Too much flow?

[sabbath]

I just put two MJmods(1500gph) ph in my 75g. I'm only running one at a time on a wave maker power strip. It is mounted at a 45 deg. angle on both sides of tank about 3" from the top. Is this right? The flow got even stronger any lower or at each other. It is tricky getting the animals out of the blast. It is everywhere. Is this too much in a 75g. I have a mixed reef with mostly softys.

There is also a Mag 7 for the sump.

 

[cinematek]

I am realtively new, but based on everything I have read, it seems like the community as a whole tends to suggest 10-20 times the tank volume per hour for overall circulation. (In your case, 750-1500 gph)

But... If your animals are fighting the current, I would think that's probably not good for them. If you could tone down your mods it might be better for them.

But take my advice with a grain of salt... I'm a newbie.

 

[markandkristen]

for softies i would consider the nano tunze 6025

 

[Aimforever]

The first time I asked this question the response I got (from wwm) really helped put things into perspective, so I thought I'd pass it on.

Think about how rough ocean currents are, and how waves crash on reefs in the wild. Even if your fish are getting physically blown around, they are probably loving it, and nature has designed them to handle it. If anything, strong currents likely help keep them in shape... its hard to argue against being active.

As far as the corals, even SPS, I was told that as long as you aren't tearing tissue, there is nothing to be concerned about. In our hobby, most tanks suffer from a lack of current rather than the other way around. What might seem like a violent current to us pales in comparison to nature.

 

[sabbath]

This morning I noticed that the 1" sand bed is down to the glass all the way across the front. Is this normal with this much flow. I'm under 30 times a hour.

 

[dkh0331]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9651383#post9651383 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sabbath
This morning I noticed that the 1" sand bed is down to the glass all the way across the front. Is this normal with this much flow. I'm under 30 times a hour.

How new is the sand? If it's new, it doesn't have the layer of bacteria that helps keep it in place. You also may want to look at location and flow direction of the PH's.

David

 

[IMAGINEER]

I dont buy the whole 20-30 times thing . I would recommend you tone it down , I had way too much flow and removed a pump and Im perfect right now. Im at a 300 gal with a mag 18 throttled back a tad

 

[GSMguy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9652467#post9652467 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by IMAGINEER
I dont buy the whole 20-30 times thing . I would recommend you tone it down , I had way too much flow and removed a pump and Im perfect right now. Im at a 300 gal with a mag 18 throttled back a tad

um i disagree i think he just neeeds to let the tank settle


FWIW i dont agree with the whole 20x-30x thing either i think it should be higher than 40x

 

[bergzy]

my 180g sps dominated tank has about 40x turnover...and the sps love it...in the tank i have some lps (frogs and hammer) and they do not open that much with such high flow.

my 110g softie tank has a total flow of about 10x turnover and they absolutely LOVE IT!!! in fact, the my frog frag from my main tank opens up twice the size that it did when i had it in the 180g.

'my' softies enjoy the slower flow...and everything appears to be fully opened up and not 'hanging' on for dear life.

in the 110g softie are also two large clams (doing absolutely awesome), 5 scoly's that never opened up like they did in the 180g, my yumas and florida ric's also love it AND i have two large frags of sps in there that give zero signs of 'suffering' with what most people consider to be a low flow.

i thought i would just tell you this to inform you that there are so many way to do the 'right' thing. every system is unique and part of the hobby to to learn and find out the optimum for your system.

to sum up my comments in a less confsuing more straightforward way...

softie tanks 'appear' to enjoy what we consider to be low flow tanks (10x - 20x)...

sps tanks...well, there are a lot of chest thumpers wanting more and more flow...on 'my' sps system, getting anymore flow seems excessive and unnecessary...but, they do need seem to need more flow than a softie/lps tank.

 

[twon8]

if you have the high flow mods, they are closer to 3000 gph; you might want to try an octura prop instead of the dumas

 

[andyjd]

I Just put a MJ mod in a 10G nano

 

[sabbath]

Your right on the new sand.I just set up this tank from an overly stocked 24g cube about a month ago. I only seeded the new sand with a small amount of sand from the old setup.
I was thinking of maybe putting the wave maker on a timer. So the moded mj's are only running for 15mins ever couple of hours.This would give things a break from the storm. Running on mag 7 from the sump at this time only.What do you think of this.
Could look for less pitch in a prop for mj's as well maybe?

 

[RichConley]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9652742#post9652742 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by GSMguy
um i disagree i think he just neeeds to let the tank settle


FWIW i dont agree with the whole 20x-30x thing either i think it should be higher than 40x

Completely agree.


I've got 25x+ in my damn seahorse tank. Theyre doing fine.


Anything less than that and there is absolutely no way to keep things from settling.


Bergsy, corals opening up more is not necessarily a good thing.

 

[sabbath]

Richconley; How do you keep your sand and lighter items from moving...?

 

[gguertin]

I have had this problem as well in the past. No one ever posted a great solution. While the title is about flow I think the problem is more how to direct it without blowing the sand around.

I had the identical thing happen and finally after adding more rock and moving sand around and readjusting pumps I got it to work (I have no idea how)

So many people are for high flow tanks.... How has this not been addressed? Is there a distance to keep the pump away from things in order to stop it from tearing apart the sand? Is it really just as easy as waiting for the sand to seed?

 

[davocean]

Right now I have 25x on my mixed, waiting for tunzes so I can get 40x which is about right to me.
I think it's all about directing flow properly.
I'd try to change props for a more spread out pattern rather than a stream, or bounce off wall or something.
This sounds like you need flow pattern like a koralia, very wide, more dispersed.
There are some sps dudes doing like 60-70x, but I'm guessing they're BB.

 

[gguertin]

Had I known pumps like that werent $500 anymore I prolly wouldnt have drilled my tank! Although I am happy with the closed loop I have now.

Are there other props that people have used and know work with the MJ?

 

[bergzy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9655643#post9655643 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by RichConley
Bergsy, corals opening up more is not necessarily a good thing.

true.

esp if they do not have enough light!

i have noticed much better growth of my transferred frog from my 180g to 110g. when in the 180g high flow...it didnt really open up and there was no increased number of heads...

now, since the transfer in dec 06, i have seen increased polyp expansion along with increased number of heads.

one can say that the two tanks have different parameters...true up to a point...

the only thing that is somewhat different is flow...

both tanks are lit with metal halide and more importantly...very very similar water...

i do a water change from my 180g into my 110g...thus, they share the same water and parameters....not exactly...but very close...

thus, the only thing really different is flow...slower in the softie tank and much higher in the sps dominated tank...

thus, i should have included growth when i said increased polyp extension...with the lower flow...

 

[jmkins]

I'm a member of the high flow school of thought as well. Your sand will eventually settle as it gets colonized. I have a sandbed in my tank with 50x turnover and it got pushed all around at first but settled into a nice natural looking rippled pattern. I had 2 mjmods similar to yours in my tank for awhile and actually thought it wasn't enough turbulent flow, the gph was enough but the flow had to much pressure directed out of a narrow output.

If you've been diving or swimming in deeper ocean waters you gain a newfound respect for the force of currents and undertows.