Too much flow??

[ZeroShadez]

So this is my first sps had it for a few days now and i have been reading they love high flow so i pointed my lil hydor circulation pump at the montipora. Is this okay to do or is this too much if it is how do i give it high flow without pointing it right at it. Also i dont know how to tell if polyps are extended so tiny i cant see em??

 

[Zeal]

So this is my first sps had it for a few days now and i have been reading they love high flow so i pointed my lil hydor circulation pump at the montipora. Is this okay to do or is this too much if it is how do i give it high flow without pointing it right at it. Also i dont know how to tell if polyps are extended so tiny i cant see em??

corals like indirect flow, think of a pulsing. point that thing up or towards a wall never directly at coral

 

[ZeroShadez]

corals like indirect flow, think of a pulsing. point that thing up or towards a wall never directly at coral

How do i give it high flow then. It doesnt seem to have alot of flow behind it to begin with i just feel if i point it away it will get no flow??

 

[Zeal]

How do i give it high flow then. It doesnt seem to have alot of flow behind it to begin with i just feel if i point it away it will get no flow??

first off how many gallons is the tank? How many GPH is the powerhead.

 

[ZeroShadez]

first off how many gallons is the tank? How many GPH is the powerhead.

125gal tank the gph is 850 and the distance between that powerhead and that coral is almost 12"

 

[Zeal]

125gal tank the gph is 850 and the distance between that powerhead and that coral is almost 12"

Oh boy.. Usually a tank that size needs 5000GPH .

125 x 40=5000GPH. You're gonna need a lot more flow in that tank. If I was you I would either point it up or at the wall. Eventually, the powerhead will blow water around it. Corals dont like directly flow.

Like I said they like pulsing flow, just enough to keep detritus off it

 

[ScottR]

I have acros and montis getting blasted nonstop in front of powerheads. Birdsnest as well. All grow without problem. I see you have an ammonia badge on the side. How new is the tank? SPS generally aren’t that hardy in newer tanks. Polyp extension is a sign of a healthy coral.

 

[ZeroShadez]

Oh boy.. Usually a tank that size needs 5000GPH .

125 x 40=5000GPH. You're gonna need a lot more flow in that tank. If I was you I would either point it up or at the wall. Eventually, the powerhead will blow water around it. Corals dont like directly flow.

Like I said they like pulsing flow, just enough to keep detritus off it

Thats just the flow from that one powerhead i have 2 others and also my 2 return pumps. Lol i will move it so its indirectly getting as much flow as possible. But me not being used to sps how can i tell if the polyps are extended for instance my gsp tells me when the flow is to high or somthing is wrong by retracting i can't tell with my montipora..

 

[ZeroShadez]

I have acros and montis getting blasted nonstop in front of powerheads. Birdsnest as well. All grow without problem. I see you have an ammonia badge on the side. How new is the tank? SPS generally aren’t that hardy in newer tanks. Polyp extension is a sign of a healthy coral.

Ammonia badge lol. 4 months but i bought the tank and rock and everything still established for like 10 years so it cycled really quickly. The guy just took his 2 fish out lol

 

[ScottR]

Ammonia badge lol. 4 months but i bought the tank and rock and everything still established for like 10 years so it cycled really quickly. The guy just took his 2 fish out lol

I just looked at your build. What kind of flow do you have going? A tank that size should have some good flow. I wouldn’t even worry about too much really.

 

[Dana Riddle]

Look closely at polyp expansion - they should show some slight 'wiggling' due to flow. There were some studies done years ago on flow - if it is too low, and particle (food) encounter is low, the coral will not expand its polyps. On the other hand, polyp retraction in response to too much flow can be a protective measure to prevent damage to polyps.

 

[ZeroShadez]

I just looked at your build. What kind of flow do you have going? A tank that size should have some good flow. I wouldn’t even worry about too much really.

2 other power heads that pump 1000 gph and 2 returns my return pump is like 3000 by itself i think lol. How do ik if my montipora polyps are extended

 

[ScottR]

2 other power heads that pump 1000 gph and 2 returns my return pump is like 3000 by itself i think lol. How do ik if my montipora polyps are extended

To be honest, I see dozens of tanks every week. Many people fear flow. I haven’t seen video of your tank but it’s only a suspicion and a suggestion for you to look at based on my experience. For SPS, they get blasted by waves in the ocean. And I see tank where they get tickled by flow. My montis took off when I started blasting them.

 

[Bryce M.]

Yeah, I think your fine, I know some Acros that LOVE to be blasted, most like indirect but some love direct