Powerheads! - Lets Talk Aquarium Circulation & Flow. How to Bring New Life to Your Plants & Fish.

This video discusses flow, circulation, HOB filter flow and also patterns commonly used, and the patterns im currently ...(haha get it...current-ly) with the best results for rainbow fish, danios, corydoras, plecos and most bottom feeding fish. It takes the hillstream planted aquarium to a whole new level and distributes nutrients and fertilizers equally around the tank. This video is also a bit of a tank update, however, I hope it serves the purpose of explaining why you would need a powerhead. wavemaker or pump and also how using ones generally will cut down on co2 needed, will improve oxygenation, and break up algea along with protein films or slicks on top of the water.
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[@mantisrl9896]

Love heavily planted tanks like that, nice.

[@ratsaremagic]

I was looking for info about currents for months - damn how lucky i am to discover this vid. Thank you !!!

[@Fishtory]

Glad you found it! Thanks for tuning in

[@connie6705]

Beautiful tank and thank you for doing this video on flow. I’m now a new subscriber! I was contemplating just today on what I can do to get more flow around the tank without blowing my fish around. I have a 29 gallon tropical community with some young fish and plants have some filling in to do. Battling some algae but not bad right now. I’m familiar with planted tanks but still learning :)

[@Fishtory]

Well thanks for watching and welcome to thr community! Make yourself at home on the channel hehe.

[@HowtoDrawwithSammy]

Thanks for this video. I put in a wavemaker powerhead today and it worried me how much flow I had this has put my mind at rest!

[@Fishtory]

Oh good good :)

[@doofy28]

Your enthusiasm is very enjoyable.

[@Fishtory]

I'm glad you think so! Thanks for watching.

[@loganross1861]

Cool channel man, enjoying the unique style and perspective.

[@Fishtory]

Right on, thanks for watching and welcome!

[@ecpapa3]

I just put a power head in my 75 long and I was shocked to see the movement of the water when I turned it on. I purchased the correct size for my tank. I was almost nervous that it was too much current for the fish to have to fight through because they hid in the back of the tank when I first turned it on. But this video made me feel better because you describe the fish going through the current as a positive thing, like it’s stimulating for them. The first fish ventured out and is hanging out back in his normal spot.

[@Fishtory]

Working out...pumping iron..errr pumping waves

[@johnjwedrall4290]

Catching up and learning from your older videos. 👍👍❗️

[@Fishtory]

Shucks... there's 1,000 videos now haha so it will take a while if you try and see them all. But I thank you very much for tuning in and supporting the channel so much :) Have an awesome weekend. Cheers!

[@johnjwedrall4290]

@@Fishtory thank you and you likewise 😉

[@kalinkakid]

Beautiful tank! Never had much look in the past with plants in aquariums. Just setting one up again after many years out, hopefully fair better this time!

[@Fishtory]

Well thank you, and I wish you the very best! Substrate is key to many species of plants...light and fertilizers are as well

[@Ailsworth]

What an inspiration!

[@Fishtory]

Hehe they can bring some fish to life... many hillstream species don't really do much moving otherwise

[@shesellsfish]

Watched one of Rachael O'Leary's vids where adding some flow cured up an algae problem relatively quickly.

[@Fishtory]

totally.

[@eh.440]

Love this tank

[@Fishtory]

Thank you. It was one of my favorite set ups and I plan on sort of rebuilding another similar tank soon

[@chief7385]

I have an internal canister, and sponge filter in my guppy tank and added an airstone on the opposite side and its helped with circulation and the guppies seem more chipper. So it's a win win for improving overall tank health easily

[@Fishtory]

Good call!

[@newenglandendler]

i love that planted tank / i have aquaclear 50s in my 20 and 29 enough flow for me

[@Fishtory]

Thanks for the compliment :) Some tanks need no flow, others need a ton, but most COULD improve from weak to medium flow paths.

[@gregoryfickling7957]

Nice tank and vid. What is the pink striped crypt you have in this tank? Gorgeous!

[@Ceretrea]

Helps fish maintain a good muscle tone too I'd imagine 😊

[@Fishtory]

Definitely!

[@sleepytasmr]

Thank you so much for this video; very educational and enjoyable. Do you have the flow on constantly or turn it off at night?

[@Fishtory]

I think of it like a river... so not day or night...but rather every few days I'll turn them off or down...like rainfall and river flow. :)

[@ErnieKuhz]

any pumps youd recommend for a 40 gallon? current canister is a jebo 838, has some flow, but I do notice dead spots

[@Fishtory]

Honestly, just make sure you have a small grate for intake, or plant matter/small fish can get stuck in it. this is a 40 with 500 gallons per hour being moved. I think the 200 was plenty for any normal community...and ive noticed most brands are fairly similar. 200 will improve your fish's energy and also plant strength/health

[@naddyn685]

