Is my powerhead too strong?

AlwaysImproving

Reefing newb
I have a Seio 1000 superflow powerhead and it was running it while my tank was cycling. Yesterday I went out and bought my first fish :) A Percula Clownfish but it seems likemy powerhead is way too powerful for the fish. I only have a 55 gallon tank. It looks like whenever the fish stops swimming hard it will get thrown around by the current. Should I change down to a lower head?

Also, he is hiding behind my filter and not coming out and im assuming that this is normal until he adjusts to the tank...
 
Mine were shy at first with the current, and I had the same worries. But now, they actually play in the current. I don't know how your powerhead is (I'm sure the more experienced keepers on this forum will be able to help). I have a penguin 550 and a Koralia 3 and they work great in my tank. Maybe if you temporarily point your powerhead away from your fish' corner until you get a better answer on here. But really most fish will just hide in a new tank.

When you get another clown, make sure it's smaller or bigger than your current one, otherwise they may be way too aggressive with each other and kill each other, and make sure it's the same breed of clownfish.
 
Think of the current around the reefs in the ocean.Their needed to keep the reefs clean and bring in nutrients.
Once your clown has adjusted to your tank,he'll play right in the flow off your powerheads.
 
I would only be concerned if he were to stop eating because he stays up in the corner. Could be he just likes it there, made it his home and it has nothing to do with the currents.
 
I would give it some time. Wait 3 days and if it hasn't changed then maybe do something different then. You tank is plenty big enough, with no predators, he certainly has options.
 
Yeah, adjustment period definitely. For a month both mine hugn around behind my overflow all the time and got tossed around, too. They'll get used to it.
 
k, thanks for the answers once again. New to all of this and just get worried about everything because I don't want to mess up anything or kill my new fish.:( I just got a coral beauty, serpant star, and an emerald crab. Any stuff I should know about these?
 
When I had my clowns,they swim up into the flow of K-4s and let it blow them across the tank.Then they'd swim back,hop the flow and be off again.
 
I just got a coral beauty, serpant star, and an emerald crab. Any stuff I should know about these?

You seem to be stocking very quickly for such a new tank, you've only had it just over two weeks and you're already onto your second fish. I would slow down and make sure everything has cycled properly and that the filtration is sufficient for a new addition.

Are you planning to keep just one clown because you'll struggle to add one once you've got bigger fish in there.

A coral beauty may (mine doesn't) eat any corals you put in there. My advice would be to research everything before buying it. You'll save a lot of money that way.

Sorry if this sounds harsh, not meaning to have a go.
 
You should add no more than one fish every 3 weeks for the first few months. Since you already have two fish, you should probably chill for the next few weeks and give everyone a chance to settle in and get comfortable in their new home. It's totally normal for clowns (and any new fish) to hide for the first few days. He'll get braver and start venturing out. I doubt your flow is too strong. It is actually pretty difficult to get "too much flow" in this hobby.
 
Yeah... my clown had the same problem for the longest time, and after about 2-3 weeks he started swimming all over the tank. He'll adjust sooner or later. :)

dwarf angels (like your coral beauty) can also sometimes be a little bit territorial... my flame angel thinks she owns my entire house, I swear. So be careful when you're adding more fish in a few weeks... if they're much smaller than the beauty, she may push them around too much.
 
My tank has been running for about a month now and I did alot of research and made sure my water parameters were good before I got the fish. I know that im pretty much at my limit for adding fish for another month or so but I plan on getting a Bonnie for Clyde in 2 weeks, and then not going to add anything at all for another 4-6 weeks. I have 12 Mexican snails in there that are doing crazy work on my algae problem. These things are beasts!

The Coral Beauty hopped in my tank and was swimming everywhere within the first minute. He seems to have found a home in some cave in my live rock setup.

I only have 36 lbs of live rock in my 55 gallon set up and my question is of course im going to add more rock but how should I go about this. Could I just add a rock (already cured) every 2-3 weeks?
 
I thought since i had to wait a month for the tank to cycle with new rocks I would have to approach adding more rocks very carefully. So you mean I can go buy 40 more pounds of live rock and just drop it in the tank with my creatures already living in it?
 
I thought since i had to wait a month for the tank to cycle with new rocks I would have to approach adding more rocks very carefully. So you mean I can go buy 40 more pounds of live rock and just drop it in the tank with my creatures already living in it?

From what I understand, as long as it's from a local source...as in coming out of one tank, and going into your tank soon, you will be fine. Even in that short time some things will die, but it's probably not going to be enough to cause a problem.

But if you're goign to order it, you should really cure it in another tank before it goes into one with fish in it.
 
i would add the rock slowly or if it's cheaper to buy in bulk and you have a spare tank to cure/cycle it in I would do that

Just realised something else...why are there no pictures of your new tank?!
 
Just realised something else...why are there no pictures of your new tank?!

Isn't that grounds for banishment?


Oh wait....I've been guilty of posting pictures late too....hehehee. You learn fast that reefers here are addicts and will bite if not given the stuff.
 
Back
Top