As your aquarium grows and more importantly your livestock collection grows, it’s inevitable water becomes dirty through feeding and waste. Filtration and flow is a great place to start when you’re ready to start upgrading your aquarium gear.
The Seltz D is a controllable return pump from Hydor with high water flow efficiency, adjustable speed, and a built-in feed control timer. The Seltz D comes in three sizes 1600, 2400, and 3200 gallon per hour.
Upgrading your return pump to a higher output will affect your aquarium’s turnover rate, the number of times the water is filtered in one hour. It is recommended to have a turnover rate of at least 4 times per hour, some recommending up to 6 or 10 times per hour. However, flow, and well pretty much everything else in an aquarium varies between who you ask.
What’s really important here is to know if your flow rate is too low. If the flow is less than 1 time per hour, perhaps due to filter material being clogged, it could deprive biological media in your sump of life-giving oxygen, possibly causing a sudden release of toxins.
When calculating your turnover rate you want to consider tank capacity, flow rating of the return pump, as well as the distance and most importantly the height water has to travel from the pump to the display. On average aquarium water is 4 feet about ground level and low-pressure pumps may drop their flow rate significantly in this distance.
The Seltz D 1,600 gph pump drops to a reasonable 1,000+ gph at 4 feet of head pressure when we tested it on the Red Sea Peninsula Reefer.
You can have too much of a good thing and dialing in the perfect flow rate is key. As the flow rate gets to fast you will start hearing draining or splashy sounds as the water circulates. It’s much easier to turn your pump down a notch, rather than be stuck with an underperforming max out pump.
The proper flow rate can make a big difference in the health and happiness of your aquarium inhabitants. Taking the time to research flow rates and filter medias used in filters you are considering to purchase can make aquarium-keeping a much more enjoyable hobby.
If you’re looking to pump up your water flow or replace a smaller return pump that just isn’t keeping up, the Seltz D is a great value in adjustable flow pumps. [Hydor]
