Sps+ flow × flow = growth?

[Coral4coral]

Ok what's some opinions on heavy flow and its affect on sps growth and overall health. wwc puts flow above all else so I want opinions and results of the r2r community

 

[Auquanut]

I noticed better extension and growth when I increased flow for my acros. Some believe you can't have too much flow. I would stress random/chaotic flow for best results. I would definitely put strong, random flow right up there with lighting as far as importance for acros. Some SPS will thrive with less, but it's still important.

 

[Jettareefer223]

I’ve observed over the course of a long while it’s definitely not all about total turn over as it is using flow efficiently. The more sources and random you can make it the more stimulus the coral producing better overall vitality/growth. It’s not necessarily a single source blasting the coral. I’m phasing out all my gyres for jebao’s. Currently on my rimless I run gyre that ramps up and down 0-100% I used have 2 doing this one went out. The I have jebao on 100% fully wave mode pulsing rapidly. As things grown some slower growing corals go choked out, but started growing faster then ever with crazy randomness. That’s the biggest issue long term employing multiple points and randomness some corals that wouldn’t get any decent flow otherwise actually do.

Somethings grow just fine with very minimal flow. Some it’s a random strong flow requirement. Stags and most tables don’t mind hard direct flow growth is definitely best with it and their growth structure isn’t affect by it. Delicate acro like the red dragon like a good amount medium soft indirect. There’s exceptions just generating some good polyp dancing uniformly throughout the whole tank would be the goal.

 

[Hemmdog]

I’ve observed over the course of a long while it’s definitely not all about total turn over as it is using flow efficiently. The more sources and random you can make it the more stimulus the coral producing better overall vitality/growth. It’s not necessarily a single source blasting the coral. I’m phasing out all my gyres for jebao’s. Currently on my rimless I run gyre that ramps up and down 0-100% I used have 2 doing this one went out. The I have jebao on 100% fully wave mode pulsing rapidly. As things grown some slower growing corals go choked out, but started growing faster then ever with crazy randomness. That’s the biggest issue long term employing multiple points and randomness some corals that wouldn’t get any decent flow otherwise actually do.

Somethings grow just fine with very minimal flow. Some it’s a random strong flow requirement. Stags and most tables don’t mind hard direct flow growth isndefinitely best with it and their growth structure affect by it. Delicate acro like the red dragon like a good amount medium soft indirect. There’s exceptions just generating some good polyp dancing uniformly throughout the whole tank would be the goal.

Which jebao’s? I’m not super happy with just my gyres either.

 

[Jettareefer223]

The PP models. One of the smallest ones is replaced xf230 it pushes water all the way to opposing corner of my tank my frags on the rack wobble or gangster lean as it pulses. It can also make a wake lol.

 

[NewbsReef]

I have 1 MP40 on the side of my 40 breeder running reef crest mode and all my sps are fuzzy and happy

 

[Michigan Reefer]

After snorkeling in the ocean I realized I needed more flow. My plan is to have MP40 and MP10 on the sides and two Gyre XF 330s on the back wall vertically facing towards the sides in a 75gallon rimless. You can always turn them down if it they blowing things around too much.

 

[Coral4coral]

After snorkeling in the ocean I realized I needed more flow. My plan is to have MP40 and MP10 on the sides and two Gyre XF 330s on the back wall vertically facing towards the sides in a 75gallon rimless. You can always turn them down if it they blowing things around too much.

Ok that's alot of flow do you have them turned down and how has your tank been since adding all that flow is it sps dominated?

 

[SeaDweller]

I have eductors on my returns, a gyre XF250, and 7 Tunzes on my 240 and I still want more flow. I’ve noticed better health and increased growth with more flow.

 

[Michigan Reefer]

Ok that's alot of flow do you have them turned down and how has your tank been since adding all that flow is it sps dominated?

I've had the MP40 and MP10 on each side changing from 60-80 percent at multiple modes. That was in a reef ready tank where the overflow was in the left hand corner. This tank was mostly SPS dominated with a few LPS on the and sand bed. The new 75gallon rimless i'm about to setup will have the overflow in the middle. My plan was to put the gyres vertical right along that back wall next to the overflow facing outward towards the sides to cover the entire back wall. This tank will be SPS dominated and maybe a bag or 2 of sand. If it becomes too much I can turn down the Vortechs down or even the gyres down, but i like to have the option for tons of flow or low flow at 4 different positions.

