i have a question about powerheads.. im in the market i want to get really good water circulation out of my 20g long tank i have right now cause my main goal is to keep some brain coarl in the tank, personally its my fav. type of coral. i had a bad experience with an impeller in one of my filters:mad: not fun.

id like to get maybe 2 powerheads i was looking into moding the maxi's but i dont want a messed up impeller i dont enjoy screweing up my motors so does any one know a cheap yet really effective powerhead for some brain coral?

im trying to save money for college next year :up:. prolly not the best hobby in this situation but i love it.

your best bet might be a couple seio 620, or even regular MJ1200 and not mod'ing them

i agree. alot of people dont like the sieos for some reason ... i have NEVER had a problem with mine. well i cant say never, but the only problem i have had is that the power cord is so long that i had to roll it up to get it all in my stand. i guess if that is a problem then i have had a problem with them too. lol

same here, i have been running a SIEO 820 for about a year.. i know a sample size of one doesn't mean much, but it has worked good fore me..

that said, i am looking at a few tunze nano streams, but they might be too much for a 20L unless it was a BB tank

u can try MJ 1200 and get the hydor pump. get 2 powerheads and 2 Hydors. Put them at opposite ends. great circulation!

thats like 4 igloo! :tongue2: the dudes trying to pay for his education sometime in this lifetime. unless of course a hydor is like a penductor, then its me that need some schooling.

cheap ass chinese powerheads for $20 bucks a pop, oh wait, mexico for you guys right! really, unless its dodgy from the get go, any & all powerheads would work for a 20gal. longevity comes down to care & maintance.

I've heard the new Hydor Koralias are getting decent reviews

Water Pumps & Wavemakers: Hydor Koralia Water Circulation Pump (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=15955&inm=1&N=2004+22788+2035)

the small one is $30 so a bit more than a MJ1200 but not much. Really I'd just go with a couple MJ1200s in a small tank.

id like to get maybe 2 powerheads i was looking into moding the maxi's but i dont want a messed up impeller i dont enjoy screweing up my motors so does any one know a cheap yet really effective powerhead for some brain coral?




There is a maxijet mod that does not damage the impeller. It is can be found earlier in the thread on RC or here (http://www.reefchili.com/advanced.html) . I modded two and in the end unmodded them because I had them on a wave maker and the props could not handle hitting the stopper. If I did not use the wave maker they would have been fine.

Water Pumps & Wavemakers: Hydor Koralia Water Circulation Pump (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=15955&inm=1&N=2004+22788+2035)

the small one is $30 so a bit more than a MJ1200 but not much. Really I'd just go with a couple MJ1200s in a small tank.
I just ordered the #3 version of this pump and I'll be sure to give an initial review.

However, on the flow question, I wouldn't hesitate to put one of the small version at 400gph (or even 2) in a 20g tank. I have two Seio 620's in my 25g tank right now.

With flow pumps, the volume is a gentle flow over an area that's much, much larger. For example, a Maxijet pump output is roughly a 1/2" circle. The output on a Seio 620 is roughly 1" circle. The Seio has 4x the area pushing water out at 620 gph vs. a Majijet 1200 doing 295 gph.

The flow is not at all harsh, even only a couple inches from the outlet.

When pricing the Hydor pumps, remember that you get a magnet holder with it which would cost about $20 more added on to a modded Maxijet or a Seio.

really the magnet holders work really well? i saw some but thought i would get some later.. but i didnt know how well they would work or how they go on the back.

oh and i looked at pricing i think im looking at one seio 620 now then another in a while when i get some coarl. im not going coarl till i have money enough to totally take care of them. im goin fish only with rock for at least another month or two i just want the power head to take care of a dead spot with no circulation.

Seios are definitely underrated. I used an 820 and an MJ1200 and a smaller MJ in my 29g for a year. Left the SEIO constant on out of paranoia from threads and put the two MJs on timers to mix it up a bit. WOrked great

talking about powerhead, did anyone happen to have a "power-sweeper"? the reviews said they break very often. any comment on that?

i have not had one, but the input i have read from others agrees with the review you mentioned... that they are not very reliable

talking about powerhead, did anyone happen to have a "power-sweeper"? the reviews said they break very often. any comment on that?
"Break" isn't quite accurate, I think. Clog might be a better word. Though the accumulation of calcium deposits inside does seem to wear out those mechanical style wave makers as well since it wears down the plastic gears inside the housings.

I'd say if you're willing to diligently and frequently clean it, there's nothing wrong with them. They will eventually wear out for good, however, and the mechanism essentially steams flow energy to work, so they're even less current/watt than powerheads.