Ideal Turnover Rate?

[aquaventions]

Not to steal from the Original Poster, but same question; ideal turnover rate for Clown Knife and Arowana in a 180 gallon tank, 40 gallon sump filter @ about 6' head height? I was guessing higher turnover (closer to 10X) which would be a 1200 gph pump, sound right? Also, recommendation on brands or stores? Thanks

I believe you want 180 + 40 = 220 x 10 = 2200 gph. Generally, you want a pump rated higher than this simple calculation. There are a number of things in any system that impede flow rate such as the height the water travels or the number of elbows.

Of the magnetic drive pumps Iwaki, Pan World, and Blue Line are good quality and quiet pumps. The latter two are Iwaki knock-offs. Please be sure to identify their high pressure models versus their circulating pump.

I purchased my Pan World pump from Salty Critter.

 

[bitteraspects]

Not to steal from the Original Poster, but same question; ideal turnover rate for Clown Knife and Arowana in a 180 gallon tank, 40 gallon sump filter @ about 6' head height? I was guessing higher turnover (closer to 10X) which would be a 1200 gph pump, sound right? Also, recommendation on brands or stores? Thanks

As NCN said (post #10) 10x has pretty much been the "rule of thumb" for a long time. But you really need to decide what you're looking to get out of your filtration. With lower flow rates (5x ish) you will easily maintain your water parameters, while higher flow rates (10x +) you will also get increased mechanical filtration and circulation.
It realLy comes down to what your fish can handle. For your CK, 10x will be just fine.

As far as pumps go, look into QuietOne pumps. They make a good product for a very reasonable price, and they are. Very quiet. They seem to be one of the favored brands on this board. Check the power charts for each pump to see what model will give you around 1800 @ 6'.

 

[wizardslovak]

Sump i would say 4-6x
Filters 9+x

 

[bitteraspects]

Sump i would say 4-6x
Filters 9+x

Why?

people like to throw out all kinds of random numbers with absolutely no reason or explanation behind it.

What exactly is the difference between 4-6x on a sump and 4-6x on a "filter"? (btw. A sump is a filter)
And why would 9x(+) be ok for a "filter" but not a sump?

 

[daveydoodle]

Well, I looked into the QuietOne pumps and the first review page I opened wasn't very encouraging. The complaints about this brand seem to all be fairly consistent.

Here's the link;
http://www.marinedepot.com/Rainbow_...s-Lifegard_Aquatics-RB3111-FIWPSBUF-4-vi.html

Any other ideas? I really don't want to spend $400 on a pump...not until it's a much larger custom tank. I know you get what you pay for but any other ideas??

 

[hmoobvwj]

LOL! This is just soooo funny! Sorry for derailing but Bitteraspects, you should go into AP and go into the arowana forum and check out the thread called, "Jardini And Black In 225 Gallon, is it possilbe?"

I was just searching around here and your name made me do this.....

 

[dawnmarie]

OK, I'm curious. couldn't find the thread though.

 

[bitteraspects]

Well, I looked into the QuietOne pumps and the first review page I opened wasn't very encouraging. The complaints about this brand seem to all be fairly consistent.

Here's the link;
http://www.marinedepot.com/Rainbow_...s-Lifegard_Aquatics-RB3111-FIWPSBUF-4-vi.html

Any other ideas? I really don't want to spend $400 on a pump...not until it's a much larger custom tank. I know you get what you pay for but any other ideas??

do a search on this forum. many members here use them and are very happy with them.

you can also look into Rio. they make a reasonably priced product. i use them personally, and have not had any problems with them.

 

[MeAko]

That is such an extreem example, I dont think anyone who has a clue advocates a 1x turn over on anything.

higher turnover rates can aid circulation thus improving mechanical filtration. (allowing particles to stay suspended in the water column long enough to reach your filter intake/ overflow).

sure, your bacteria colonies can nitrify ammonia and maintain water parameters @ 1x turnover, but with such poor circulation there will be damn near zero waste removal, and definitely no "crispy" water.

I was doing 1x for a couple of months and only did 2x when I added a Ray. My nitrates are 5-10ppm. Water looks mighty crispy to me...not too shabby for 2x.

 

[Toby_H]

MeAko, so you are suggesting that at 1~2x turnover, the the large pieces of waste that come out of those large fish make it all the to the intake?

What would happen if you stopped doing any manual cleaning and stopped doing water changes for a month... would 1~2 times turnover still be enough?

If the reduced turnover only maintains excellent conditions with manual assistance, I think that is an important factor...

I kept a 6' round 300 gal Rubbermaid for several years and with it I learned that you can get away with things (both filtration and stocking) in a very large 'tank' that you just cant get away with when scaled down to a typical sized aquarium. But even with that in mind... 1~2 x turnover isn't very much...

Especially since your flow pattern doesn't promote circular motion. It seems any waste dropped in the right half (per the picture) of the pond will just sit there... unless the additional current provided by the fish swimming moves it to the intake.

I also wonder if you should add in the water movement made by those huge fish swimming around

Please do not take this to criticize your tank at all. It's a beautiful impressive monster of a tank. I just think it is the "exception", not "the rule"... and thus doesn't serve as a good example in this 'debate'...