Circulation Pump Placement

  • Thread starter Thread starter jweiner
  • Start date Start date
  • Tagged users Tagged users None

jweiner

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Dec 6, 2025
Messages
85
Reaction score
45
Location
Milwaukee
What state or country do you live in
Wisconsin
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Can someone please recommend a good location for me to place my Tunze 6040 pump in my Innovative Marine 15 AIO Cube tank? I plan on putting a pair of clowns and some simpler corals in here eventually.



 
I place my powerheads close to the water surface, aimed upwards to create surface agitation. Put it on the opposite side of the return, so the 2 flows bounce off each other to create random flow patterns. IMO.
 
The Tunze 6040 (and 6020) are unique designs....you won't be aiming them at each other from across the tank. That's inefficient in most cases anyway.

1769871790989.png


@jweiner Powerhead placement depends a lot on the layout of your tank. Placement on the side walls is a "standard", but experiment to see what placement generates the best flow around the tank. A little flake food in the water can help you visualize what's happening in the tank. Experiment by moving the pumps all over the place to see what works best: Side walls, mid- low- and high-. Back wall. Etc. You get extra credit if you can hide the powerhead behind a rock AND get superior flow. (IMO this is why they made this design....superiour at being hidden.)
 
So sorta right under the return pump facing forward?
Yes. I have it set to come on/off every 9 seconds.
I had to trim the monti so it would fit, lol. Also just trimmed the left side. The spiral monti if a fast grower.
20260113_131838.jpg
 
Can someone please recommend a good location for me to place my Tunze 6040 pump in my Innovative Marine 15 AIO Cube tank? I plan on putting a pair of clowns and some simpler corals in here eventually.



20260131_093251_5647690D-39A3-4A8F-BF7C-51D0CD1836DF.png

20260131_093251_62C3BDA9-5F0B-4C93-B112-24DCD71256B6.png
 
So sorta right under the return pump facing forward?
Yes. I have it set to come on/off every 9 seconds.
I had to trim the monti so it would fit, lol. Also just trimmed the left side. The spiral monti if a fast grower.
20260113_131838.jpg
Out of curiosity, do you have it running the same program 24 hours a day, or do you change it (turn it off) when the lights are off?
 

TOP 10 Trending Threads

WHAT’S USUALLY THE FIRST CLUE THAT SOMETHING IS OFF IN YOUR REEF?

  • A fish’s behavior or appetite changes

    Votes: 13 16.7%
  • A coral looks different or stops opening normally

    Votes: 47 60.3%
  • Water clarity or surface appearance changes

    Votes: 12 15.4%
  • Equipment sounds or flow seem different

    Votes: 9 11.5%
  • A test result catches my attention

    Votes: 17 21.8%
  • Algae or other growth starts changing

    Votes: 16 20.5%
  • I usually notice when the problem is already obvious

    Votes: 4 5.1%
  • It depends on what’s going on

    Votes: 16 20.5%
  • Other (Post in the comments)

    Votes: 1 1.3%
Back
Top
Home
Post thread…
Market
What's new