TANK FLOW

[Undertaker]

So I have a NEWLY CYCLED 55 gallon standard tank with a 20 gallon sump i'm running a mag drive 9.5 return pump and 2 850gph hydor power-heads. is this to much flow for soft corals and or lps corals? is this considered low, medium, or high flow?

 

[cromag27 Verified Sponsor]

You're talking about two different types of flow - return pump (turnover) and powerhead pumps.

Tank turnover is typically between 3x - 5x tank volume. some people like more but it's not necessary for all setups. your tank is 55g and your pump is 950 gph. that's about 17x turnover, not factoring head loss.

In-tank flow via powerheads is something you just have to feel out. watch how your corals react. softies and lps aren't at discerning as sps.

 

[roberthu526]

Don't get stuck on flow rate number. Scaling is usually more important than gph. The turnover ratios are all relative. As cromag08 said you need to see how your corals react and then see if you need to make changes.