this flow good?

[stewy14]

This should be controllable. If too big, you can add screening around the back of pump which will reduce intake and flow rate

I looked a bit more(at my tank) its making the froggy lose tentacles(he lost 1 small thing) urchin stopped moving and receded his feet things, clown couldn't move, snails were getting tossed around(lol) and big boy Mexican turbo snail hid in his shell

 

[JNalley]

It's an 11 gallon cube... What does your return outlet look like? You may be better off just using an RFG on that and forgoing a flow pump altogether... A decent return pump should have enough flow for the tank overall...

 

[stewy14]

It's an 11 gallon cube... What does your return outlet look like? You may be better off just using an RFG on that and forgoing a flow pump altogether... A decent return pump should have enough flow for the tank overall...

I have an rfg... the return pump is also 200 gph...
its not enough...
and im also getting acros...(they in qt rn at friends tank)

 

[vetteguy53081]

I looked a bit more(at my tank) its making the froggy lose tentacles(he lost 1 small thing) urchin stopped moving and receded his feet things, clown couldn't move, snails were getting tossed around(lol) and big boy Mexican turbo snail hid in his shell

Unfortuantely this pump may be too strong and you will have to downsize, at least for now, Once frogspawn loses tentacles known as bailout, it becomes a domino effect

 

[lil sumpin]

I use this. My system is 14 gallons and this works pretty well. It’s a bit weaker than I anticipated but I also don’t need strong flow. It has a pulse and randomized mode to it as well as constant. You can also increase the power up and down 8 levels ish but I’m always on max or slightly below. I think it might be ideal for your tank

 

[JNalley]

I have an rfg... the return pump is also 200 gph...
its not enough...

So here's kind of the crux of your problem: Your tank is barely 13" across in either dimension, and your chosen flow pump is a long-throw type pump (Assuming this is the pump: CWP-5000); it has a very narrow cone of influence, like some of the Tunze models, so it pushes water far instead of wide. Moving it and repositioning it is only going to do so much, I think it's just too much for that tank, and ironically, you have it running at only 132gph. Try not to think of flow in strictly GPH terms, you could have a 300GPH flow pump that pushes water all the way to the end of a 4ft tank, and you could have one that barely pushes water 2 feet in the same tank. Flow pattern is probably much more important (especially for small tanks like yours). If you had a 3D printer you could make a diffuser to widen out the pattern, or you could try what vetteguy said and screen the back and limit its intake more. But you're already only running it at 132gph and it's killing your frogspawn... I personally still think running your return with an RFG might actually be enough flow, even for Acro's, but if you remain unconvinced, you could go two routes. Get a larger return (400GPH) provided your return plumbing can sustain that much flow, or go with something that has a wider gentler flow pattern like a Tunze Nano Stream 6040 (Bonus is, this pump can be rotated 360 degrees allowing it to shoot at the glass directly behind it if it's still too much flow).

 

[stewy14]

So here's kind of the crux of your problem: Your tank is barely 13" across in either dimension, and your chosen flow pump is a long-throw type pump (Assuming this is the pump: CWP-5000); it has a very narrow cone of influence, like some of the Tunze models, so it pushes water far instead of wide. Moving it and repositioning it is only going to do so much, I think it's just too much for that tank, and ironically, you have it running at only 132gph. Try not to think of flow in strictly GPH terms, you could have a 300GPH flow pump that pushes water all the way to the end of a 4ft tank, and you could have one that barely pushes water 2 feet in the same tank. Flow pattern is probably much more important (especially for small tanks like yours). If you had a 3D printer you could make a diffuser to widen out the pattern, or you could try what vetteguy said and screen the back and limit its intake more. But you're already only running it at 132gph and it's killing your frogspawn... I personally still think running your return with an RFG might actually be enough flow, even for Acro's, but if you remain unconvinced, you could go two routes. Get a larger return (400GPH) provided your return plumbing can sustain that much flow, or go with something that has a wider gentler flow pattern like a Tunze Nano Stream 6040 (Bonus is, this pump can be rotated 360 degrees allowing it to shoot at the glass directly behind it if it's still too much flow).

exactly
thanks for this
but are any of the options I provided good too? cuz that tunze is a bit too expensive

 

[JNalley]

exactly
thanks for this
but are any of the options I provided good too? cuz that tunze is a bit too expensive

The Hygger is probably the closest to a wide gentle flow pattern, or the SOW-3 by Jebao (Not the SOW-4 or the other Jebao's you posted). The only other one I would possibly recommend for this size tank is the Current eFlux 660gph. Good luck in your search.

