Rio Powerhead Modifications
I have a love-hate attitude toward Rio powerheads. I love them because they are small, compact, mostly reliable and cheap. I hate them because the suction cups don't hold. I use Rio 90's in my 30g hex tank to create water motion. I position them in the back and the random interactions of the current does a good job of keeping plenty of water flowing around my inhabitants. These are modified so a piece of CPVC slips onto the rim of my tank and the powerhead hangs down from it. I put the screen up so it will not trap bubbles and I can clean it with a toothbrush without having to get my hands in the tank.
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I removed the impeller screen, removed the two suction cups, and inserted the head of two nylon 6-32 screws into the suction cup holes. I then attached black cable ties to the screws. (The cable ties I used do not have plastic in the way of the little tongue. Some ties have plastic that blocks the tongue from moving enought to allow the screw to pass through the square part of the tie.) Lengthwise I cut off about 1/3 of a 3/4" CPVC pipe and drilled two holes just big enough to accept the cable ties attached to the powerhead. |
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Here the cable ties that are attached to the powerhead are passed through the cut CPVC pipe. I used the locking part of another two other cable ties to prevent the CPCV pipe from slipping off of the attached cable ties. You can adjust the depth of the powerhead by slipping the locking part down as far as needed. Careful, if you go too far you will have to cut them off! |
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