 

[2Sunny]

This tank had 2 Tunzes in the back of the tank pointed across from one corner to the other, but they were on a timer set for 6 hours and only ran one at a time. Tank turnover from the recirc pump was low at about 3-4 times volume. In other words high flow is not necessary to grow SPS. High flow helps keep detritus from settling. I believe that is the primary benefit.

My tank today has low flow as well and my corals, although still small are all immensely happy with excellent polyp extension. Today I use a two Tunze Streams on SeaSwirsl and place one Tunze in front and one in the opposite back corner.

 

[Ben Pedersen]

This tank had 2 Tunzes in the back of the tank pointed across from one corner to the other, but they were on a timer set for 6 hours and only ran one at a time. Tank turnover from the recirc pump was low at about 3-4 times volume. In other words high flow is not necessary to grow SPS. High flow helps keep detritus from settling. I believe that is the primary benefit.

My tank today has low flow as well and my corals, although still small are all immensely happy with excellent polyp extension. Today I use a two Tunze Streams on SeaSwirsl and place one Tunze in front and one in the opposite back corner.

Was this tank really yours? If so, I have seen photos of it for years and considered it to be my favorite tank of all times. what happened to it? Truly an amazing layout. Very natural looking!

 

[Graffiti Spot]

2sunny, I love your tanks! Beautiful!

I also love using seaswirls, no powerhead can do what seaswirls provide. All my favorite tanks with perfected growth forms on the acros use seaswirls. The point is to provide random chaotic flow and once it reaches a certain point I don’t think it will provide any more growth, but health maybe can continue to improve? Just a guess from experience.

 

[2Sunny]

Was this tank really yours? If so, I have seen photos of it for years and considered it to be my favorite tank of all times. what happened to it? Truly an amazing layout. Very natural looking!

Yep, that was mine. As with all my setups it eventually became completely overgrown so I had to restart. That's where I am today having just restarted. It usually takes about 2 years to hit it's zenith and then I can maintain that for about a year or so before it starts to get overgrown:
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/2sunnys-240-coral-garden-cube.52704/
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/what-i-learned-after-20-years-k-i-s-s.633632/

 

[Pennywise the Clown]

I have recently started adding sps and have doubled the amount of flow in my tank by adding a 10k lph wave maker.
I'm sure that my small sps collection (1×acro, 2xbirdsnest, forest fire monti, 1xdigi and a monticap) are loving it. Not so sure my lps zoas are feeling the same way.
How do you find a happy balance?

 

[hart24601]

I feel it’s hard to overstate the importance of flow, particularly when dealing with larger tanks that might be 36” deep or more and when SPS colonies get large. It’s not hard in small tanks like my waterbox 100.3 to get good flow, however I still use 3 reef breeder RPMs, MP10, and a tunze wavemaker – I have all 5 of them on timers 30min on/off but randomly set, that gives all sorts of random flow patterns and opposite directions but doesn’t beat up the LPS in the tank.

 

[Graffiti Spot]

I have recently started adding sps and have doubled the amount of flow in my tank by adding a 10k lph wave maker.
I'm sure that my small sps collection (1×acro, 2xbirdsnest, forest fire monti, 1xdigi and a monticap) are loving it. Not so sure my lps zoas are feeling the same way.
How do you find a happy balance?

Get rid of everything but the acros, I like that balance the best :)
Seriously though I had to keep any lps at the bottom corners of the tank to keep them happy when I had a mixed reef.

 

[MARK M. DAVIS]

Great flow. Not direct flow. I have 2 MP40's and 1 gyre in a 50 gallon flat. I have 4 MP40's and 2 gyre's in my 240g. Direct flow is not good but, a lot of flow is great. SPS grows with tighter branching. Great PE.

 

[Coral4coral]

I like all the great feed back and different experiences. I feel as tho giving a tank alot of flow isn't the hard part, but the creating a randomness within the flow especially when it involves the stopping and starting of wave makers wich I'm my opinion puts more wear and tare on them. That being said I've recently been looking into the Neptune waves wich put out a ton of flow and and seem to be very controllable has anyone have any opinion on these vs other brands

 

[jda]

I have never found any appreciable difference between competent flow and more. You absolutely need to have a competent amount, but beyond this is just johnson-measuring, IMO. Flow is third for me behind lights and stability and just above parameter levels/numbers - only because it is SO easy to get a competent amount of flow (just money) and people screw up lights and stability all of the time. It is ahead of parameter levels/numbers because people chase them and do harm and I can also have really good results with middling level parameters if I get lights and stability right.