Will 2 opposing Gyre pumps destroy the gyre?

[nim6us]

I've got a 4' x 2' x 2' tank and I've been running dual Maxspect Gyres on either ends. I'm looking to upgrade to the 300 series, but I've got a question that's been bothering me.

So the big sell with Gyre pumps is that they create a gyre in your tank. The water flows across the surface, hits the side wall, travels back across the sandbed and is returned to the pump, completing one large circuit, or gyre. However with two opposing Gyre pumps they're essentially blasting water right at each other and it's crashing in the middle of the tank. At this point are you still creating a gyre?

Would I be better suited to get 1 XF350 to keep the true gyre flow? Or perhaps get 2 XF230's and place them on the back wall so the gyres are hitting the front of the glass and then coming back.. or would that flow mess with the fish as they try to swim side to side?

Anyway, I realize I threw a lot out there, but mostly looking for an answer; do two opposing Gyre pumps actually stop a gyre from being created in your tank?

 

[Burrito]

i've thought about this as well and i think the idea is the opposing gyres wouldn't always be equally opposing each other. left side in ideal world goes from 10-100% while right side does the opposite moving the point of turbulence around the tank. could even turn one off every now and then during the 24 hour cycle to allow unimpeded "gyre" flow

 

[kevin_e]

I've got a 4' x 2' x 2' tank and I've been running dual Maxspect Gyres on either ends. I'm looking to upgrade to the 300 series, but I've got a question that's been bothering me.

So the big sell with Gyre pumps is that they create a gyre in your tank. The water flows across the surface, hits the side wall, travels back across the sandbed and is returned to the pump, completing one large circuit, or gyre. However with two opposing Gyre pumps they're essentially blasting water right at each other and it's crashing in the middle of the tank. At this point are you still creating a gyre?

Would I be better suited to get 1 XF350 to keep the true gyre flow? Or perhaps get 2 XF230's and place them on the back wall so the gyres are hitting the front of the glass and then coming back.. or would that flow mess with the fish as they try to swim side to side?

Anyway, I realize I threw a lot out there, but mostly looking for an answer; do two opposing Gyre pumps actually stop a gyre from being created in your tank?

I know the selling point of the gyre is, well, the gyre motion. But coral seem to love the chaotic and random flow. To me that can be achieved with two colliding gyres.

 

[Bryce M.]

Yeah, two would be good

 

[erk]

If I remember correctly, Bulk Reef Supply used a pair of opposing gyres in the BRS 160. The gyres would meet in the middle and then the flow would move down and rotate back. Effectively two separate gyres. To keep the flow random, they had the gyres on an inverse sync, such that as the flow rate of one would increase, the other would decrease. This meant the double gyre motion would move side to side across the tank.

 

[MaiReef]

Current Loop pumps work well that way. One ramps up while the other ramps down and vice versa. creates a wave/current type flow where they disrupt each other.

 

[Silver14SS]

Check out the OGC mode, I think this might be what you're looking for.

http://www.maxspect.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=227〈=en

 

[S-t-r-e-t-c-h]

If I remember correctly, Bulk Reef Supply used a pair of opposing gyres in the BRS 160. The gyres would meet in the middle and then the flow would move down and rotate back. Effectively two separate gyres. To keep the flow random, they had the gyres on an inverse sync, such that as the flow rate of one would increase, the other would decrease. This meant the double gyre motion would move side to side across the tank.

Yup. See their reply in post #2 of this thread:

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/apex-brs-code-program-for-dual-maxspect-gyres.346198/

 

[Firemanreefkeeper]

I've been running 2- 230s on my tank for a year and I could never get them to gyre as they describe in videos. They always crash in the middle then push down and flow back to the pumps they came from. The more power I added the more my sand got blasted around. I don't even run them in reverse anymore or try to get them to gyre. I run one on and one off for 4 seconds then alternate them. I increase them up over a few hours then back down for a few hours simulating tides and swells in and out. Everything seems good and the sand stays put.

 

[WVNed]

I have 2. One runs in each direction for 1 minute. For 20 seconds they both run creating turbulence.

 

[nim6us]

Yeah BRS does a good breakdown in this video.. start at 8:16 for the Gyre info.

 

[User]

What gyres are you running now?

 

[nim6us]

2 Gyre 230s on either side of the tank.

 

[kirbuno]

You have to be cognizant of which side of your two arms of each gyre is A or B fans so that your left side Gyre is pulling on the front of the tank while the right side Gyre is pushing on the front of the tank. (Not pushing towards each other at the same time) The same, or alternating on the back side of the tank. That is why they give you extra fan blades so that you can interchange them to the design you want. The stock setup only works for some of the options. That said they are too powerful to blast with the same power down to the sand as when they are blasting around the length of the tank.
Kudos to who-ever followed what I just tried to say.

 

[User]

You have to be cognizant of which side of your two arms of each gyre is A or B fans so that your left side Gyre is pulling on the front of the tank while the right side Gyre is pushing on the front of the tank. (Not pushing towards each other at the same time) The same, or alternating on the back side of the tank. That is why they give you extra fan blades so that you can interchange them to the design you want. The stock setup only works for some of the options. That said they are too powerful to blast with the same power down to the sand as when they are blasting around the length of the tank.
Kudos to who-ever followed what I just tried to say.

That’s going to produce a circular flow with all the water in the tank though, like an elongated whirlpool.

Corals love chaotic flow that keeps them moving (softies) or brings food to them. Having two gyres, one each end, pushing towards each other will create a chaotic zone where both meet. If you set them to randomize the flow pattern eg 70%-20%-80% on A and 30-70-20 on b, the ‘chaotic zone’ should travel left and right through the tank

 

[kirbuno]

Yes if you kept it going in the same direction all the time. I have mine changing back and forth every 4 seconds. My point was just that you don't have to have them opposing each other. You can set it up one way in the front and the opposite in the back as well. I found that I got more flow when u have the fans helping each other out, keeps from blasting the heck out of some Coral that just had 70% flow hitting them. The beauty of the gyres is that you have so many possible configurations possible by switching out the fans/and or the electronic settings. They're sure to please most all in one setting or another.