Setting up new Stream System

[hammerhead8090]

I just added 2 Tunze 6000s and a 7095 controller to my system. I am planning on re-doing the aquascape and am trying to figure out the best arrangement of the pumps.

I have a 225 gallon tank (6' x 2' x 2.5' tall). I am planning on upgrading to a 375 gallon tank (8' x 2.5' x 2.5'). The equipment and inhabitants will move to the new tank.

I keep primarily LPS with a few soft corals. My biggest corals are a hammer and a frogspawn, also keeping several candy canes and favias. I am not as concerned with the softies, but keep litophyton, green star polyps, and kenya trees.

I set up the 6000s in the arrangement suggested for pulse operation (one in the rear right top corner blowing across the back, the other in the front left top corner blowing across the front). I set the adjustment knobs as recommended in the instruction manual and plan on watching to see how the coral responds.

Is there a reason to choose the pulse setting as opposed to the interval arrangement? Should I consider the interval arrangement instead?

A final question, in installing the moon light, the M6 x 16mm screw does not seem to fit through the openings in the hose clamp. Is there some trick to putting this together?

Thanks!

Larry

[rvitko]

I prefer Pulse or Interval 2 as that way the pumps don't turn off and the risk of animals entering is much lower and the pump life between cleaning is longer.

The screw is a tight fit, it basically screws into the hole in the clamp, alternatively you can just widen the hole with a leather punch or drill.

[hammerhead8090]

Okay, I set up Interval 2 last night to see at it does. I understand the mechanics of pulse and interval 2 now. Is there any advantage of pulse versus Interval 2 or vice versa? Is one more representative of the zone where my dominant corals are generally collected? Is there any reason not to do one or the other based on my corals?

[hammerhead8090]

I may have answered my own questions. I consider my tank corals to be from primarily turbid waters in lagoon like conditions. From http://www.thesea.org/coral_reef/reef_zones/reef_zones.php I see, "Circulation within the lagoon would be primarily tidal or wind driven." I would guess then that Interval 2 would be more akin to the conditions these corals would encounter in their natural environment. Adding in that I prefer the location of the pumps in the diagram for Interval 2, I think that is the way to go.

Does that sound reasonable?

[rvitko]

I personally prefer interval 2, I pulse the pumps 30-100% at 3seconds and switch the pumps at a 6hr interval.