Suggestions for a small, powerful, quiet and reliable powerhead for my 32 gallon

[mistergray]

Please provide suggestions for a small, powerful, quiet and reliable powerhead for my 32 gallon. My tank is a biocube, if that helps understand the dimensions I'm working with.

• How many powerheads are recommended for a 32 gallon tank? I'd think with a tank this small, 1 powerhead would be enough.
• What is the ideal placement of the powerhead(s)?
• Directionally, where should I be aiming the powerhead(s)?

 

[MONTANTK]

Have to also add on that Neros are really easy to clean. You can take apart the propellers easily for cleaning.

Haven’t cleaned mine yet but I’ll take that as a bonus! I’ve been super impressed with the Neros so far. Really looking forward to running them on a larger tank

 

[Unregistered1]

Woo-wee....they're expensive!

Take a look at the hygger mini wave they have two sizes not bad price...mine works great Also this one i think would be good

AQAMAI KPS Wi-Fi Programmed wavemaker Pump 370 to 1050 GPH by Hydor​

 

[mistergray]

Mine is located on the front left side. My tank is a Peninsula so i have it there to produce almost a whirlpool effect. Honestly angling it is kind of unnecessary because it produces an undertow similar to a vortech. This ensures all areas of the tank are getting adequate flow

You have only 1? Is it located in the middle left or closer to the top left of the tank?

 

[Unregistered1]

Those two pumps i posted would be your best bet price and size and compatibility tank size wise

 

[MONTANTK]

You have only 1? Is it located in the middle left or closer to the top left of the tank?

Top left if you’re staring at the tank. Return nozzle is top right on the back wall

 

[mistergray]

Top left if you’re staring at the tank. Return nozzle is top right on the back wall

Do you have it pointed straight or angled a certain way? I’m learning this hobby has no absolutes. As I look at pics, I realize everyone has different setups and I’m sure I’ll learn it as I go. I’ve been confused with how many Powerheads I should have vs the exact placement and angling but I’m starting to see that it seems to be personal preference.

 

[MONTANTK]

Do you have it pointed straight or angled a certain way? I’m learning this hobby has no absolutes. As I look at pics, I realize everyone has different setups and I’m sure I’ll learn it as I go. I’ve been confused with how many Powerheads I should have vs the exact placement and angling but I’m starting to see that it seems to be personal preference.

There isn’t much availability to angle the Nero’s but I do have it slightly angled towards the surface. Many hobbyists, myself included, like have multiple power heads to make sure the entire tank is getting flow. In smaller tanks, one powerhead will usually suffice. As far as placement, I like to put mine at the opposite end of the of the return. This ensures the whole tank is getting adequate flow.

 

[mistergray]

There isn’t much availability to angle the Nero’s but I do have it slightly angled towards the surface. Many hobbyists, myself included, like have multiple power heads to make sure the entire tank is getting flow. In smaller tanks, one powerhead will usually suffice. As far as placement, I like to put mine at the opposite end of the of the return. This ensures the whole tank is getting adequate flow.

Good info! Thx!

 

[mistergray]

Same here, I have three 20 gallons with two Nero 3s each. I would personally recommend getting two instead of one because the flow patterns is just better imo. As you can set the two neros to run 180° of each other. If you do wish to just get one powerhead, I’d suggest getting the Nero5 instead as this might be handy when or if you do decide to upgrade to bigger tank. Make sure to check that Neros come with a fish guard. The newer batches should come with them foc.

I've been researching the nero 3, jebao and mp10; but I bought the tunze 6055. The tunze 6055 is like a hurricane. Lol! However, I was able to adjust it to not be as aggressive. It's really big for a 32 gallon biocube and I want something smaller. The nero, jebao and mp10 are all less visible. I truly can't decide how many I should go with and if I need 1 or 2. I have the stock return pump already doing it's job on the left side of the tank. I feel like the dimensions of the biocube 32 only require 1 pump, but lots of people seem to get 2 pumps on opposite sides of the tank regardless of the return nozzle. Ugh! Too many choices...

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

Slw 10 or 20. Get the 20. Too late i know im sorry.
D

 

[Alexopora]

I've been researching the nero 3, jebao and mp10; but I bought the tunze 6055. The tunze 6055 is like a hurricane. Lol! However, I was able to adjust it to not be as aggressive. It's really big for a 32 gallon biocube and I want something smaller. The nero, jebao and mp10 are all less visible. I truly can't decide how many I should go with and if I need 1 or 2. I have the stock return pump already doing it's job on the left side of the tank. I feel like the dimensions of the biocube 32 only require 1 pump, but lots of people seem to get 2 pumps on opposite sides of the tank regardless of the return nozzle. Ugh! Too many choices...

I think one pump could work but in my experience two pumps help you achieve your flow patterns better. At least this is the case for me. Anyway, my 20gal which is ab 60cm long (approx 23.6 inch) has two nero3 on each opposing sides. I set it to Pulse mode at 63% and I honestly like it that way. I have sps on the higher part of tank which basically breaks the waves so that as the flow descends to the bottom where my euphyllias and other lps are, the flow is much more muted and just optimal for the lps. I have jebaos myself and although they are trusty, in my opinion its better to go big a get the Nero3 or any other powerheads in that range.

