How much flow for sps?????

[rholguin]

I have a 29g tank I keep mainly acros. My question is if I have enough flow. I 2 powersweep powerheads one in each back corner of the tank that push 125gph. I have a penguin 350 filter and a typhoon hob skimmer. Is this enough or do I need more?

 

[acrodave]

I have a 25 gal and i run a seio 620 and maxijets 900 and 1200. most people strive for about 40-50x's flow rate.

 

[ReefRockerLive]

Your barely hitting the 9x turnover mark which IMO is not even enough for soft corals. Replace the powersweeps for either 2 Tunze Nano Streams or 2 Hydor Koralia Threes. The powersweeps tend to stall under saltwater causing the moving head to stop working. I'd recommend trying to hit at least the 50x turnover mark.

 

[teen]

im running 96x flow in my 30 gallon. id try to get at least 45-50x.

 

[acrodave]

turnover is what goes through the filter. flow rate is the return and power heads

 

[teen]

fixed

 

[rholguin]

If I were to go with the Koralia where is the best place to place them?

 

[kysard1]

50x minimum? People have been keeping SPS at 20x for years

 

[spooda420]

I have 56x turn over in my 120g tank. Im thinking to add one more Tunze

 

[30reef]

In my 30 cube, I use 2 Koralia 4's plus what little comes out of the sump return. This sometimes seems to not be enough as I have some dead spots . I am contemplating using 2 6100's on a controller but havn't decided. Closed loop with an Ocean Motion is also an option.

The health of my SPS have improved considerably since adding the Koralias. I previously used #3's which weren't enough. I could easily use 50% more flow without tissue damage. In a small cube, the flow breaks up easily so more initial flow is required.

 

[rholguin]

If I were to keep my powersweeps and add two nano hydro koralias will that be enough or am I still under??

 

[30reef]

The Hydor nanos are not very strong at all. A Koralia #1 or 2 isn't either. A big factor to think about when choosing internal circulation devices is heat. A couple of powerheads heat the water more than you would think. That's why the Tunze nanos work so well, they use very little electricity compared to their output.

 

[rholguin]

30reef- So do you suggest I drop the 2 powersweeps and get 2 koralias #3's or #4's? The reason for sticking with koralias is that I can get them locally.

 

[teen]

get 2 #4s if thats all thats available to you. if you want to order online, go for the tunze. im runnig 2 tunze nanostreams in my 30. there both modded, ones pushing 1000gph, the other about 700.

 

[rholguin]

Thanks for all the advice guys I really appreciated

 

[stony_corals]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11092237#post11092237 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kysard1
50x minimum? People have been keeping SPS at 20x for years

Exactly, turnover is such a poor measure....

Picture the upper reef slopes, reef edge, and reef crest - this is where many acros come from. They should have a lot of random flow... how much no good one answer. Yours sounds quite skimpy though.

 

[30reef]

Make sure you have the room for a couple of #3 or 4's. I don't mind them in my tank but that's just me. They do take up alot of room. If space is at a premium in your tank, you might want to consider the Tunze nanos due to their small size. I suggest that you look at all of your options and make a decision based on what you want. All of the propeller pumps do the same thing, some just have a few more bells and whistles. Personally, I went with the Koralias because I got tired of waiting for the 6055's to arrive. It had nothing to do with price.

Back to your original question of whether or not you have adequate flow, that really depends on what your corals are looking like. In my tank, every time I add more flow, I see positive results. I think most stony keepers would agree.

 

[rholguin]

Just out of curosity; do the powerheads need to be on 24-7 i mean its not like the natural reefs have strong currents all day long. Currents usually die down during the night. So do our corals in our tanks need strong current all day? Just a question.

 

[teen]

they still need a good amount of current at night IMO, but i shut off my 700gph tunze nano stream at night. that means there is still a seio pushing over 800gph, and another nano stream pushing 1000gph.

you wouldnt want to just leave say one powerhead on over night.

 

[roberts722]

as much as the tank can handle without water spilling over the sides onto the floor