T11mog Posted November 28, 2003 Share Posted November 28, 2003 Does flow rate help in the cycling process..the guy i talked to said you want about 10 times the flow rate to the amount of gallons you have (i.e. 10 gal.= 100 gph). I just put in a Rio 90 and my tank seems to be cycling faster...i used to have a hydor PICO i think its flow rate was 90 gph. The hydor was a filter also. My nitrites were staying at a steady 5.0 but when i put in the new powerhead it went down dramatically to .50. i was just wondering if thats okay... Link to comment
birdman204 Posted November 28, 2003 Share Posted November 28, 2003 the NO2 drop might mean your cycle is nearing it's end. This is normal. What are your ammonia levels? I am a firm believer that if your sand is about to start blowing around, that's Max flow, in my tank, it is a 350GPH Mag3 w/ a scwd. I used to run 2 microjet450 ~ 125GPH and my HOB Aquaclear 200. at about 75 GPH. If your sand isn't moving and your pumps are moving all the water thru the tank, then you're ok. You can always add PH's multiple small ones is also better than 1 big one. HTH Link to comment
tinyreef Posted November 28, 2003 Share Posted November 28, 2003 good flow does help the whole system. does it specifically help the cycling? i believe so, otherwise the stagnant water couldn't sustain and grow a viable amount beneficial bacteria. the bene bacteria would have a difficult time getting its needed nutrients. e.g. altho many sponges prefer slow/cryptic waters, the sponges themselves need to generate currents internally to feed (via flagellates). similar concept for the rest of the ecosystem, hence the 10x rec. i agree with birdy's rec on multiple/more water-moving sources (PH's) over fewer. Link to comment
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