Is there a benefit to making the wave or is it more visual appeal?
There are significant benefits. Corals and other living organisms present on the reef are used to an environment with strong water movement. Rapid and constant water movement has caused the living life in the sea to develop its characteristics to make use of the water moving around them. This is especially true of the invertebrates, such as corals and clams, that we keep in our aquariums. These organisms have developed to make use of the currents bringing them such things as food, oxygen, and nutrients, as well as carrying away their waste products.
Most corals have little capacity for removing waste material from their surface. This is especially true of the small polyped stony corals, which owing to their relatively small amount of living tissue, do not waste their energy removing waste material, but rather depend on the water moving around their surface to clean them. When you look at the physiology of these corals closely, it can be seen that much of their body is designed for nutrient capture, while very little is designed for waste removal.
In addition to providing essential nutrients, and instrumental in waste removal, water movement also influences:
- Growth of corals
- The formation of new coral colonies
- Growth of problematic algae
- Fish health
