Water flow in Sump

Glennrf38 · #1 03-15-2008, 03:10 PM

How much current should I be getting in my sump? The reason I am asking this is:

a) The flow in my sump does not move my cheato around at all. It just sits there on the bottom and does nothing. It has hardly grown at all in the YEAR that I have had it. All parameters seem to be fine otherwise.

b) Other systems I have seen seem to have a fair amount of movement.

How much is enough? In the main tank (27X24X24) I have a seio 600 and 1100 for current and the corals and fish seem to like this. The return pump is a "Quiet1" ???? Small pump. I can't remember the model. I was thinking of getting a bigger return pump and maybe a little current pump for the sump>

Thoughts ? Ideas ? Suggestions ? Please let me know if it would help to have more info or pictures.

Thanks

Glenn

mark · #2 03-15-2008, 03:36 PM

I'm putting ~200gph through my 20g refugium. The chaeto doesn't tumble but grows as a mat on the surface and is sort of held up with LR. Lots of grow.

Might try raising it with LR, egg-crating etc, but wondering how's your light?

Glennrf38 · #3 03-15-2008, 03:39 PM

I have a single 24" T5 sunlight in the sump right now. How far away do you have your light and how high is the cheato?

mark · #4 03-15-2008, 04:59 PM

27W 6700K PC about 1.5" abv water.

Glennrf38 · #5 03-15-2008, 05:18 PM

That looks much better than mine. Mine is about the size of a baseball and dark green after a year......

skylord · #6 03-15-2008, 05:26 PM

You could add a small power head to your sump or you could stir it up, move it around and spread it out once or twice a week.

It not growing much is normally a good thing. The more nitrates you have the more it will grow.

I use 28w CF in a clip on light in one area and a 28w PC over another. Both do about the same as far as I can tell.

Scott

Glennrf38 · #7 03-15-2008, 05:46 PM

http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s100/Glennrf38/DSCF02731.jpg

Glennrf38 · #8 03-15-2008, 05:47 PM

mark · #9 03-15-2008, 07:09 PM

Way to far from the surface and not even directly under the light, should adj for both. Light seem high as well.

When I first started with chaeto I just placed between the baffles in my sump in the upflow section.

Glennrf38 · #10 03-15-2008, 07:17 PM

I just put that light in a couple of days ago. It was a clip on spiral florescent sitting on egg crate befor this. Thanks for the advice.