What coral can best take the flow of the 6000 on a controller?

[ssheipel]

Thought I'd ask the folks who use 'em.

I've got a Tunze 6000 on a controller, goes from about 75% to about 30% (rough estimates based on where the control knobs are set).

It blows diagonally back right to front left on my 4' tank.

A "dead spot" has been created in the way my rock is aquascaped and trajectory of the Stream's flow. The flow has already "stripped" parts of a couple of acros -- one thickish, with lots of polyps and one very branchy with few polyps (sorry the names are at home with my memory...) so I had to move them and frag off the dead bits.

The corals were about 18" to 2 feet from the Stream. Problem is that spot is darn near front and centre on my tank. No rock behind or in front of the spot either (there's a rock bridge) so to have no coral there leaves a "hole."

SO, any coral that will take the constant flow of the 6000 at that distance. btw, another 6 inches away the acros are loving it!

Thanks,

Steve

 

[rvitko]

Most acros will love it. It is an acclimation issue. In the wild this is the sort of flow they would encounter but they have adapted to the low flow in aquaria. Really, most SPS should be fine 6" or more from the pump given time to adapt- either by keeping the flow turned down or slowly moving them toward the pumps over time. A good general rule of thumb is thin branch acros like echinata are low flow, broad or dense bushy acros are high flow.

 

[ssheipel]

Thanks, Roger.

That's what I figured, especially with the "stocky" acro, but the damage was from the flow -- the polyps extend much more now (in less flow) than before and the small deads spots (I removed algae, which is how I noticed the problem) have been re-encrusted.

I'll return the coral to the spot and try your idea of turning the pump down and then gradually over a couple of weeks, turning it back up to see if that helps.

The flow certainly doesn't feel strong on my hand in that spot. It's maybe the lack of variety in the flow -- yes it switches between the two strengths on the controller, but it is still steady; and thus wearing?

Thanks again.

steve

 

[rvitko]

This is not the opinion of an expert on corals, I am just a hobbyist and I know the products I sell but I can only imagine that after corals sit in holding bins, are bagged and shipped, held again, the exposure to little or know flow affects the way they develop and so when they are returned to a more normal flow they have to adapt again but it shouldn't be an issue after they adapt to it I think the static nature could be an issue in other ways but not to kill tissue, it might make the growth lean one way though.

The only other possibility that should be researched is that a coral downstream is putting off a toxin or nematocysts, I have seen this before where all the corals have a dead side within a certain radius of a new coral added and once the upstream coral- usually a leather or acro that puts out lots of toxins and mucus is moved the problem stops. In that case the Stream is helping deliver the poison.

 

[ssheipel]

Hey, very good points, Roger. Gotta go coral poison snooping tonight.

Still very glad I have a Stream in my tank. Great pumps.

Thanks,

Steve