# Best placement of filter pipes in tank?



## panamera (Jul 18, 2008)

Hi, i have a 150L tank with a external filter ofcourse, where should i have the in and outlet pipes for the best water flow? right now i have the intake to the left side of tank at back. heater next to it, and the outlet right next to the heater. all this to the left of tank[/list]


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## Oldman47 (Sep 7, 2007)

There really is no right answer to your question. A lot depends on what you are trying to do. I like strong currents and lots of water movement so mine are set up with the intake pipe on one side of the tank and the return on the other. I make sure the heaters are in a place that gets good flow from the returning water so that I don't end up with a hot spot. One of my tanks has a nozzle on the return so it sort of squirts across the top of the tank water (under the surface). In that tank I put both in the same corner because I wanted lots of flow. The current across the top needs to circulate around most of the tank to get back to the inlet pipe. Look at the features of your filter and think about how the water flows from the water return to the filter inlet pipe. It will be making that trip several times per hour so it makes a good mental picture to consider where you want the pipes. If you have fish that don't like much flow, direct the return against the glass so it can break up the flow before it gets to the fish. In a situation like that, you definitely would want the two pipes far apart.


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