Waves in a Big Tank...

jeffhaag · 11/13/2008, 10:08 AM

Hopefully someone can give me some advice. I currently have a 6 month old 500gal Tennecor tank (120" L x 36"W x 30"H) and I was interested in creating some wave action. The tank is mostly softies with a very open rockwork. I am not so much worried about wave height as I am in getting the nice oscillating movement of the water column so my corals will sway back and forth. Right now all the circulation is provided by the returns. 2 closed loops, and 4 sea swirls to create some randomness. I have been looking at the MP40w's (and the Tunze wavebox's) for a while now, but was curious if anyone had recommendations on how to best achieve this goal. Again, my tank is dominated by softies so I don't need the immense flow of an SPS tank, just looking for a nice smooth oscillation... THANKS!

EcoTech Marine · 11/13/2008, 11:26 AM

You could achieve back and forth movement of your corals with four to six pumps in your tank and then you would no longer require the closed loop or sea swirls as the VorTech's will be providing all of the flow at that point. You could place them along the back wall and pulse them to get forward and backward movement.

If you are not looking to eliminate the closed loop, you could try two MP40w's on the back or one on each side to pulse as well.

-Tim

jeffhaag · 11/13/2008, 11:36 AM

I am partial to the idea of putting them on the ends of the tank and making the wave along the 10' direction. I hadn't considered the idea of shutting down the closed loops. It would save about 400W of electricity draw, so that's quite appealing.

My concern with putting them on the back is that a viewer wouldn't notice the full effect of the oscillation since the current would go towards and away from you. The tank is 1/2 recessed into the wall so it is mostly viewed from only the front side.

EcoTech Marine · 11/13/2008, 11:53 AM

For a 10' long tank with the pumps on the sides you will need quite a few of them to create a wave, I would recommend about three on either end.

As for the movement created by the pumps, I believe that you would notice it whether it is forward and back or left to right, as in reality it will be very three dimensional.

-Tim

jeffhaag · 11/13/2008, 11:56 AM

Thanks for your quick replies. Now that I think about it, I guess it would be very easy to try front to back and always move them if I wasn't happy with the results.

EcoTech Marine · 11/13/2008, 12:09 PM

If you aren't looking for a standing wave and are only trying to achieve movement of the corals, then you could start with two pumps placed on the sides or on the back and go from there. To create a true standing wave visible at the tank's surface, you will need more pumps.

-Tim

11/13/2008, 10:08 AM	#1
jeffhaag Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Chickamauga, GA Posts: 437	Waves in a Big Tank... Hopefully someone can give me some advice. I currently have a 6 month old 500gal Tennecor tank (120" L x 36"W x 30"H) and I was interested in creating some wave action. The tank is mostly softies with a very open rockwork. I am not so much worried about wave height as I am in getting the nice oscillating movement of the water column so my corals will sway back and forth. Right now all the circulation is provided by the returns. 2 closed loops, and 4 sea swirls to create some randomness. I have been looking at the MP40w's (and the Tunze wavebox's) for a while now, but was curious if anyone had recommendations on how to best achieve this goal. Again, my tank is dominated by softies so I don't need the immense flow of an SPS tank, just looking for a nice smooth oscillation... THANKS!

11/13/2008, 11:26 AM	#2
EcoTech Marine RC Sponsor Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Bethlehem, PA Posts: 4,751	You could achieve back and forth movement of your corals with four to six pumps in your tank and then you would no longer require the closed loop or sea swirls as the VorTech's will be providing all of the flow at that point. You could place them along the back wall and pulse them to get forward and backward movement. If you are not looking to eliminate the closed loop, you could try two MP40w's on the back or one on each side to pulse as well. -Tim __________________ Tim Marks President EcoTech Marine www.ecotechmarine.com For all FAQ's and product inquiries, be sure to visit our brand new community page where you can interact with EcoTech Marine customers and employees: community.ecotechmarine.com If the above information doesn't help you, please call us at 610.954.8480 ext 106 or [email protected]

11/13/2008, 11:53 AM	#4
EcoTech Marine RC Sponsor Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Bethlehem, PA Posts: 4,751	For a 10' long tank with the pumps on the sides you will need quite a few of them to create a wave, I would recommend about three on either end. As for the movement created by the pumps, I believe that you would notice it whether it is forward and back or left to right, as in reality it will be very three dimensional. -Tim __________________ Tim Marks President EcoTech Marine www.ecotechmarine.com For all FAQ's and product inquiries, be sure to visit our brand new community page where you can interact with EcoTech Marine customers and employees: community.ecotechmarine.com If the above information doesn't help you, please call us at 610.954.8480 ext 106 or [email protected]

11/13/2008, 12:09 PM	#6
EcoTech Marine RC Sponsor Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Bethlehem, PA Posts: 4,751	If you aren't looking for a standing wave and are only trying to achieve movement of the corals, then you could start with two pumps placed on the sides or on the back and go from there. To create a true standing wave visible at the tank's surface, you will need more pumps. -Tim __________________ Tim Marks President EcoTech Marine www.ecotechmarine.com For all FAQ's and product inquiries, be sure to visit our brand new community page where you can interact with EcoTech Marine customers and employees: community.ecotechmarine.com If the above information doesn't help you, please call us at 610.954.8480 ext 106 or [email protected]

11/13/2008, 11:36 AM	#3
jeffhaag Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Chickamauga, GA Posts: 437	I am partial to the idea of putting them on the ends of the tank and making the wave along the 10' direction. I hadn't considered the idea of shutting down the closed loops. It would save about 400W of electricity draw, so that's quite appealing. My concern with putting them on the back is that a viewer wouldn't notice the full effect of the oscillation since the current would go towards and away from you. The tank is 1/2 recessed into the wall so it is mostly viewed from only the front side.

11/13/2008, 11:56 AM	#5
jeffhaag Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Chickamauga, GA Posts: 437	Thanks for your quick replies. Now that I think about it, I guess it would be very easy to try front to back and always move them if I wasn't happy with the results.