I like occasionally turning on a powerhead in my 33L (which is 4 feet long, narrow and shallow) for a few minutes to stir up detritus so it gets picked up by my canister filter and there are fewer "dead zones" in spots that are hard to vacuum.

I noticed that my Haps and Peacocks (species list in sig below) seem to like swimming in the stronger current for a while, and specifically choose high-current spots over quiet ones. After a while they get tired of this and peel off.

This led me to wonder: would it be good for me to put the powerhead on a timer so it did this regularly for an hour once or twice a day? Or am I getting timer crazy and mistaking my tank for Gold's Gym?

Is this the only user name you've ever had on the forums, Don??? :lol:

I once talked to a member on another forum who did just what you are talking about doing! They referred to it as a cichlid excercise program!

I only use powerheads on my SW tank, the only time I've ever used on other than that, I hooked one up on a 55G filled with adult mbuna. I don't know if I stressed them out or what, but after one day of use, I had all kinds of problems in the tank, so I took it out and never looked back! Of course, it may have been coincidence, but it's hard to say what causes stress for a fish sometimes!

If yours seem to enjoy it, I don't see anything wrong with doing the timer thing!

Kim

You have a great memory! This is a question I originally posted somewhere when I was just getting my sea legs back in having Mbuna. I got a couple of answers on the post but nothing definitive.

With the density of expert fishkeepers on C ichlid Haven I thought I'd re-ask the question and see if I got more responses.

After reading your response I decided I was "getting too invasive" in my small tank and pulled out the powerhead. When I get my 180G it'll come in handy! :D

Thanks for taking the time to respond!

Don

I know that alot of people use powerheads, Don, and I certainly didn't mean to discourage you on it!

I think my main problem was the tank that I put that one in was full of adult mbuna that I had raised from juvies. Sometimes I don't think these fish deal with "change" very well in their lives! :unsure:

My guys loved it, played in the current all day long the first day I put it in. The next day, I noticed some of them making an obvious effort to find a spot that was out of the current. The day after that, they were ill.

I've considered doing it again, but thought that the next time, I would add a powerhead with less "power"! :D

Most of the people I know of who use them do it because they need more water movement. If you're adequately filtrated, you should be fine without one.

If you did decide to use one, I would ease them into full power on it, gradually getting them used to it.

Kim

Does anyone actually know the current strength in the lakes? I mean you add a DIRECT current into the water with a power head, so certain areas are concentrated turbidity. I, myself would never dream of putting a powerhead on my cichlid tank considering I have an AC 500 and a Fluval 204 running. One thing good about powerheads is the high oxygen input that you can get, but just use an air pump B)

Powerheads lose their life span if you switch them on and off alot. The only way to use them is with wave makers.