Over in England, new to your channel and very enjoyable for me as a newbie! I have 6 zebra and 6 leopard danios in 20 gallon high, with 90% artificial plants (remaining 10% anubias, java fern and bucephalandra). Planning on making this a fully planted low tech (no CO2) tank. Firstly, you think I should have a larger tank for those danios? Water parameters all normal but i do see some danios flaring from time to time. My plants are mostly on the back and sides. Should I avoid planting taller plants in the centre so the fish don't get frustrated? Or would dense foliage calm them, if you can calm danios that is! Thanks so much :)

[@Fishtory]

Haha Welcome! I'm glad you enjoy the channel! So, large and medium size species of danios will always be a bit fiesty and active. But having plants around the edges (3 sides) is good, then they have space in the center but feel safe if they need to make a fast escape. I like a 20 long or 40 breeder ideally for danios other than Choprae, Hikaris, tinwinis, Cpds and Erythromicrons...but honestly, even a 10 gallon will be sufficient for survival and spawning

[@mr.n3799]

I'm really confused. My research says co2 isn't as effective with surface agitation but my research also say to circulate c02 for better dissolution. I want to add a power head for my corys but don't want my co2 to be ineffective. Can you help?

[@Khans0120]

It depends on how close to the surface the powerhead or filter output is as well. If it is a couple inches under the surface it may not create enough of a current at the surface to cause a high rate of gas exchange. I noticed it when trying to decide whether I want to use the spray bar or fan nozzle that my canister filter came with. When placed closer to the surface, it caused enough surface turbulence. But when I placed either nozzle 3 to 4 inches under the surface and pointed them straight out, the surface hardly showed any movement.

[@FoolyLiving]

I had some guppies and platys that would swim right in front of the internal filter flow and it was a pretty heavy flow. They acted like they loved it, but everything Ive read is that it will wear them out and they ned a break from it lol. They would do like a 'follow the leader' and one would go to the back of the line and would take turns taking water to the face. I filmed a lot of it, it was really interesting to watch and weird from everything Ive read.

[@ecpapa3]

So is it bad for them? I just got a power head and my fish are hiding from it

[@Fishtory]

If they can rest off to the side or under the powerhead or flow then it's all 👍 good. They'll actually grow faster as well

[@Fishtory]

It can take a while for them to adapt to the flow increase and as long as they have someplace to rest in between fishy treadmill

[@josemontalvo4532]

Hello, I’m getting a Conical / D Shaped Acrylic seamless Tank. It’s a Special order tank. 6’ Long X 2’ at its Widest point, and 2’ Depth. I’m doing this to avoid the dead spots / voids in the tank. It will be equal part Aquatic Plant Tank, and half live Fish, Shrimps, and Snails Tank. I have found that rectangle tanks can have up to four dead areas in the tank. If you kept a rectangle tank, then you know what I’m talking about. I can’t wait to get my tank! Enjoyed watching! Thank you for sharing!

[@Fishtory]

yeah I love my Bow front (D tank). Mine is custom size, which I recieved free. At first I hated trying to clean it and find the on corner deadspot, however now with a HOB AND powerhead on opposite sides, its a big circle of water, with some dead spots on purpose as rock ledges and caves for fish that love spawning just along side or under a ledge. Now I love the 2.5 foot height also, because I can grow these huuuge red corkscrew val and rotala plants

[@josemontalvo4532]

The Secret History Living in Your Aquarium I’m a big fan of the Rotala Macrandra, Rotala Rotundifola Red, and counter part; the Rotala So. Green.

[@Fishtory]

I too love macrandra, (mini butterfly), rotundifolia Red, Yellow and green. With vietnamese gold and pink coming in close as other solid varieties. wallichia is my all time favorite, but it's a pain to keep it in tip top shape with fish and not just dumping tons of ferrilizers in the tank

[@josemontalvo4532]

The Secret History Living in Your Aquarium I’ve been searching for a decent CO2 Reactor that would work in a 125 Gallon Tank. I don’t want to do a DIY when it comes to CO2. Do you know who makes a decent CO2 Reactor? Thank you! Enjoy your vids, and comments!

[@Fishtory]

Id honestly just look on Amazon.com and look for ratings. Most of them are supppper over priced, especially glass ones or ADA. (Although they're nicely designed for a special high end high tech tank.) I personally have seen people getting grear results from using fluval 45g diffuser...it looks like a black donut with a white center airstone. It's usually with their mini kits...but only costs 5.99$ then get a splitter and buy 2 of those, and toss a 100-250 GPH powerhead next to the 2 airstones with 2 to 4 bubbles per second going... its a 40 dollar solution that arguably works better than most reactors my friends have tried

[@squa_81]

I just bought six female guppies. I was worrying about flow because I plan to evenvantually keep shrimps.. I had a moss block slow the flow wayyy down, it also made the water almost completely still. A couple hours after I added the guppies they started to go to the top. I removed the moss block and now they seems to be doing better. I guess I need another way to divert the flow

[@alecthenice8115]

Some of my discus were shy until I got this wave maker return pump now they all play together

[@Fishtory]

Oh very interesting...I wonder if it physically tired out the aggressive ones? Or perhaps it just reminds then of "home" better. Haha. Thanks for sharing Alec!

