Water flow?

angler man

angler man

Member
What constitutes good water flow? When I read that certain corals or plants require high water flow or low water flow what exactly does this mean?
Does high water flow mean aiming power heads directly at the specimen?
I have read that you can never have too much water flow in a tank, but what is the rule of thumb for enough flow? I have a 92 gallon.
Also, are there any pumps to stay away from due to poor quality?
Thanks!
 
patandlace

patandlace

Active Member
It depends what kind of corals you have. For SPS corals probably around 30x would be good. Soft corals or ones that require less flow I would say around 15x. In a 92 gallon that would be between 1380 and 2760 gallons per hour turnover.
 
yosemite sam

yosemite sam

Active Member
Originally Posted by Angler man
Does high water flow mean aiming power heads directly at the specimen?
Thanks!
Generally speaking, don't ever do this. Most power heads can kill a coral if you aim them directly at the coral.
Flow refers to the type of natural water movement we are trying to mimic in our tanks. This has to do with the turnover, or gallons per hour that are pumped through the tank. This can include the return pump from your sump or powerheads in your tank. For example, if you have a 100 gallon tank with two power pumps that push 100 gph each, then you have 2x turnover (you are turning over, or pumping the volume of the tank, twice in one hour).
Some corals, like many SPS species, thrive in relatively turbulent waters, as they are found high up on the reef, near wave action. These would do best in 'high flow' tanks. Many reefers use powerheads such as Tunzes and Vortecs that don't just shoot a small jet of water, but move the entire water column. These tanks can have 20x - 30x turnover.
Other corals do well with less turbulence, as they are found farther down the reef slope or in protected lagoons. They don't need as high a turnover, and you can use smaller pumps in the tank.
 
angler man

angler man

Member
Originally Posted by Yosemite Sam
Generally speaking, don't ever do this. Most power heads can kill a coral if you aim them directly at the coral.
Flow refers to the type of natural water movement we are trying to mimic in our tanks. This has to do with the turnover, or gallons per hour that are pumped through the tank. This can include the return pump from your sump or powerheads in your tank. For example, if you have a 100 gallon tank with two power pumps that push 100 gph each, then you have 2x turnover (you are turning over, or pumping the volume of the tank, twice in one hour).
Some corals, like many SPS species, thrive in relatively turbulent waters, as they are found high up on the reef, near wave action. These would do best in 'high flow' tanks. Many reefers use powerheads such as Tunzes and Vortecs that don't just shoot a small jet of water, but move the entire water column. These tanks can have 20x - 30x turnover.
Other corals do well with less turbulence, as they are found farther down the reef slope or in protected lagoons. They don't need as high a turnover, and you can use smaller pumps in the tank.
Okay, so what do you do if you want a mixture of corals that require high and low flow? Also, how do you know where to aim the pumps in reference to the corals themselves?
Thanks for the replies BTW!
 
yosemite sam

yosemite sam

Active Member
Because of the variable shape of the live rock in your tank, it's usually possible to have high and low flow areas in the same tank. Once you get your rock set up the way you want, you'll have to play with the positioning of the powerheads to get flow the way you want it. As you start adding corals, you may have to tweak their locations a bit. You'll want your powerheads blowing into open water. This will move the water column, which will in turn blow over the corals. This is called indirect flow. Using powerheads that are programable or attaching them to wave makers let you mimic wave action, which is beneficial to most corals.
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
Rule of thumb, hmm. It depends.
Do not point powerheads directly at corals. I recommend Hydor koralia pumps, for your tank, I would say that a hydor 3 maybe a 4 would work. Depends on how big your return pumps is.
For your return pump, I would recommend a mag 12. That's what I had on my 90gal. It worked really well for SpS corals.
 
angler man

angler man

Member
Last question on this subject, I checked my GPH and it's only at 1000. I definately need more flow, so I have been checking out the Hydor Koralia's(more my price range). The #4 would give me an additional 1200 GPH. Would it be wiser to buy two smaller ones that would add up to 1200 for different current/flow paths?
Edit: Snake, you read my mind with the Koralia's!
 
S

swalchemist

Guest
Get a Tunze or a Vortech and you will never worry about flow again. Koralias are toys IMO they do not produce the kinds of flow or quality as Tunze pumps, in short you get what you pay for, Try the Tunze nano streams 6025 or 6055(controlable) they would work quite well in your system. BTW most SPS truly thrive in 50-75 X turnover but there is much more to keeping them long term than just flow. I suggest aiming your powerhead(s) toward the front center at a 45 degree angle. It provides a nice effect when used with a controller. That however is not a condition for a mixed tank. Mixed tanks are complex in that you require a high flow zone(top) and a lower flow (bottom). You can do a mixed tank but in a shallow tank it's almost impossible my suggestion is pick one or the other and make that your goal you will have less headaches along the way.
 
yosemite sam

yosemite sam

Active Member
Yes, the vortechs are a bunch too. I have one that I just upgraded with the wireless wave controller. They are really nice, and produce an amazing amount of flow.
It's always tough to make decisions about these very expensive items. Are they worth it? In comparison with cheaper models, yes. You usually do get what you pay for in this hobby. But you can always start with cheaper powerheads and upgrade as you go.
 
angler man

angler man

Member
SWALchemist, I found that pump for about 100.00, that's not bad. The first few I found were between 250.00 and 400.00. That's pretty

[hr]
for a powerhead IMO.
My tank is 24" deep, and I want to start with some exotic Zoo's and a few Ric's(basic stuff), and a few of the softies I want required the high flow like the yellow leather. Do you still think this particular Tunze would do the trick and not bother the basic softies?
SnakeBlitz33, I really want that mag12 now. My tank has a wimpy Rio 2500 as it's return pump.
Yosemite Sam, seriously, thank you for your info!
 
C

calvertbill

Guest
Originally Posted by patandlace
It depends what kind of corals you have. For SPS corals probably around 30x would be good. Soft corals or ones that require less flow I would say around 15x. In a 92 gallon that would be between 1380 and 2760 gallons per hour turnover.
what does SPS indicate?
 
C

calvertbill

Guest
Originally Posted by buckster71
SPS =
small polyped stony corals
LPS =
Large polyped stony corals
I needed that.
 
S

swalchemist

Guest
You would be fine with a Tunze Stream model 6101. If you have never seen one in action it's hard to justify the price. Been there and done that but after seeing one in action a few years ago I had to try it. Now I run 2 and a wave box on my 120 reef. You wont be sorry.
 
S

swalchemist

Guest
Yes they are cheaper but again they cannot compare. Will they work? Yes for a while but you will eventually need more flow, if you get something now that will handle that issue you wont be pouring more and more money into powerheads only to arrive at the inevitable conclusion in a year or so. I have been there and can tell you I wasted more money upgrading lights and powerheads than if I would have just saved up and did it all right the first time.
 
dchec2100

dchec2100

Member
Originally Posted by Angler man
Last question on this subject, I checked my GPH and it's only at 1000. I definately need more flow, so I have been checking out the Hydor Koralia's(more my price range). The #4 would give me an additional 1200 GPH. Would it be wiser to buy two smaller ones that would add up to 1200 for different current/flow paths?
Can't go wrong with the Koralia 4... I LOVE mine.
 
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