Help!!flow rate for lps dominated reef tank

[living_waters]

hello lps lovers i have always been a fan of lps and thier beauty i curently have a mixed reef tank but i want to make it a lps dominated reef id like to keep zoos and paly garden in a sectioned off part of the tank but i want to pack with lps and a few sticks of sps here and there but as for those who have had success with lps dominated reefs please chime in with your advice i want to place just one wp25 in for flow plus return pump will this be to much what is your flow rate success?? for example im looking at 30/times the tank turnover rate at the lowest seting for the wp25 will this be to much?? thank you so much in advance!

 

[mfinn]

I have mostly branching lps with some sps in my 50 gallon tank which is 30" x 20" x 20".
I use a pair of Tunze 6055's on a 7095 controller that peak at about 1000 gallons per hour each at different times.
So I have a average of about 35 x turn over

 

[Reef Frog]

Very few LPS need "high" flow. They do need enough so the polyps move about but not strong enough where they are cracking around like bull whips or look like palm trees in a hurricane. Flow in the wild brings food to the polyps, helps the tissue shed external cellular layers, assists cyano & algae from growing around the colonies and helps the symbiotic algae in coral tissue respire.

Zoas can handle variable flow speeds well and you can always be placed in a more sheltered area if needed. LPS that are getting too much flow can be moved to more sheltered areas mid tank and on the bottom where flow is typically more gentle. SPS like acros & birds nest etc are often placed in the top of the tank where light & unimpeded flow is plentiful.

Numeric values of sump to tank turnover aren't that valuable in this case - in tank circulation is what's important. You do need enough turnover however to filter the water however. I find that broad flow propeller pumps, not tightly focused laminar flow pumps, work best for a diverse mix of corals. A variable speed pump on a controller provrammed for higher & slower speeds throughout the day is another way to give your corals what they need. Careful observation will tell you what the corals like best.

 

[living_waters]

Thank you both but the reason I was asking about turn over is because with the wp25 wich gives of a good varible flow on the lowest seting does about 25 times turn over rate so wanted to see what's worked for others and see if 25times would be to much

 

[Art13]

I currently have about 1600-1800 gph flow from two power heads in my 60 gallon that is lps dominated, so roughly we'll say 27 times turnover, and they are just fine. The part i found tricky was directing the flow to make it mostly even throughout the tank, but those two power heads seemed to do it perfect.

 

[living_waters]

Ok cool art13 would you say if you put more flow in your tank would it be to much? Cause I forgot about the flow from my return pump its not alot but still significant amount of flow

 

[Art13]

As i've never used the wp25 i couldn't comment on what its going to look like in your tank, but as for flow, there might be a little wiggle room in what i have but much more and i think they would start closing up, its just enough to give them a waving action. Also, it gives me enough flow at the top to keep the few sps i have happy.

 

[Art13]

I think reef frogs statement hit it on the head on what you want to be looking for, just enough to make them wave, they start blowing in the wind and you won't see as much extension.