How to figure out right flow

[Victory652]

I have a 55gal long tank, all types of coral. Right now mainly softies(Zoas) and trying some sps(birds nest) and Lps (blueberry leptastrea). It seems my Stony corals are having some issues and are not to happy.

I don't think i ever thought about how powerful my wavemaker we're until I saw someone on R2R mention it. Just looking for what is considered high,medium, and low flow. How should one properly point wavemakers and figure out if the flow is good.

 

[Reefing102]

I’m honestly not sure if there’s a proper way. I know some people look at turn over rate vs gph and also general location. Me I put my stronger power heads up top and lower power ones lower and in the back for flow behind live rock.

That said, I have a 65 gallon tank with close to 40x turnover mixed reef. Things get blown around but the key for me is to see if any are stressed. Since you indicated your stony corals aren’t happy, is there anything in particular that they are doing? I know most LPS is generally low-medium flow and most SPS is high flow

 

[Victory652]

I’m honestly not sure if there’s a proper way. I know some people look at turn over rate vs gph and also general location. Me I put my stronger power heads up top and lower power ones lower and in the back for flow behind live rock.

That said, I have a 65 gallon tank with close to 40x turnover mixed reef. Things get blown around but the key for me is to see if any are stressed. Since you indicated your stony corals aren’t happy, is there anything in particular that they are doing? I know most LPS is generally low-medium flow and most SPS is high flow

They are starting to bleach. My parameters seem good. Although my mag and calc is a bit high. I figured since those were high adding sps would naturally use it up. I do 20% weekly WC with RO water I get from lfs. I do not currently dose anything as everything seems to stick around the same parameters. I only have 3 fish. 2clowns and a hawk fish. About 11 Zoas, 1 bird's-nest, 1 blueberry latastrea. Currently going through gha outbreak. (Ugly stage). 2 Kessil tuna blue lights and 1 ecotech marine light (fan in the middle) all lights are 4-6 in above water. Hob filter.

Parameters:
Temp: 75° f
Salinity: 1.026
PH: 7.8
Ammonia:0
Nitrites: 0
Nitrates: 5-10
Mag: 2250
Calc: 650
All: 9.8

 

[Reefing102]

Do you know your phosphate?

My best guess is those CA and MG figures are very high and PH is a little low and the coral likely isn’t used to it. What test kits are you using?

 

[mdb_talon]

I would double check your numbers with different methods(including salinity). To have calc/mg/alk all that high dont seem right at all if salinity is 1.026.

As for the stony corals naturally bringing those numbers doen it would take a LONG time. A couple frags will not really make any noticeable change unless it a tiny tank.

Flow is so kuch harder to give advice on though. Unless you have wavemakers pointed directly at them close range i doubt that is the issue(too much flow that is).

 

[Victory652]

Do you know your phosphate?

My best guess is those CA and MG figures are very high and PH is a little low and the coral likely isn’t used to it. What test kits are you using?

I do not know my phosphates. I use RedSea kits. Thinking of switching out for some salifert? Test kits.

 

[Reefing102]

Last I knew Red Sea kits were pretty good (could be wrong though). I use salifert. I know many use Hanna. Mdb did bring up a good point. Is you salinity measured with a hydrometer or refractometer?

 

[PeterC99]

I do not know my phosphates. I use RedSea kits. Thinking of switching out for some salifert? Test kits.

A quick increase/decrease in phosphates could be the issue. Important parameter to track. Not going to know if it’s the issue until you start testing regularly

Usually the problem is the thing not monitored.

 

[Victory652]

I would double check your numbers with different methods(including salinity). To have calc/mg/alk all that high dont seem right at all if salinity is 1.026.

As for the stony corals naturally bringing those numbers doen it would take a LONG time. A couple frags will not really make any noticeable change unless it a tiny tank.

Flow is so kuch harder to give advice on though. Unless you have wavemakers pointed directly at them close range i doubt that is the issue(too much flow that is).

I'm concerned on to little flow to be precise. My wavemakers are rated at 800GPH. I just don't understand what is considered high,medium, or low flow. What number range is used to determine flow?

 

[Victory652]

Last I knew Red Sea kits were pretty good (could be wrong though). I use salifert. I know many use Hanna. Mdb did bring up a good point. Is you salinity measured with a hydrometer or refractometer?

I use both

 

[t5Nitro]

I run about 80x turnover in my tank, but the powerheads are all up top. Sps love it in the top and middle tank and I've got softies and lps on the bottom.

 

[Kayanarka]

I'm concerned on to little flow to be precise. My wavemakers are rated at 800GPH. I just don't understand what is considered high,medium, or low flow. What number range is used to determine flow?

I have been trying to get a straight answer to this question since I joined this forum 2 months ago. It seems like people are reluctant to share actual settings. I have 2 x 4k Icecap Gyre pumps. I will post some screen shots of where I have things set right now. I have no clue if it is correct, but it kind of seems like our torches are pleased, and we give them a lot of priority.

I bought a reef octo pulse 2 to add some flow to the back of the tank, and it seemed like it was just way over powered, I thought it was going to rip the corals right off of their skeletons at the lowest setting. It made me wonder if I have flow in my tank way way to low. I was afraid to leave it in so I moved it to my fish only tank for now, and turn it on from time to time to clear off the detritus on the bottom of my tank.

