what exactly does 'high flow' mean?

[siropa]

i'm looking for a concrete example of water flow. I was browsing liveaquaria and see 'high flow' listed for lots of SPS. What exactly is considered high flow? being close to a water return or pump output? getting a certain amount of GPH of flow? how would you quantify high or medium flow rates?

 

[TIMMYE]

You try to have a 40x turnove rate in a SPS tank. So take you total GPH divide by tank volume to give you a rough idea. More is better. And with that high flow you want high random flow that is not direct flow. HTH

 

[Justin74]

There is no ground definition as to what "high flow" is. 40x tank turn over is becoming a standard in regards to what sps tanks should strive for. In doing so, you wont but help notice higher flow areas in your tank. Obviously the most highest point is coming out of the powerhead, but this does not mean put your corals in front of it as some can easily peel the tissue off them.

Best bet is too look at a successfull tank housing sps. Note there placement in regards to light and flow. High flow is only relative to the pump that's creating it and the tank that's housing it.

-Justin