PDA

View Full Version : is there such a thing as too much flow?


DMK
02/21/2007, 08:19 AM
i'm wondering since i just ordered 2 more TUNZE 6000's... i have a 92 corner sps w/ ALOT of LR. currently i have 3 TUNZE 6000's and 3 MJ1200's. i will be getting 2 more 6000's this week or next. that will be 5 6000's and 3 MJ1200's. it seems like alot but like i said, i have alot of LR, and i want no deadspots. all flow is indirect, either boucing off walls or rocks. nothing blowing right on coral. i also figure as corals grow, i can just move pumps as necessary. i guess now i have about 72X tunrover w/ everything. after another 2 pumps are added i'll have over 100X turnover. sounds nuts to me but as i learn more, i have found flow, next to lighting, is crucial. i have no sandstorms now. i did have just a slight sandstorm after only adding first TUNZE. i start them very slow and just slowly increase over a few days. the reason i started w/ TUNZE pumps was i had battled caleurpa and BA after slacking on tank due to work, for about 6 months. in november i removed alot of LR and scrubbed and replaced, and started becoming obsessive w/ WC and husbandry, and adding more flow. the caleurpa is now non existant, and the BA problem is only about 10% of what it was, only requiring weekly small 10-15 minute pickings, and the tank is looking better than ever.

twon8
02/21/2007, 09:06 AM
i would go with two 6100's instead of the 5 6000's

100x is not too much flow, and while yes there is such a thing as too much flow, i have yet to see someone make it there.

rleechb
02/21/2007, 09:28 AM
Putting an acro right in front of a MJ1200 was too much flow, I blew the tissue off of one back when I first started sps.

DrBDC
02/21/2007, 09:35 AM
The mj's are too localized of a flow is the problem you had rleechb. I have a couple seio 1500's and a couple high flow mjmods which are 1500gph and 2000-2300gph. A standard mj at only 300 gph actually has more flow in a little 3/8" spot than the wide flow pattern of my other ph's. But it doesn't create very much flow anywhere other than that tiny little spot.

DMK
02/21/2007, 09:52 AM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9296426#post9296426 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by twon8
i would go with two 6100's instead of the 5 6000's

100x is not too much flow, and while yes there is such a thing as too much flow, i have yet to see someone make it there.

2 6100's will give me just about as much flow as 5 6000's, but not in as many areas...i would still have dead spots.

rutz81
02/21/2007, 10:09 AM
I'm all for more flow, but where the h*** do you put 5 Tunzes with the MJ's??? you have a pic?

schrun209
02/21/2007, 10:20 AM
I want to see pics too.... of placement that is.

Horace
02/21/2007, 10:23 AM
Linke mentioned, im not sure if we can really reach too much flow. there obviously is too centralized flow, but I think the ocean flow is many many many thousands of galons per hour. Im not sure we could even reach that much in a tank honestly.

DMK
02/21/2007, 10:25 AM
i have 3 streams now. 2 more on order. my camera is at work. i'll bring it home when i go back saturday. i have 2 streams hanging off corner overflow, 1 blowing right center, 1 left center, both hitting front glass. i have another on left glass blowing towards front glass. 1 new 1 will be right glass blowing to LR, and last 1 will be down lower on left glass blowing towards LR, since LR on that side is lower. each MJ on rim of tank, 2 on right 1 on left. they all fit fine.

slojmn
02/21/2007, 10:41 AM
Have you considered the nano streams for those hard to reach behind the rock spots? Just a thought for you. I am running 2 6000's and 2 nanostreams on my 70g tank. I still have a few spots that debris accumulates but it makes it easy to suck up. I plan on removing the 6000's and swapping for the new controllable nanostreams. I wont lose much flow and they will take up less space and be much more versatile. As far as to much flow, depends on what you are keeping, with sps I doubt it, with lps and softies you can definately have to much flow. I also took out some rock and made things much more open so the flow could get around better, another idea for you.

