circulation advice needed

orthokardia

orthokardia

New member
I have been shamed again by pickupman about my low flow....stop laughing! I currently have a return from the sump about 800gph split in two and a tunze wavebox. the wavebox gives about a 3/4" wave. so here is the question. what would be better two 1500gph powerheads like the evolution or taam prop superflow or would it be better to go with one tunze 6100 used. both about the same total flow and same price. BTW the tank is mostly SPS 300gal 6'x32"x32"

-thx,
bart
 
Hey man.. dont drag me in on this. that said, after seeing Mel's tank last night, I am going to be saving my pennies for some extra circulation. Maybe a pair of Koralis or Vortec's. I am in the neighborhood of 30X turnover now.
 
Bart longtime no see. If i was you I would add 3000 gph return pump or higher. Bill and I have a reeflo darts for sale. Mine I would like to get 175 for it and some pluming. And for powerhead. Nothing come close to a vortech nothing Now the 2 new mp60 or 3 mp40 would be best for your tank. You can find a used mp40 around $325. Hope I helped
 
orthokardia said:
so 2x does not cut it?
Click to expand...

Not even close:)

The old rule of thumb was around 20 x but that is woefully inadequate for an SPS tank, or soft coral tank for that matter. While the so many times per hour isn't allways a good generalization I would say closer to 50 to 80 would be what to shoot for. I would say that 2 (yes 2) 6100's would be a good place to start but you will likely still need more. I had 2 6100's and a 6080 in my last tank (a 120) plus around 1000 gph from the return and that was about right.

hth, Chris
 
Last edited:
Bart, i would go with powerheads of sorts for the tank. with the rock wall, it would be difficult to do a clean closed loop system, and a dart may be overkill for the sump return. those are rated at 3600 gph!

Dual powerheads would give you a bit more randomized current as you can aim them at each other. I have a feeling I will be looking at Koralis sometime soon and mount them to my overflow boxes.
 
My tank is much smaller at only 34 gallons, however it is mainly SPS and I am sitting just a little over 60x with a Tunze 6025 and 6055 and I am still contemplating a little more =)
 
We currently have only 25X - our new sump will make it 35X. Do we really need to double that? I'm thinking the sand (and my lovely hair algae) will be flying all over the place! :D
 
YAY bart! funny you say that, I ordered a pair of Koralia 4's off ebay this week. hopefully they arrive friday or saturday.
 
no questions about that. i do think my flow was better than i first thought. the wave box has a 620? powerhead at 5000+gph and i added a maxijet mod 2600gph (getto but effective for now). the addition of the 2x1400gph will put me at,
800return+5000 wavebox+2600maxijet+2x1400evolutions=10,800gph or 36x per hour.
long term i am looking for a tunze 6200 or 6300, but that is after christmas and frag swap:)
 
Bart, while i am sure it is rated at 5000gph, I dont think that running on the wavebox it actually accomplishes that. it is bouncing the water around but not necessarily circulating it.
 
SSOOOOO I got my Koralia 4's on Friday. wife said I was crazy putting more in there. I was surprised by the small impeller but big body on them. anyways, I put them on the back wall shadowed by the overflows and slightly angled them out to the front. at 1200 gph each, WOW ! they make waves on the surface, and generate some great currents in the tank. I love the!

did you get yours yet?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

alpburakozbay
Dream of the Ocean
2
Replies
28
Views
2K
T Diddy
T Diddy
H
SOLD ** FS: NEVER USED Custom Reef Aquarium - approx 280 gal, external overflow, still in crate! ** SOLD
Replies
1
Views
682
Hooligan
H
R
Need some advice on flow issues
Replies
0
Views
1K
Regulator23
R
S
detritus outbreak after a year? Coral dying.
Replies
8
Views
1K
Paul B
Paul B
C
Mp40 or Mp60 - need the clubs advice
Replies
10
Views
458
clevername
C
Back
Top