Optimum flowrate?

[divemonster]

this tank project has been something else! :mad2: if it's not one thing, it's another.

Now we need a new pump. What is the recommended gph flow for a 55g tank setup with Richard's Package?

 

[HowardW]

In my 55g I have 2 Koralia #2s and 2 Koralia #1s along with the skimmer pump.

 

[divemonster]

external pump suggestion

external pump suggestion

oh yeah, we have koralia powerheads and the skimmer pump. It's the return pump that isn't working. From what I've read concerning return pumps, it isn't the size of the wave but the motion of the ocean

 

[docklink]

I've been using a Mag 9.5 for the last 4 years for return (same pump the whole time). Additional circulation in the tank is gained with a Seio.

 

[PaulCom]

You want to turn the tank volume over anywhere from 10 - 30 times an hour, depending on what you plan on putting in there. This turnover rate also includes that added by powerheads - i.e. you do not necessarily have to pump that much through your return.

Corals require flow towards the higher end. Richard's rock comes with a ton of filter feeders which would require good flow throughout the entire tank.

So, for a 55g tank - you want anywhere from 550 gph to 1600 gph. Use the "Head Loss Calculator" on the ReefCentral Home page to determine how much flow you will lose due to your plumbing design. Subtract the flow generated by your powerheads and then size the pump appropriately.

I have a 135g tank. I am using an Iwaki 100 that is pushing through a vertical height of 12 ft and going through a few elbows, unions, ball valves, etc. I also have two Tunze turbelle pumps and a closed loop in the tank running off an Iwaki 30. All in all, I'm probably generating 3300 gph of flow (turning the tank over 24 times an hour).