Best Water Movement for Microfauna

[reeferals]

I was curious as to how water movement systems could be set up to maximize microfauna vitality, especially in smaller systems. It seems to me that any larger fauna would not survive a trip though a pump or wavemaker. Are there any techniques that could help larger species thrive while still delivering adequate water movement?

 

[Reefer40b]

You can use sponges on the pumps to prevent deaths. Over feeding is a way to boost microfauna, just export it correctly, and don't have things in the tank that will eat up the populations. Curious what you plan on doing this for?

 

[AlexG]

Microfauna tend to adapt to their environment in terms of where they settle and populate in an aquarium system. It is surprising just how many organisms will make it through a pump. As an example I seeded my refugium with live rock and reef tank with live sand but the sump tanks, frag tank, and Fish only displays were not directly seeded. Within a month pods started migrating to the rest of the tanks of the system and the only way to get to the fish only tank is through a reeflo hammerhead pushing around 5000gph. When my frag tank was put online it had lower flow an lots of life has settled in this tank including pods, worms, sponges, mysid shrimp. I actually avoid using filter socks and filter sponges in part to not hinder microfauna migrating through the system. I am sure that some of these organisms are lost going through the pump but in part they might become coral food, fish food, or food for the rest of the microfauna in the tank.