[@alecthenice8115]

@@Fishtory ya like high strung dogs they need some outlet for their energy is my thinking

[@nizzthe1]

Same thing happened with my fish everyone said itll be to strong for my tank but my fish love to shoal together in the flow

[@Fishtory]

awesome to hear. It totally depends on your tank layout and the species... hillstream ones, river fish and many catfish/loach fish can handle a ton of flow, as long as they have a little area to rest and hide a bit for short periods

[@thomaszaccone3960]

Water looks crystal clear. Suppose you used two power heads each at half the flow rate?

[@Fishtory]

Yeah I do that to get river flow mimicked for danios im fatting up for spawning

[@arkansasboy45]

Do you put the power heads on a timer along with the lights?

[@Fishtory]

Yes

[@turnipsucks6416]

Ok. When your tank has as much dense vegetative growth as you have (Which equates to success) you must have power heads.

[@debruin14]

Where is your filtration pickup in this setup? I assume you have it at the opposite end of the tank from the powerhead?

[@Fishtory]

Correct ... L shaped and tucked down into the corner then back up to the HOB

[@debruin14]

@@Fishtory thank you! Want to try something similar to see if I can get my HOB to remove more detritus and also get my plants happier. Do you use fert tabs? Or what's your secret to growing plants like that haha!

[@Fishtory]

@@debruin14 I use root tabs for sword plants and Laganandras or Barclayas (rosette plants mainly) . My main trick with plants is honestly just good lights fluval 3.0 , or 2.0 planted plus lights...or twinstar E, S OR EA series lights then I use liquid fertz but not all in one types. I buy ADA brighty Green minerals and micros then brighty k (pump bottles are like $20 each but lack any nitrates or nitrites like most brands are full of... plants use ammonia best but it hurts fish the worst, well- fish excrete all their urine and poo with lots of ammonia ...so the plants just use a super full tank of fish to get the ammonia and they also process it fast enough for the fish to not get sick- as long as they have good enough lighting and then if you really wanna kick it up... a low constant amount of co2 gas.

[@debruin14]

@@Fishtory Thank you for the tips! I think I should definitely upgrade my lighting. I'm just using basic CF bulbs. Ive got my lights on 9 hours a day but have issues with algae.. green spot, green and hair algae... The hair algae on plants it's so annoying to remove. Anyway thank you for your reply. I appreciate you sharing your knowledge! Anything I don't have to learn about first hand and can pickup from others is so valuable.

[@cjfilenius1446]

I like calling the calm swirling spot a Eddie

[@Fishtory]

Lol i will call it José

[@jesusisoursavior2682]

is guppy a sesitive fish every time i change water my guppy die. what fish tou suggest mo no to much sesitive but not getting big

[@Fishtory]

Danios are good... I'm guessing you may have soft water? Guppies like slightly alkaline hard water... which you can also maintain by adding crushed coral and or shells to the substrate...around a cup of it per 10gallons is plenty in most cases. But also cherry barbs, tiger barbs, danio rerio, danio kythit, hatchet danios, and if it's due to softness... tetras or rasboras should do well

[@jesusisoursavior2682]

@@Fishtory i have bare buttom aquarium. but my neon and other fish are doing great i think guppys are so sensitive i have fresh water but when i change water i condition the water for 2 days before i put in the tank i have sponge filter also i pit a water conditioner i thin k i habe to change it for tetra conditioner?

[@DanielNelson]

Did it end up being too much flow? How'd it go?

[@Fishtory]

It ended up just about perfect actually

[@UpperAquatics]

For the Algorithm!

[@Shaden0040]

Most Ancistrus live in high flow habitats.

[@Fishtory]

yes, my Super Reds and green dragons absolutely love it.... ....and seem to grow much faster with high oxygenation and flow

[@Shaden0040]

@@Fishtory Yup more O2 is good for them, and more flow = muscle growth.

[@fij715]

How big is that tank?

[@Fishtory]

40g

[@thearistofish]

How many gallons?

[@Fishtory]

40BR and ive used them in 20longs if small 125 or 50 gpm pumps

[@YTZack408]

What size tank is it?

[@Fishtory]

40 breeder

[@YTZack408]

@@Fishtory thanks, gives me good context for putting a wave maker in my 75g tank.

[@zachmondrala8614]

Silly question but will the flow, for instance a wave maker help create c02 without buy a whole co2 defuser?

[@Josh-si4jn]

Tank too small

[@Fishtory]

Agreed

[@Josh-si4jn]

@@Fishtory good sense of humour. I will subscribe now 👍🏻

[@mnemosynevermont5524]

Write your basic points down before you start recording.

[@Fishtory]

I do now. This video was back when i had 400 subs

[@sol5916]

It’d be pretty nice if you actually gave them some room to swim with some actual effort put into aquascaping rather than just growing a jungle

[@Fishtory]

Depends on the fish. Some definitely stay in my 20 longs or 40 breeders... other sunken forest fish dont like open waters