Slidecf
Community Member
Hi everyone!
I'm dealing with a low-flow issue on the right side of my tank and would love to hear your ideas on how to improve the overall water movement. Here's my current flow setup:
As you can see in the pictures, the right side of the tank doesn't receive nearly as much flow. As a result, detritus and algae tend to accumulate there, and the finer particles of the substrate gradually get pushed toward the right half of the tank.I've come up with a few possible solutions and would really appreciate your thoughts (sorry for the bad editing
i hope you can get the idea):
Option 1: Install a Jebao GCP-20 horizontally in the upper left corner and alternate the operation of the two GCP pumps throughout the day. My concern is that placing a pump there might block or reduce the flow of water and detritus toward the overflow. Another concern is that I don't think it would be practical to run both pumps at the same time. Their flow patterns would collide head-on, and I think that would create a lot of surface turbulence and water splashing. Right now, I already have to run the GCP-30 at only 50% power.
Option 2: Install a Jebao GCP-20 vertically in the rear left corner. It would create flow behind the aquascape, with the water circulating around the front of the rockwork, where it would eventually meet the flow from the existing GCP-30. This is the option I'm leaning toward at the moment.
Option 3: Install a powerhead that produces a wider, more conical flow pattern on the rear right glass, aimed toward the front glass. This would probably improve circulation in that dead spot, but I'm not sure whether it would provide enough random flow throughout the tank.
I'd rather not add another powerhead to the right side of the tank, as I think it would clutter the display and take away from the overall look of the aquarium.
Which option do you think would work best? Or do you have any other ideas for improving the flow while minimizing dead spots?
Thanks in advance for any suggestions!
I'm dealing with a low-flow issue on the right side of my tank and would love to hear your ideas on how to improve the overall water movement. Here's my current flow setup:
- 1x Jebao GCP-30: It's currently mounted on the right side of the tank, near the surface. It creates a laminar flow across the top of the tank toward the overflow, and the water then circulates back around the rest of the aquarium.
- 1x AC powerhead: On the left side, I have a basic AC powerhead that creates flow behind the aquascape and helps move some water toward the right side, but the effect is fairly limited. I'd like to replace it with a better pump. (Trust the description and arrows on photo below. I changed its position shortly after the photo/video was taken)
- Sump return: The return nozzle is aimed between the center and the right side of the tank in an attempt to create more random, turbulent flow
As you can see in the pictures, the right side of the tank doesn't receive nearly as much flow. As a result, detritus and algae tend to accumulate there, and the finer particles of the substrate gradually get pushed toward the right half of the tank.I've come up with a few possible solutions and would really appreciate your thoughts (sorry for the bad editing
i hope you can get the idea):Option 1: Install a Jebao GCP-20 horizontally in the upper left corner and alternate the operation of the two GCP pumps throughout the day. My concern is that placing a pump there might block or reduce the flow of water and detritus toward the overflow. Another concern is that I don't think it would be practical to run both pumps at the same time. Their flow patterns would collide head-on, and I think that would create a lot of surface turbulence and water splashing. Right now, I already have to run the GCP-30 at only 50% power.
Option 2: Install a Jebao GCP-20 vertically in the rear left corner. It would create flow behind the aquascape, with the water circulating around the front of the rockwork, where it would eventually meet the flow from the existing GCP-30. This is the option I'm leaning toward at the moment.
Option 3: Install a powerhead that produces a wider, more conical flow pattern on the rear right glass, aimed toward the front glass. This would probably improve circulation in that dead spot, but I'm not sure whether it would provide enough random flow throughout the tank.
I'd rather not add another powerhead to the right side of the tank, as I think it would clutter the display and take away from the overall look of the aquarium.
Which option do you think would work best? Or do you have any other ideas for improving the flow while minimizing dead spots?
Thanks in advance for any suggestions!
Last edited:
