H20 Flow Problems...
- Thread starter jay
- Start date
A
Anonymous
Guest
as with all rules of thumb - any short answer would be ineffecient. the "rule" is about 20 but there are a lot of variables, number one being the critters being kept.
deciding on a theme first - then equipment will save you time, money and frustration in the long run
first simple answer: if i were planning a standard mixed reef with zoas, shrooms, and maybe a LPS or two i would shoot for about 20x of sporatic flow
in other words a 200gph HOB and two maxi 900's on a wave timer
second answer: it is my personal opinion that it is really hard to have too much flow in a tank, but very easy to have improper or misdirected flow.
2 other examples:
in a twenty you could easily suppliment your HOB/skimmer/refuge/sump or what ever other periferals you have with a couple high flow pumps like seio 620's moving water behind the rock. a third would be to eliminate the powerheads all together and do a closed loop with a larger pump and spraybars or a scwd
as you can see just with these three options your talking 460gph with the maxis (and half that on a wave timer cause only one runs at a time) or 1240 with the seios and say 500 with a mag 5, all three would be fine, if done correctly but very different in overall flow rate
deciding on a theme first - then equipment will save you time, money and frustration in the long run
first simple answer: if i were planning a standard mixed reef with zoas, shrooms, and maybe a LPS or two i would shoot for about 20x of sporatic flow
in other words a 200gph HOB and two maxi 900's on a wave timer
second answer: it is my personal opinion that it is really hard to have too much flow in a tank, but very easy to have improper or misdirected flow.
2 other examples:
in a twenty you could easily suppliment your HOB/skimmer/refuge/sump or what ever other periferals you have with a couple high flow pumps like seio 620's moving water behind the rock. a third would be to eliminate the powerheads all together and do a closed loop with a larger pump and spraybars or a scwd
as you can see just with these three options your talking 460gph with the maxis (and half that on a wave timer cause only one runs at a time) or 1240 with the seios and say 500 with a mag 5, all three would be fine, if done correctly but very different in overall flow rate
I think John and Dawn covered this pretty well but I would like to add that a flow of about 10 times the tanks volume is a minmum flowrate to look for in a reeftank. I also want to point out that no matter the turnover rate you need enough flow to keep from having stagnant areas in your tank.
IMO, the most flow you can have without upsetting your inhabitants (i.e. direct flow, etc.), the better. Manifolds and closed loops are great ways of doing this. A strong, indirect flow is best... powerheads tend to direct a large flow in a small area. Seio makes powerheads with high flow and high outlet diameter with disperses the flow and makes it less direct. Again, it depends on your inhabitants, but aim for 20x-40x turnover per hour.
HTH,
Jesse
HTH,
Jesse
Thanks for all the advice everyone!
I want to keep my the Hang Ons to a min. I saw a combo devise and wanted to know what everyone thoughts on it were. It has a water pump feature.
Here are the details:
The Ekip Thermopump is a unique 3 in 1 system with one plug: water pump, heater and air diffuser. Integrated circulation pump with adjustable water flow and a venturi oxygenation system. The integrated heating element features electronic temperature control. The Ekip is completely safe and reliable, working both horizontally or vertically and turning itself off in the event it runs dry. Perfect for freshwater, saltwater, turtle or breeding tanks. The Ekip 300 Thermopump is recommended for aquariums between 15 and 30 gallons. Max flow rate is 127 GPH. Heating power is 100 watts.
Picture of the Ekip Thermopump
http://www.bigalsonline.ca/kernel/i...y4=-100_l_EN;key5=-100_l___bigals;key6=-100_l
Pros?
Cons?
I was thinking maybe one of those and two maxi-jets.
Jay
I want to keep my the Hang Ons to a min. I saw a combo devise and wanted to know what everyone thoughts on it were. It has a water pump feature.
Here are the details:
The Ekip Thermopump is a unique 3 in 1 system with one plug: water pump, heater and air diffuser. Integrated circulation pump with adjustable water flow and a venturi oxygenation system. The integrated heating element features electronic temperature control. The Ekip is completely safe and reliable, working both horizontally or vertically and turning itself off in the event it runs dry. Perfect for freshwater, saltwater, turtle or breeding tanks. The Ekip 300 Thermopump is recommended for aquariums between 15 and 30 gallons. Max flow rate is 127 GPH. Heating power is 100 watts.
Picture of the Ekip Thermopump
http://www.bigalsonline.ca/kernel/i...y4=-100_l_EN;key5=-100_l___bigals;key6=-100_l
Pros?
Cons?
I was thinking maybe one of those and two maxi-jets.
Jay