whats your flow?

[mortis13]

hey folks,
i`m trying to workout what amount of flow plus turnover per gal, is there a rule? a guess?
the tank will be 7ft x 30in x 30in, and im thinking of pillars for the stonework.
what kind of flow is moderate? what is strong?
so far i have 1500gal return and 3000 internal, am i warm?
any help would be appreciated, cheers.

 

[swjim]

It really depends on what you plan to keep. Assuming you're really getting 1500 gph on your return after accounting for head pressure, you'll be at just under 14x turnover. That's low for an SPS tank but might work fine for softies and some LPS.

 

[sdietz2469]

i think about 50-100 times/hour turn over rate are what is needed for sps..... but if you run a bare bottom, why not run 200 times/hour.... the more the better as then detrius doesnt have time to form on the bottom and the rocks...
shane

 

[luntiz]

I have 10,000 gph in circulation going on in my 150 BB, and I still don't think its enough! Given 6000 gph of it isn't a constant laminar flow.

 

[stanlalee]

70x for my 30g (sure flow maxijet kit with maxijet 400=1400gph+koralia 1=400gph+600gph return pump=approx 300gph after headloss=30g/2100=70x turnover). so far just a few LPS (trumpet, acan, pagoda cup) and zoa but SPS are next.

 

[mortis13]

ok, thats alot more than i was thinking. doesnt it look like a washing machine? how do the fish deal with that kind of turbulence?

 

[sassafrass]

Your tank will be aprox 324 gals I have a 150 10,000 gals per hr flow . The fish love it they swim right into it ,my tang and rabbit fish pick algea off of my hydor-korellia front guard that is pushing 1200 gals per hr. Without a lot of flow fish poop will settle and rot creating many problems

 

[J.russell]

I only have about 15x turn over. Including my CL and my return pump. I was hoping to be able to keep some SPS's but thats prob. out of the question huh?

 

[mortis13]

ok, i have to increase the water movement inside the tank, but does 1500gal through the sump seem ok?

 

[luntiz]

1500g through the sump should be okay

 

[mortis13]

cool, thanks.
now i guess its closed loops.
i would like to have many different zoanthids which i have read need medium flow, medium flow? what is medium?

 

[luntiz]

I consider medium flow as flow that makes them shift right to left, left to right and so on ever so slightly, definately don't have your powerheads point straight at them. Heh, its a bit hard to explain, sorry.

 

[sassafrass]

I woulod say medium flow is 25x to 30x and bounce the flow off the tank walls or even the surface you can also direct 2 outputs so they are pointing directly at each other and that will help randomize it. As long as your sand isn't being blown around and your fish aren't pinned against the glass everything is fine

 

[mortis13]

that sounds ok, 2 CL`s with 1 intake and 2 outputs each, plus the sump returns and i have some of those powerheads that the return sweeps from side to side.