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View Full Version : Too Much Circulation???


mrhanky976
02/12/2007, 03:15 AM
I am a total newbie, so please bear with me!

I just put a Tunze Turbelle stream 6080 in my 55 gal tank. I knew that it would be powerful, but I was informed that adequate circulation is key in a reef tank.

My problem is that no matter how I position the Tunze, the current is so powerful that I now have little underwater sand tornadoes. I figured that I could remedy this by buying more live rock (a work in progress), but does anyone think that the Tunze is just "too much" for my setup? Is there anything that I can do to fix this?

Thanks in advance!

dkh0331
02/12/2007, 04:27 AM
I don't think its too much flow.

How old is your tank/sandbed? If its fairly new, bacteria may not have fully coated it yet.

bigjackstud
02/12/2007, 04:48 AM
If you really wanna stop the little tornados. Go to say home depot and get some pvc tubing and plumb in a second return system, so they face each other. Just a thought....

newrossman
02/12/2007, 07:02 AM
Yes Tunze are strong, but i agree that if new setup the sand may not have got a sticky coating from the bugs in it.

But to be honest the sand will settle by itself over a few hours, any deep holes in sand just pop in some LR.

I also run my tunze pointing toward the back glass or at each other.

mrhanky976
02/13/2007, 01:41 AM
Thank you all for the excellent advice/info. Being a *newbie*, I was unaware that the sand developed a sticky/bacteria coating. I'll wait a while to see if the sand "sticks", meanwhile I'll go and purchase some more LR.

Thanks again!

xenon
02/13/2007, 03:03 AM
Sounds to me like you need to switch to bare bottom :)

crumbletop
02/13/2007, 06:29 AM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9219565#post9219565 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mrhanky976
I am a total newbie, so please bear with me!

I just put a Tunze Turbelle stream 6080 in my 55 gal tank. I knew that it would be powerful, but I was informed that adequate circulation is key in a reef tank.

My problem is that no matter how I position the Tunze, the current is so powerful that I now have little underwater sand tornadoes. I figured that I could remedy this by buying more live rock (a work in progress), but does anyone think that the Tunze is just "too much" for my setup? Is there anything that I can do to fix this?

Thanks in advance!

I think the 6080 is too much for a 55 with a sandbed. You may be able to help things by moving rock around. You'd probably be better off getting flow from 2 or 3 smaller powerheads. The issue is not really whether the 6080 provides too much flow for corals, etc, in your tank -- it is fine for that. The issue is that your sandbed will be difficult to settle down with that much flow coming from a single source.

markandkristen
02/13/2007, 06:44 AM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9229240#post9229240 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by crumbletop
I think the 6080 is too much for a 55 with a sandbed. You may be able to help things by moving rock around. You'd probably be better off getting flow from 2 or 3 smaller powerheads. The issue is not really whether the 6080 provides too much flow for corals, etc, in your tank -- it is fine for that. The issue is that your sandbed will be difficult to settle down with that much flow coming from a single source.

Ditto i had a 6060 in my 90 and no matter how i placed it sand would eventually start a storm. thats why i went with two nano tunzes and love it.

i think everybody hears flow flow flow. but you can over do it as well.
now if your tank is fully stocked to the brim then i could see it ....but i would go with nano tunzes. if it were me.