ReefNutsThailand
Active Member
Hi everyone,
I recently rebuilt the aquascape in my 18" cube reef and I'm now re-evaluating the flow throughout the tank.
Current setup:
18" cube, bare bottom
Dual return nozzles
Maxspect Jump GF2K Gyre (right side)
Jebao MOW-9 (rear glass)
The new rockwork is much more open than before, and overall circulation seems better. However, I'm still finding fine detritus settling on the bottom in some areas instead of staying suspended long enough to reach the overflow and filter floss.
I'm beginning to wonder if the interaction between the Gyre and the MOW is actually reducing flow efficiency near the bottom. While they create plenty of random movement in the water column, I'm not sure they're generating enough effective flow to keep detritus suspended.
As an experiment, I'm planning to turn off the Gyre for about a week and run only the MOW (keeping the return nozzles unchanged) to see how the tank responds.
I'm also considering these options for the long term:
1. Keep the current Gyre + MOW setup.
2. Replace the Gyre with a second MOW and run them as a Master/Slave pair.
3. Keep just a single MOW.
I'd really appreciate hearing from anyone who has experience designing flow for small cube reefs, especially if you've switched from a Gyre to propeller pumps (or the other way around).
I'll attach front, top, and rear photos of the tank so you can see the aquascape and pump placement.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions!
I recently rebuilt the aquascape in my 18" cube reef and I'm now re-evaluating the flow throughout the tank.
Current setup:
18" cube, bare bottom
Dual return nozzles
Maxspect Jump GF2K Gyre (right side)
Jebao MOW-9 (rear glass)
The new rockwork is much more open than before, and overall circulation seems better. However, I'm still finding fine detritus settling on the bottom in some areas instead of staying suspended long enough to reach the overflow and filter floss.
I'm beginning to wonder if the interaction between the Gyre and the MOW is actually reducing flow efficiency near the bottom. While they create plenty of random movement in the water column, I'm not sure they're generating enough effective flow to keep detritus suspended.
As an experiment, I'm planning to turn off the Gyre for about a week and run only the MOW (keeping the return nozzles unchanged) to see how the tank responds.
I'm also considering these options for the long term:
1. Keep the current Gyre + MOW setup.
2. Replace the Gyre with a second MOW and run them as a Master/Slave pair.
3. Keep just a single MOW.
I'd really appreciate hearing from anyone who has experience designing flow for small cube reefs, especially if you've switched from a Gyre to propeller pumps (or the other way around).
I'll attach front, top, and rear photos of the tank so you can see the aquascape and pump placement.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions!
