Water flow???

[jc germ]

Hi all
I have a question about water flow, how do you work out if you have the correct flow in your tank !
And how much flow must you have in your tank if you are a all round coral keeper, soft ,hard, leather ,stony and so on and all the flow differs of the coral .
For example I have a 1500L 3m Tank, what kind of flow should I have, or say how many power heads should I have. At the moment all the coral seems happy and moving around in the flow!
But not sure if my flow is correct, I have a large double head power head behind the overflow, and the one you can see in the pic, and the two spray bars that makes a good flow as well.
Do I need more flow or will this do?
Thanks for the help in advance JC Germ

 

[flower]

Originally Posted by jc germ
http:///forum/post/3271002
Hi all
I have a question about water flow, how do you work out if you have the correct flow in your tank !
And how much flow must you have in your tank if you are a all round coral keeper, soft ,hard, leather ,stony and so on and all the flow differs of the coral .
For example I have a 1500L 3m Tank, what kind of flow should I have, or say how many power heads should I have. At the moment all the coral seems happy and moving around in the flow!
But not sure if my flow is correct, I have a large double head power head behind the overflow, and the one you can see in the pic, and the two spray bars that makes a good flow as well.
Do I need more flow or will this do?
Thanks for the help in advance JC Germ

The purpose of water flow is to create a current like the ocean, it puts oxygen in the dense saltwater and feeds the coral, which depends on the current to bring their food to them and carry away their waste.
The most important thing, is have no dead spots. You usually know real fast if you do..cyano bacteria grows fast.
If your coral is swaying in the current and not being beat to death and flourishing, why fix it if it isn’t broken? You don’t need the same water flow throughout, quiet spots with light current are good for certain corals while some like it turbulent.
If you want to know for sure what areas are turbulent and what areas are quiet…or look for dead spots: Get a stick and tie a thin piece of ribbon on the end and place it in different areas of your tank. If the ribbon goes flat it is a dead spot, rearrange your power heads. You will actually be able to feel a very turbulent area on the stick and the ribbon will also tell you what direction your current is flowing. If it spins around in one spot you have an undertow thing going on and your water isn’t flowing anywhere..Again, just adjust your power heads.

 

[mrdc]

You might want to put your post in the New Hobbyists section in order to reach more members. Though Flower's answer sums it up nicely.

 

[cprdnick]

not that this has ANYTHING to do with the post, but you spent a while talking about a ribbon, and Jc (the poster) has "Blackribbon" as their user title...i just thought that was funny.
On a more serious note, that was a pretty cool tip Flower, i can honestly say I have never seen or heard anyone suggest that. I have DEFINATELY always wondered the exact same thing.

 

[flower]

Originally Posted by cprdnick
http:///forum/post/3271981
not that this has ANYTHING to do with the post, but you spent a while talking about a ribbon, and Jc (the poster) has "Blackribbon" as their user title...i just thought that was funny.
On a more serious note, that was a pretty cool tip Flower, i can honestly say I have never seen or heard anyone suggest that. I have DEFINATELY always wondered the exact same thing.

LOL…Before you know it, you will see a stick with a piece of ribbon on it selling for $10.00 at the LFS.

 

[cprdnick]

Ya better get a patent on that, I bet the stick is already patented.

 

[flower]

Originally Posted by cprdnick
http:///forum/post/3272063
Ya better get a patent on that, I bet the stick is already patented.

LOL...almost 4 years before Koralias hit the market, I was talking to a fellow about attaching a power head with a magnet to hold it in place..asking him if there was some way to seal the magnet and make it safe to use in a saltwater tank. He told me if I found a way to let him know, he wanted one too.
Necessity is the mother of invention. I bet we see a stick with a small plastic ribbon attached on it at the LFS sometime soon.

 

[acrylic51]

Flow inside the tank is not only for the corals benefits.....You must provide them circulation to bring them food and to carry away waste, but water flow is also important to keep the "junk" suspended in the water column so it doesn't have a chance to settle on your LR or anywhere else. With the "junk" suspended in the water column it gives your filtration a chance to remove it from the tank rather then letting it settle and decay.