I ended up trying wavemakers to supplement the flow of my canister filters. I was not meeting the metric of 10 times gallonage with the canister filter alone…
I was hoping to use the flow to keep co2 diffuser bubbles in suspension longer. I had a spray bar on the canister filter and just not getting enough flow over the diffuser. The bubbles were simply going to the surface and scaping.
I hated the wavemakers. They stuck out like sore thumbs, and they would blow plants around like crazy and continually need to have leaves cleaned from the grills… fish were blown about, looking for calm spots to get rest, and I was submerging extra current carrying conductors in the water.
I got rid of them and the diffuser and installed an inline diffuser. Now the co2 bubbles exit the spray bar. I see the bubbles following a curcular route that the flow engages in from the spray bar to the front glass, down and back around…
I still dont meet the 10 times metric, but clearly all parts of the tank gets constant flow and all the plants gently sway…
I am not perceiving any need for more flow than I am getting now. Thereare no dead spots in the tank,, constant gentle flow delivering nutrients to all areas and flushing away products of plant metabolism…
On my 17 gallon low tech fish bowl I am using air driven filtration. A modified UGF plate and a Lees triple flow box filter weighed down with gravel in the box and a handfull of polyfill for mechanical filtration. Both of these use Aquarium Co ops Easy Flow kits for the air riser. The increase in flow with the Easy Flow kit is nothing short of amazing. I service the box filter weekly and I am amazed at the amount of debris and detritus pulled out of the water with this.
The round fish bowl significantly preserves flow velocity. No corners of the tank for flow disruptions. The bowl has a continuous circular flow throughout… there is no need for extra pumps in the bowl.
