Flow for a 72g?

[Drue]

I'm not sure what to buy to get everything flowing right in my 72g bow front. Do I need a controller? Right now the only flow I have is coming from my sump return.

 

[poppin_fresh]

It really depends on what you wish to keep. A 6000 or a couple 6025s would be good for FOWLR or soft coral tanks like mine. For SPS you would be better off with a few 6045s or a couple 6000s and a controller. It will be tough to controll the possible sand storm, so bare bottom might be a good choice.

I bet Roger has some ideas too. He knows his products really well.

 

[Drue]

A couple of 6000s? Man, I was hoping a 6000 and a controller would be enough.

And about those sandstorms, I love the look of the sand too much to let it go. It's just so damn pretty.

 

[poppin_fresh]

I had a 6000 on a controller on my 72 and it worked very well. Now I have 2-6025s which I like better because of their size. I'm just not sure if the 6K would be enough for SPS, but then again I dont keep any. The nice thing is that you can add another 6K to the controller at any time down the road.

I know how you feel about sand... I dont like bare bottoms either... unless they're on hot models!

 

[rvitko]

What type of corals do you plan to keep and what size sand are you using?

 

[Drue]

I'm pretty coral crazy. I plan to keep as many types as I can.

For sand, I have an inch of aragalife or whatever that brand is.

 

[rvitko]

If your focus will be SPS 2 6000's will be the way to go, but if your focus will be LPS, one 6000 or 2 6045 or 6055 will work better. The 2 6000's will definitely disturb the sand bed until it becomes more settled and the pumps are positioned to minimize the distturbance.

 

[MJAnderson]

Bummer. I have a 72 with SPS and I'm going with 2 6055s and a controller. Hope that's enough because they are already pre-ordered.

 

[rvitko]

The 6055's are fine but the 6000 is my preference as it is just a bit stronger and it can be bumped up to a 6100 for not much money so if the acros get really dense and you need more flow an upgrade option exists. Acro's tend to get quite large and obstruct flow so more is generally needed as time goes on.