AwesomeThanks guys for keeping this thread somewhat relevant.
I haven't had any time to really get involved with figuring this out as I've had other issues that had much higher priorities.
What I chose to do in my original proposed graphs (below) was to have the master and slave pumps both running at very low speeds during the switch in the tidal direction.
I didn't want to have any period of time where there was no pumps running, so I had the two programs slowly work together to achieve some very low random flow before the switch was made.
If you really wanted a slack tide, the programs could easily be shortened to allow for a period of time with no pumps running.
Thanks for the input.
As a side note, I have been running the same program since I posted in May and I like it; it's not exactly what I'm looking for with this thread, but it's a decent back-and-forth wave.
The corals that are growing are showing nice forms.
And you have to wonder if the fish are affected somehow. My Scribbled Rabbitfish likes to bob with the wave at the top of the tank at night and my Lyretail Anthias have begun to spawn regularly since July.
trouble is nearly everyone goes wrong on this topic. Point One, you only get the to and fro motion in a tidal lagoon as the waves at high water come over the reef and into the lagoon. At low water this does not happen.This is an idea I brought up in my local forum last fall.
There was limited discussion and it fell to the wayside during the holiday season.
The following is copies of my original posts outlining my thoughts and ideas.
Originally Posted by jlanger
https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/lo...mbies-1st-place-tourny-winner.html#post612191
I would like to open up some discussion on trying to mimic the water flow found on the reef in our own aquariums.
This has been on my mind for a while, but I thought I would open it up to the masses for more insight and ideas.
Abstract:
Ever since EcoTech Marine updated their ReefLink to work with their VorTech water pumps, I have wanted to try and create a program to create a more realistic representation of what the water flow is actually like on the reefs.
EcoTech Marine has done their research and have created a couple of modes to simulate what flow is like on the reefs.
I have been doing quite a bit of reading and researching of what actually happens during the cycles of water flow on the reefs.
Having owned and used the VorTech pumps for four years, I have tried various modes and settings. These pumps do create a very nice random flow in my tank; I'm not complaining. But I still have not found what I am looking for.
I think with this discussion and further research, we can find what I am trying to achieve with my water flow.
And in all actuality, there may be no beneficial effect from all of this; just like running static moon lights every night.
Equipment and Methodology:
I currently use four VorTech water pumps on my 120gal; two MP40's and 2 MP10's. Each MP40 is paired with an MP10 which are located on opposite side of the tank. The pairs are run anti-synched; so the MP40 on the right is synch with the MP10 on the left and vice versa.
I primarily run the pumps using the EcoSmart Tidal Swell Mode. The night before I do water changes, I switch to the EcoSmart Nutrient Transport Mode.
Here's EcoTech's specifications about these two modes.
With the EcoSmart Tidal Swell Mode, the flow pattern will shift from an emphasis on chaotic left-to-right flow direction into a right-to-left flow direction, with periods of calm in between – followed by a great surge of flow at the very end of the cycle.
With the EcoSmart Nutrient Transport Mode, water is circulated in two phases – a wave motion to stir up detritus, and a surging motion to move the detritus into your overflow.
Long ago, I asked EcoTech Marine how long the cycles were for each mode.
Each mode cycles in 2-½ hours; the pulses in the NTM are for 45 minutes and the swelling is for 30 minutes each.
So as I have dabbled with the EcoSmart Live program, I was trying to find a way to create the "perfect" program to mimic the water flow on the reef.
I know many people like to ramp down the flow during the overnight hours. And some people even run all through all options during the course of the day.
To find the program I wanted, I knew I had to do more research.
Research and Findings:
I started my research with books that I already owned; Delbeek and Sprung's "The Reef Aquarium" series and "The Encyclopedia of Modern Coral Reefs". I moved on to various reefing webpages on water flow in reef tanks. On a whim, I expanded my search outside of the aquarium hobby and I stumbled on to a couple of books/papers discussing tidal swells. It wasn't until I started reading about tidal ebb and flood that I knew I found what I was looking for.
This hobby has spent a lot of effort discussing (and selling) the importance of the lunar cycle in respect to lighting, but not enough on the effect of water flow.
I should have figured this out earlier.
When I was running the Vertex Illumina LED fixture over my reef system, it had a lunar cycle for the moonlighting that would ramp up/down in conjunction with the actual lunar cycle.
