How much Flow is Too much Flow

[Brucey]

Hi guys, I posted this thread on a UK website but wanted to get your opinions on it as well. I've just ditched all my 6 Maxijet 1200 Powerheads and am opting for Tunze Stream pumps which give a superior flow of water. ie, much more volume but over a far greater head size. I don't even know if you guys have these over in the US.

http://www.reefkeeper.co.uk/acatalog/Stream_Pumps.html

OK, just wondered what everyone’s opinions are on the above topic and how you measure when enough flow is being distributed in your tank. For example, it's impossible to replicate the volume of flow in the natural ocean, but we can reproduce the dynamic effect of water passing over corals polyps, LR, etc. But there has to be an upper limit that starts to have detrimental effects on the tanks inhabitants. The inhabitants themselves and the type of stock you keep directly effecting what is required within your system. Also, how that flow is distributed is very important. For example, you would not want 10,000 lph of flow out of a ½” pipe. Ideally, the flow would come from an outlet equal to the dimensions of your tank, but without complicated surge devices this is near impossible. I think most would agree, and I'm becoming a very quick believer that a wide mouthed Tunze pump is better than a multitude of smaller powerheads. For example, I'm currently moving over from 6xMazijets 1200's to a Tunze Stream 2100. So, how much flow is too much flow. My tank is 710 Liters with 18,500Litres of flow . . . too much. Sometimes I think so and other times I think I need more . . . . . Like to know what other people have in their tanks and what flow they would ultimately like to achieve.

Anyway, hope your all keeping well
Brucey

 

[mps9506]

Brucey,
Have you taken a look at the Tunze wavebox system yet?
My buddy got one on his 180 gallon, this thing is AWESOME. It moves water back and forth in the ENTIRE tank. Water is moving behind the rocks under the rocks everywhere. It just moves the water back and forth though of course, but what this does is puts everything into the water column where his two additional tunze streams puts moves everything around so all the particulates get washed into the overflow and filtered out eventually.
But the polyp response and fish response to the wavebox is awesome.

As far as how much flow is too much. I'm really I believer that it is difficult to have too much flow in a tank. However you can have way to much velocity when water comes shooting out of that maxijet, any corals that grow in front of the nozzle will have its tissue ripped right off. It is also important to get flow in the right place, minimize dead spots that allow detrius to buildup on the live rock and rot. As corals grow you have to modify flow also since as we all now hard corals love flow and will grow right into it, eventually blocking the flow from other corals and even the lower portions of the colony itself.

 

[angnak]

Wave Box This looks very interesting. I currently have a Tunze 6080 and love it, but need something more. Behind the rocks is pretty hard to get to. Does it produce a lot of current or just a nice sweeping motion? Does he have a DSB? I wonder how this would effect one? Do you know his whole setup with these Tunze?

 

[mps9506]

It doesn't produce any flow at all really. It just moves water back and forth, like if you are in the bath tub and start swooshing your hands back and forth, the water gets a rythm and starts pushing back and forth.
It basiclaly moves water in the entire tank back and forth, meaning everything gets some type fo water flow.
You still want to have supplemental water flow to move water to your sump and move water around so it gets filtered.
My neighbor runs the wavebox with one tunze 6100 and a 6200. The wavebox is basically a modded stream pump in a box that runs back and forth sucking water in and out pushing it back and forth. You use the controller box to time it. I think it takes about 45 mins to get it set up to make a wave motion in your tank. It's really cool to see all the fish and polyps rock back and forth.

 

[Tarasco]

Brucey, I don't think that you can get too much flow if your tank inhabitants like it, and you can avoid kicking up your sand bed.

Mike, I saw this on the wave box site: "On account of the wash of the waves, the maximum water level may rise 0.78" and more in aquariums with a length of 59". "

How would you deal with this, by cutting the grooves on the teeth of the overflow lower? Does anyone have a video of this? Seems almost like there's an overflow hazard, with water splashing over the sides.

 

[mps9506]

His is fine in his standard AGA 180.
Only thing I don't like is that when one side rises it causes the overflow on that side of the tank to surge and vice versa. It sounds like a little tidal pool getting filled up every couple of seconds, either plesant to your ears, or just enough sounds do drive you nutty.
You can also overcome any overflow problems by decreasing water level in your tank, by decreasing the flow through your sump (and overflow).
Or by cutting more and wider notches in the overflow like you mentioned.
I would just decrease the flow a bit. Then just increase your closed loop or powerhead flow. There is a video of this, I will find it, and it is a cool aqaurium too

 

[MINIATUS]

Hey brucey I just recieved these Yesterday. Tunze 6060s. I will be running these in a 90 gal. these are not controled by wave makers but can be run on timers. They flow at 1600 gph. These are replacing 2 Mag9s and a few powerheads.

MINIATUS

 

[mps9506]

I didn't want to hijack Brucey's thread with a bunch of wavebox links, so look at this thread:
http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/showthread.php?p=84671#post84671

 

[Cougra]

TOO much flow is when your fish start moving around in circles whether they want to or not, the tank has a votex in the middle and a sand storm blasting away at everything! Another type of too much flow is that if a fish is just swimming along and is suddenly blasted to the other end of the tank and you swear that it just shoke it's body as if wondering "what in the world happened there?"

I guess what I'm saying is keep an eye on the inhabitants, if they are constantly stressed from the amount of water flow you have then you may need to slow it down, if everything in the tank opens up nicely and you don't have water quality issues then you should have enough movement, etc. It's not really known exactly how much water flow/movement you need. Every system is different and animals have different needs when it comes to water flow.