Vortech MP60 placement and program

[powderblue14]

I have definitely never had any issues with coral line. Looks great on the rocks and back pane of tank. But when it gets on the sides and front it is a pain to get off of the acrylic. I took a new picture this past week to help chart my par readings so I thought I would attach it. The original pic was back from March of this year. My water parameters are really stable. I test just about every other day. I run a Geo Calcium Reactor to control my calcium and alkalinity. I also add Kalk to my ATO water. I do dose vinegar to help control my nitrates, and then I change out my GFO probably every 2 weeks. I didn't think about my temperature being too low for corals. I can up my temp to see if that helps. I will take some short clips of flow. I do have a lot of red mushrooms on the sand in the back of the rocks. Not sure if that is from flow or not. I feed Reef Nutrition R.O.E - Real Oceanic Eggs because my choati wrasses like them, so maybe it would be a good idea to shoot the clips when I feed the ROE so you get an idea of the flow.

Thanks for your suggestions.

 

[mcarroll]

Can you find out/measure the light where you got your slow-growing frags?

 

[powderblue14]

I just uploaded a couple videos to youtube showing my flow. I hope it is clear enough. The videos are located at

https://youtu.be/RTK4mGomCPA\

 

[powderblue14]

And here is the other video

 

[mcarroll]

A shot of the sand might still be instructive - seeing some grains/detritus moving down there is a good sign.

But from the videos, that looks like very very mild flow.....especially considering the fiduciaries I mentioned in post #9. I'd still consider flow a factor...especially if you can't put your finger firmly on anything else.

One more point on lighting: Have you tried measuring (lux or PAR) when the acrylic is dirty from algae/salt spray?

So I'm still in favor of revamping the flow. I'm a little suspicious of the lighting in certain spaces.

Perhaps consider easing up on the nitrate control....nitrates in the water up to 20 ppm or maybe even higher is only going to be a benefit to those frags and it doesn't really cause any problems. Be mindful about feeding, of course.

Still keep PO4 at close to natural levels (about 0.02 ppm) – up to 0.20 ppm can be OK depending on other factors. Do not let it go lower than about 0.02 ppm.

 

[powderblue14]

Ok I have increased the intensity flow on my mp60s. What do you think of these settings.

 

[mcarroll]

The action in the tank is all that matters....can't tell a thing from a readout like that unfortunately.

Except that I'm not sure I'd turn down my pumps that far when they might not be carrying their weight at top speed.

I suspect that 10% is effectively OFF – and your corals depend on flow for breathing, feeding and waste elimination, 24/7. Insignificant, I know.

I'd just keep your pumps at constant speed until you/we feel this is nailed down.

How does the difference seem in person? Can you shoot some more vid? Sand bed under the shrooms and one of the frags, for example?

A clear, steady closeup is better to show the flow than feeding, if possible. Easier said than done, I know.

 

[bucfan]

You will need another 1-2 MP40/60s on the back of your tank to break up and also create more flow. I have 3 MP40s on my 205G and placed 2 on the back wall and 1 on the side and sometimes I feel that's not enough flow for acros when they've grown into colonies. Remember acros need a lot of flow and obviously the right and stable parameters. Try getting a third MP40/60 and position that on the back wall and switch one of your current MP60s to the back wall too. See if that helps. Your water temp is fine IMO.

 

[geo]

powderblue14
Your reef is beautiful! Thank you for your support of the GEO calcium reactor line.

 

[jzw]

we have a 7' tank too, 36" deep tho.

65% doesn't seem like enough, we run our mp60s at 100% pulse, and it doesn't seem close to enough

at max pulse period, i think 2 seconds, it ends up turning into a lamimar flow - worse yet, on the 2 second off phase, the rotors seem to be still spinning and this further compounds the laminar flow problem. anyone have suggestions? we have no controller like apex.

kinda bummed about our mp60s, @powderblue14 , we have our 2 mp60s kinda offset too.

the only thing saving our tank is one panta rhei 63, we have it pulse every 5 seconds, and it sends a REAL wave across the entire 7' - but it doesn't pulse the entire tank. we're trying to figure out options, but leaning towards another panta rhei, uggg.

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

you could go gyre? i have two up high on a 6 foot tank. One 250 will blow sand...on the OTHER side of the tank.

 

[jzw]

hi @Brian Bieger, we had two xf280s and they did almost nothing - they were futile against our returns (3000 gph) and other pumps. but we left one 280 on as an accent pump lol

you would think gyres would work - but in our tank they gyre'd the water around only, and ultimately not random enough. i guess you might be able to do it thru a very complicated apex program, but we're not into that.

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

that is really strange. I have 4000gph coming from my return. I do have a closed loop system with 4 outlets pushing around 3k gph.

But anyways, i really like the gyres because the flow is more laminar so i can blast is over the tops of the sps and not blow the skin off. the mp60 was just to wide to do that.

I have the newer gyres and with their programming options someone would have to be insane to try and do it via apex. i have 7 different programs running throughout the day. pulsing, raging, quiet night time, both of them slamming into each other.

could be how my rockwork is set up. Im shocked they didnt work. my buddy has an 8 foot long, 3 deep and he has 2 250's and an old icecap around the back.

 

[jzw]

hi @Brian Bieger! they 'work' but a large chunk of the middle of our tank is oneway flow only, when using both gyres and mp60s or just either type.

i've had this matt v rainbow frag for 7 months now, in the middle of the tank, just encrusting only... and now one side (facing the flow) is slowly but surely croaking ;Spiderman

how do you do different programs on your gyres? we are able to set only 1 mode (xf280 advanced controller), i've never seen the programming clock ;Drowning

michelle

 

[OnPointCorals Verified Sponsor]

I feel like the answer was stated a few times in this thread and most just looked past it.

The answer is Tunze. For larger tanks it seems they should be the go to.

 

[jpas]

Very nice looking tank.

I have a 8’ x 3’ x 30” and I have two MP60’s running 100% (antisync pulse) and two XF280s running 100% on my 8’ 400gallon tank.

My return pump is a 4300gph reeflo with four 1” return nozzles.