You need to orient it upward because of the water aeration, not really for the ripples. Also the ripples help to slow down the heating of your tank via the lighting, especialy if you have metal halide. It also help the dissipate the rays of light on some corals that might not get enough light as the rays bounce everywhere. Without enough ripple the light will enter directly and the shadow areas will remain in the shadow without any bouncing of the light.
So there are many advantages of orienting a pump upward and creating ripples, the main being oxygene but also light distribution in dark zones.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cathyg_99
hi i was just wondering if i really need to point on of my powerheads up so there is a ripple on the water, the water moves everywhere in my tank (you can see items move back and forth) but do i really need to have one pointed up when i have a corner overflow that airates the water (you can see little bubbles everywhere then it falls to the sump)
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