DMK
02/21/2007, 01:31 PM
no nanos for me. i hear of problems and i love the regular streams. i did take out some LR. about 30lbs. i had over 150lb before. it was wayyy too much. now there's alot but there's openness to it but yet it looks like a reef, just how i want it. i don't want to take out anymore. this is the reason i need so much flow...

mboley1
02/21/2007, 11:50 PM
This link is to the best article on flow that I have read. Check it out. It will change your mind on adding more pumps. it's all about Mass-water movement.
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2007/1/aafeature/view?searchterm=water%20flow

TheUndertaker
02/21/2007, 11:57 PM
thats alot of tunze

reefkoi
02/22/2007, 08:35 AM
yeah thats a lot of flow I'd love to see a video of the tank flow in action! I think the flow design is more important, The turnover rate is questionable, I think it depends on how the whole tank flows, if there are any dead spots and how the tank is aquascaped. So really I dont think there is a number for turnover times per hour thats a hard a fast rule.

DMK
02/22/2007, 09:43 AM
the reason i have so many is because corner tanks ae notorious for getting flow down, and i have alot of LR. they will all be positioned to create no, or next to no, dead spots. at this minute w/ 3 streams and 3 MJ, i still have dead spots. with the addition of 2 more streams i should be good. then it's time to go frag buying.

E-A-G-L-E-S
02/22/2007, 09:48 AM
2 vortech's and i bet you wouldn't have any dead spots....heck 3 and yu'd be set for the life of those sps as they grow and the branches start cutting off the flow to the middle of the colonies.
Then you would have sooo much more appealing of a look as well with almost no real estate taken up by p.h.'s and 'no' cords.
-jmo

DMK
02/22/2007, 09:51 AM
i had a vortech which crapped out after a few weeks. it was a gift. even when it was "working", it would not stay at full speed. weird. it's sitting here on my workbench. i'm a TUNZE man for life now.

Bebo77
02/22/2007, 09:55 AM
ii wouls put the 6100 in the corner shooting towards the middle front and one more shooting across the back bottom... then place MJ mods where ever you feel you still have any dead spots.. but man.. thats a ton of flow...
http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/4571/dsc000412513707ao9.jpg

E-A-G-L-E-S
02/22/2007, 09:58 AM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9305621#post9305621 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by DMK
i had a vortech which crapped out after a few weeks. it was a gift. even when it was "working", it would not stay at full speed. weird. it's sitting here on my workbench. i'm a TUNZE man for life now.

You gave one chance to a brand new line of pumps at their beginning and write them off for life? I replace all tunze with vortech and personally would never go back.
but jmo, and tunze are great!

poknsnok
02/22/2007, 10:01 AM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9303668#post9303668 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mboley1
This link is to the best article on flow that I have read. Check it out. It will change your mind on adding more pumps. it's all about Mass-water movement.
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2007/1/aafeature/view?searchterm=water%20flow

interesting article. it encourages laminar flow to get the whole tank rolling over if Im interpreting it correctly..

DMK
02/22/2007, 10:58 AM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9305684#post9305684 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by E-A-G-L-E-S
You gave one chance to a brand new line of pumps at their beginning and write them off for life? I replace all tunze with vortech and personally would never go back.
but jmo, and tunze are great!

yup, why would i go back if TUNZE is so highly reputable, besides the nanos...?


jesus, that's a nice tank... tunze's too:eek1:

SDguy
02/22/2007, 11:05 AM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9305713#post9305713 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by poknsnok
interesting article. it encourages laminar flow to get the whole tank rolling over if Im interpreting it correctly..

Yeah, that's what I got out of it too. Really interesting.

onehundred20
02/22/2007, 11:07 AM
depends on your tank, I can only go so far with my sandbed, also my modded maxi jet started blowing tissue from my 12" monti cap that is in the middle of the tank and had to take that mj out until I can mount it going a different direction. Dispersed flow is still damaging imo especially at close ranges. bouncing it of walls is your best bet.

DMK
02/22/2007, 11:17 AM
...or off rocks.

nwrogers
02/22/2007, 01:33 PM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9305713#post9305713 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by poknsnok
interesting article. it encourages laminar flow to get the whole tank rolling over if Im interpreting it correctly..

I got the same thing from it as well. I have always questioned in my head if laminar flow was bad for corals and thought that it must not be. The ideas in that article make a lot of sense and I am going to redo my flow to be more of a gyre style flow.