Mixed Flow + Mixed Reef + Sand Bed = What are your tips?

[SmugglersReef]

I have a 100 gallon peninsula. I’m am looking forward to the day I go back to a tank up against the wall. Then I can place power heads on opposing sides. If you want to keep the end of the peninsula facing out free of an ugly power head it leaves all your flow/ return coming from one end of the tank. It’s been a struggle. Also running a mixed reef is tough and if I were to start over I would stick with either all one type, SPS or most likely LPS. Besides flow, they really like different different Parameters in water, lighting and flow. I do know that multiple pumps positioned at different corals works better than one big pump. I was losing a large acro colony after a RODI mishap and I placed a Jaebo RWw on it, under my gyre 250 on the overflow wall. The colony came back from what appeared as STN/RTN in a couple of weeks. So I guess my point is multiple power heads placed in strategic positions are better. Or block your LPS from strong current with your SPS and rock work.

I have 2 RFG nozzles on a Varios 6 pump turned up to 4, a gyre, 250 and a RW4. Also I have figi pink sand and once it get coated it doesn’t move. I just stirred up the sand so the water is a little cloudy and corals not happy.

 

[SmugglersReef]

This is how i have my set up for my mixed reef of softies, LPS, and anemones. 1 Jebao Ow-25 at level 3 angled and blasting off the glass for stronger indirect flow, 3 Jebao OW-10s, two on the back glass at level 2 slightly aimed upwards at level 2, the other OW10 is on the opposite side of the OW-25 aimed downwards at level 4. The two returns are also aimed slightly downwards. My return pump is a Aquastation silent swirl, 3100+gph, i run it at 75 percent. Too lazy to do the math, but 27 times turn over total in my 120 or something like that. Nothing to crazy but not low either. No dead zones, don't have to run the pumps max speed(imo saves the life). You could get away with less pumps if you wanted to up their flow at the cost of their lifespan. Excuse my dirty glass today is water change day ugh lol.

man your sand is nice.

 

[Fishurama]

man your sand is nice.

Thank you very much, my large diamond goby puts in work... Sucker also likes to bury coral though LOL. If you dont mind that they are a must have IMO.

 

[I’ma tempermental coral]

So I can’t remember who posted this a while back about lighting and flow in a mixed reef so if it was you please let me know so I can give credit where credit is due! Lol.

They likened a mixed reef to a, and I quote “puking migraine in a box”

And I couldn’t agree more!!! Hahaha.

So of course I have one! Hahaha. My 60 cube is about as “mixed reef” as you can get only missing a few of the softy species. What I have figured out works best is like other have listed most sps at the top (some lower light monti’s and such lower or even shaded), lps and zoa/palys mixed heights among the bottom quarter of the tank and on the sand bed. For flow I have 2 gyre xf250s set on oscillating gyre mode. For percentages that’s gonna be tank and aquascape specific. And I personally used my torches at the front, bottom, center to dial those in. Mine are set to 30% forward and 100% reverse on pump A, while pump B is 40% forward and 100% reverse. 2 second ramp up and down times. 4 seconds of forward on pump A and reverse on pump B, and 6 seconds of forward on pump B while pump A is in reverse. This creates a great sway with an occasional swirl in my torches near the bottoms while creating a basic flowstorm at the top for the sps.

 

[Jet915]

My mixed reef has 4 Jebao SOWs at the top, 2 on each side. All my SPS are on the top and middle while most of my lps and softies are middle bottom.

 

[tvan]

I'm still trying to figure out how to keep a tornado in a glass box

 

[SmugglersReef]

Thank you very much, my large diamond goby puts in work... Sucker also likes to bury coral though LOL. If you dont mind that they are a must have IMO.

Nice. I don’t want a cover on my large tank so I went with a sand sifting star. I have a yellow watchman goby in my smaller covered innovative marine tank. They are awesome fish. Mine eats anything I give him.

 

[ReefSentinel]

We have a 6’ x 18” x 23” 125 mixed reef. It has been set up for about 9 months now. We have a mix of soft, LPS, zoa, Paly, shrooms, anemones, hammer frogspawn...idk a huge mix of corals plus a BTA multiple inverts and about 10 or so fish of all varieties.
Flow has been the thing that confounds is yet our tank is thriving. We decided rather than trying to direct flow a certain way we just place our corals based on the light and flow it needs based on what we have. We’ve got two Jaebo gyre style wave makers. One turns off completely at night and the other goes into night mode on a light sensor. Seems to be working. No sand blows but there is also a fair amount of flowjust above the sand based on how the food floats around and into the little caves and crevices at the rock bases.

Hi,
just wondering what light sensor are you using, guessing this is setup with a break out box/apex?

 

[Sleeping Giant]

Use the glass and surface to deflect water

 

[sam2110]

Maxspect gyre's in random flow mode. I angeled the flow so it doesn't stir the sand too much (one side aimed up at 45° angle and the other side down at around 25-30° angle) took a few days to get it right. Every now and the i get a small mound of sand in the centre of my tank, only takes a few seconds to flatten it back out. I run 2245 GPH of flow in a 35ish gallon mixed reef with sand.

 

[Anchor]

I said other.. because it is so very dependant on what your particular mix is.. what you have for slow flow vs fast flowor strong flow areas.. The size of your pH's, amount of rockwork, coral types, Tank size, even fish..

 

[PranK]

What works for me is that my pumps are up high (28" high tank) and that I have a lot of them, all on moderate flow. Rather than fewer pumps on higher flow. This means I can direct flow at various parts of the tank without worrying about there being too much or not enough elsewhere. I have 2 MP40's and 3 Jebao (~12,000lph) in my 5x24x28. Euphyllia's and Goni's low but with enough flow and all SPS across the top.

 

[vetteguy53081]

There is a happy medium and depends on amount of corals, type of coral and placement of corals. Mine are mixed reef, and with LPS releasing toxins occasionally, there is a balance with flow, use of carbon and PH/Alk requirements.

 

[SPR1968]

Much of keeping the sand in place depends on placement of power heads etc.

This is 10 ft long with an MP60 at each end and MP40 in the centre and also the return from an Abyzz a200. There was some initial sand movement when the system was set up about 7 months ago as it settled, but the MP’s can now be run at 100% power if required without any sand storms.

There placed about 2/3rds up from the bottom of the tank roughly, and you can see the MP60 and MP40 in the empty shot of one end below

I just personally prefer the look of some sand

 

[Doglips56]

Hi,
just wondering what light sensor are you using, guessing this is setup with a break out box/apex?

Nope, no apex, no number chasing just great nutrition that has something for everything in my tank. I used to have an apex but I sold it. I go by how my livestock is doing. System has been stable for a while now and all corals and fish and inverts are thriving. I don’t do any dosing just monthly water changes and maintenance

 

[SmugglersReef]

Much of keeping the sand in place depends on placement of power heads etc.

This is 10 ft long with an MP60 at each end and MP40 in the centre and also the return from an Abyzz a200. There was some initial sand movement when the system was set up about 7 months ago as it settled, but the MP’s can now be run at 100% power if required without any sand storms.

There placed about 2/3rds up from the bottom of the tank roughly, and you can see the MP60 and MP40 in the empty shot of one end below

I just personally prefer the look of some sand

Beautiful.

 

[anthonygf]

I´m agree - standing waves is the thing

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Sincerely Lasse

WOW! Work of art. Love the Wrasse.