powerhead placement

[jdb1984]

I recently got a 55. upgrade from my 30. my question is regardin the placement of my powerheads. for the 55 i got 2 koalia3. i never could find that sweet spot in my 30 and continued to get that red mat algae. i was just looking for any suggestions any experienced reefer might have. thanks

[justahobby]

I tried to get my current to swirl circularly and lift detritus up and into the overflow. Plus I keep a K1 pointed at a rock that produces an unnatural amount of detritus

[jdb1984]

maybe a powerhead hi on the glass and a powerhead low and opposite the tank? would that create the circular flow. i am still pretty amateur in reefing so bare with me

[justahobby]

That sounds like it would work. Mine are about in the same position. I still adjust them on a monthly basis though. Its another excuse to reach my hand in the tank and drip saltwater all over my carpet.

[jdb1984]

ok thanks. ill start them at the same height and see what happens. i just finished building the sump so i still have to get the new system ready for fish. im about a month away from anything but live rock being in it anyway

[justahobby]

Ah, yeah adding coral is where it starts getting tricky. I tend to move my coral until they look exactly like I think they should. So sometimes it takes moving a powerhead to place the coral in less light or more flow, etc.

[justahobby]

Oh yeah, one more thingWELCOME TO MAAST!

[JLiu]

where was your algae growing? on the bed or on the rocks?

[jdb1984]

Im thinking i would like to become a member. i live in corpus and sherrie and eric at aquarium masters have been really great at answering any of my questions. as many as there may be.

[jdb1984]

the red algae always grows in one back corner of the bed. on my new tank im going to use sand instead of crushed coral. building a sump instead of biowheels and im looking for a skimmer.

[jdb1984]

oh. and maybe someone could tell me the best sand to use. ive been researching online so much i dont know what the best sand is. also what kind skimmer would be best. im on a budget and really dont want to spend a whole bunch. maybe a good used one if someone would be willing to ship it to corpus

[Salty]

I place mine about 2/3 up from the bottom on each side of the back glass pointing toward the center. Makes a nice circular flow on each side and a turbulent center.

[justahobby]

Are you by chance talking about cyanobacteria when you say red mat algae? When you told the location of growth it just made me wonder. '

For sand, get aragonite. Black "aragonite" isn't really aragonite and only one brand boasts that they have it. Silica sand will release silicates so stay away from that as well.

[jdb1984]

oh okay. what about figi. i think its a little more expensive but i like the look. i want a really white sand