Suction caps of powerheads

[bossteck]

Hello all,

I am thinking of adding a powerhead into my planted tank to provide better water flow all round.

However, I am not very confident of the suction caps of my powerhead, on a few occassions when used in another tank, one or two of the caps went loose and the powerhead sort of dipped downwards, it would most likely result in very messy gravel movement if I had used it in my planted tank.

My question is this, is there anyway I can reinforce the 'suction power' of the caps, like maybe clean it with certain things etc? If not, can someone recommend a good brand of powerhead (flowrate maybe 800-1000l/h with strong suction caps?

Thanks for reading.

[ranmasatome]

This has never happened to me before... but i have always been using rena powerheads..maybe they have good suckers on them..keke
Can try the ones by ehiem as well.. think they should make good suction cups for that price.
The best suction cups i have used would probably be the ADA ones.. maybe its just psycological

[vinz]

The suction cups for the Eheim internal filter I had, sucked (no pun intended), though the ones that come with the external filters have yet to fail me. However, I think it's got something to do with the water. Perhaps our chemically altered water (with all the compounds and CO2 we add in) somehow degrades the quality of the rubber, urethane, etc. I find that no matter the brand (i.e. implied quality), most of my submersed suction cups degrade (mostly stiffening and shrinkage) over time. Those using the Eheim Pro and Pro II series should see the same degradation in the seal between baskets. The Eheim Eccos have a rubber ball that acts as a checkvavle and mine have pitted surfaces. The worse one corroded to almost half it's size.

I just remembered... the ones on my Dennerle CO2 flipper are still functioning well, though a tad bit stiffer then before. The bigger Eheim ones that come with the external filters do last.

[ranmasatome]

Vinz.. same issue with me concerning the ecco.. but i had it replaced.

Think the co2 and ph of the water has something to do with the reaction with rubber..

The ADA ones i use also stiffen up.. but they do still stick... and if you air it for a bit.. they return to the original form..which is clear and not white-ish..

[BFG]

There is a way but you need to do some diy. You won't ever use the suction cap anymore. And to achieve this is to attached your pumphead to a algae magnet cleaner.

Or if you can wait, Tunze will be coming out with nano wavemaker, controllable and non-controllable ones will be arriving soon this month into Singapore. All your water flow needs should be addressed.

[XnSdVd]

This might be slightly redundant advice but next time you stick something onto the glass via suction cups, give it a moderately hard pull. You'll feel the cup "catch" onto the glass. And an air bubble will appear in the centre of the cup if viewed from behind. After that it's incredibly hard to pull off.

[bossteck]

Thanks for the advice folks!

BFG: Attaching pump head to algae magnet cleaner is quite innovative, but I don't think I am up to it. I will look out for the nano wave maker you mentioned.

[benny]

Using a strong magnetic algae cleaner is an innovative idea indeed!!

Now I'm considering tying wood to it as well to create some kind of surface decoration.

Cheers,

[BFG]

Click on the nanostream link to see the pump. It is attached to a magnetic holder which is placed on the aquarium glass.


http://www.aquamarin.com.sg/brand.asp?brand=Tunze

[benny]

ooh... It's S$49 and S$70 for the magnetic holders alone! Innovation does not come cheap.

Nevertheless, DIY solutions are possible.

Cheers,

[bossteck]

The price to pay for neatness and beauty is quite high.

Benny, do you mean you're considering tying wood to magnetic algae cleaner or tying wood to powerhead? Can to elaborate on your plan a bit?

[ankank]

If you don't particularly trust the suction caps, you can also get a powerhead (or a powerhead fixture if something like that is available for your existing one) that has a hanger that goes over your tank wall. Like this one for example.

[BFG]

Hold your horses guys! The nanostream wavemaker comes with it's own magnet holder. The ones you guys thought was the magnet holder is meant for a bigger wavemaker, not for the nanostream.

[bossteck]

Hold your horses guys! The nanostream wavemaker comes with it's own magnet holder.

That's great. I will keep a look out for it. If anyone got it eventually kindly post a review

[juggler]

Vinz.. same issue with me concerning the ecco.. but i had it replaced.

Think the co2 and ph of the water has something to do with the reaction with rubber..

The ADA ones i use also stiffen up.. but they do still stick... and if you air it for a bit.. they return to the original form..which is clear and not white-ish..

Agree. Rubber tubes and suction cups turns hard when soaked in water for long periods. I change the suction cups when they turn hard or no longer useful.

[bossteck]

Hi folks,

Anyone come across the nanostream wavemaker in LFS yet?

Hi Ankank,

I am looking to place the powerhead at the bottom third of my tank, so don't think the hanger option is that suitable.

[BFG]

The marine lfs, AquaMarine has receive some shipment of the nanostream. Give them a call. Their contact number in the link I provided earlier.

[bossteck]

Hi Rohaizal,

Thanks for the information.
But I don't travel to Jln Kayu that often, will try to look out for it at some other LFS first i possible.

Cheers!