recommended flow rate for 40g tank
- Thread starter tomr33
- Start date
This is the sort of question where there is no "one size fits all" kind of answer. A lot will depend on what you plan to keep in the tank.
Through the main filtration system, you want to turn the tank over about 5 to 10 times per hour, so the pump you have is about the minimal size for the tank in question. I would start with that pump and see how it works for you. If it's not enough, you can upgrade it. When upgrading make sure the rest of the system can feed the new pump the amount of water it needs. You don't want the sump running dry or the tank overflowing.
As for circulation inside the tank, you can go lots higher using circulation pumps. Again this will depend on the livestock in the tank.
Through the main filtration system, you want to turn the tank over about 5 to 10 times per hour, so the pump you have is about the minimal size for the tank in question. I would start with that pump and see how it works for you. If it's not enough, you can upgrade it. When upgrading make sure the rest of the system can feed the new pump the amount of water it needs. You don't want the sump running dry or the tank overflowing.
As for circulation inside the tank, you can go lots higher using circulation pumps. Again this will depend on the livestock in the tank.
im probably pushing the limits as far as the live stock and i only have a few corals because most of them have died which is why im looking into getting a larger main filtration pump...it doesnt seem like its doing much...i have 2 425gph circ pumps in my tank...i still have alot of brown dirty stuff on top of my LS and when my 2 circ pumps are pointed down it seems to keep that little area clean but every where else is still dirty and i realized the water doesnt have much movement...when i look at my dads jbj 28g you can tell theres lots of good movement and in mine theres not much at all...and the 2 main pumps that came with his were 266 gph each and mine is 10g more but only about 1 of those pumps equal mine
I like a lot of flow in my tanks but that's a personal choice. Through the filtration system I like to have around 10x tank volume per hour. The rest of my flow comes from some type of in-tank circulation pumps/powerheads. I start my tanks off with a total of 20x turnover (including the filtration pump) and go up from there according to what coral I have. Keep in mind that not all coral like (or can handle) a lot of flow and also it's usually better to have a more random or turbulent flow rather than constant laminar flow. To accomplish this I like to use multiple sources of flow instead of one large one if possible. By having a pair of smaller powerheads in the tank in 2 different areas you'll create turbulence and randomness in your tank. If you really want to get fancy (insert $$$ figures here) you can get a pair of Vortech powerheads that will work in unison to create different types of flow throughout the day.
In regards to "generic" flow guidelines here is basically how I look at it:
Also flow isn't as much of a "Sand Cleaner" as having some portion of your Clean Up Crew to turn over the sand. Granted you really don't want "dead/still" areas in the majority of your tank but IMHO your sand cleaning jobs are handled with your Clean Up Crew. One "Critter" I think every tank should have at least a couple of would be the snail "Nassarius". They stay under the sand during the day (well unless they smell food) and come out at night. When they go under or come out of the sand they really move it around a lot and they are really fun to watch. With their sand activities they do a good job keeping it turned over for you. There are other "Sand Sifting" critters that do nothing but "sift the sand" but they need a well established and mature sandbed as well as a large tank so they don't starve to death in a few months.
Here is a link to one of our sponsors that has GREAT prices for CUC as well as a very informative website for referencing in the future
http://reefcleaners.org/index.php?o...art_category_id=4&categorylayout=0&Itemid=389
In regards to "generic" flow guidelines here is basically how I look at it:
- MIN salt water tank flow 10x tank volume per hour (This is on the low side)
- Reef Tank with Soft coral 15x - 20x tank volume per hour
- Mixed Reef Tank 20x - 30x tank volume per hour
- SPS Reef Tank 30x - water shooting out of the tank LOL
Also flow isn't as much of a "Sand Cleaner" as having some portion of your Clean Up Crew to turn over the sand. Granted you really don't want "dead/still" areas in the majority of your tank but IMHO your sand cleaning jobs are handled with your Clean Up Crew. One "Critter" I think every tank should have at least a couple of would be the snail "Nassarius". They stay under the sand during the day (well unless they smell food) and come out at night. When they go under or come out of the sand they really move it around a lot and they are really fun to watch. With their sand activities they do a good job keeping it turned over for you. There are other "Sand Sifting" critters that do nothing but "sift the sand" but they need a well established and mature sandbed as well as a large tank so they don't starve to death in a few months.
Here is a link to one of our sponsors that has GREAT prices for CUC as well as a very informative website for referencing in the future
http://reefcleaners.org/index.php?o...art_category_id=4&categorylayout=0&Itemid=389