Too much flow?

[princess8077]

My lfs says there's no such thing as too much flow.
I have 2 powerheads positioned mid tank flowing opposite each other (one is positioned at one side of the tank mehind the rocks and the other is behind the rock facing outward) and not sure of the "power" of those 2 but they're pretty strong, then I have korelia #2 and a #4. The #4 is higher up and opposite side of the incoming spout from the sump, and #2 is sorta beside #4 but pointed downward away from #4. I can see things moving everywhere (like I tried to feed with them on LOL) so I know there are no dead spots anywhere, but is this too much?

 

[earlybird]

Nope but I can't accurately calculate your turnover rate but it looks pretty good. How do your corals like it, that's really all that matters and that you have enough gas exchange and no dead spots which you have.
The only thing is it seems as if you have quite a lot of powerheads and it's possible to reconfigure your tank so that you can have a lot/good flow without all that hardware. It may include upgrades which will cost more initially but could save you money in the long run.

 

[princess8077]

Originally Posted by earlybird
Nope but I can't accurately calculate your turnover rate but it looks pretty good. How do your corals like it, that's really all that matters and that you have enough gas exchange and no dead spots which you have.
The only thing is it seems as if you have quite a lot of powerheads and it's possible to reconfigure your tank so that you can have a lot/good flow without all that hardware. It may include upgrades which will cost more initially but could save you money in the long run.
Not too sure.....we just added the #4 yesterday so they havent had a chance to adjust to the changes. I did post in the coral section about my devils hand tho. It's not related to the flow (I dont think-but maybe), just in general how its looking. Give me a clue about the reconfigurations so I can think thru it please?

 

[earlybird]

Well you generally want 15-30 times turnover ratio in your tank. That being said, you can have a lot more. I have 32x turnover rate which I calculate by adding up my total GPH of my powerheads and return pump then divide by your total gallonage. As a rule of thumb I've seen recommendations for between 15-30x for a softie tank and 30+ for sps. Flow seems to help quite a bit as far as keeping sand clean, helping to prevent cyanobacteria, and keeping pH up. However it's possible to have a lot of flow but not have a lot of good flow which can be done by monkeying around with an assortment of powerheads and positions until you find the flow that is best for your tank. To be honest, I change my flow up from time to time just by repositioning my powerheads slightly. Currently I have a koralia 1, and 2 maxijet 600s, and also my return pump. My plans are to add another koralia which runs less watts than the maxijets and I can get away with more power because of the dispersed flow I'm just trying to decide upon another koralia 1 or the new nano version. Even then I may not like my flow and may decide to split my return from sump. Hope that helped.

 

[digitydash]

The ocean moves alot faster then the turn over in a tank.Just point power heads away from your corals and should be ok.

 

[acrylic51]

Never to much flow.......as your corals grow that flow will be cut down as well.

 

[dogstar]

Of course there can be too much flow. It all depends on the types of livestock you are keeping..( dont know what the OP is keeping ). Some fish, inverts and corals do better in lower flow conditions because they cant tolerate the stress or violence of high flow well and need to hover, sleep, open to light or avoid injury against rocks, ect. and others do better in higher flows due to feeding requirements and metabolisms, ect.....always best to know your pets and what they require on an individual basis and dont try to keep the two different eviromentally challenged types together ulless you can balance a happy medium, because one will most likely suffer. IMO.

 

[doeboy1]

That's my problem...I have a 60tall with 2 hydor #4's in it and the flow is serious. I have been fidgeting with it for weeks now and I cannot find the set up I want to keep sand from being pushed around the tank. Last night I finally placed them on the front glass with the flow hitting the back wall and it seems to work. My only issue is that now I have 2 pumps right on the main glass...that sucks royally.