Flow rates in planted tanks

[mr. bojangsjang]

What is the ideal flow rate for a planted tank? I ask because I see a lot of seahorse planted tanks and seahorses like the flow rating between 2-4X. Do marine planted tanks need a slow flow rate like this?

Also, do you take into account the water displaced by the DSB? (IE pretend a 55 gallon tank with a 6" DSB has about 35 gallons of water after the DSB. Do you measure the flow rating for 35 gallons or 55 gallons?)

 

[Samala]

From the Reefkeeping article:

Because water flow and motion are important, closed-loops, surge devices, dump buckets, powerheads and wave generators all have potential applications in seagrass aquaria. Circulation needs are an area requiring more attention, though I have found 15 - 20x tank volume turnover, with water velocity enough to cause some leaf movement but not to uproot plants, to be sufficient to maintain the four available species. Higher flow rates and velocities may prove in the future to be even better. In fact, some evidence in the literature suggests that fast current promotes longer leaf lengths and more vigorous growth in both manatee and shoal grass.

You want enough turnover to keep nutrients constantly provided to the plants (no dead spots) but not so much that you are blasting the plants around. Macro will come unhooked in many cases if this happens, seagrass will uproot.

I think seagrass/seahorse tanks get along very well. You want high turnover, low velocity. I may have mentioned it before, but you want to spread the output of your pumps over a wide area to decrease the velocity. Spraybars work well for this.

Ah, and I definitely take the DSB into account. So for my 20gallon it becomes a 15gallon and I use 175gph turnover split over a ten inch spraybar. Its enough to keep the leaves moving a bit but wasnt too much for fish or even dwarf seahorses. I think I dialed the pumps down to 150gph for them actually.

>Sarah

 

[mr. bojangsjang]

Thanks again Sarah!