Does this look like decent random flow?

exnisstech

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Flow needs to come from both sides and that’s the only thing that jumps out to me in your picture. I have found acros on the ends of tanks don’t do as well, and I suspect it’s because the flow tends to become one sided, if that makes any sense.


This was a response from @underwaterwonders to a question I had about frag growth where the magnetic rack is on one end of the tank and the powerheads are on the back wall. It made perfect sense so I moved the rack to the front. I'm still learning and haven't spent a lot of time on flow and I'm wondering if this looks like decent random flow?

Pardon the rough looking skeleton in the video, Its growing out from this little nub

EDIT: corrected image
PXL_20240320_003740297~2.jpg


 
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underwaterwonders

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I'm still learning and haven't spent a lot of time on flow and I'm wondering if this looks like decent random flow?
Does it stay like this 24/7 or does it go calm at night? We run them without a calm period, but we do switch up schedules briefly to like a nutrient transport or something just to stir up detritus.
 

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I run no calm period but running 2 Sea Sweeps gives me the best random control in my 150.

Only 2 powerheads keep my 60×30×21 system going strong.
I am going to use 1 Sea Sweep in my new ext 112 36×36.
Many people have never even seen or considered them. Only 2 cords in the tank and they run through the sweeps.
In my old 120 I had 6 powerheads to get the right flow. Now I only need 2 in a larger system and 1 will work well in the new 112.
20250808_154447.jpg
 

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So, I took a slightly different approach. I have two powerheads staggered on each side of the tank. They do create a swirling motion in the tank (think whirl pool). But I also added gyre's and some cross-flow powerheads (2) from the back to break things up, When I do this I get a general flow swirling the tank with those being on random pulses and then the breaking from the sides/top gyres. It tends to create a lot of random flow but also have some general flow to it if that makes sense. The only downside I've got is some corals are getting a little too much of the general swirl flow and grow a little towards the direction of the flow but its honestly not that bad. I have been considering sea sweeps as those do add a lot of randomness in all directions, they are just kinda bulky, but so are mp60's.
 
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exnisstech

exnisstech

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Does it stay like this 24/7 or does it go calm at night? We run them without a calm period, but we do switch up schedules briefly to like a nutrient transport or something just to stir up detritus

I cut the MP40s back to 15% all night so my Harlequin shrimp can hunt. He has a spot he hangs out during the day because the flow is too much for him to move around. As soon as the flow reduces he's on the move.
I've always ran reduced flow at night.
EDIT: I have the MP40s set up so almost all of the detritus collects in one corner for easy vacuuming.
 
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exnisstech

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I run no calm period but running 2 Sea Sweeps gives me the best random control in my 150.

Only 2 powerheads keep my 60×30×21 system going strong.
I am going to use 1 Sea Sweep in my new ext 112 36×36.
Many people have never even seen or considered them. Only 2 cords in the tank and they run through the sweeps.
In my old 120 I had 6 powerheads to get the right flow. Now I only need 2 in a larger system and 1 will work well in the new 112.
20250808_154447.jpg
I've been looking at the sea sweeps and may try one if my Mp40s start to fail or if I set up another tank.
 
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