Flow: how important is it?

I try to give as much flow as I can without loss of polyp extension and my clams mantle folding over. I try several times a week to turn my flow all the way up to stir up detritus. I run two mp-10s upwards of 100% and my m1 vectra around 75%. 36in long tank 65 gallon volume.
 
I use a gyre 130 , 2 tunze 6055 ,1 rw4 and a seaswirl connected to my vectra m1 for my 30 in x 30 in tank but still feel it's not enough .
30 in deep tank is so difficult to manage with flow and light

Regards,
Abhishek
 
I use a lot of flow in my 3' cube too, still detritus gets cought on rocks and in colonies. I can't get more because water will fly out of the tank. Unless I put pumps on constant mode but that I not good, random modes on powerheads are what allow me to use so many powerheads. Fish love the good flow and so do the corals.
In my 3' cube (24" tall) I use two mp40s and two mp60s. 40s are at 100 percent and 60s are at about 80 percent.
 
Piper27 said:
I use a lot of flow in my 3' cube too, still detritus gets cought on rocks and in colonies. I can't get more because water will fly out of the tank. Unless I put pumps on constant mode but that I not good, random modes on powerheads are what allow me to use so many powerheads. Fish love the good flow and so do the corals.
In my 3' cube (24" tall) I use two mp40s and two mp60s. 40s are at 100 percent and 60s are at about 80 percent.
Click to expand...

Wow!! Thats amazing flow . You make me feel that I should definitely get another gyre :(

Regards,
Abhishek
 
Chicagoreef2016 said:
These cubes reflect water around like boomerangs. Moving up the flow for the SPS puts my duncan hiding. Or my nepthea thrashing around everywhere.
Click to expand...

I know what you mean. I've got a PP-4 pointing across the top of the tank from one back corner, and two returns pushing 700 gph total across towards the front corner from the other back corner. The flow seems strong and unidirectional anywhere near the front pane and the flow is directed downwards and towards the back of the tank at sand bed level.

I'm curious how your rw-8's are positioned. I've got a similar sized tank and am very curious.
 
jda said:
I have a OG Tunze Wavebox (the smaller one)... and one where I made a box out of Acrylic with a Tunze Pump and Tunze Wave Controller.

They are not the same thing as a flow pump on "wave" mode. ...not even close to the same affect (or is it effect?).

.
Click to expand...

Does this method prevent detritus settling in large colonies? :confused:
 
Yes, a wavebox can help keep the colonies clean. You can watch it move the polyps on the inside of the colony at the bottom. It also gets behind the rocks and in the nooks and crannies. However, if you don't blow the debris away with at least a few flow pumps, it will just move to the bottom in the back/forth motion instead of heading to the overflow. I use a pair of 6100s along with a wavebox on my standard 240 and it is more than enough flow.

I think that some of the flow posts are just a way of measuring manhood... there are posts on here with pumps that are not even remotely necessary.
 
The big pumps are quite necessary to some who might have a very high bio load and need to prevent detritus from collecting in corals. I want growth to be thick and clustered on each acro as well and powerful random flow is definatly needed to prevent thin skinny twisty branches. If I had half the amount of pumps I do my tank would be covered in some nasty stuff as well. If I had room for a wave of I would give one a shot though.
 
Jda, which tank has pumps that are not remotely necessary? If we don't talk about stuff like this we won't learn from each other.
 
yeah i am having problems positioning my powerheads without creating multiple bare sand spots. In a 180 gallon standard tank, all SPS

Right now the spot I have them in may be the sweet spot, just have to play with the modes but it is a gyre 150 in the top middle of each side of the tank both are at 100% when the left one is in pulsing mood and the right one is in constant mood. Just these two would create a big bare sand spot in the middle bottom of my tank. I moved my 2 PP15s to the bottom front corner or each side pointing up to try to deflect the movement back up or to the sides and it seems like this is working. It has only been 4 hours, obviously it will take a lot longer to see if the sand stays in place but this has been the best flow I have had without moving sand everywhere.
 
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