Flow

[Uncle Boo]

I'm trying to figure out the flow in my new tank. I have about 900gph return flow and 2 Koralia 4's at 1200gph. Should I leave both Koralias on all the time? Do you cut them back at night? Should I alter the flow since I have them hooked up to ACJR? Do I need another powerhead?

I don't have anything in the tank yet and I'm getting ready to order some live rock. I just want to have everything set up before hand. My plan, which will probably change, is for zoos and softies with some fish.

[Henry Bowman]

The Korillas provide a nice gentle flow which most corals tend to like. The harsh direct flow of a MJ for example is not as good. I dont know if the Korilla is OK to run on a wavemaker or controller. Some internal powerheads dont do well on wavemaker set up's.

If you consider that the average reef where most of our livestock comes from or thrives in has 100's of thousands of gallons of water flowing over it, I dont think you can have too much flow. There was a recent article in the reefkeeping magazine that indicated flow is as important as good lighting. If you look at the most successful reefers here on RC, I think you'll find the flow to be a major component in a really successful tank.

I'd leave them on all the time (unless I found out for sure they are safe to run on an alternating program through the ACJR) and not point them directly at any corals but rather oppose them in the tank and or let them blow through the live rock.

My .02 cents FWIW....

[Avi]

I agree with Henry, and I'd suggest that you increase the amount of flow that you have from the approximately 17X the 120-gallons of flow to somewhere closer to 25-30X the tank's volume. Some people recommend less for soft coral but I have found that just about all coral benefit from a stronger indirect, broad flow. If you do add a powerhead, and IMO, you should, make sure it's a kind that has that broader flow.

[drummereef]

The more flow the better imo. I have 30x flow in my 40g mixed reef. You can see the corals I keep below. Prop-style powerheads create gentle random flow that your corals and fish will appreciate. I would run both of them. I love my ACjr too btw. Best investment I made besides water and glass. ;)