RobB'z Reef
2500 Club Member
I just bought this dagger katana, gonna take it out tomorrow. How you think the flow is gonna be when I bury this biotch??
KNOW YOUR FLOW: How do you know when you have enough or too much water flow?
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- Thread starter revhtree
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sp1187
bird flu antidote
White Soft Silicone Tubing 1" ID from the pump to 1" Schedule 40 Pipe.
Sound wise, I don't notice any over the air pump for the algae scrubber, the two dehumidifiers AND the white noise in my head from all the years listening to music at excessive volumes and not wearing ear protection when I'm out shooting.
Perfect timing. I have a 35 gallon hexagon...one flow head that is suction cup to wall and continually falls down...looking upgrade but also add a power head for a total of 2. I have a HOB filter that creates down flow. And an HOB protein skimmer that really doesn’t create much flow. I seem to have build up on one side of my tank. What are some good and reasonably priced controllable power heads with magnet position holders?
I use eflux wave makers I really dig the flow control on them and feel they are better made than the Jebao (Ive have issues with conductivity w Jebaos in the past) In fact I just picked up their eflux bundle package. Really great price right now - 2 2100 WMs with controller for $139. They have lower flow bundles for considerably less $.
https://current-usa.com/eflux-aquarium-dual-wave-pump-kit-with-wireless-control/
sp1187
bird flu antidote
I also have the pump sitting on floss/filter pad material. between the pad and the soft tube, they probably diffuse any vibration.
RazorRamon
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I run bare bottom in a super sps dominant tank. the only thing I have that's not sps is 3 zoas and 3 torches. My rule of thumb is every polyp on every Acro should be dancing a bit 90-100% of the time.
H3rm1tCr@b
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I watch for best coral extension and happier fish.
Cencalreefer56
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Is that pvc? I’d use vinyl tubing for your return, it absorbs the vibrations better and I also included a rubber mat under the return pump to silence it
I have a length of flexible tubing connecting my pump to the pvc return pipe
might try some kind of mat under it but dont think it will make a difference as i tried lifting it off the bottom and it didnt make a difference
Cencalreefer56
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Hmmm that’s interesting, what pump are you using? I use an Eheim on mine, typically it’s loud but by doing what I listed it’s nearly silent
I think that the physical flow in a tank ie the flow from the power heads is only 50% of the question. Flow should be thought more 3d and we should consider coral placement to assist in flow. I see some tanks where people place their fav corals because that where they want to see them and cause it looks nice. euphyllia is the prime example. Then they adjust the flow in the tank as that particular coral is not happy to the detriment of the rest of the tank. We obsess about coral placement for lighting requirements but very little thought for flow. I’ve started to read a lot about how corals feed on a reef and where they naturally seem to dwell. Also watch lists of videos of divers and the patterns of movement in different parts of the reef. This is why I don’t think you can have to much flow. Just badly pleased corals. And dead spots are often found in natural reefs and are often utilised by specialised corals to use this dead spot to capture food. I do think you can have the wrong paten of flow. I don’t like tanks that seem to rattle the corals by getting the pumps to resonate to the tanks dimensions. Especially in small tanks just because the owner thinks it’s a wave. I believe a long serge from one pump for 15-30 seconds is more natural to the corals. And alternating the direction say 30% to 80% till noon and the 80% to 30% till evening. And if you have more than 2 alternating those too. Strange growth patterns especially with Millipora (the bane of my life when it comes to glow) can be a sign of to much flow. But again move it and the same amount of flow is fine. I think one of the next advancement in this hobby will be a study of coral placement and the shape it is to capture food in the natural reef. And a monitor like PAR meter to measure flow for the correct placement of coral. And stop us building these ridiculous aquascapes that look good but are no good for the coral.
Just setting up my new reefer 350. Placed my Vortech 40s on both sides (different levels so they are not blowing right at each other). Set it to low while tank cycles. I plan on reading more about the flow offered by Vortech so I knit what I’m doing! I used previous posts on R2R to help but there’s always more to learn.
Water flow is one of the most important aspects of keeping a successful saltwater aquarium reef tank. Which pumps should I use, where should I place the power heads, what's a good flow pattern and so on are very common questions when it comes to flow. But what can we learn about our flow by the "signs" the inhabitants of the aquarium might tell us? What about our substrate or even the algae? What can they teach us?
1. How do you know when you don't have enough flow? What "signs" can you look for?
2. How do you know when you have too much flow? What "signs" can you look for?
gerajn01
Active Member
This topic is a little little.... who am I kidding... VERY frustrating to me. I really don’t know if I have adequate flow. I don’t have $3,000 worth of coral (yet) to tell me if I have good flow or not. So because of my ignorance, I felt it safe to go with the “Icecap 3K” because of the supposed gyro effect it makes. Just not sure if it’s leaving dead spots in my tank.
Kevin Hayward
Active Member
I have the Icecap 3k in my 120 and is about 1/2 of what I need but is a great start. And with another one will be enough flow for my SPS dominant with torch and hammer at the bottom I have a tall tank so it looked good.
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