Need help deciding Gyre or 2 mp60s...for my situation.

[Mark Gray]

After I bought a Gyre I am hooked best flow I have ever had

 

[Fred Phipps]

currently.

Ha! Pun intended?

 

[mcarroll]

the issue with adding the second 6095 is aesthetic lol.

It's mostly just in your head. I promise once the corals grow out, your mind will not be on the powerheads hanging up in the corner anymore. (Or it shouldn't be, anyway!)

The benefits of having two pumps are what I'm thinking about....coral health! If you run two pumps then you have flow coming from twice as many points in the tank. Unless you have really bad luck, this should cut your dead zones in the tank by half....either in number or intensity. That's great no matter how good your flow currently is.

The rocks do not touch the wall on any side and I get a good amount of flow throughout.

If there's space behind the rocks, then slide the pump down the wall until it's as far out of view as you can get it. You can still aim it up or around the rocks to get the job done as needed.

And if you're pretty happy with the flow, there's nothing wrong with doing nothing for now! Just be aware (as you obviously are) that another pump will be needed someday.....corals do cut into the flow as they grow out. (Which is all I was really trying to say to begin with....not that your current flow was no good.)

 

[Fred Phipps]

It's mostly just in your head. I promise once the corals grow out, your mind will not be on the powerheads hanging up in the corner anymore. (Or it shouldn't be, anyway!)

The benefits of having two pumps are what I'm thinking about....coral health! If you run two pumps then you have flow coming from twice as many points in the tank. Unless you have really bad luck, this should cut your dead zones in the tank by half....either in number or intensity. That's great no matter how good your flow currently is.



If there's space behind the rocks, then slide the pump down the wall until it's as far out of view as you can get it. You can still aim it up or around the rocks to get the job done as needed.

And if you're pretty happy with the flow, there's nothing wrong with doing nothing for now! Just be aware (as you obviously are) that another pump will be needed someday.....corals do cut into the flow as they grow out. (Which is all I was really trying to say to begin with....not that your current flow was no good.)

Oh I completely understand what you’re saying. I know I’m pushing my luck with one pump and it’s also been touch to aquascape around it. The “empty” spot under my current pump had montipora in it and I know (and am hoping) that once they grow out I will need to do something. Maybe I’ll play around with the other one tomorrow and see what I can do with it.

 

[Smprc]

Don't stress. Flowing a tank should be 100% fun. Watch that video up on post #12 too...it might help with this as it demystifies some things about flow.

It does sound like it's time for some pics – more than just your drain box. Can you show at least a full tank shot? But definitely show all the flow you currently have.

Here are 3 tanks shots. I do not have any powerheads, just the return and closed loop. So virtually no flow. Tank is 5 months old.

I was thinking of putting a gyre vertically under one of the returns...thoughts?

 

[mcarroll]

Oh I completely understand what you’re saying. I know I’m pushing my luck with one pump and it’s also been touch to aquascape around it. The “empty” spot under my current pump had montipora in it and I know (and am hoping) that once they grow out I will need to do something. Maybe I’ll play around with the other one tomorrow and see what I can do with it.

The 360º flexible mount is it's best feature, so try to be creative in placement! Hang one from the cross brace over the water! Place one on the bottom glass! Wherever you can think of, try it and see how it works.

Typical pump placements you see in most peoples tanks are BORING and limited by the pump mount. (Sorry, most people.) You can always resort to one of those generic setups (pump on each side, aimed up), but you'll be happier if you find something better for your reef.

 

[mcarroll]

Here are 3 tanks shots. I do not have any powerheads, just the return and closed loop. So virtually no flow. Tank is 5 months old.

I was thinking of putting a gyre vertically under one of the returns...thoughts?

Have you tried the CL without the restriction of the loc-lines? Try that and see how it works....and if it works OK, then see how much more flow you need (and where) after that. It should be pretty disperse flow, so it might be pretty nice.

