wave maker concern.. opinions/ help needed

[ddckec6972]

Ok i found a

Hsbao W-40 13,000 l/h Wave Maker on the cheap..like 5 bucks cheap.

i also have an extra SUNSUN 1300 GPH Circulation Pump Wave Maker

i have placed the w-40 and the SUN SUN in multiple locations thru out my 100 G tank. and despite where i place them, when the water flows collide they end up making a very WIDE CONCAVE HOLE IN MY SUBSTRATE, they do not clear the sand enough, so that i can see the glass. Thank god, and this action happens over the course of a few days 3 (max). .I have even tried one at a time and the corals at the opposing end, really move around, but the end of the tank that the wave maker is attached, to seems dead, with no water flow. WHAT DO I DO HERE, I dont want my corals beat to death and i dont want dead spots in my tank. do i need to by smaller wave makers 100-200 gph max? i see these large pumps (mp40's and the like) in other peoples tanks, equal in size to mine how are they preventing this concaving action of the water flow problem. i have all GSP, XENIA, ZOAS, CLOVE POLYPS an TRUMPET Frags

 

[ddckec6972]

tank pics

the red line is where i end up with the concave hole in my sand.

 

[ddckec6972]

long term plan is to have a mix tank, of LPS and softies

 

[HBtank]

As someone with two MP40QDs on opposite ends of the tank; yes, the concave in the middle is simply a fact of life if you have sand. I personally have it as a "rubble zone" and eventually covered in zoas. I personally do not care all that much about a pristine/uniform sand bed, and my ultimate goal is always a garden of zoas in this area, so it works for me.

You can look into different flow patterns, such as a gyre (essentially pumps on one side), but that may require stronger/better pumps. That would turn your whole tank into one circular pattern, instead of two with a down-current in the middle.

As for "flow on the ends", the intake into the pumps is the flow and keeps material suspended, with a visual aid you would see it (or simply sand ). Don't think of flow as something you can always "feel", but simply that all parts of the tank are moving with no dead spots.

 

[ddckec6972]

I personally do not care all that much about a pristine/uniform sand bed,

thanks for the advice .i too dont care about the uniform sand either, my fresh waters look like the moons surface, i was primary concerned about to much flow.

 

[HBtank]

You would be surprised what some corals can take in flow; and generally with any pump you avoid having coral directly in front for the first foot or so, and even then some like milliporas or other SPS are fine until you literally peel their flesh off

I find with pumps on opposing ends the bottom/sides end up being good for LPS (keep taller ones like hammers on the sides), zoas, and mushrooms (flow is more mellow and towards the pump as your picture shows), and the middle more turbulent areas are good for SPS.

That ends up matching how most lights shadow as well, and makes for a good mixed tank!

 

[Mknuwet]

I would get a jebao crossflow. I have the cp 55 and I love it. Is better than my gyres imo. Both my gyres broke at the bushing part near the motors. The jebao has been great for me for 8 months and only been cleaned twice