When it comes to putting together an aquarium setup, powerheads are often overlooked in favour of filtration systems, lighting and tank heaters. However, powerheads have a very specific function that no other piece of aquarium hardware can fulfil. In most cases, a powerhead pump produces a flow of water that carries through your tank. In freshwater tanks, they are often used to produce a simulated river current that many fish species benefit from. In saltwater tanks, they can be used to produce a tidal effect.
In addition to stimulating your fish and encouraging more active behaviour, powerheads stir up the contents of your tank and promote better oxygenation. They also allow nutrients to more readily disperse through an aquarium. Unsure of whether or not to invest in a powerhead to add to your tank setup? Our guide has all the key information you need to decide on the best aquarium powerhead for your budget.
Key Features to Consider When Choosing a Powerhead
Before you hand over your hard-earned cash on a new powerhead, you will first need to consider your aquarium type to ensure you are picking a suitable piece of hardware for your individual requirements. Different tanks setups will need specific types of powerhead pumps. For a freshwater tank, a relatively low-powered pump should prove sufficient. However, a saltwater or reef tank is going to need something else entirely. You will also need to think about the size of the tank you are looking to furnish with a powerhead. A very small tank will not usually benefit from a powerhead, unless the pump allows you to tailor the output to very low levels. Larger tanks may require multiple powerheads.
Flow rate is one of the most important factors to focus on when choosing a powerhead pump. Every powerhead pump should carry specific information relating to water flow rate. This will be specified in gallons per hour (or GPH). The higher the number, the higher the flow rate. You should also look to see whether you can tailor the flow rate. More powerful pumps will generally produce more noise, so consider this if your aquarium is placed in a room you use a lot. However, even the most powerful of pumps are fairly quiet nowadays. This is especially true of powerheads that use magnetic mounting brackets.
If you are looking to purchase a particularly expensive powerhead, make sure the model offers you the option to replace integral components with independently sourced parts. Premium powerhead pumps can retail for significant amounts, so you don’t want to face a situation where you have to shell out hundreds for a complete pump should a single element fail down the line.
Unless you’re prepared to spend a considerable amount of money on multiple powerheads, you should think about investing in a model with a 360-degree design. These powerheads can be easily adjust to focus flows in specific directions, including dead zones that don’t normally benefit from water circulation. Very basic powerheads may include a suction cup attachment that can be adhered to the inside surface of your tank. However, these can be awkward to remove and reposition. The best powerhead pumps will include a magnetic mounting bracket, allowing you to quickly remove and reposition your accessory in moments. Magnetic mounts also tend to result in less operational noise, even if you are operating your powerhead at a particularly high flow rate.
Benefits of Using an Aquarium Powerhead
An effective powerhead will ensure water moves freely through your aquarium. This ultimately creates a more natural environment in which your fish, plants and other species can flourish. They can also support filtration systems. Although the best filters will take care of impurities within the water, they do little to circulate water through an aquarium. A powerhead will stir up water throughout your tank, eliminating dead zones that are often out of reach of filters.
The end result is much improved water quality. Not only will your tank water be free of unwanted impurities, it will also be richer in oxygen levels. By constantly stirring up the water within your tank with a simulated flow, a powerhead also ensures debris will not settle to the bottom of your aquarium. This not only prevents unsightly residue from forming at the base of your tank, it also reduces the amount of time you will need to spend on cleaning and maintenance.
Product Reviews – The Best Aquarium Powerheads
Looking to improve the flow rate through your fish tank? An aquarium powerhead is definitely something you should be looking to invest in. Below are some of the best aquarium powerheads currently available.
AQQA Wave Maker Pump, 530GPH Aquarium Circulation Pump 360 Degree Rotatable Submersible Powerhead Pump with Magnet Suction Base for Marine and Freshwater Aquariums
If you’re looking to circulate water throughout your aquarium more effectively, this wave maker pump from AQQA is a solid investment. This pump will stimulate a natural flow of water throughout your tank, helping nutrients to disperse more easily. This water movement will also stimulate your fish, while also ensuring your aquatic pets benefit from richer oxygen levels that will promote improved health.
This 3-watt powerhead pump might is certainly effective, with the ability to stir up more than 530 gallons of water per hour. However, this submersible pump is also energy efficient and fairly quiet when at full output. This quiet operation not only ensures less disturbance to your fish and you, it also prevents the pump itself from falling free of the sides of your aquarium.
