Do I have too much flow?

[FlyingPotato]

I have a 10-gallon standard nano tank. For the first couple of months, I had two 80gph water pumps just to keep water circulating. Now that I am adding corals I plan on upgrading to powerheads. I already have 2 Aquaneat wavemaker, water circulation pumps rated at 480 gph. At first, everything was getting blown everywhere with just one but I added the second pointed right at the first at a slight angle out and it creates a nice random flow throughout the tank. My two clownfish swim normally all over the tank and the sea fans are open all over the rockwork but I am still worried the flow is too strong especially on the rockwork right under the powerheads. I am keeping just LPS and mushrooms. If they are too strong is there a way to lessen the flow so I can still use them?

 

[lapin]

You could try to put a type of foam cover over the powerheads. If its harder for water to get thru this might help slow it down.

 

[PatW]

I have heard of people with SPS corals going bare bottom and having flow of at least 100 times. I have an SPS dominant tank and my flow is about 60 times. I have found that even fish that appear to be poor swimmers don’t seem to be overly bothered by flow. I guess they can swim like fish. Now some corals might not like being right in the blast of a powerhead but other than that, I think you should be OK.

I scuba dive. I have dived in pretty high currents that would calculate out to a flow well in excess of a thousand fold. Even moderate currents produce flows in the hundreds.

 

[Uncle99]

You could half the flow if each was put on a cheap timer, one on for an hour while other is off, then other on, and so on, that brings your turnover down to 50 times.
Good for SPS dominant, might be rough on things like hammers, frogs and torches, however if placed in a non direct area, may do just fine.