Water flow for SPS

[tgrover]

I have new LED lighting and great water conditions so I have started to acquire new SPS.


I need help understanding how much water flow I should be running. Any help would be great.

[chris121277]

I would recommend at least 50X turn over.....but I have seen fantastic looking SPS tanks with turn overs as high as 80-100X

If you have a mixed tank this becomes a little more difficult getting the flow adjusted as to not blast your LPS.

[jostafew]

Wavebox! If your tank is well suited to it (somewhat long, narrow footprint) with prerably a center overlow then a wavebox is an awesome tool for water movement. Supplement with regular methods (power heads, closed loop etc) but that oscillating motion along with the entire water column moving make for a very efficient method of big water movement.

[Lampshade]

A number is hard to give since if you point all your powerheads at a rock then 200x turnover won't be enough. But with the right flow patterns you can do it with 20x. chris's 50x recomendation is a good one, and if you set up your powerheads well you can get very good flow with that much.

I have 20x from my return, and another 40x from powerheads. I have some spots with too much flow, and some that are nice and low for LPS. I'm using kora powerheads, so they're pretty directional, i could replace 2 with a single MP40, and get the same or better results with much less flow.

Try to set it up with a plan for movement, I have my return flowing across the open water in the top of the tank in a coast to coast style, while my powerheads create turbulent flow along the way, by pushing into the coast to coast flow from the bottom up. This is giving great waste removal since everything gets kicked up into my reurn flow, and gives the corals a random flow pattern without buying expensive powerheads. Buying a good powerhead is worth the money and i plan on getting some soon, once my fish budget has built up some more room :P.

[tgrover]

Great advice all around. Sadly I haven't worried too much about so I am a bit clueless. I just bought an MP10w... I have a 36" 75 g tank so it's tall.

When you say 50x. What do you mean? Sorry

[jostafew]

When someone refers to a turnover rate (eg. 50x) they mean 50 times the DT volume, so for your 75g tank you would be shooting for 3750gph total flow rate (including return pump, powerheads etc.)

[fishytime]

think "tidal wave":mrgreen:......50xs+ for sure.....i run close to 100xs

[chris121277]

Great advice all around. Sadly I haven't worried too I just bought an MP10w... I have a 36" 75 g tank so it's tall.



That's a fantastic power head......how ever with a 75 gal I would have went with a little larger one. That being said you could use a few Evo's to make up the extra flow and or add another one latter on.

[BlueTang<3]

I also run over 100's x

[tgrover]

Ok, so with my 75g and let's say 25 g displacement for rock and livestock I have approx 50 gal. So to get to 50x I need to get to 2500gph? I just want to make sure before investing in power heads

[chris121277]

Not sure about everyone else.....but I've never deducted out water displacement for calculating turnover rate. Like jostafew said I'd use 3750 as a base......if not higher

[tgrover]

This could be important. Any advise?

[daniella3d]

I don't know. Technically I should not be able to keep any SPS judging from everybody requirement on flow, but I do keep them successfully and they grow fast too, and I bearely have any flow. I have 2 Koralia Evolution 1050 in my 75 gallons on each side, pointing at each other. There is only a gently flow and some SPS bearely move their polyps, yet everything as been growing steady for almost 2 years now. Birdnest, acropora, pocillopora, montipora etc...all grow well and have great color.

If your water is good and the corals have good plankton and food in the tank to feed on, they will grow even if you don't have the best flow. So it's probably good to have higher flow, but when I tried to put the powerhead more directly at my SPS they retracted their polyps and did not seem to like it.

[tgrover]

So how many GPM would your two pumps produce, any Ideas?

I have had low flow forever and have had great luck with all coral (including 1 birdsnest) so that's why idecided to go down the SPS path. If I could get an idea of your flow that would be great, thanks

[daniella3d]

I don't know but it's very gently flow. Check out my tank video and that will give you an idea. The strongest current is at the top left of the tank where the right side powerhead shoot its flow. Since the left pump has a piece of liverock over it, sort of, it does not shoot a lot of flow on the other side.

Watch at 720p please :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=AvkIATAzV5Q

So how many GPM would your two pumps produce, any Ideas?

I have had low flow forever and have had great luck with all coral (including 1 birdsnest) so that's why idecided to go down the SPS path. If I could get an idea of your flow that would be great, thanks

[tgrover]

Nice! Great tank. Now I'm feeling better about flow.