Help control my powerheads

[mdlc805]

I just purchased an eb8 for my apex jr and have 2 rossmont mover 1200 powerheads. There website states they can be on and off in 1 minute intervals. I have a 40 gallon breeder that I'm trying to make sps dominant and I read the random flow is better. My question is how can I set the pumps up to give me the best flow or should I just have them on all the time because it won't make much of a different. Thanks in advance

 

[Waterjockey]

If you just want to cycle them one minute on and one minute off, you can do this with one line for each pump

OSC 000:00/001:00/001:00 Then ON

If you wanted the pumps to alternate (i . e. One on for a minute, then the other one on for a minute, back and forth) then you would use the line above for the first pump, and this line for the second pump

OSC 001:00/001:00/000:00 Then ON

You could also throw odd ball times in there to give you a pseudo-random flow with sometimes one or the other or both pumps on or off. If that interests you, I can give you some options

 

[mdlc805]

Is that better for the corals?

 

[Waterjockey]

Others with more sps experience can chime in, but I believe that more random flow will ensure the boundary layer around them is disturbed more, and help eliminate/reduce any "dead flow" areas.

 

[Waterjockey]

Assuming you are putting the power heads at opposite sides of the tank, try this for starters and see how you like it

Left pump
OSC 000:00/002:00/001:00

Right pump
OSC 001:00/002:00/000:00

Both pumps will run for 2 minutes and be off for one minute
The left pump will start
1 minute later, the right pump will start
1 minute later the left pump will shut off
This gives 1 minute just the left pump, followed by 1 minute of both pumps on, followed by one minute just the right pump on
Rinse and repeat.
This isn't a "random" setup, but would probably be more than enough randomness for your corals when constrained by a min on/off switching cycle