This powerhead pump is also compact and flexible. The 360-degree mount means you can optimise the direction of water flow, making it an ideal choice for larger tanks. If you’ve found other powerhead pumps too limiting, this AQQA model will help overcome the issues of dead spots within big tanks. The magnetic mounting bracket also makes installing your powerhead incredibly simple. In fact, you can position this pump just about anywhere.
What’s more, the pump can be adjusted to remove any hazards to delicate plants and smaller fish. This powerhead pump is suitable for use in all aquarium types thanks to its superior construction. The titanium impellers make it a hard-wearing choice for saltwater conditions, while also ensuring you have a pump that will perform well for a very long time.
hygger Quiet Magnetic Aquarium Powerhead, 1600GPH DC 12V Wave Maker with Digital Led Display Controller, Submersible Water Inverter Circulation Pump for Fish Tank 3-25 Gallon
This powerhead pump from Hygger is the perfect way to provide your aquariums with natural tidal and oceanic wave conditions. This adjustable wave pump is a great choice for larger aquariums, with a maximum water flow rate of 1,600 gallons per hour. It can also be used with a broad variety of aquarium setups, with the high-quality construction making it suitable for both saltwater and freshwater conditions. A magnetic mount makes installing this powerhead pump incredibly easy. Because of its user-friendly magnetic mount, you can fit this powerhead pump just about anywhere, ensuring all parts of your aquarium receive sufficient water stimulation.
This Hygger wave pump also comes with a first-rate controller. With an external digital display, the controller provides you with an in-depth overview of current wave settings. Making changes to wave output is also straightforward, with preset settings available to make your life easier. There is also the option to set your wave pump to a timer schedule, negating the need to constantly make manual changes to output settings.
The inverter design of this pump also makes it one of the quietest around. At maximum output, this wave pump will rarely make more than 30 decibels of noise, making it ideal if your aquarium is positioned in a quiet room. This ultra-quiet operation also makes this pump a suitable choice for tanks that are housing delicate species.
YCTECH Aquarium Fish Tank Circulation Pump Wave Maker Power Head with Magnet Suction Base (6W 1050GPH)
This YCTECH powerhead pump is an inexpensive way to ensure your aquarium setups are naturally stimulated with artificial currents. This pump boasts a 360-degree pivoting base, allowing you to direct wave output directly where it’s needed. This means that all your fish, corals and aquatic pets can benefit from stimulated waves. You can also tailor the output of your pump at will, making it an ideal choice for those who only occasionally need to stir up the activity within their tank.
This pump is also ideal for larger tanks, with the 6-watt model providing sufficient wave output for aquariums with capacities of between 20 and 60 gallons. If your tank is larger than this, you may be best investigating the 8-watt model that can accommodate tank capacities of up to 100 gallons.
Installing this powerhead pump is also straightforward. As with other premium wave pumps, this YCTECH powerhead includes a magnetic mount. This mount not only makes it simple to install your pump just about anywhere, it also makes retrieving your pump incredibly easy. This simple retrieval also makes it easy to keep your pump clean, as well as ensuring any maintenance can be carried out without any fuss. The magnetic mount also means your powerhead can perform at full output, without you having to worry about excessive operational noise.
AquaMiracle Circulating Water Pump 210 GPH Powerhead for 40-60 Gallon Aquariums with Aerating Features
Although this circulating powerhead pump from AquaMiracle lacks the flexibility of magnetic mount models, it is still a very effective solution for stirring up tank water and simulating a more natural environment for your fish and aquatic pets. This pump is fully submersible, with its efficient motor completely sealed with epoxy housing. The advanced impeller and magnetic rotor also ensure reliable wave generation at all times.
At full power, this pump will generate flow rates of up to 210 gallons per hour. It can be used effectively in tanks with capacities of between 40 and 60 gallons. If you have a much larger tank, you can easily use two or more of these pumps with your setup thanks to their low-profile design.
This pump also benefits from air venturi and tubing, which will help deliver additional oxygen to your aquarium water. If your tank setup has struggled with diminished oxygen levels in the past, this pump will help alleviate the issue. The underwater current generated by this powerhead pump will help stimulate inactive fish, while also ensuring freshwater species enjoy a much more authentic environment in which to thrive. Another benefit of this powerhead pump is that, by constantly shifting water around in your tank, water temperatures can remain high. This saves you having to invest in costly heater systems, while also ensuring cold spots never have the chance to develop and create dead zones within your aquarium.
