Powerheads

[scottb33]

I have a 75 g tank, currently using an old 2 chamber sump with a 545 g return pump and 2 Tunze 425 gph powerheads, I have no coral as of yet. I just got a metal halide system from a friend for free, and I am about ready to add a few beginner corals to the tank. The 425's are in the back and I'm getting ready to purchase another Tunze powerhead to the right side of the tank, I really like them. The tank has been running for close to a year now and they're working great and silent. My question is will an 1175 gph powerhead be to much or not enough flow for softies?

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

It gives you 15x turnover (1175 / 75 = 15). Its acceptable, personally I think that 20x turnover is a better minimum. Even 20x is on the low side.

To give you some perspective, I have 2 sicce 530 gph's in my 15 gallons softie tank (mushrooms and zoa's). My 40 gallon has 2 gyres plus the return pump.

Corals need flow more than you would believe. Poor flow, or lots of dead flow spots, can lead to all sorts of problems.

Water flow is more important for corals than light. Part 1. Introduction to Gas Exchange

Considerations for water flow are almost always secondary to other decisions made when assembling a reef set up when in fact, water flow is paramount to the health and vitality of a reef system.

reefs.com

 

[Pntbll687]

I have a 75 g tank, currently using an old 2 chamber sump with a 545 g return pump and 2 Tunze 425 gph powerheads, I have no coral as of yet. I just got a metal halide system from a friend for free, and I am about ready to add a few beginner corals to the tank. The 425's are in the back and I'm getting ready to purchase another Tunze powerhead to the right side of the tank, I really like them. The tank has been running for close to a year now and they're working great and silent. My question is will an 1175 gph powerhead be to much or not enough flow for softies?

It depends on the coral, and how you set the powerhead up.

If it's just a single constant speed powerhead, aiming it off the glass so flow bounces around works allot better than pointing it right at coral and blasting them.

Softies can adapt to allot of flow as they grow, just like most coral. That powerhead may be too much now, but in a year it might be perfectly fine.

 

[scottb33]

It gives you 15x turnover (1175 / 75 = 15). Its acceptable, personally I think that 20x turnover is a better minimum. Even 20x is on the low side.

To give you some perspective, I have 2 sicce 530 gph's in my 15 gallons softie tank (mushrooms and zoa's). My 40 gallon has 2 gyres plus the return pump.

Corals need flow more than you would believe. Poor flow, or lots of dead flow spots, can lead to all sorts of problems.

Water flow is more important for corals than light. Part 1. Introduction to Gas Exchange

Considerations for water flow are almost always secondary to other decisions made when assembling a reef set up when in fact, water flow is paramount to the health and vitality of a reef system.

reefs.com

Well with the two 475 gph and the 1175 gph I am thinking that I should be fine, A friend of mine said to buy a digital timer and set it up to go off and on like a pulse, so setting it up to go on 1 minute and off one minute and back on again repeatedly and adding a second 1175 gph with the same set up pointed in different directions creating a gyre of sorts. just a cheaper way to do it. It's an idea I've been floating around