One book was worth looking into is "The Dynamics of Coastal Models"; particularly the Effect of Changing Water Level on Flow Over Reefs.
In a paper directed at bodysurfing, "Ebb and Flood: The Science of Tides" discusses and details the changing flow of our ocean's water during the lunar cycle. The paper exhibited a couple of interesting graphs that more than reinforced that this was what I was trying to figure out for my tank.
This graph shows the tidal differences during the course of each day over one month.
And this graph shows various tides and their respective levels during a 24 hour period.
Based from these last two resources, I am trying to figure out how I can create a program for my water pumps to mimic these findings.
Using the modes that are available with the VorTechs, there must be a way to create the variable flow of a true tidal ebb and flood within the aquarium.
Criteria:
To achieve a more true tidal swell, I feel that the two EcoSmart Modes need to be combined somehow into one program.
I like the effect from the Tidal Swell Mode of changing the direction of the flow from one side to the other.
But I do not like that the cycle only lasts 2-½ hours and that both pumps run simultaneously.
I like the effect from the EcoSmart Nutrient Transport Mode that creates short bursts of flow that ramp up over time.
But I do not like that the anti-synched pump immediately pushes back against that flow.
The ideal program should create a semidiurnal tide (two high tides and two low tides) in a 24 hour period.
My Ideas and Thoughts:
To keep the effect of water surge, the pumps should run in a pulse mode; maintaining the "lovely" swaying motion of the coral's polyps.
When creating the ebb or flood, only run one pair of pumps at a time. Maybe running both pairs just during the peaks and valleys of high/low tide could create more random flow during the changing of the tide.
As the tides change, the ramping up and down of the pump's flow and pulses increase and decrease with the tide.
In looking at the final graph, when the graphed line is at it's steepest, the flow and pulse would be at it's greatest. When the line starts to level out, the flow and pulse are weaker.
If I had the time, I could create a graphic depicting the above ideas to better clarify my thoughts. Maybe later.
Think of it as almost like combining the two EcoTech graphs into one; pulses that ramp up and down over time against each other.
But I'm still struggling on how to create the more dramatic changes with the lunar cycle; as shown in the "January 2014" graph.
The water flow and pulses would be more dramatic during the new and full moon cycles, and more stable during the half moon phases.
The EcoSmart Live, as far as I now, only works on a daily cycle; not a monthly cycle.
I'm not sure if I had the pumps controlled through a secondary controller, like an Apex, that I might be able to create a monthly cycle.
Discussion:
So after reading through all of this…
Does anyone have any additional thoughts about trying to create a tidal/lunar cycle with the VorTech water pumps?
As I wrote all of this out, many things fell into place for me concerning what I was looking for.
It's just trying to figure out the specific and getting it to work that is still open for discussion.
As like I stated earlier, none of this may have any effect on such a small system.
Thanks for reading.
Thanks for any input.
And this was my second response trying to visual explain my thoughts for a EcoSmart program mimicking tidal flow.
Originally Posted by jlanger
https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/wt...-colony-pack-steal-post612210.html#post612210
Anyways, here's a quick illustration trying to explain my late night ramblings.
So over a 24 hour period, there will be two cycles by each pair of pumps.
It is hard to tell in this smaller graphic but as the pulses get stronger, they also get longer.
Overlapping the two pumps for a brief time will create the random flow of whirlpools and eddies created during the tidal switch.
So the trick to simulate the lunar cycle would be to change the Max% of the pumps over 28 days.
During the full/new moon phase, the Max% would be greatest; say 80%
And during the half moon phases, the Max% would only be about 40%.
In my illustration above, the orange and blue graphs depict the power and duration of the Vortech pump. The Blue line graph depicts the time and height of the daily tide.
As the tide rushes in/out, I feel the Vortech pumps would run at the set maximum setting for that day. When the tides reach high/low tide, the pumps run at their lowest setting as the water flow begins to transition the other direction.
I have recently synched my Vortech pumps with my Apex WXM Module and Controller, so I may try to figure out a way to achieve something similar to this using the already existing EcoSmart Modes.
I am trying to think if there is a way to use the Seasonal Modes to incorporate the rising/falling maximum settings that correlate with the lunar cycle.
If Ecotech Marine would like to take this into consideration for a new EcoSmart Mode, I would be glad to assist in any way needed.
Thanks for reading through all of this.
And any additional thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
. Is he in r2r ?
