# Powerhead or new filter… need some help.



## pandamom (Jul 16, 2013)

Hi all. Need some of your expert advice… I have two 75 gallon tanks. They are both freshwater - one holds a lot of community type fish (mostly tetras) and I have a Fluval 405 on that tank that works great, it's an older filter but keeps things moving well and I like it. My other tank has angels and cardinals, cories, GBR and a pleco. It has an Rena XP3 filter that came with the tank when I bought it. I had the spray bar on there and then changed it to the power nozzle. The output to this filter is lousy. Absolutely crappy. I'm kind of at a loss now - should I scrap the whole thing and get a new Fluval to replace the XP3 (expensive) or should I consider adding a powerhead (less expensive) to circulate the water better? It seems to do okay on the filtration (not great, but okay), but there isn't enough water movement to move the debris around to get to the intake. What do you guys think? Any advice would be great. Thanks.


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## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

Power heads are a way better and more economical to increase flow. I personally try to keep the canister for bio filtration only.


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## jbyoung00008 (May 16, 2011)

Im with Tony. Keep the filter. Add a powerhead. I prefer my Rena over my Fluval. I find the fluval has crappy flow. Have you tried cleaning the impeller and the area it sits in? Also I know the intake area of the lid can get debris stuck in it too.

You can also remove 1 of the black foam blocks in the filter. I did in both my Xp's. I find they slow down the flow and 4 arnt needed. 3 are good enough for me. 

If you like spending money you could always add another canister or a hang on the back filter. Both have their pros and cons


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