Hydor Koralia Evolution 750/850 Aquarium Circulation Pump, 750-850 GPH
If you’re looking to create a more natural environment in which your fish and aquatic animals can thrive, the Koralia Evolution from Hydor is something to consider. This compact powerhead pump can be used in virtually any setting, including freshwater and saltwater aquariums, as well as ponds. A magnetic suction cup base means you can position this powerhead pump virtually anywhere within your tank, while flow direction can easily tailored to target problematic zones within your aquarium.
The mount is also enhanced by silicone material, which helps prevent unwanted vibration and noise. This particular wave pump is available in four models, each with their own output ratings. The most basic of these models can provide you with flow rates of 600 gallons per hour, while the most advanced can achieve flow rates of up to 1,500 gallons per hour.
Although incredibly effective, the Koralia Evolution is one of the most energy-efficient powerhead pumps in its class. This is all thanks to the superior motor, which drives impressive flow rates at all times. The first-rate cover design will also provide aquarists with peace of mind. The fine grill means that small fish and aquatic animals will not be able to enter the interior of the pump. It also prevents larger debris particles from penetrating into the interior. The external housing is also easy to disassemble, making general maintenance and cleaning straightforward.
FREESEA 95 GPH 4W Ultra Quiet Mini Submersible Pump for Aquariums, Fish Tank, Pond, Fountain Water Pump (2PCS)
If you’re looking to improve water circulation in your aquarium, this FREESEA powerhead pump is a sensible investment. This wave maker pump will effortlessly simulate a natural environment, creating gentle flows within tank water. This wave output also means that debris is easily stirred up and moved through the water, while also ensuring that oxygen levels remain high. This 6-watt pump might be compact, but it is incredibly powerful.. In fact, this FREESEA pump can achieve flow rates of up to 1,050 gallons per hour. Despite this, this pump is relatively quiet and consumes very little energy.
A magnetic mounting bracket also makes this pump easy to install. It also means you can quickly change the direction of wave output to target particular areas of your aquarium. Another major benefit of the magnetic mount is that the device will generate little vibration and excess noise when in operation. This not only benefits you if you are using it with an indoor aquarium, it also ensures your fish are not exposed to any external stress. This pump will also serve you well for a long time thanks to its superior construction and high-quality materials. The impellers are made from titanium, which will stave off corrosion and makes the device suitable for use in saltwater conditions.
KEDSUM 1800GPH 10W Aquarium wavemaker Circulation Pump, Fish Tank Powerhead Pump with Magnet Suction Base for 80-120 Gallon Fish Tank
If you’re looking for a powerhead pump for use with a larger aquarium, this KEDSUM wave maker is a good choice. This pump has a very powerful flow rate, with maximum output of 1,800 gallons per hour achievable. Despite being incredibly powerful, this powerhead pump is surprisingly energy efficient. It is also very versatile and suitable for use in both saltwater and freshwater environments. Adjusting the output of this wave maker is simple, with a user-friendly knob allowing you finely tailor settings to your liking. As you can refine output to your liking, this powerhead pump is suitable for aquariums ranging in size from 80 to 120 gallons.
A magnetic base makes this powerhead pump easy to install just about anywhere. The inclusion of elastic also means that less friction is created when the pump is in use, resulting in minimal vibration and next to no noise. A 360-degree design also means you can ensure waves are delivered to all areas of your aquarium. This will ensure no dead zones are created within your tank, while also ensuring that oxygen-boosting effects can be enjoyed throughout your tank enclosure.
The Verdict
Before you decide to purchase a powerhead, you will need to consider whether or not your tank requires one. Generally speaking, if you only have a nano tank that is easy to maintain with a simple filter and occasional manual cleaning, a powerhead is not really necessary. However, a larger tank will almost certainly benefit from a powerhead pump. They can be used in both saltwater and freshwater tanks to stimulate fish and simulate natural environments more authentically. When used correctly, they will also improve water clarity and quality, with particles prevented from settling on the base of your tank.
You should also think about the power rating and flow rate of any powerhead pump you are looking to buy. If you only have a modest sized tank, you won’t really benefit from a flow rate over 1000 gallons per hour. However, if you have a particularly sizeable tank with a considerable amount of fish housed within, a high-level flow rate is a must. Flexibility is also important. A magnetic mount and 360-degree pivoting base will allow you to move a powerhead around a tank at will, saving you the need to purchase multiple devices.
