WATER MOVEMENT??????

[jrodriguez]

I have 90gal tank with a wet/dry type system. The utility pumps I have are model #3 it does 350 gph and #7 700gph with one should I use? how many gallon per hour for a 90gal tank for discus bare bottom? as always thanks

[Chad Hughes]

I would use the 350. You want about 4 times recirculation an hour.

Hope that helps!

[jrodriguez]

thanks chad. you have a good day!

[Jhhnn]

I'm with Chad. Most wet/dry systems are geared for reef keeping, something that apparently benefits from a lot of water motion, currents, strong flow. Reef keepers even add propeller type powerheads just to create more currents.

Discus don't benefit from that, although my own sometimes like to play in the gentle current across the front of my tanks...

[shoggoth43]

What is the rating of the pump at the head you will be using? Is that the max rating you've given? If so, at 4 feet of head I would not be surprised to see half the rated output or less, in which case I'd go with the bigger rated pump.

If you have driftwood or other decorations or plants, then you should definitely consider the other pump with multiple outlets. There are plenty of show tanks with lots of flow in them, but it's usually broken up into multiple conflicting streams so you don't end up with a whirlpool effect. By lots of flow I mean something on the order of 15x+ but it's all in smaller jets with open spaces and stumps and other things to break up the flow. Discus can handle current just fine ( within reason ) as long as you give them places to rest.

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S

[Cakes]

With either pump make sure you have a flow control valve on the return. A wet dry/sump requires fine tuning on a weekly basis.