Jebaos are great but you cant plan schedules, can’t control easily from your phone and can’t easily take out the propellers for cleaning. I have a few Jebaos myself which are in use (RW-4 and SLW-10). Be careful since Jebaos dont come with fish guard, so you may have a curious fish or snail that might get caught in it. And if you have nems, make sure the nem doesnt go near that powerhead.

 

[mistergray]

I think one pump could work but in my experience two pumps help you achieve your flow patterns better. At least this is the case for me. Anyway, my 20gal which is ab 60cm long (approx 23.6 inch) has two nero3 on each opposing sides. I set it to Pulse mode at 63% and I honestly like it that way. I have sps on the higher part of tank which basically breaks the waves so that as the flow descends to the bottom where my euphyllias and other lps are, the flow is much more muted and just optimal for the lps. I have jebaos myself and although they are trusty, in my opinion its better to go big a get the Nero3 or any other powerheads in that range.

Jebaos are great but you cant plan schedules, can’t control easily from your phone and can’t easily take out the propellers for cleaning. I have a few Jebaos myself which are in use (RW-4 and SLW-10). Be careful since Jebaos dont come with fish guard, so you may have a curious fish or snail that might get caught in it. And if you have nems, make sure the nem doesnt go near that powerhead.

• Does the nero 3 require additional purchases for them to work together or does the app do it all?
• Can they be scheduled to have a night time mode?
• Where does you return nozzle in your tank point? In my head, you have the nero's on the left and right side of your tank facing each other and then there's a return nozzle shuttling water into your tank from the back wall of tank. If that's correct, where do you have that pointed?

 

[Alexopora]

• Does the nero 3 require additional purchases for them to work together or does the app do it all?
• Can they be scheduled to have a night time mode?
• Where does you return nozzle in your tank point? In my head, you have the nero's on the left and right side of your tank facing each other and then there's a return nozzle shuttling water into your tank from the back wall of tank. If that's correct, where do you have that pointed?

1. You only need to purchase the Nero 3. Everything else is on the app. Before buying make sure and check that the app is available and supported on your phone.

2. You can basically set a schedule for the entire day.

3. I don’t have a return pump since my sump is basically a hob breeding box that has a weak 250L/Hour pump connected to it. Its basically my sump with all of my flitration media in it. The rest of the filtration is just my live rocks. I don’t run a skimmer since my tanks are running fine after 1-3 years of running (i have multiple tanks with the youngest being set up ab a year ago). Basically, you will need to play around with your powerheads, in terms of flow and speed (if you are using Pulse Mode).

You can refer to the pictures below for a rough idea of what you can do with the Nero 3/5.

You can organise pumps into Tanks. So basically, turning down the pumps during feeding or switching them of completely during maintenance is really simple. Just tap “Pumps Off” or “Feed Mode” and all the pumps in that tank will turn off or turn down the power immediately. Press “Enable Schedule” to resume your flow schedule.

You can choose three diff types of pattern “Constant Speed”, “Random” or “Pulse”. The “Child” option is basically if you have more than one pump in the tank. You basically link the pump to another pump to basically be a mirror of each other. You can adjust how fast or slow you want the “child” pump to mirror the “parent” pump. This is a feature that i believe is in Jebao too except its much easier to control and way more customisable.

 

[mistergray]

1. You only need to purchase the Nero 3. Everything else is on the app. Before buying make sure and check that the app is available and supported on your phone.

2. You can basically set a schedule for the entire day.

3. I don’t have a return pump since my sump is basically a hob breeding box that has a weak 250L/Hour pump connected to it. Its basically my sump with all of my flitration media in it. The rest of the filtration is just my live rocks. I don’t run a skimmer since my tanks are running fine after 1-3 years of running (i have multiple tanks with the youngest being set up ab a year ago). Basically, you will need to play around with your powerheads, in terms of flow and speed (if you are using Pulse Mode).

You can refer to the pictures below for a rough idea of what you can do with the Nero 3/5.

You can organise pumps into Tanks. So basically, turning down the pumps during feeding or switching them of completely during maintenance is really simple. Just tap “Pumps Off” or “Feed Mode” and all the pumps in that tank will turn off or turn down the power immediately. Press “Enable Schedule” to resume your flow schedule.

You can choose three diff types of pattern “Constant Speed”, “Random” or “Pulse”. The “Child” option is basically if you have more than one pump in the tank. You basically link the pump to another pump to basically be a mirror of each other. You can adjust how fast or slow you want the “child” pump to mirror the “parent” pump. This is a feature that i believe is in Jebao too except its much easier to control and way more customisable.

Wow! That’s pretty cool! Thx for the pics too!

 

[Colt13]

I went with the Tunze 6055, ordered it a few minutes ago. Thx!

is it loud? i bought a nero 3 and its loud to me

 

[mistergray]

is it loud? i bought a nero 3 and its loud to me

I did buy it but it felt like an eye sour in such a small tank. It wasn’t loud to me but my tank is in my main living area. It wasn’t super quiet but it wasn’t annoying loud either. I eventually turned around and bought 3 nero’s. They run between 25-55% and they’re not loud.