powerhead flow and placement

[hawk82]

I have a Jebao sow 8 and a sow 4. In my 40 breeder, I cant seem to get the flow right, for my leathers. When I used the sow 8 they either get blown and lean over one way or the other, but if I just use the sow 4 it seems like not enough.

 

[Reef By Steele Verified Sponsor]

Can you position them differently, like on the back and try to bounce the flow off of the front glass so it is indirect vs direct?

 

[hawk82]

i have the sow 8 now on the left side pointed at the front glass, but its making everything kinda go in a circle. I trired to draw it... this way it makes the leather go to the left from the bounce back from the glass. If i put the power head straight, it blows to the right. how much flow do they like?

 

[Dbichler]

Leathers really like a ton of flow in my experience.

 

[Reef By Steele Verified Sponsor]

Leathers really like a ton of flow in my experience.

While I agree to a point, enough flow to lean it might be too much.

 

[Reef By Steele Verified Sponsor]

i have the sow 8 now on the left side pointed at the front glass, but its making everything kinda go in a circle. I trired to draw it... this way it makes the leather go to the left from the bounce back from the glass. If i put the power head straight, it blows to the right. how much flow do they like?

How about a picture of the coral to see just how much it is pushing. Video even better, but I find I have to make them on YouTube for people to see them at least on iPhones.

 

[Dbichler]

While I agree to a point, enough flow to lean it might be too much.

How can you only agree to a point with my experience you weren’t here. If it’s bending to the side it’s because their flow is one directional not random enough.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

i have the sow 8 now on the left side pointed at the front glass, but its making everything kinda go in a circle. I trired to draw it... this way it makes the leather go to the left from the bounce back from the glass. If i put the power head straight, it blows to the right. how much flow do they like?

Did you put the other powerhead on the opposite side? The 2 flows should meet in the middle and bounce off each other, creating random flow patters. Random flow is idea as opposed to one way linear flow.

Do you have any agitation on your water surface, or is it flat? If flat, then one of the powerheads should be pointed at the water surface to help with gas exchange and help put oxygen into the water.

 

[Reef By Steele Verified Sponsor]

How can you only agree to a point with my experience you weren’t here. If it’s bending to the side it’s because their flow is one directional not random enough.

Guess I worded that wrong, I’m sorry. What I meant was the I agree that leathers do love a ton of flow. The “to a point” would go along with this comment. There is a point where flow could be too much, or improper. Like you suggest here, not random enough. OP is working with a 40 breeder and IMO almost any coral can have too much flow, direct or indirect. My toadstool in a 210 gets a lot of flow from several different means, but if I was to move my gyres down to its level and turn them all the way up and not use the random features the that “ton” of flow would be too much, or even on random, if it leaned left in one cycle and then leaned hard right on the next would still be too much.

 

[hawk82]

heres a video with just the sow 8 running

 

[Dbichler]

I would move the 8 down further and move the other one to that height so it bounces off some and it should be good.

 

[Reef By Steele Verified Sponsor]

I agree, and I do not think that is too much flow for they coral. It waves and doesn’t look like it is being assaulted.

 

[hawk82]

It seems to making a little sand dune on the very front right of the tank. the sand has blow up into a little hill, is that ok?

 

[Reef By Steele Verified Sponsor]

It seems to making a little sand dune on the very front right of the tank. the sand has blow up into a little hill, is that ok?

Do you have fine or course sand. I went with fine in my last build and it moves around a little more than I would like, but as long as it isn’t clearing the bottom it should not cause any issues.

 

[hawk82]

I used caribsea ocean direct original. Its make a little bald spot in the very right front.

 

[Reef By Steele Verified Sponsor]

May not be a way to avoid having it create that some where. But if you had a small piece of rock and moved it around in front of that area it might deflect enough to stop it from happening. Probably need to determine if it is down flow along the glass or direct flow from the pump. Direct would cause a drift or more against the glass, down flow would create the drift or higher spot away from the glass. Mine did it in the middle I believe because that is where the gyres collide and push the flow down.

 

[hawk82]

I dunno if you can see in the video, but the little thing on the rock in front that looks like a V i think its a gorgonia. It was a rock hitchhicker. Anyways he seems to be loving it, he is always open and bushy looking. I cant get my leather to open up and get bushy.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I have a Jebao sow 8 and a sow 4. In my 40 breeder, I cant seem to get the flow right, for my leathers. When I used the sow 8 they either get blown and lean over one way or the other, but if I just use the sow 4 it seems like not enough.

Stagger them. . . . one to the upper left of tank and other at mid right side of tank. It will offer a gyre effect