flowww

[Reef Bass]

I recently increased the flow in both my tanks, and my zs and ps definitely look invigorated and generally happier. Probably one of those things you'd only notice if you'd been looking at them every day for years. The longer I reef, the more impressed I become with importance of substantial flow for maintaining healthy corals.

I'd like to be able to quantify the current in a tank, besides saying "lots" or "enough". While there are par meters to measure available light, does anyone know of a hand held flow meter that has a small impeller that could be used at different points in a tank to make objective measurements of flow?

 

[CarltonsReef]

As long as your zoanthids are looking great i wouldn't worry about it. Although the thought of measuring flow is interesting.

 

[Sinclair81]

I have not heard of a hand held flowmeter, I dont think one would work well enough to give you reliable data, due to all the random flow.

 

[Friday Night]

Ken,

Invent one
Make millions
Remember me

:smokin:

 

[Reef Bass]

:lol:

 

[Friday Night]

:lol:

Wont be able to make meeting tonight. But think im going to swing by Grant's on sat. ANYWAYS... What flow are you running at this time in your tank??

 

[KafudaFish]

There are hand helds that are on a rod that you can take measurements in a stream.

The little flywheel with a cup spins, makes a revolution and the display records it.

Then you do some fancy math and you can get flow rates.

The one I used was $2250 but you can get a cheaper student one for around $240.00.

 

[Reef Bass]

Alex, I added a second mp40 to my sps tank and did that little twist / orientation adjustment to the mp20 in my lps tank.

Mike, thanks for relating your experience. I'll see what Google turns up about the student model.

 

[Gamepro_inc]

Interesting thought

I am a nurse and in the medical field we have tools to measure peoples inspiration and expiration. The major one we use measures inspiration so they breath in this wouldnt work for our purposes here however the other may work to measure flow in a round about way it doesnt need to be to techy just a simple tool. :mtool:

 

[Gamepro_inc]

FYI the thing I am refering to is called a peak flow meter. Its used for asthma patients and it measures in L/min with a range of 60-810 L/min

 

[KafudaFish]

Alex, I added a second mp40 to my sps tank and did that little twist / orientation adjustment to the mp20 in my lps tank.

Mike, thanks for relating your experience. I'll see what Google turns up about the student model.

MJP student stream flowmeter
#7107
page 334 of the forestry suppliers inc. catalog

 

[A. Grandis]

Water flow is very important, just like light!!
The measure of flow is NOT so important as the WAY the flow is directed in that particular system!!
So, doesn't matter measure the flow on the spot, but to observe the sessile organisms on the substrate, instead.
Play with your powerheads and try to help them to be happy.

Nice post!

Grandis.

 

[Reef Bass]

Thanks Paul and Mike for your inputs. Yeah Paul I can see the inspirometer being like a flow meter for air. Mike I went to the forestry suppliers website and didn't see that model there, but they did have several others.

And Grandis, I'd have to agree with your comments as well. I was looking for a way to quantify flow objectively, but visual observations can certainly work for the aquarist.

 

[chuckawd]

In my little zoa garden, I an essentially blasting with flow from my monster HOB filter and they love it!! Since I moved the zoas to the garden with the increased flow, they have all grown significantly faster. Now, I'm not sure if that's because there's too much flow and my zoas are fighting for survival but it works for me.

 

[Scopus Tang]

Just picked up two MP10s for my 65, and looking forward to getting them running to increase random flow. Anything you can share from your own experiences?

 

[Reef Bass]

Nice! Two mp10s on a 65 should be sweet. I don't know if the mp10 has the exact same wet side plastic basket shape around the impeller as the mp40. If it does, there should be a section of it which is solid, versus slotted. I found with my mp20 and mp40s that there is somewhat more flow coming out of the wet side in that direction, so for me, aiming those to maximize movement in the middle of the water column helped, instead of scouring a hole in the sandbed on the bottom or splashing water out of the top.

In my sps tank with 2 mp40s, I did not set up a master / slave relationship (emancipation baby!). The downside of the anti-sync master / slave thing is that while one pumps is running, say, in reef crest at a high rate, the other is running low. I'm running each mp40 on its own reef crest, so each pump is doing its own thing without regard to what the other is doing. More flow variation, in my opinion.

Interestingly (and I suppose kudos to Vortech for this), even though I didn't configure the pumps to run together, when I put one in feeding mode, the other enters it as well. Clearly they know about each other.

 

[Scopus Tang]

Nice! Two mp10s on a 65 should be sweet. I don't know if the mp10 has the exact same wet side plastic basket shape around the impeller as the mp40. If it does, there should be a section of it which is solid, versus slotted. I found with my mp20 and mp40s that there is somewhat more flow coming out of the wet side in that direction, so for me, aiming those to maximize movement in the middle of the water column helped, instead of scouring a hole in the sandbed on the bottom or splashing water out of the top.

In my sps tank with 2 mp40s, I did not set up a master / slave relationship (emancipation baby!). The downside of the anti-sync master / slave thing is that while one pumps is running, say, in reef crest at a high rate, the other is running low. I'm running each mp40 on its own reef crest, so each pump is doing its own thing without regard to what the other is doing. More flow variation, in my opinion.

Interestingly (and I suppose kudos to Vortech for this), even though I didn't configure the pumps to run together, when I put one in feeding mode, the other enters it as well. Clearly they know about each other.

Excellent, thank you so much for the info. Looking forwarding to getting these going over the long weekend.