(And is that really a CL or is it just your return flow? What pump are you using for it and what's the pump plumbing like?)

As for supplemental flow, the 6105's should be at least as ideal as anything else mentioned. There are other great pumps, but I don't think there's a better pump out there for a 180 gallon tank. The 6105 and their other pumps are more adjustable as well as more flexible in placement, so you'll literally have more options of how to use them than other pumps.

Placing them roughly under the CL outlets would be a good starting point, but experiment with them in other locations around the tank too. With an added Tunze Rock (ceramic live-rock cover for the pump), you're not really even limited to having Tunze pumps on the glass – they can be almost anywhere in the tank that works best for your situation.

(BTW, did you consider suspending your Ethereal's from the ceiling?)

 

[Smprc]

Have you tried the CL without the restriction of the loc-lines? Try that and see how it works....and if it works OK, then see how much more flow you need (and where) after that. It should be pretty disperse flow, so it might be pretty nice.

(And is that really a CL or is it just your return flow? What pump are you using for it and what's the pump plumbing like?)

As for supplemental flow, the 6105's should be at least as ideal as anything else mentioned. There are other great pumps, but I don't think there's a better pump out there for a 180 gallon tank. The 6105 and their other pumps are more adjustable as well as more flexible in placement, so you'll literally have more options of how to use them than other pumps.

Placing them roughly under the CL outlets would be a good starting point, but experiment with them in other locations around the tank too. With an added Tunze Rock (ceramic live-rock cover for the pump), you're not really even limited to having Tunze pumps on the glass – they can be almost anywhere in the tank that works best for your situation.

(BTW, did you consider suspending your Ethereal's from the ceiling?)

I have not tried removing the loclines and yes it is really a CL a jebao dcp 5000 pump that has a 1.5 return under the first pile of rocks with 2 1" returns on the other end. I have totally considered suspending the lights from the ceiling...honestly, was too lazy to take that on.

 

[leepink23]

Talking about meaningful flow that can do something with a piece of detritus. Definitely worth defining the terms like that!

So, an mp40 is useful out to 24". You can feel flow with your hands up to about 36" and see things waving around some....but it's so soft. Even at 24" it's soft – so once you're at 36" it's very attenuated in anything but a totally open tank. And of course any pump can flow a (mostly) empty tank.

It's about flow velocity, not GPH. And flow velocity from an mp40 is slow, as has been well documented.

Most notably here:

 

[leepink23]

This is at 48 inches on 50%. At 75-100 it’s extreme at 48 inches.

 

[Smprc]

After seeing this flow pattern, I am beginning to lean towards the gyre. I think this would work. thinking of adding 2, one on each side under the returns. I noticed that with the advanced controller you can run some interesting flows. Is an FX280 overkill or will a FX250 suffice?...not sure why there is a significant cost difference. It's not necessarily a deal breaker, but at the same time no sense in throwing money away.
Thoughts?

 

[whs6704]

Hello there I need some guidance. I have a 180g peninsula 6 x 2 x 2. Shadow overflow flanked by the returns. Question is should I place 1 gyre below the overflow or should I go with 2 power heads on each side. And if power heads is the way, mp40s or 60s? Any input would really help. Ready to pull the trigger. Thank you!

gyre all say

 

[Michael Llabona]

If you have a Neptune Apex you may want to consider the WAV.

 

[Smprc]

thanks all, I went with 2 fx280's. Not because I feel the need to push that much water but more so to run them at lower settings and keep the noise down. I'll update my build thread with them. once again, thank you all for the input.

 

[ducklady]

I will never own gyre again. I had one loves it but it was a pain to clean. The motor went out in less than 9 months. Great coustomer service I have to say. How ever my gyre went out again. So I tossed it for me it was a waste of money. Good luck

 

[mcarroll]

I have not tried removing the loclines and yes it is really a CL a jebao dcp 5000 pump that has a 1.5 return under the first pile of rocks with 2 1" returns on the other end. I have totally considered suspending the lights from the ceiling...honestly, was too lazy to take that on.

