A couple quick pump questions please.

[chasekwe]

How many GPH should I be running througha tank relative to it's size? And does this statistic change based on the type of tank, FOWLR vs Reef for example?

Also what does the term "head" as it applies to a pump mean? A lot of pumps have a "max head" statistic that I'd like to understand the significance of.

Thanks.

 

[dunham16]

ithink for fowlr it should be about 10x for lps 20x and for sps 30x or more. Head loss on a pump is distance from pump back to tank depending on where your pump is located either under tank or basement.

 

[chasekwe]

Ok thanks a bunch.

One additional question now. If you had a FOWLR tank running at 30x which is what you recommended for SPS will that hurt the FOWLR tank or is it all the better, just not a neccesary expense?

 

[dunham16]

To be honest i am not sure if that would be a problem or not but i don't see why it would be an issue. Hopefully someone with more knowledge on that will chime in and have a better answer. Sorry for the uncertainty but i would rather you get a definitive answer instead of me not being sure.

 

[szwab]

it shouldn't be an issue it will actually help with gas exchange and keeping detritus suspended. Alot also depends on how it is dispersed in the tank. you obviously don't want to have a jet stream going through the tank

 

[Fast Fred]

I would agree with all of the above. 30x in a FOWLR system should be fine. Many, if not most SPS keepers also have fish in their tanks. However, I personnally would not want to pay for the extra electric it would take to run 30x if I only needed 10x.

Head, when talking about pumps is the vertical distance the pump has to lift the water to get it back into your tank. Add to the the 'head loss' of each 90 degree fitting you use. There is a formula for calculating head loss here:

http://www.reefcentral.com/calc/hlc2.php