Pair of 6060s on timers

[petergillett]

Hi,

I know the wavemaker question has been asked a million times, and I already know the answer!

I've got a 6060 at each end of a 8ft 180g. The flow has been very good, although the centre section seems a little on the hectic side and some of the flow is a bit laminar. I was thinking of some sort of wave device to break it up a bit.

Obviously the wavemaker on the 6060s is out of the questions. So my choices were:

a. Put the 6060s on alternating 1 hour on/off cycles.
b. Add a couple of powerheads on wavemakers
c. Move stuff round and hope for the best
d. It's all ok (video of circulation for any comments) and I shouldn't do anything!

I would think (b) would provide the best overall solution but I didn't really want the extra visible pumps in the centre of the tank, especially as I have the 6060s hidden.

Option (c) is always hard work!

So, this leaves me with option (a). My main questions are:

1. Would it be of a concern that potentially 4ft of the tank is very low circulation for an hour at a time? I do have p/hs under my rock work, and there is return from my sump. See homepage for schematic.

2. It's been stated that 1hr on/off is ok, but how ok is it? Will it shorten the life of the pumps significantly?

3. I could integrate a "feeding time", ie both pumps happen to be off for 30mins at a fixed time in the day. I've always considered the large flow useful for keeping food in suspension. Won't there be a tendancy for it to just settle on the sand?

Thanks

 

[apprentice]

I'm not sure if this is possible, or the cost, but a 5th option might be to convert them to 6000 or 6100 and get a multicontroller

 

[petergillett]

I'm pretty sure the conversion is out of the question - totally different pump design.

I'm actually thinking about the timers on this schedule:

I don't think the "dead times" will be an issue as I've got 3 powerheads under the rocks pushing 315gal(US)/hour each, and a 900gal/hour return from my sump. Opinions?

Just want to break it up a bit and give everything a rest from the laminar flow.

 

[petergillett]

Ok, gave the timer schedule a go but...

a) just looks tooooo dead at the end of the tank whose pump is off. I could do more overlapping, but the pump is still going to be off for an hour. Pump that is on is probably causing a worse laminar flow due to no turbulance from other pump.

b) concerned about shrimps etc crawling in while the pump is off, only to get macerated when it turns on.

 

[petergillett]

Brought some LR up from my sump for a bit more deflection. Must have taken about 2 hours of adjusting rock and pumps, but I have it running a bit tamer now!

Another idea.... what about if I stuck 2 powerheads in perpendicular to the 2 Streams and had them on a wavemaker so that every 10 secs on so they would alternate and give a blast of jet across the front of the stream to break it up?

My ideal alternative is to see if the LFS will take the two 6060s and replace with two 6000s and a multi-controller. Although the pumps are only a month old, and he may well give me straight refund against the new product, I've ditched the packaging! Plus would need to find another Ã"šÃ‚£250 ($450) for difference in price!

 

[rvitko]

Hi Peter,

I would think you are correct in that the best solution is likely a couple maxijets on a wavemaker in addition. Mainly because you mention the maccerated shrimp which is a definite issue. The timers as long as kept to one hour will necessitate more cleaning than constant use but no other problems.

 

[petergillett]

Going to the LFS to buy more corals (it's the weekly Thursday treat), so I'll see how things are looking when I've done some positioning.

If all fails I'll order an Aquarium Systems Wavemaker and another MaxiJet1200 online. Seems like the cheapest fix!

I had originally intended to put the Maxis in the tank centre facing the Streams, but if you think they will work directly beside them at right angles, this will help hide them considerably and keep the tank tidy!

 

[petergillett]

As it happens it's looking quite random at the mo, but I know it'll change and I'll be frustrated again.

Anyway, to cut a long story short.... I've just been to the LFS and negotiated an "upgrade" from my 2x6060s to a TS24.

As I will have had both the "constant" Streams and the "wave controlled" ones in the same tank by the end of next week, I will post my findings!