So I wish I could help, but I still need the same question answered, and I wish I could get people to share their flow settings and coral positioning.

It would be a lot of pictures to post every detail of every schedule, but these few should give you some idea of where I am. But again, I could be totally wrong with my settings.

This is the output setting, both pumps are set exactly the same for output.

This is the upper half of my schedule. The bottom half is all sine wave and just fills in the long gaps. The descriptions are the times that these schedules run.

Here is a sample schedule, you can see here pump speed is reduced even more. This runs most of the day and night and simulates waves, in theory. It is broken up by the other schedules like constant speed that simulate tide coming in or going out, in theory, as well as schedules late at night designed to pull junk off the tank bottom.

 

[stevolough]

I have been trying to get a straight answer to this question since I joined this forum 2 months ago. It seems like people are reluctant to share actual settings. I have 2 x 4k Icecap Gyre pumps. I will post some screen shots of where I have things set right now. I have no clue if it is correct, but it kind of seems like our torches are pleased, and we give them a lot of priority.

I bought a reef octo pulse 2 to add some flow to the back of the tank, and it seemed like it was just way over powered, I thought it was going to rip the corals right off of their skeletons at the lowest setting. It made me wonder if I have flow in my tank way way to low. I was afraid to leave it in so I moved it to my fish only tank for now, and turn it on from time to time to clear off the detritus on the bottom of my tank.

So I wish I could help, but I still need the same question answered, and I wish I could get people to share their flow settings and coral positioning.

It would be a lot of pictures to post every detail of every schedule, but these few should give you some idea of where I am. But again, I could be totally wrong with my settings.

This is the output setting, both pumps are set exactly the same for output.

This is the upper half of my schedule. The bottom half is all sine wave and just fills in the long gaps. The descriptions are the times that these schedules run.

Here is a sample schedule, you can see here pump speed is reduced even more. This runs most of the day and night and simulates waves, in theory. It is broken up by the other schedules like constant speed that simulate tide coming in or going out, in theory, as well as schedules late at night designed to pull junk off the

I have been trying to get a straight answer to this question since I joined this forum 2 months ago. It seems like people are reluctant to share actual settings. I have 2 x 4k Icecap Gyre pumps. I will post some screen shots of where I have things set right now. I have no clue if it is correct, but it kind of seems like our torches are pleased, and we give them a lot of priority.

I bought a reef octo pulse 2 to add some flow to the back of the tank, and it seemed like it was just way over powered, I thought it was going to rip the corals right off of their skeletons at the lowest setting. It made me wonder if I have flow in my tank way way to low. I was afraid to leave it in so I moved it to my fish only tank for now, and turn it on from time to time to clear off the detritus on the bottom of my tank.

So I wish I could help, but I still need the same question answered, and I wish I could get people to share their flow settings and coral positioning.

It would be a lot of pictures to post every detail of every schedule, but these few should give you some idea of where I am. But again, I could be totally wrong with my settings.

This is the output setting, both pumps are set exactly the same for output.

This is the upper half of my schedule. The bottom half is all sine wave and just fills in the long gaps. The descriptions are the times that these schedules run.

Here is a sample schedule, you can see here pump speed is reduced even more. This runs most of the day and night and simulates waves, in theory. It is broken up by the other schedules like constant speed that simulate tide coming in or going out, in theory, as well as schedules late at night designed to pull junk off the tank bottom.

I bought 2 octo pulse for my 100 not realizing there lowest settings are still like 800 gph So even on low with random mode on I still wasn’t getting the randomness I was hoping for. Though I could put them on 3 and get random between 1-3 and increase as my needs did. 800 on low was a lot more then I expected. My own fault for not reaserching it further. Though a pump with 8 settings would go lower

 

[mdb_talon]

It seems like people are reluctant to share actual settings

I dont think it has anything to do with reluctance to share so much as it is not really easy to share in a useful way. There are just so many variables that impact flow. Even if someone has identical tanks with identical wavemakers in the exact same spots the location/shape of rockwork may result in entirely different flow throughout the tank.

 

[Kayanarka]

I bought 2 octo pulse for my 100 not realizing there lowest settings are still like 800 gph So even on low with random mode on I still wasn’t getting the randomness I was hoping for. Though I could put them on 3 and get random between 1-3 and increase as my needs did. 800 on low was a lot more then I expected. My own fault for not reaserching it further. Though a pump with 8 settings would go lower

I have not tried it yet, but I did buy a cable that connects it to the hydros controller that is supposed to let you go even slower then the lowest setting.

 

[Kayanarka]

I dont think it has anything to do with reluctance to share so much as it is not really easy to share in a useful way. There are just so many variables that impact flow. Even if someone has identical tanks with identical wavemakers in the exact same spots the location/shape of rockwork may result in entirely different flow throughout the tank.

I get that, but for us newbies it would atleast give us an idea if we are even in the right universe as far as settings go.

 

[stevolough]

I get that, but for us newbies it would atleast give us an idea if we are even in the right universe as far as settings go.

I spent a lot of time wondering why some of my corals weren’t happy. Kept messing with flow and lighting. Started paying more attention to chemistry and things improved. My tank is 4ft by 2ft. I put 1 octo 2 on the left side front pointed right and on the right side rear pointed left. I put them both on random and slowly increasing them over several weeks. When I add a coral I see how it responds and move it around accordingly before I decide on final placement