All things in good time!!! It'll take the whole look of the tank up a notch when you do hang em....and it's already pretty sweet looking!

And definitely give the CL a try wide-open without fittings on the outlets, along with whatever powerheads you add.

What is the plumbing like for the CL? Have a pic handy?

Assuming for the sake of posting that it's around 2-5' of one inch pipe with a pair of short 90º's and one full-flow Tee, that amount of flow (21 gpm/1300 gph) will induce about +4 feet of head pressure on your plumbing.

Can you look at the flow curve for that pump and tell me what is the predicted flow rate for about 8' total of head pressure? (can't find one online so far)

1.25" plumbing, if you have that instead, would drop that to +1' of head, or only 5' head pressure total on the flow chart.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I have both in my larger tank. The MP60s are dominant and do the better job of water movement

 

[HarrisMD]

Here goes my first post. I have a peninsula 68" x 30" x 26"H. I use 2 MP60QD on the overflow end, each towards the outside edge so they shoot down the long sides of the tank (about 10-12" under water AND I put a Gyre 250 on the opposite side 3-4" under water. The MP60 run from 40-80% and Gyre 20-70% random flow.
I used select grade reef sand 1-2mm.
I love the flow, whole tank rocks with flow, get small vortices at the top varying over a 3' area. Sand surprisingly stays down well. It has peaks and valleys, but no storms after about 3-4 days.

 

[Smprc]

All things in good time!!! It'll take the whole look of the tank up a notch when you do hang em....and it's already pretty sweet looking!

And definitely give the CL a try wide-open without fittings on the outlets, along with whatever powerheads you add.

What is the plumbing like for the CL? Have a pic handy?

Assuming for the sake of posting that it's around 2-5' of one inch pipe with a pair of short 90º's and one full-flow Tee, that amount of flow (21 gpm/1300 gph) will induce about +4 feet of head pressure on your plumbing.

Can you look at the flow curve for that pump and tell me what is the predicted flow rate for about 8' total of head pressure? (can't find one online so far)

1.25" plumbing, if you have that instead, would drop that to +1' of head, or only 5' head pressure total on the flow chart.

I feel you regarding hanging the lights...as you said, all in good time.
Here are a couple of pics of the closed loop.
Both the IN and OUT are 1.25" the returns are 1"

 

[mcarroll]

So just to make sure I've got it...

Everything I'm looking at here in these pics is 1.25.

Only the outlet parts in the loc-line pics (earlier posts) are 1"?

Probably still only +2 feet of head pressure. (Not sure I said that right in the last post since we're talking loops, not returns.)

At least without the loc-line, I think your pump might really be putting around 1300 GPH in the tank.

Here's the setup I put into the friction-loss calculator and the ling to the calc if you wanted to try it with your actual parts list.
http://www.freecalc.com/fric.htm

Liquid Friction Pressure Loss
Pressure Loss (psi): 0.95 Head Loss (ft): 2.1
Line Number:
Date: 5/30/2018
Nominal Pipe Size: 1.25
Pipe Schedule: SCH 40
Flow Rate (gpm): 21
Viscosity (cP): 1
Specific Gravity (water=1): 1.025
Temperature (F): 79
Pipe Roughness (ft): 0.000016
Actual Pipe ID (in.): 1.38
Fluid Velocity (ft/sec): 4.51
Reynolds Number: 49329
Flow Region: Turbulent
Friction Factor: 0.021
Overall K: 6.8
Piping Length (ft): 4
Short Radius Elbows: 5
Tee Flow Through: 3
Ball : 5
Pipe Exit : 2
No. of Reducers: 2
Reducer Outlet Size (in) : 1

Definitely report back on how the flow in the tank seems with just those running sans Loc-line. I'm curious how good it might be.