Acreagedad
New member
Looking for flow information. How much gph flow should be moving in a tank? In other words, if I have a 180g tank, what amount of circulation is recommended?
Flow guidelines
- Thread starter Acreagedad
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sir_dudeguy
Active member
i would say start at 3600gph. I'd either get a few larger seio's or tunze's. I stay away from maxijets and stuff like that.
madmatt357
New member
You need to turn the water 20x an hour. So 180 x 20=3600 gph
like sir_dudeguy said. Add up all your water flow minus your skimmer. I bought a maxijet at my LFS, but now I am switching to Seio's. I just ordered two Seio 1100's. The Seio is awesome and not as violent as the Maxijet.
like sir_dudeguy said. Add up all your water flow minus your skimmer. I bought a maxijet at my LFS, but now I am switching to Seio's. I just ordered two Seio 1100's. The Seio is awesome and not as violent as the Maxijet.
poppin_fresh
New member
I agree with L and L, for someone to say what your flow should be without knowing what you want to keep is silly.
My 180 only has about 1600 gph right now, but its FOWLR for the moment. I could keep most soft corals and mushrooms with out a problem, but SPS would be a whole different story.
My 180 only has about 1600 gph right now, but its FOWLR for the moment. I could keep most soft corals and mushrooms with out a problem, but SPS would be a whole different story.
Acreagedad
New member
I currently have softies, but I want sps corals and I want to be prepared to give these guys the best chance possible without doing something stupid.
Is the 20x ratio standard based on this information? So if I need 3,600 gph, do I also consider the amount of flow from my return through the sump?
Is the 20x ratio standard based on this information? So if I need 3,600 gph, do I also consider the amount of flow from my return through the sump?
Yes, you do consider your return flow also.
If you could afford it 2 x 6100 on a controller would be awesome (but expensive). I have 1 6100 on my 180 and everything looked a lot better after adding it. I also have a 6060 and a 6025 which I bought before the 6100. Even the soft corals seem to appreciate the more flow. I guess I have about 6100 x turnover which is about 34x.
If you could afford it 2 x 6100 on a controller would be awesome (but expensive). I have 1 6100 on my 180 and everything looked a lot better after adding it. I also have a 6060 and a 6025 which I bought before the 6100. Even the soft corals seem to appreciate the more flow. I guess I have about 6100 x turnover which is about 34x.
Acreagedad
New member
That is awesome, but I'm scared about the extras on the 6100. Maybe I'm reading too much, but you tell me. I think that's the Tunze brand. Do I have to add all of those fancy controllers in the beginning or can I just place the order, plug it in and get things flowing?
Can I do one 6100 to start and then get another one down the road?
Can I do one 6100 to start and then get another one down the road?
iflipsidei
Premium Member
i kinda have a question along these lines that i could use some help on.
Just got my tank and now starting to get into the plumbing and im a lil lost on which pump to buy.
My drain and return holes are both drilled 1 3/4" and if i have ready right with a bulk head it goes down to 1"
any my over flow box has about 14" of overflow
so whats the max gph pump i can get?
Just got my tank and now starting to get into the plumbing and im a lil lost on which pump to buy.
My drain and return holes are both drilled 1 3/4" and if i have ready right with a bulk head it goes down to 1"
any my over flow box has about 14" of overflow
so whats the max gph pump i can get?
Acreagedad
New member
Well, what size is the tank? However, you should start you own thread. I'm trying to finish out this thread and hope my last question gets answered.
lokii_37
New member
You can always start with less and add more down the road
SaltyReefDog
New member
Might be a bit late Acreagedad has not logged in since 11/19/2007. :spin1:
FunInFloridaSun
New member
I personally like to start with my return. Then add additional powerheads from there. For my return I like 10x's the size of my sump. So for a 55g sump I'd get a return pump that would give me around 550gph after head loss. Then add my powerheads to get the rest of the desired flow.
Water movement through the sump and water movement in the tank are tow very different things. The former is accomplished via the main system pump; the latter through in-tank powerheads (or sometimes closed loop pumps).
I'm apparently in the minority is thinking that movement through the sump needs to be much less then generally recommended. As long as the skimmer is being 'fed' adequately and the system is maintaining consistent temperature, I see no reason to invest in a pump for more the twice the tank volume per hour. Far better, to invest $$ (and reduce power consumption) in better powerheads.
I run a pan world 40 on my 90 gallon DT. After manifold, head pressure and plumbing friction, I am getting about 300 gallons per hour through my sump and it is more than enough. Two vortechs in the tank (a 40 and a 10) provide all the flow I need.
PS - I guess the OP is either no longer new to the hobby, or long out
I'm apparently in the minority is thinking that movement through the sump needs to be much less then generally recommended. As long as the skimmer is being 'fed' adequately and the system is maintaining consistent temperature, I see no reason to invest in a pump for more the twice the tank volume per hour. Far better, to invest $$ (and reduce power consumption) in better powerheads.
I run a pan world 40 on my 90 gallon DT. After manifold, head pressure and plumbing friction, I am getting about 300 gallons per hour through my sump and it is more than enough. Two vortechs in the tank (a 40 and a 10) provide all the flow I need.
PS - I guess the OP is either no longer new to the hobby, or long out
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