flow

drewstaxplaya · Nov 15, 2016

so is there any "concrete" gph with this high medium and low flow stuff? i have a 29g bio and all i have is the return pump and a koriallas pumping around 200 gph at the front glass so it blows over my frag rack. im just wondering how much gph in a 29g bc would be considered medium flow and how much is high flow, because my zoas barely move in the current and im not sure if that may be affecting growth. thanks for thenjelp

CodyRVA · Nov 15, 2016

I always go for a happy medium. If you over do it, they will close up and eventually melt. I can't say i've had an issue with too little flow, but the areas where I do have low flow, i just make sure I hit once a week or so with a turkey baster to clear any settled detritus. I've also noticed larger palys seem to handle more flow better than smaller zoas (which makes sense?). Don't forget, they shouldn't really "move" that much; if they're doing good I would let em be. Some zoas/palys are just slow growers too; there are also other variables to consider such as light, nutrients, etc.

As far as a range of flow, it really depends on what your keeping in the tank. An SPS dominate 29g bio will obviously require more flow than say a softie dominate 29g bio.

drewstaxplaya · Nov 15, 2016

its basically all zoas. i got 2 acan frags, 2 wwc shrooms, and 1 small hammer.

CodyRVA · Nov 15, 2016

drewstaxplaya said:
its basically all zoas. i got 2 acan frags, 2 wwc shrooms, and 1 small hammer.

There's really a variety of contributing factors regarding growth. What are your nutrient levels like? Too high or too low; both could cause a stunt in growth. Lighting could need amped up as well, hard to say. Flow is a good place to start, but don't pull your hair out if flow alone doesn't increase the growth rates. You could also try and spot feed, but be mindful of your current nutrient levels, you don't want to cause more problems by over feeding.

drewstaxplaya · Nov 16, 2016

i spot feed a mix of reefroids, rotis and mysis and arctipods once a week.

my levels are:

alk 8
cal 450
mag 1230
salt 1.024
nitrate 30
phosphate .1-.25

my levels are consistant at that level and everything is nice and open, i was just trying to focus on flow because i see some tanks have flow blasting and others with almost none so i wasnt sure if i had enough flow

CodyRVA · Nov 16, 2016

I wouldnt over think it. If they're growing, open, and seem happy then they likely are. My only other recommendations are your MG is a bit low, but softies aren't overly picky. PO4 is a tad high, even though zoas and palys tend to appreciate "dirtier" water, i would be careful.

drewstaxplaya · Nov 17, 2016

i vemt ever get my po4 below .1 even with the help or phosban, idk why. my zoas and everyones happy so i dont really worry about it too much. also no3 is anywhere from 25-50 and theyre pretty happy so i dont worry much about that either. I was just pretty much wondering if I should get another powerhead that circulates at around 400 gallons per hou wondering if I should get another powerhead that circulates at around 400 gph or not.

CodyRVA · Nov 17, 2016

drewstaxplaya said:
i vemt ever get my po4 below .1 even with the help or phosban, idk why. my zoas and everyones happy so i dont really worry about it too much. also no3 is anywhere from 25-50 and theyre pretty happy so i dont worry much about that either. I was just pretty much wondering if I should get another powerhead that circulates at around 400 gallons per hou wondering if I should get another powerhead that circulates at around 400 gph or not.

You can always try, if your polyps close up you can bet it's too much. Additional flow could help in other areas as well. If it's too much at least you'll have a backup.