 

[stewy14]

t

The Hygger is probably the closest to a wide gentle flow pattern, or the SOW-3 by Jebao (Not the SOW-4 or the other Jebao's you posted). The only other one I would possibly recommend for this size tank is the Current eFlux 660gph. Good luck in your search.

the slw is tiny...

 

[Vinaka_vakalevu]

the slw is tiny...

So is your tank…..

 

[stewy14]

So is your tank…..

ik
but the hygger is also $70 vs the 50$ or something for the slw10 :C

 

[JNalley]

the slw is tiny...

ik
but the hygger is also $70 vs the 50$ or something for the slw10 :C

the SLW is $61, admittedly I missed it the first time around, but it's a clone of a nero, and those have a 25 degree cone of influence which is relatively narrow and will likely suffer from the same thing your current pump does. I have no experience with any of the Chinese pumps, I am making suggestions based on the design (and comparing them to the pumps they mimic). I have direct experience with he Current I provided as an alternative, and I have direct experience with the Tunze I provided as an alternative. There are not many pumps in a 10-15 gallon class tank that I have direct experience with because I haven't ever owned a tank that small. Mainly because they're just harder to keep, but also finding equipment for them is a bit more difficult. If keeping corals alive and beautiful looking is important to you, and flow is a main staple for those things, I don't understand why you would want to go hard on being cheap. Buy what's right for the job at hand, if that happens to be something a bit more expensive, do it or find something similar to it in design that you can get for cheaper...

 

[JNalley]

@stewy14 your current pump mimics this pump (I started the video at the Tunze with the cylinder on the front):
It's at 29.5 degrees, and it's still got too much punch for your small tank, where even at 132 gph it's killing your frogspawn. Going with a 25 degree pump (a Nero 3 or Nero 5 clone), will be even worse. You want something that has a wide pattern, and a low flow.

If you watch the whole video, you want to pay attention to two things, a wide angle (the video goes narrowest to widest), and the yellow line to be close to the exit of the cone. Those two things will get you the pump style you want. Then you just need to find a clone of it that is low flow...

 

[smitten with ocean life]

i think the op is a young teenager. funds are probably fairly limited, i would guess

 

[JNalley]

i think the op is a young teenager. funds are probably fairly limited, i would guess

Sure, I'm not advocating for going out and buying a $300 pump here... we're talking about a difference of $20-30 between the one I recommended and the one he's wanting to get to save money... is it really worth it at that point?

 

[Vinaka_vakalevu]

The video @JNalley posted early should be mandatory watching for all new reefers..


I will add my 2 cents on your tank unrelated to flow or pump and I will say this. we have all been teenagers and we have all been new to reefing. A good number of us were new reefers while we were teenagers like you are. We didn't have access to YouTube or R2R etc. We read books and tried and failed a lot of the time because we didn't have information. In today's day and age it is not a lack of information that makes tanks fail in my mind but too much info or trying to do too much with all the info. I would almost start completely over and I don't mean empty your tank and recycle but start again with a specific plan for this tank. A SPS specific tank is going to be different than an LPS tank which will be different than FOWLR tank and they all have different levels of responsibility and care they need. Decide realistically what you can handle given summer is coming up, family vacations, sports... anything else you may have and formulate a plan that will have your tank on a path for success. There are many on here who are much more knowledgeable than I am who are happy to take their time and explain almost anything there is to know about maintaining a reef. But their advice is only as good as the ears it falls upon, meaning no one can make you do anything nor would we want to make you do anything. But we can offer advice and insight on how to do things to provide you with the greatest chance of setting up and maintaining a healthy reef system in your house.

 

[stewy14]

i think the op is a young teenager. funds are probably fairly limited, i would guess

yep , but I returned the pump and bought the this