

[erikharrison]

I run 2 koralia #4s during the day and my third runs the night shift. When the lights first kick on, all three powerheads are on for a total of 3600 gph in my little bitty 75g. There is a review that was posted about the Koralias, you can find it here (http://www.maast.org/forums/showthread.php?t=37362). B&B Aquatics as well as Aquarium Designs keep them in stock. TBH, think of how strong the ocean's current REALLY is. What we do in our tanks barely hold a candle to what old Mother Earth can dish out. HTH!

[5.0Stang]

I used to have one of my MJ mods shut off at night it was plugged in to the same strip as my lights so right when they turned off the MJ shut off. Now both are on 24/7 made no difference to me or the fish they are asleep.